DGA Nominations: Eastwood is Fashionably Late Yet Again
Tuesday, January 13, 2015 at 2:34PM The Directors Guild of America have spoken and raised the Eastwood flag yet again. The 84 year old director cruised to a nomination for his conservative military drama American Sniper. It's his fourth nomination with the DGA. He has won twice before at the DGA and also received a Lifetime Achievement Award. The Academy has nominated him even more often for directing as American Sniper will be his fifth Best Director nomination should it come to pass. Eastwood has a habit of crashing the party late. He did it in 2004 with Million Dollar Baby when everyone was preparing for an Aviator sweep. He did it in 2006 with the tiny grossing nearly black and white foreign language film Letters from Iwo Jima and he looks like he'll do it again on Thursday for American Sniper.
DGA NOMINEES:
Wes Anderson, Grand Budapest Hotel
Clint Eastwood American Sniper
Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, Birdman
Richard Linklater, Boyhood
Morten Tyldum, The Imitation Game
I promised you back when the Globe nominations were first announced that the Academy would never come up with a list that good for Best Director. While we won't know the truth of my prediction until Thursday morning, the DGA choices don't bode well for a happy Thursday morning for many of us. Congratulations to the nominees but, all due respect, Eastwood & Tyldum replacing Duvernay and Fincher is trading down if we're judging by the directing jobs in question and not by legendary reputations and best picture heat respectively.
But here's something to give you hope if you're already grousing about these nominations: In Ye Olden Times (i.e. 1970 through 2008) the DGA was considered the single most predictive precursor. This was not because the DGA lineup was always Oscar's lineup for Best Director. In fact, it rarely matches 5/5 but it was called that because it was the single most predictive of the Best Picture race (not Best Director). That is no longer the case -- or if it is it's lost all meaning since there can be up to 10 nominees for Best Picture now so it's easy to call five of them. But in Ye Olden Times, i.e. up until seven years ago, today's announcement would mean that American Sniper was probably going to edge out another movie we thought was more strongly in the mix like The Theory of Everything or Selma.
Here are some recent history switcheroos from DGA to Oscar
2013 DGA (4/5) Paul Greengrass, Captain Phillips. Oscar replaced with Alexander Payne for Nebraska.
2012 DGA (2/5) Hooper, Affleck, Bigelow. Oscar replaced with Haneke, Zeitiln, and Russell
2011 DGA (4/5) Fincher, Dragon Tattoo. Oscar replaced with Malick for Tree of Life
2010 DGA (4/5) Nolan, Inception. Oscar replaced with the Coen Bros for True Grit
2009 DGA (5/5)
2008 DGA (4/5) Nolan, Dark Knight. Oscar replaced with Stephen Daldry for The Reader
2007 DGA (4/5) Sean Penn, Into the Wild. Oscar replaced with Jason Reitman for Juno
2006 DGA (3/5) Dayton/Faris and Condon. Oscar replaced with Greengrass and Eastwood
2005 DGA (5/5)
There's not much of a pattern though both of the recent years with perfect matches were very much consensus years where it was the same five titles all the time. 2014 is not that kind of year. When Oscar makes a change they trade both up and down... the only throughline, and it has exceptions, is that Oscar's directing branch tends to be a little more artistically inclined than DGA's more populist tastes. So the people who didn't make it today are still in it: James Marsh has a BAFTA nod to recommend him, Ava Duvernay has a critically acclaimed resonant film, Damien Chazelle is a new boy wonder (and they love those since its the old boys club) and David Fincher is, well, David Fincher with a huge hit. One of them could surely still knock one of the DGA contenders out. But who and which?
Final predictions soon. Need some time to think on it. Thoughts?
Reader Comments (39)
I"m just glad to see Anderson doing so well. GBH is such a joy. So much attention to detail, so freely played but yet so perfectly staged. It is genius and I'm glad to see the film and director getting so much well deserved attention.
