Ben Affleck, Kathryn Bigelow, Tom Hooper, Ang Lee and Steven Spielberg nominated by DGA
Quentin Tarantino and David O. Russell miss the cut
Steven Spielberg no longer has enough fingers to count how many times he's been nominated by the DGA.
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With 10 nominations to date, Steven Spielberg came into today's Directors Guild of America (DGA) announcement as the most honored director in the guild's history. Well, make it 11, as the "Lincoln" director predictably made it one more with a notice for his $144 million-grossing (and climbing) epic.
Joining him on the list, and equally expected, were Ben Affleck and Kathryn Bigelow for their dueling CIA thrillers "Argo" and "Zero Dark Thirty" respectfully, while Ang Lee ("Life of Pi") and Tom Hooper ("Les Misérables") filled out the list.
Missing the cut were David O. Russell for "Silver Linings Playbook," as well as Quentin Tarantino for "Django Unchained." The latter only joined the guild this year, though that didn't stopped him from receiving DGA nominations for "Pulp Fiction" and "Inglourious Basterds" as a non-member in the past. His miss here could be reflective of the fact that many didn't see the film in time (screeners did not go to the guild, as I erroneously conveyed otherwise on last week's podcast).
This pretty much just tells us five of the six strongest contenders in the race (the sixth being "Silver Linings Playbook"), or in other words, nothing we don't already know. Do with it as you will for your Oscar predictions.
Related
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DGA nominees reactions
This morning's fortunate souls had the following to say
Check out the full list of feature nominees below. Documentary nominations will be announced January 14. The 65th annual DGA Awards will be held on February 2.
Ben Affleck, "Argo
Tom Hooper, "Les Misérables"
Ang Lee, "Life of Pi"
Steven Spielberg, "Lincoln"
Kathryn Bigelow, "Zero Dark Thirty"
Remember to keep up with all of the 2012-2013 film awards season's ups and downs via The Circuit.
2012-2013 OSCAR PREDICTIONS
Best Picture
Best Director
Best Actor
Best Actress
Best Supporting Actor
Best Supporting Actress
Best Adapted Screenplay
Best Original Screenplay
Best Cinematography
Best Costume Design
Best Film Editing
Best Makeup And Hairstyling
Best Original Score
Best Original Song
Best Production Design
Best Sound Editing
Best Sound Mixing
Best Visual Effects
Best Animated Feature Film
Best Documentary Feature
Best Foreign Language Film
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Next 81 CommentsCordy
January 8, 2013 at 2:16PM EST Reply to CommentI can't believe Hooper made it in. I really am missing something with Les Mis.
The rest are expected, and solid choices. Hope Bigelow or Affleck take it
JJ1 I know that Les Mis didn't work for plenty, but I am happy to be in the group who found it enthralling. Perfect? No. But I think the DGA likes Hooper and respects what he tried to do with this material.
January 8, 2013 at 2:24PM ESTCrow3711 Yea, I mostly enjoyed Les Mis, but it certainly had little to do with the direction, which was often the most distracting element of the whole thing. I don't get it either.
January 8, 2013 at 3:16PM ESTJLPatt If you enjoyed the movie then part of that has got to be due to Tom Hooper's vision. Simple as that. He took tons of risks, and even if not all of them pay off, it's undoubtedly ambitious and rousing at its best.
January 8, 2013 at 3:28PM ESTCrow3711 I suppose you're right, many of the choices made work pretty well. But the camera work itself, which is the director and dp working together to create a visual style for the film, sucked. Like actually kind of sucked. So I would have definitely chosen David Orussell over hooper or Tarantino. -and I loved Django, but it too was indulgent, over long, and distracting at times. I just don't think hooper did award worthy work. He should not be nominated if only because of how distracting and awkward every scene with Russell Crowe is.
January 8, 2013 at 3:34PM ESTAmericanRequiem
January 8, 2013 at 2:17PM EST Reply to CommentDon't think hooper deserved it, Spielberg or Bigelow for the win!
Matt
January 8, 2013 at 2:18PM EST Reply to CommentHooper over Russell, QT, PTA and Haneke is just embarassing.
Laura Stewart So does Hooper now have the Daldry spell over the guilds? Please not the Academy. Show some taste and nominate PTA or Haneke. Malick didn't need the guild, so holding out my last bit of hope for PTA.
January 8, 2013 at 2:21PM ESTWalrus
January 8, 2013 at 2:20PM EST Reply to CommentNo Tarantino. Tear.
JJ1 Like Kris said, I think a lot of it has to do with it arriving late, lack of screeners, and the violence factor. Loved the movie, by the way. But I think that is it.
