Hello, Bloggers, welcome to another post where I continue my Oscar coverage. Today's category that I will discuss is the nominees for Best Director. Here we go:
Alfonso Cuaron, Gravity: I sensed that Cuaron would land an Oscar nod when I saw Gravity and they showed the intense 17-minute long opening tracking shot. With a Critics' Choice and Golden Globe win, it seems he's half way on his journey to a win. Of course, whether or not he's a sure lock depends on the Directors Guild of America Awards on Saturday in which Cuaron is nominated. Even if he doesn't win, he still has the sci-fi television series Believe set for release as a potential consolation prize.
Steve McQueen, 12 Years A Slave: If there is anybody that Cuaron needs to watch out for in this race, it is more than likely Steve McQueen for his equally brilliant direction in 12 Years A Slave. But a neat thing about a McQueen or Cuaron win would be that either one of them will be the 2nd non-Caucasian director in a row to win the Best Director Oscar, since Taiwanese director Ang Lee won last year for Life of Pi. Cuaron would be the first Mexican director and McQueen would be the first Black director to win. Either way, the Academy looks to set a new trend with this category.
David O. Russell, American Hustle: Ever since he made his comeback with The Fighter, it seems David O. Russell has really been in good graces with the industry. In my opinion, his third nomination for his work in American Hustle really highlights his range as a director, since his latest three films are different from one another: The Fighter is based on a true story about a boxer looking to win a title and has his former boxer brother come to his aide, Silver Linings Playbook is a seriocomedy about how mental illness affects one's family, and American Hustle is a character study about how we live in a world of grey, where almost everybody is not just good or evil. If there is anybody that can pull off an upset win, it'll definitely be David O. Russell, who has shown how he is truly an actor's director and I feel he will not only land more nominations for his actors in the future, but may land more for himself as well.
Alexander Payne, Nebraska: Ever since Alexander Payne burst onto the scene with Election back in 1999, he has been an Oscar favorite and it should definitely come as no surprise he is nominated. I can't comment on his direction because I haven't seen the film yet and in fact the only Payne film I've seen is Election, which is a favorite of mine. But I'm sure, like with our next nominee, that if Payne keeps delivering good work, he'll be back at the ceremony again.
Martin Scorsese, The Wolf of Wall Street: Marty, the legend, has landed his 8th nomination for Best Director. Since he had just won 7 years ago for his turn in The Departed, he may be a long shot at winning his second Oscar. But his many nominations still speak for themselves as well as his unique artistic vision that he has contributed to the craft of directing, which I'm sure many people study in film class and will continue to even when he passes.
So, those are the five nominees for Best Director. Please feel free to write in the comments section who you think deserves the Oscar if you have seen any of the nominated films, or write down who you would've nominated. Thanks for reading, and as I said, I will do more Oscar coverage until the ceremony on March 2nd!
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