Updating the Best Director category isn’t as easy as it was last week when I took a look at the acting and Best Picture categories. On the heels of the Venice, Telluride and Toronto Film Festivals there were a few films and performances that clearly rose in significance, but when it comes to direction I tend to feel we’re looking at something a little different. It seems like a chance for the Academy to award a director whose film may have been a little more challenging, a little less The Theory of Everything and The Imitation Game, while, at the same time, we also have some strong female directors in the field this year, which could also spice up the race as gender politics continue to heat up in the industry.
When it comes to my top five in the category, the names remain the same while some of the positions have changed. Previously I had Bennett Miller (Foxcatcher) at #1, but after seeing the film I think it’s going to earn far more respect for its performances and cinematography than anything else. I fully expect a nomination for Miller, especially after that Best Director win at Cannes, which is something Sony Classics can hang their campaign on all season.
So with Miller moving off the top line, he switches places with Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu (Birdman), a film that sounds as if it has a little more flash and spark, showing off a wealth of directorial talent. Of course, I say this having not seen it, going only by what I’ve read, but I still can’t bring myself to put Angelina Jolie (Unbroken) at #1, not yet, someone needs to see that film before I can commit.
In the final two slots I have David Fincher (Gone Girl) and Richard Linklater (Boyhood), and I still think we have a lot of wiggle room within this top five.
I only feel confident in Miller and Inarritu nominations at this time; Jolie, Fincher and Linklater could all get bumped as names such as Christopher Nolan (Interstellar), Morten Tyldum (The Imitation Game), J.C. Chandor (A Most Violent Year), Ava DuVernay (Selma), Paul Thomas Anderson (Inherent Vice), Tim Burton (Big Eyes) and Clint Eastwood (American Sniper) still have films to be considered by the masses.
So, once again, the top five looks like this and you can click here for the complete field of 33 contenders.
- Alejandro González Iñárritu (Birdman)
- Angelina Jolie (Unbroken)
- Bennett Miller (Foxcatcher)
- David Fincher (Gone Girl)
- Richard Linklater (Boyhood)