January 8, 2013 at 2:26PM ESTJLPatt Could also be the fact it's his weakest movie and displays the most slack, uneven direction of his career.
January 8, 2013 at 3:02PM ESTWalrus I don't think it's his very, very best (I think that would be Inglourious Basterds), but it's far from his weakest. And with that logic, that's why some of us here are none too happy with Hooper.
January 8, 2013 at 3:06PM ESTDylanS I agree with JLPATT that the direction is a bit uneven.
January 8, 2013 at 3:13PM ESTPaul Outlaw A bit,
January 8, 2013 at 6:00PM EST/3rt
January 8, 2013 at 2:22PM EST Reply to CommentLIFE OF PI is bullshit
LINCOLN is boring
ARGO was directed by Ben Affleck
LES MESS
I'm rooting for Bigelow. No Paul Thomas Anderson — the Academy better award him Original Screenplay. He deserves that and so much more for his masterwork.
Hans Sterling commentary, there!
January 8, 2013 at 3:11PM ESTDylanS Nope, I looked it up, "Argo" is, in fact, directed by Ben Affleck. ;)
January 8, 2013 at 3:14PM ESTBryan So your going with director who capitalizes on the story that just happened? Maybe It's just me but I never seem to enjoy the movies that are based on what happened last year (Social Network, Zero Dark Thirty, Flight 93, etc) less than I do the movies that give you a real sense of a glimpse into the past (Lincoln, There Will Be Blood, Capote). I feel it's a little harder to successfully re-create the details of a story that happened "way back then" than one that happens in the "right now" or "recently". Just my humble opinion! Spielberg or Affleck is my choice. (Never thought I'd say that.)
January 8, 2013 at 4:45PM ESTSandra "LES MESS" just made my morning! Thanks for the laugh
January 9, 2013 at 1:04AM ESTI also agree with your overall reasoning
Blake
January 8, 2013 at 2:24PM EST Reply to CommentHarvey must be pissed...
JJ1 I never thought about the possibility (however small) that 2 high profile movies with high profile campaigns by Harvey could potentially cancel each other out. i.e., which film to throw support to for Harvey. I'm sure most voters don't think that way, but perhaps some?
January 8, 2013 at 2:29PM ESTRichardZ
January 8, 2013 at 2:30PM EST Reply to CommentThis is a big miss for Haneke.
Kristopher Tapley He was NEVER going to be nominated here.
January 8, 2013 at 2:36PM ESTred_wine Lol at you thinking that Haneke would make it in here. 1/5 of 15000 members is 3000 votes. I wonder if the 3000 people in Hollywood have even seen Amour by this time.
January 8, 2013 at 2:50PM ESTAnd that movie is so stubbornly (and almost arrogantly) sober that it will give Hollywood-types a seizure by denying them at every step what they want and subverting their expectations.
Cordy Red_Wine, while I agree that Haneke had no chance in this more populist group, your reasoning for it is ridiculous. If there are 15,000 members, that does not mean each director got 3,000 votes or needed that many to get in. There were a lot more than 5 films voted for, and I'm willing to bet that some (namely Bigelow) got more than their fair share of votes.
January 8, 2013 at 3:02PM ESTAlso, I'm sure not all 15,000 actually voted
red_wine I realize that. I was thinking of preferential voting. Which would require atleast 'Total Votes/(No. of nominees +1)' which in this case would be around 2500.
January 8, 2013 at 3:05PM ESTRichardZ Wow, I didn't know that was so out of it.
January 8, 2013 at 3:07PM ESTdaveylo
January 8, 2013 at 2:33PM EST Reply to CommentSo happy for Ang Lee. Who else would have made the Life of Pi like he did?
Yoni True.
January 8, 2013 at 4:40PM ESTChuck
January 8, 2013 at 2:36PM EST Reply to CommentWow, the directors have really bad taste. Les Mis was terrible.
Glenn UK Does terrible mean it was a film which you did not like because that would mean, for me, that The Hurt Locker and No Country For Old Men, were really terrible too! I prefer the judgement call of the 14,500 voting Directors personally.
January 8, 2013 at 3:38PM ESTChuck I mean terrible as in a really poorly made film.
January 8, 2013 at 4:36PM ESTJohn Gilpatrick Because they don't share your taste, they have terrible taste? Awards are meant to celebrate film. Chill out.
January 8, 2013 at 5:39PM ESTSean
January 8, 2013 at 2:38PM EST Reply to CommentHow in the hell did Hooper make it in here???? HOW??? Completely inept director. Even if you admire other aspects of that dreadful picture, his nauseating direction surely cannot be one them.
JJ1 How?
January 8, 2013 at 2:42PM ESTPeople love the movie. Directors included.
