Oscar pick-a-palooza: Who should win Best Director?

Barry Jenkins

The following is part five of an ongoing (and fourth annual!) series of blog posts (co-starring my friend and fellow movie aficionado and blogger Brian Wezowicz) about the upcoming 2017 Academy Awards, honoring the best of Hollywood from last year. 

Check out our previous posts on the Best Supporting Actress race here, Best Supporting Actor here, Best Actor here and Best Actress here. And stay tuned for our takes on all the other major categories.

Brian: Ha!  We agree so much because we're movie brothers from other mothers.  We have similar tastes in movies with a few obvious exceptions (cough cough, Anchorman 2, cough).  I highly respect your opinion on movies, and look forward to every one of your blog posts.

Let's move on to Best Director. 2016 was a really exciting year for up and coming directors.  This year's class featured strong with from young directors growing their already impressive resumes (Villenueve & Chazelle) or relatively first time directors (Longeran & Jenkins).

And then there's Mel Gibson... Hollywood loves a comeback and it appears that Mel is back in the good graces of The Academy.  I have not seen Hacksaw Ridge, but it appears to deliver Mel's signature combination of violence and faith in an impressive way.  I can't really complain that he's nominated since I'm so excited about the rest of the nominees.

There are a few directors that could have slid into that fifth slot over Gibson.  I'm a little surprised that Martin Scorcese was overlooked for his (by all accounts) exceptional work on high passion project, Silence.  Denzel Washington certainly deserved a look for his work on Fences, but I'll take his acting nod as recognition of his work.  David Mackenzie certainly deserved a look for his work on Hell or High Water.  I'm also surprised that Clint Eastwood didn't get a token nomination for Sully in the same way that Meryl Streep seems to get nominated for every one of her acting roles.

That being said, I'm really happy with the way this category turned out.  In my opinion, it's also one of the more wide open categories that could go a number of ways.

Here are the nominees:

Best Director:
Arrival, Denis Villeneuve
Hacksaw Ridge, Mel Gibson
La La Land, Damien Chazelle
Manchester by the Sea, Kenneth Lonergan
Moonlight, Barry Jenkins

Mel Gibson

Will Win:  Chazelle.  Hollywood loves movies about itself and LA in particular.  I think La La Land's big night will lead to a Damien Chazelle win.  The question I have is do you think we'll see a split Director/Picture scenario?

Should Win:  Barry Jenkins. By all accounts, Moonlight is an absolute masterpiece. Jenkins should win for putting this multi-year story together so seamlessly.

Dark horse:  Villenueve. Denis Villeneuve is (in my opinion) the best director working today.  He's put together a string of solid to spectacular movies, and Arrival is my favorite one yet.  I know you were not as high on it as I was, but there's no doubting Villenueve's talent.  I can't wait to see what he does with the Blade Runner sequel!

Who takes home your directing nod?

Adam: Thanks for the shout out my brother -- it's good to be back and blogging again.

Probably of all the major categories I found this one -- Best Director -- to be the most refreshing, because as you've pointed out, instead of nominating the same ol' same ol' legends like Clint Eastwood and Martin Scorsese (who is admittedly my favorite director of all time), the Academy has chosen to elevate and celebrate some new blood.

Denis Villeneuve, Barry Jenkins, Damien Chazelle and Kenneth Lonergan are far from household names but they are all visionary, uniquely talented directors whose films reflect their personality and feel like the singular work of a filmmaker with a real voice.

Chazelle's Whiplash conveyed a passion for music and performance which has now been born out in La La Land. Jenkins is a visual maestro, who elicits epically profound performances that are both quiet and realistic. Lonergan is also interested in humanity -- its fragility and beauty. Meanwhile, Villenueve is a thinking man's action director sort of operating on the same plane as Christopher Nolan but with a better facility with emotions.

The Mel Gibson phenomenon I can't quite pin down. I have never been as impressed as some people are with his talents as a director. He seems to stage effective orgies of violence, but little else. I, like you, haven't seen Hacksaw Ridge, but was intrigued by its premise -- about a non violent participant in war -- and perhaps it is so good it warrants his inclusion here. I have always subscribed to separating art from the artist, but Gibson has made that principle hard for me to stick to at times.

I think my main issue with him -- beyond what he's said and done -- is the failure to adequately express remorse or contrition for his actions. Roman Polanski has at least taken responsibility for his crimes (although I think he still should have gone to prison for them), whereas Gibson seems to think mea culpa are beneath him. And now, he's been rewarded with this recognition, but at what cost?

I'd have liked to see Denzel Washington here too in his place. I thought, while Fences is more of actor's picture, that he helped present the material expertly enough that it didn't feel like nothing more than a filmed play. I also think as a filmmaker Washington has really improved but clearly the academy didn't agree.

Will win: Damien Chazelle. My quibbles with La La Land are more thematic than literal. It's a wonderfully charming movie that I somehow doubt will stand the test of time -- it feels a touch too cute for the combative times in which we're living. That said, it is a technical marvel, beautifully shot and edited. And Chazelle has enough wit and sarcasm not to let his film devolve into sap. He'll likely win the big prize/

Should win: Barry Jenkins. Moonlight. He made my favorite movie of the year, so naturally I am going t get behind him for this. He'd done a few small projects before, and the one I'd seen, Medicine for Melancholy, I didn't particularly like -- so this film really took me by surprise and haunted me. He made a film about really tricky subject matter and managed not to give into cliches. Even if he doesn't win, he's got a really bright future.


Dark horse: This is a tricky one. I really feel like the race is between Chazelle and Jenkins. While I know Arrival has a lot of ardent admirers (yourself among them), I don't see them giving this award to Villeneuve. And I think for Gibson just getting back in the game is reward within itself. So I think only potential spoiler could be Lonergan because Manchester By the Sea could emerge as a consensus pick if either La La Land or Moonlight prove too divisive.