I am thrilled to see Mr. Allen here, because I was worried his film might not have the momentum to carry through to this nomination. His direction was brave by letting the dialogue and characters tell the story at hand with the Art Direction and Costume Designs act as secondary aide. He kept things moving along and always gave each scene the right amount of time to gets us caught up in them each and every time without feeling too long. That being said, he doesn't stand a chance, his direction is too subtle and the film isn't really in position to make an upset. That being said, I am sure Mr. Allen will be content with a Best Original Screenplay win, that is if he even bothers to show up (dare to dream folks).
Now, this is what I consider to be one of the films strengths. Hazanavicius' direction is flawless, he brings life to each scene which requires a little help when our two leads aren't front and center. He makes the film what it is, bringing each scene to life with little more than the right scene decorations and cues to the actors. Hazanavicius is going to win this, and deservedly so (he may be my second favorite of the list). He won the Directors Guild and the film is poised to win Best Picture. It would be foolish to bet against this man when it comes to the win come Sunday.
First off: WOO!!! If you thought seeing Woody Allen making the list was thrilling, this made me ecstatic. I thought The Tree of Life was dead in the water, it was gaining no momentum at all in the awards circuit. And that was a shame, because Malick's direction is flawless and is not only deserving of a nomination, but also a win. Balancing the effects of the creation of time as well as the story of an urban family balancing such ideas with creationism is no easy feet. That being said, he is probably dead last in the rankings cause as I said earlier, he has gained little to no momentum towards an upset. The nomination is the reward here.
This, in my opinion, might be the weak link in the list. Not to diminish Payne's direction, its stellar work. I just didn't think it was truly a standout for the film. He definitely worked the cinematography to make Hawaii annoyingly beautiful, as well as extract the right amount of weight from each and every scene. Balancing tragedy and comedy is hard to do, but I would chalk that up to the screenplay than his direction (which he will probably win anyway). That being said, he won't win, I chalk this nomination towards love of the film as a whole and the love will probably work towards its Screenplay win, but no further.
This is hands down my favorite nominee, and the one I am pulling for the most to win. If there was one thing I loved most about Hugo, it was its direction, which I found to be flawless. Balancing each story-line, giving us a sense of wonder beyond the amazing visual as well as giving each scene its life and love, the direction is amazing. This is truly Scorsese's love letter to movies, and its arguably one of his best jobs as a director since Goodfellas, maybe even Raging Bull. He won the Golden Globe so there is a reason to suspect he could upset, and the 11 nominations clearly shows love for the film. If there is going to be an upset, its going to be Scorcese winning, and maybe a big night for Hugo all together (I am already reconsidering some of my earlier predictions).
That being said, I am sticking with the DGA and sticking with Hazanavicius. But hey, congratulations to everyone in this list. Great nominees all around...
Winner: Michel Hazanavicius The Artist
Runner-Up: Martin Scorcese Hugo
Should Win: Martin Scorcese Hugo
Should've Been Nominated: Steve McQueen Shame
