Filmsane

All right people…. The time has come. Or should I say… the day has come. Whatever. The Academy Award ceremony is coming up, and while many interesting things are about to happen on March 4th let’s take a last (OK maybe not last) dab at predicting the winners.

As I was looking at the nominees and the categories… I stumbled upon a great one. Category i mean… Best director category is a true delight this year… and it has plenty to offer in terms of diversity.

I mean… for the first time in ages there is a woman director nominated, a black director nominated and when It comes to the genres there is plenty to pick and choose from.

A coming of age teenage drama/comedy, a period piece love drama, a horror love story, a WW2 story and a modern spin on a horror directed by one of the most talented individuals working today.

Among the 5 nominees, 4 of them are first time nominees and only Paul Thomas Anderson is at his second best director nomination. Yup. Despite all logical and rational thinking Nolan and Del Toro have never been nominated in this category. Ever.

I remember a couple of years back, when Alejandro G. Iñárritu won his second best director Oscar (for The Revenant) I shared a photo of him, Alfonso Cuaron and Guillermo del Toro and I wrote… Come on Guillermo it’s your turn now…

A couple of minutes later I received a comment bellow that picture form an old acquaintance of mine in which he basically said… Del Toro doesn’t stand a chance. He’s not likely to ever win this award, since he’s known for the love of horror genre. It’s not exactly an Oscar material, and the Academy doesn’t really appreciate his type of movies.

Oh how wrong he is… I said I back then, and I say it now… I loved The shape of water and I truly would like see him win on March 4th. And although my love for PTA is undying and eternal, I’m going to have to pick Nolan as a backup win in this category. If my any chance Del Toro fails to win the Academy’s graces, Nolan would be my next pick for the best director Oscar.

Dunkirk was breathtakingly beautiful movie, and it wasn’t just the summer heat that got me excited when I saw it. I literally couldn’t stop talking about that movie for weeks after that. Nolan’s camera work was unparalleled here and recently even Paul Thomas Anderson admitted that was a fan of his work. A grace and acknowledgment of a true master.

So… Here are my picks for the Best director category. Jordan Peele, Greta Gerwig have a slim to none chance of winning but the bronze medal in this fine group goes to the man himself. Paul Thomas Anderson. His Phantom Thread was a visceral masterpiece and he also deserves an Oscar. Maybe not now, but some day for sure. Or maybe he really does? Who knows… The Academy is wacky sometimes… I mean it gave Robert Redford an Oscar for best director 30-something years ago, and not Martin Scorsese.

We’ll have to wait and see.