Sean Which continues to boggle my mind. I loathe Tom Hooper. Man wouldn't know how to use a film camera if his life depended on it. He has directed two of the most hideous looking and overwrought motion pictures of the past 20 years.
January 8, 2013 at 2:44PM ESTJJ1 Oh, ok.
January 8, 2013 at 3:10PM ESTGlenn UK Sean clearly you are biased if you loathe the man. Even if he made a masterpiece which won every conceivable award possible, you would clearly be anti-Hooper!!
January 8, 2013 at 3:40PM ESTCaptainCanada I think Hooper's stylistic choices in the movie largely worked, and contributed to the feeling of the characters' desperate circumstances.
January 8, 2013 at 3:57PM ESTJohn Gilpatrick Today, a man's peers said he did a good job. The internet exploded.
January 8, 2013 at 5:40PM ESTSean Ok, let me clarify. I loathe the man's directing "style" with a passion. And if he had truly come out with a masterpiece than I probably would be joining the chorus in "do you hear the people sing" But even those who really like the movie aren't yelling masterpiece. Its an extremely divisive picture and most of that is do to Hooper and his alienating choices. There are plenty of filmmakers that I don't care for who come out with a film that I have like or even loved. This movie isn't it at all.
January 8, 2013 at 5:57PM ESTLars
January 8, 2013 at 2:56PM EST Reply to CommentWell, my list would be like this:
Wes Anderson
PTA
Bigelow
Spielberg
Lee
(alt. Haneke)
Let's play the "what-if" game though. If screeners of "Django" reached the members in time, who would they bump out for Tarantino? My guess would be either Lee or Hooper.
Paul Outlaw Neither one, I'm guessing.
January 8, 2013 at 6:02PM ESTDylanS
January 8, 2013 at 3:06PM EST Reply to CommentJesus Christ people, this has never been about the five greatest directorial achievements of the year. This is the directors putting their stock in for best picture, that's why Hooper is here. Get over it.
And I still think Lee misses with the Academy in favor of Russell. The DGA has always been kinder to him than the academy. The DGA nominated him for "Sense and Sensibility" and gave him the win for "Crouching Tiger" when the Oscars didn't. It's a little bit like Christopher Nolan.
daveylo The Academy gave Crouching Tiger best foreign film which he accepted and he was awarded for Brokeback. I think the Academy liked him quite a bit. And he's being honored by two guilds this year. I would be surprised if Lee gets shunned and I think his unpopularity is a myth. And Sense was a long time ago.
January 8, 2013 at 6:25PM ESTNick Roman
January 8, 2013 at 3:12PM EST Reply to CommentI knew there was hardly a hope in hell of it happening, but I still was badly hoping for a Benh Zeitlin surprise.
cabspaintedyellow No idea why it posted twice. My apologies.
January 8, 2013 at 3:25PM ESTNick Roman
January 8, 2013 at 3:14PM EST Reply to CommentI know there wasn't really a hope in Hell of it happening, but I never stopped crossing my fingers for a Benh Zeitlin surprise. Oh well.
Hans
January 8, 2013 at 3:16PM EST Reply to CommentReading the comments would have you believe that scientists have indisputably proven Les Mis was a disaster on all fronts.
Andrew Yeah, the anti-Hooper brigade have certainly turned out in force this morning, haven't they?
January 8, 2013 at 3:20PM ESTSean it is, save for Anne Hathaway. The one instance where Hooper's "Vision" paid off.
January 8, 2013 at 3:22PM ESTKristopher Tapley Yeah. Suffocating.
January 8, 2013 at 3:31PM ESTChuck The science is in. The blind devotion of the Les Mis-heads is pathetic.
January 8, 2013 at 4:38PM ESTDylanS As somebody who likes the film but recognizes it's flaws as a movie, can everybody shut the fuck up please?
January 8, 2013 at 4:51PM ESTSean Well isn't that why we come to this blog? Because we are film and awards lovers and when we leave comments we want to voice our opinions. Its not like this is the kind of site people come at to troll. I think there is a lot of genuine displeasure with Hooper and his film. And thats fair.
January 8, 2013 at 6:00PM ESTThomas Nothing wrong with disliking or hating "Les Mis," but I am really amused by some of the blinding, seething hatred we're seeing directed at the film, its cast members, its director, and anyone who commits the seemingly unforgivable moral offense of praising such "filth."
January 8, 2013 at 6:32PM ESTIn other words, I am really enjoying watching the anti-"Les Mis" brigade (including both professional critics and members of the film community) trip over themselves trying to think of more vitriolic commentary to spew about the film and its fans.
pitypie
January 8, 2013 at 3:27PM EST Reply to CommentLike a lot of people, totally dismayed with Hooper -- I ended up very much liking the movie, but if anything, the film succeeds despite him. The source material is sort of user proof. But obviously the directors feel a little different.