Letters from Iwo Jima is not in b&w... just want you to know
I haven't seen American Sniper or Selma yet (both this weekend, possibly back-to-back), so I don't know which one I'm rooting for yet, but I'm feeling like DuVernay or someone like Dan Gilroy could still be in the hunt. Chazelle felt the most threatened by today, as Whiplash's heat seems wildly over-hyped this season.
Well, Anderson looks solid. So that's something. *sigh*
I can't believe I have to see that Eastwood movie. Damn my Oscar completionism (well, in the top 8 anyway).
I doubt Eastwood is really in, for either director or Picture, though Tyldum probably is. 4/5 with either DuVernay or Fincher taking Eastwood's slot.
I love seeing Wes Anderson there. In terms of his film really making the big leagues, this seems like the best confirmation yet.
I suspect Tyldum probably makes the Oscar lineup as well, but Eastwood is replaced by DuVernay (notwithstanding the best efforts by that film's campaign to mess things up).
It's also worth noting that this is the first time Clint managed a DGA nod without a matching Globe nod, and that it would be the first time he was nominated for an Oscar in this category without a Globe nod as well.
This Hollywood industry is so damn racist and typical. It's completely stupid of them to not give a nomination to Ava Duvernay. Clint Eastwood again?!
Tory-did the DGA even get screeners? I think that may be to blame here, along with a release schedule that doesn't allow for everyone to have seen Selma.
Tory, you might also argue that the directing branch is sexist, since the only females on that DGA list (Bigelow and Faris) were replaced by white men at the Oscars those years. But then, Chris Nolan suffered the same fate as the ladies and he's a white male.
Don't get me wrong: It often seems as though there's a problem, but it is likely more than just overt racism. It could also be sexism, cronyism, peer pressure, bad publicity, a lack of imagination, etc.
The year Ben Affleck was snubbed The Academy put together a good list... could still happen.
I'm sorry. I posted a rash reaction. I honestly felt it would be smooth sailing for Ava this season. I guess what kills me too is that it's a REALLY great picture. It's not some "excuse" film to make history, it's actually really good. I understand the politics so I know that's a factor. And don't get me wrong, I'm very interested in seeing American Sniper, it looks tremendous from the trailers I've seen, but it's frustrating when you know that if this film was the equivalent of a white male, white story being told and directed the nomination would be there. And we all know that the DGA and Oscar don't necessarily differ come nomination morning. And sadly enough, I feel with my brothers and sisters in this industry who get close to this type of honor within any given year, it could also be their only chance in their career. It's simply not as easy for us. However, I'm content with the progression that is happening
Not sure what to make of the Fincher snub, but as far as DuVernay's snub goes, it seems simple: Selma wasn't completed and locked until December (AFI and November screenings were unfinished cuts). Screeners didn't go out to any of the guilds which is why it hasn't been nominated for a guild award (save for an odd Costume Guild nod). Not that many people had a chance to see it (unless they went out of their way) AND its awards momentum has only built up in the last few weeks.
You could point out that the DGA also didn't received Grand Budapest Hotel screeners BUT that film had been in release for most of the year and was on home video for awards season (even premiering on HBO the weekend after Christmas).
You could point out that American Sniper has a similar theatrical release pattern as Selma BUT that film was locked months ago and sent screeners to voters in at least the DGA and PGA before the film even opened in limited release.
Selma's awards chances have been hurt by two things thus far: the film rushing to completion and Paramount sticking to pushing the film for the 2014 awards season... But it's important to note that screeners went out to AMPAS and that the film has been debated and talked about throughout most of AMPAS voting.
So I'm not shocked to see Selma snubbed with the DGA, but I would be very shocked if Selma is not nominated for Best Picture on Thursday morning.
I'm more pissed at Tyldum's inclusion. Haven't seen Sniper yet so I'll reserve my judgment.
I think this shows,however, that American Sniper is firmly in for best picture.
I can't decide which is worse: the nomination for Tyldum's bland film or for Eastwood's offensive film. Oh, what the heck. It's a TIE and we all lose.
Please get rid of Eastwood.
