2011 Oscar Predictions: Best Director

Okay, so far we’ve got (and thanks to those who’ve been keeping tabs, reading and leaving comments on the previous prediction pieces) The Tree of Life winning for Best Original Screenplay (read here) and Emmanuel Lubezki for Best Cinematography (read here). Best Adapted Screenplay is going to the Coens for True Grit (read here). The acting awards are going to be split up among Hilary Swank (read here) and Johnny Depp (read here) win in the leading categories while Elle Fanning (read here) and Christian Bale (read here) for Supporting. Today we’ve got the directors (surprise…no Eastwood) and naturally this ties into tomorrow’s last piece for the 10 noms for Best Picture. 

The Five Noms:

Christopher Nolan for Inception
Comments: The Academy revamped the Best Picture category so that it could include films such as The Dark Knight and the Pixar stuff, this year I’m expecting them to follow suit and as a bonus will give Nolan his first nomination. 

Sofia Coppola for Somewhere
Comments: Nominated for Lost in Translation, with such a strong sense for the mise en scene and attention to detail – I think the characters and the rooms inhabiting the Chateau Marmont will come alive.

Terrence Malick for The Tree of Life
Comments: Nominated once before for The Thin Red Line, I think this is the year of the camera shy Malick.

Coen Bros. for True Grit
Comments: Previously winning for and much like Fargo and NCFOM, the brothers will once again pit forces of good and evil in what should be a bloody outcome – essentially the Coen bros’ comfort zone.   

Peter Weir for The Way Back
Comments: Right now the film has no distributor, and more than likely the company that does pick up this film will want a large release for this or else it will end up like Zwick’s Defiance. So this may be pushed into 2011 territory. Weir’s strong suit is working in the man vs. nature realm, and he has been celebrated with four noms beforehand with Witness, Dead Poets Society, The Truman Show and Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World.

As usual, drop us a word below and let us know which director(s) you would include in a top five this early in the game.