Oscar Contest - Category Highlight - Best Achievement in Directing

February 25, 2006

With the Oscars just over a week away and our contest well under way, there's no better time to take a closer look at some of the nominees. Today we'll look at the Best Achievement in Directing.

Best Achievement in Directing

George Clooney for Good Night and Good Luck
Previous Oscar Nominations / Wins: None
Previous Nominations / Awards for this movie: Nominated for Golden Globe and DGA award.

Paul Haggis for Crash
Previous Oscar Nominations / Wins: None
Previous Nominations / Awards for this performance: Nominated for DGA

Ang Lee for Brokeback Mountain
Previous Oscar Nominations / Wins: One previous nomination.
Previous Nominations / Awards for this performance: Won Golden Globe and DGA.

Bennett Miller for Capote
Previous Oscar Nominations / Wins: None
Previous Nominations / Awards for this performance: Nominated for DGA.

Steven Spielberg for Munich
Previous Oscar Nominations / Wins: Five previous nominations including two wins.
Previous Nominations / Awards for this movie: Nominated for Golden Globe and DGA award.

Notes:

  • There are basically two groups of directors here, the ones with long, distinguished careers, (Steven Spielberg and Ang Lee), and the neophytes who are new or nearly new to the job, (George Clooney, Paul Haggis and Bennett Miller).
  • Ang Lee has to be considered the favorite for this category as Brokeback Mountain is expected to be the big winner of the night, and for good reason.
  • The rest of the group are all long shots but George Clooney has the best chance to score an upset. Good Night and Good Luck is a politically charged biopic is just the kind of film the Oscar voters like to reward. Also, let's be honest here, massive name recognition really helps.
  • Paul Haggis also benefits from name recognition, although he is known better for being a screenwriter than a director. He has done quite a bit of directing in the past, but it was all for Television.
  • Bennett Miller has almost no chance to win for two main reasons. Firstly, Philip Seymour Hoffman's performance is so great that it is overshadowing every other aspect of the movie. Secondly, this is only his second feature-length film he's been a part of in any capacity, which means he has the least amount of name recognition of the group. However, while he has almost no chance at winning, I imagine he will earn more nominations during his career.
  • Finally there's Steven Spielberg, who is probably the longest of the long shots here. The reason is simple, Munich is nowhere near his best film and is also nowhere near as good as people were expecting. In fact, I think it got a lot of its nominations based on his reputation rather than based on actual merit, but that wouldn't be the first time that's happened.
I hope this helps you pick your predictions in our contest. And remember, this is our biggest contest yet with plenty of prizes including...

The Girl Next Door - Unrated Edition.

Get ready for more skin...more sex. and more laughs in this all-new unrated version of The Girl Next Door---packed with steamy added scenes. Eighteen-year-old Matthew Kidman (Emile Hirsch) is a straight-laced overachiever who has never really lived life - until he falls for his hot new neighbor (Elisha Cuthbert). When Matthew discovers his perfect girl next door is a former porn star, his sheltered existence spins out of control. Brent Simon from Entertainment Weekly called the movie "Beautifully sprawling and terrifically funny... it encapsulates the raw, careening energy and mirth of adolescence."


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Filed under: Brokeback Mountain, Crash, Munich, Good Night, and Good Luck, Capote, The Girl Next Door