First things first:
Congratulation to Morten Tyldum for being the first Norwegian director nominated for a DGA
So, I haven't seen The Imitation Game nor American Sniper so I can't judge
But why oh why couldn't they nominate Ava? ? ?
My predix: Linklater (duh), Iñárritu (duh), Anderson (now surely a lock, right?), Tyldum, and Chazelle. Eastwood left looking on the outside.
I had completely forgotten about James Marsh. He seems far out of the conversation, no?
Eastwood could be a fastidious precense here. Tyldum is simply annoying. He's a whatisnameagain posing for Harvey Winstein, the real "director". Harvey could have hired everyone and the result would be just the same. The word "director" here is a lame joke.
I agree 100% with Graham's post.
Eastwood is primed and ready to snatch wigs, bitches! Sorry, Ava. Better luck next time whenever u make some more Oscar bait again.
Let's look at the history:
Only 4 women have been nominated for Best Director in 86 years.
Only 3 African Americans in 86 years.
Even when a movie directed by a woman has been nominated for best picture, like Little Miss Sunshine, Winter's Bone, An Education or The Kids Are All Right, the director often does not get nominated.
So the big question for Thursday morning is, has the director's branch transformed enough in the last few years to reward a young, female, African American director among its elite club?
I'm having a hard time being optimistic.
As pointed out, Selma's lack of precursor success was due to not getting the screeners out (the guilds) or a short window (apparently BAFTA only had a week to see it). I could easily see it playing out like Munich or Letters from Iwo Jima, two movies that also got virtually shut out from the guilds but gor resurrected on Oscar morning. My predix right now are Linklater, Innaritu, Anderson, Eastwood, and DuVernay, with Tyldum as my alternate.
SanFran: Of the four you mentioned, three of those (Sunshine, Kids, even An Education) wouldn't have even been nominated if it was a guy doing it (the directors branch TRIES, as much as it can, to lean on aesthetic vision and those three are unquestionably writers films) and one of those three that wouldn't have been (Little Miss Sunshine) was co-directed by a guy. Debra Granik for Winter's Bone is a valid question mark, especially since that would have been a far more interesting director nomination than either Inception OR True Grit and Patty Jenkins on Monster is another one I'd call a more legitimate question mark (I haven't seen Monster) that possibly deserved to unseat Clint or, maybe (because I haven't seen the film), Peter Weir.
san fran -- i understand the lack of optimism but if you look at it another way, there weren't all that many viable chances for black directors and female directors to be nominated in years past. I mean does anyone really think Barbra Streisand deserved a director nomination for Prince of Tides? I was horrified that it was nominated for Best Picture.
The most egregious "snub" is surely Spike Lee missing for Do The Right Thing and their lack of interest in Malcolm X in general which would have had SO MANY nominations if it weren't a black film because otherwise: right up their alley. and the examples you cited a lot are from recently when there are more than 5 nominees so we're bound to have more "snubs" than we used to in director.
with more people of color and more women directing, I think (or at least hope) we'll see this change. Duvernay would be a great place to start because it's the type of film they love directed with plainly visible skill. So there's really no excuse to ignore it.
I can't believe that the DGA -( a group that should be the best arbiters of direction) added Tyldum.
Honestly are they kidding?
Adding Eastwood can be chalked up to favourtism but Tyldum?
I loved the cast of The Imitation Game, but was very irritated with the structure of that film. Bad choice. Head scratchingly bad.
volvagia and nathaniel -- i'll change my tune from 'not optimistic' to 'cautiously optimistic' -- but I'm still wavering as to whether or not to predict Ava's nomination!
head = we can't overcome. heart = yes we can!
""Tyldum is simply annoying. He's a whatisnameagain posing for Harvey Winstein, the real "director". Harvey could have hired everyone and the result would be just the same.""
Just pointing out that the film was done and dusted before Harvey bought the US distribution rights. Harvey had nothing to do with the direction, with getting the film made or the casting. It was a small production team along with the script writer and Morten that got the film off the ground for a 15 million budget.
Eastwood is loved by the rightwing conservative members of the academy.