Al
January 8, 2013 at 3:34PM EST Reply to CommentLes Mis wasn't quite a show stopper, but I don't get all the Hooper hate. I'd prefer Russel to him this year (and Tarantino most years) but he's a pretty damn good director.
Guesto
January 8, 2013 at 3:44PM EST Reply to CommentSteven Spielberg is the greatest, most versatile film director. Sincere congratulations!
CaptainCanada There are some genres he's tried that I think are a bit outside his skill set.
January 8, 2013 at 4:00PM ESTActually, fellow nominee Ang Lee is a good candidate for "most versatile", I think.
JON HYDRO
January 8, 2013 at 4:08PM EST Reply to CommentNobody cares about this award. It's given by a union.
someperson Obviously, lots of people care, which is why we're discussing it. If you don't care, then why would you comment?
January 8, 2013 at 7:19PM ESTStehako
January 8, 2013 at 4:12PM EST Reply to CommentI like all of these directors; but I am bewildered by the absence of PT Anderson. The guy is a true visionary. I really liked 'Les Mis' but the music is so damn good you'd have to have Dennis Dugan behind the camera to really screw that up.
/3rt Paul Thomas Anderson can out direct this slate of nominees in his sleep.
January 8, 2013 at 4:35PM ESTdaveylo Anderson almost put me to sleep with The Master, but I know I'm in the minority among the art house lovers (which I am a member of).
January 8, 2013 at 6:27PM ESTloyal_mehnert
January 8, 2013 at 4:45PM EST Reply to CommentI know Spielberg has won the DGA three times before but I really hope he wins again for Lincoln.
It's not his most showy work BUT at 66 it proves an old dog can learn new tricks (or in Spielberg's case, leave the tricks at home). I suspect the blue-collar base of the DGA will appreciate that.
Martin
January 8, 2013 at 5:06PM EST Reply to CommentI still think Paul Thomas Anderson will take Hooper's spot at the Oscars. PTA won LAFCA and only 3 of their winners have ever missed with Oscar; last one being Spike Lee in 1989.
Patryk Martin, I hope you're right. Hooper over PTA is absolute lunacy.
January 8, 2013 at 8:07PM ESTHoustonRufus
January 8, 2013 at 5:20PM EST Reply to CommentNot really surprised. As others have said, if Haneke or PTA or Tarantino have a shot with any voting body, it's with the director's branch of the Academy.
I haven't seen Les Mis, so I have no opinion on it or Hooper's direction. But the constant pro Les Mis / anti Les Mis yelling is starting to stink up every comments field I enter. I wish people would relax.
TheOtherJamesD.
January 8, 2013 at 6:52PM EST Reply to CommentI think it's likely that one of Hooper or Lee might miss the Academy's list, potentially in favor of Russell.
prettok IF anybody falls off this list in favor of Russell, I think it might actually be Spielberg. Tha Academy has never shown him the same love that the DGA has. And some of his directing choices in Lincoln have been questioned.
January 8, 2013 at 7:46PM ESTBen Bellouin
January 8, 2013 at 8:50PM EST Reply to CommentMy list: PT Anderson, Wes Anderson, Tarantino, Affleck, Rian Johnson.
gittes98
January 8, 2013 at 10:46PM EST Reply to CommentTypical, sucking up to their God Spielberg as always. Lincoln is another one of his self-important,noble pictures that make people think he's a great humanitarian. Like Amistad, Munich or War horse it begs, or even demands respect and Oscar consideration no matter how insufferable or high minded it is.
Kristopher Tapley God forbid it's high-minded.
January 9, 2013 at 1:01AM ESTsomeperson I want my movies low-minded, dammit. So low their head's practically in the ground.
January 9, 2013 at 1:52AM ESTaaa
January 9, 2013 at 12:19AM EST Reply to CommentThere are always puzzling choices (Bigelow?, Hooper?), but I'm glad Lee made it in. He's made a perfect film.
aaa
January 9, 2013 at 12:20AM EST Reply to CommentWhat did people see in "Les Miserables" and "Zero Dark Thirty"? At least they couldn't avoid Lee's inclusion? Where's Nolan?
Vargha
January 9, 2013 at 2:21AM EST Reply to CommentI think most of the times one of the best director Oscar nominees is different from DGA nominees. So I think either Michael Haneke or Quentin Tarantino can replace Tom Hooper in the Oscar nominations. And I really hope so!
team_jc
January 9, 2013 at 4:40AM EST Reply to CommentRandom comment: did anyone notice Steven Spielberg's left pinky in the photo? How the hell did it go on that angle???
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