Oscar Countdown: Director
Doesn’t the director of ‘The Descendants’ deserve more of a shot?
In advance of the Academy Award ceremony on Feb. 26, Screen Grab will predict the winners in all categories.
Directing: Michel Hazanavicius, The Artist; Alexander Payne, The Descendants; Martin Scorsese, Hugo; Woody Allen, Midnight in Paris; Terrence Malick, The Tree of Life. Martin Scorsese and Woody Allen are two important, beloved filmmakers with vivid personalities, but does anyone think Hugo or Midnight in Paris represent their best work? (Acknowledging the charms of Midnight in Paris.) Terence Malick presents a strong, idiosyncratic vision in every film, but Tree of Life proved confusing and divisive. So the question is, will The Artist’s momentum carry Michel Hazanavicius over Alexander Payne? The Descendants’ Payne seems entirely deserving, delivering a strong film that’s the latest in an estimable body of work: Citizen Ruth, Election, About Schmidt, Sideways. He’s received precious little love over award season, though.
Prediction: Michel Hazanavicius, I guess. He won the Director’s Guild Award, which is usually anticipates an Academy Award. I won’t be entirely shocked if the Academy picks someone else than Hazanavicius, a virtual unknown who before The Artist made the thin but stylishly entertaining OSS 177 movies. Maybe Payne will be the spoiler. Just for fun, here’s Payne’s contribution to Paris, je t’aime, with Margo Martindale.