And a film about a patriotic American killing nasty muslims will please the definitely get votes from the rightwing members like Robert Duvall, James Woods, Sylvester Stallone, Bruce Willis is he a member?) etc etc etc.
Wouldn't surprise me if there if Selma is snubbed and American Sniper gets a Best Pic and Best Director nods.
Nathaniel, I totally agree that Spike Lee is an awful snub, but the Academy does have a few examples of women not getting in for their Best Picture nominees. Children of a Lesser God and Awakenings jump to mind as well. Considering Director often went 4/5 with Picture, it might actually be an interesting comment on the Academy's choices. (I'll happily defend Penny Marshall - I adored Awakenings, plus Big and A League of Their Own were pretty great films. So was The Preacher's Wife, even if it wasn't especially Oscar-y.)
Deserving directors always miss out. Haven't seen Selma (or A Most Violent Year, for that matter), but from where I'm sitting this is a solid short list: Anderson and Inarritu did some of the best work of their careers, Linklater made pulling off a hugely ambitious experiment look easy, and Eastwood proved he can still swing a bat with the best of 'em. Tyldum, whose work is functional at best, is the obvious odd man out, and I certainly would prefer to see someone like Mike Leigh or Damien Chazelle - or even David Fincher, whose work on Gone Girl is typically sophisticated, even if he does come off more and more like a visual style for hire with each passing film. But there's usually one inexplicably mediocre nominee in the mix.
I'm guessing at least one of these guys won't make the Oscar short list. Damned if I can tell which one, though. Clint, I guess, since his support is coming so late. I hope he makes it though. A best picture/director race in which American Sniper and Grand Budapest Hotel are prime movers and shakers seems much much more interesting than one where it's all about The Imitation Game and Theory of Everything (blech).
Eurocheese: I like those Penny Marshall films, too. What happened to her directing career? Did she just retire?
Really hope Eastwood is ignored on Thursday morning. The man doesn't need more recognition. He already has received a DGA Lifetime Achievement award. What more does he need? Help someone else's career, Academy.
Need to say one more thing. I saw Selma on Christmas eve. But I don't know anyone who has seen the film yet because they do not live near a theater showing it. The film should not have opened so late in the year. The last opening for A Most Violent Year also hurt its chances.
Was pretty shocked by Duvernay's DGA snub, found out on the same day that Oyelowo doesn't have a SAG nod, and am really needing assurances here that Selma is going to be ok. I don't know, I feel like lots of my friends aren't bothering to see it because they assume it's going to be a by-the-numbers-feel-bad biopic (not even gonna get started on how all of them went to see Lincoln). What is going on, ugh.
Fincher was going to the one I grumbled about, but now I suppose I have to save that for Eastwood. (In a completist urge to screen nominees, Sniper is basically my The Judge)
I loved Letters from Iwo Jima, and really liked Million Dollar Baby. But I just don't want to see American Sniper.
I keep thinking of the German sniper counterpart in Inglourious Basterds, and I mourn that there's going to be no Melanie Laurent or Diane Kruger equivalent in Eastwood's story. I know he was not the first choice director for this, and I wish he would be a little more choosy (how many more films does he have? Why does this have to be one of them?)
I'd rather see a director's work who was doing something really important to them, and doing it with skill, like Ava Du Vernay.
Harvey should really be taking that credit for Morten Tyldum, let's be real. I'm always surprised every award season at the continual revolving door of directors that let themselves get bullied over by him. Fincher and Ava's works were so much more trickier to accomplish and they did so without letting their asses hang out.
I just can't help but feel like Clint Eastwood is someone that came at the right time for people to go "oh, Clint Eastwood, duh" whether they've seen the film or not because he's fresh on their minds and is a legendary director.
I still think Ava will get the Oscar nod...maybe it's wishful thinking. But this is the closest a black woman has been to being nominated (or maybe the only time it's been close at all) and I feel like it could still happen, thanks to voting being done before all these other nominations were announced. And DGA's track record recently hasn't been 100% with Oscar.
Ugh.