Nolan and his “Interstellar” was a much-hyped adventure before it came out and then it died down. Meanwhile, Eastwood and his politics of late, make him hot and cold. He has re-emerged with the DGA in a big way.
Out also is another politically-tinged movie, “Selma.” Ava DuVernay does not make the cut here. Going deeper, out is also Angelina Jolie for “Unbroken” and David Fincher for “Gone Girl.” While Jolie was not necessarily a shoe-in, Fincher was considered a likely contender as “Gone Girl” was all the rage early on in this award season.
Directors Guild of America President Paris Barclay today announced the five nominees for the DGA Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Feature Film for 2014.
“In a year full of excellent films, DGA members have nominated a stellar group of passionate filmmakers,” said Paris Barclay, in the announcement today.
In are:
Wes Anderson – “The Grand Budapest Hotel”
Clint Eastwood – “American Sniper”
Alexander G. Inarritu – “Birdman”
Richard Linklater – “Boyhood”
Morten Tyldum – “The Imitation Game”
Of this five, Eastwood and Inarritu have been here before. “Inspiring and artistic, these five directors made films that left an indelible impact not only on their fellow directors and members of the director’s team, but on audiences around the world. Congratulations to all of the nominees for their terrific work,” added Barclay.
Oftentimes, momentum for the early films do not sustain it and lose out. However, “Boyhood” has remained solid throughout. It does seem like Wes Anderson and his “The Grand Budapest Hotel” has picked up some needed injection.
Although the win at The Golden Globe Awards did not affect the nomination here, the fact that Anderson made the DGA cut is big. Why? Even though the Oscars have ten nominations, five are usually kicked out after looking at the Best Director category. Now, Anderson may be in both and a contender for sure.
Last year, the directors went with Alfonso Cauron for “Gravity.”
The DGA is a darn good indicator of what to expect come Oscar time (nominations Jan. 15). In its 66 years, the guild has picked the Best Director Oscar 59 times.
The winner will be named at the 67th Annual DGA Awards Dinner on Saturday, Feb, 7, 2015 at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza in Los Angeles. This host is Jane Lynch.
