Best Director

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The Maestros are:

Drew Barrymoore - 'Whip It!'
Drew is one of the most likable people in Hollywood. The fact that managed to get across her sense of fun and energy is no small feat. If only ever film bubbled with such joyous feeling. Behind the scenes clip

Katherine Bigelow - 'The Hurt Locker'
It has been a great year for female directors. Katherine showed that she can make a better war film than most boys, not that it is a genre competition or anything.Behind the scenes clip

Neill Blomlamp - 'District 9'
What a shocker. This film was not supposed to do much (made in a small amount of time for not a lot of money), but because of his vision you get one of the most emotional/action filled/political films of the year. Unlike anything else. Behind the scenes clip

Lee Daniels - 'Precious'
You can see his love sweat and tears in every frame. A deeply personal project, You also see his mastery with actors continue here as he evokes 100% truthful performances from even the tiniest player.Behind the scenes clip

Michael Haneke ' The White Ribbon'
He slowly crafted a slow burner of a paranoia film. The mood, the focus, the performances all had to be just right to pull this off, and he was the master in control. Clip

Quentin Tarantino - 'Inglourious Basterds'
He is a master of directing. His love for movies is unlike any other director out there. A true fan that poured his love into one of the most entertaining fantasy films of the year. Behind the scenes clip

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How do you solve a problem like Amelia

When it comes to predicting the film and its players.
I say go with your gut.
Mine said it would not amount to much in the end.
However, The Hollywood Reporter has given ‘Amelia’ a rave, and the word from the London Film Fest is very positive. It is supposed to be a great old school bio pic, however as the Academy gets younger will they be impressed.

Apparently Swank is great says Ray Bennett:

”Freckle-faced, prairie-voiced and fiercely independent, Hilary Swank's depiction of aviator Amelia Earhart in Mira Nair's biographical film "Amelia" is of a high order. It ranks with recent real-life portrayals of Ray Charles by Jamie Foxx and Truman Capote by Philip Seymour Hoffman and could be similarly awards-bound.”

However one review can not a front runner make.

Things could still go horribly wrong.

Justin Chang of Variety says:

”To say that "Amelia" never gets off the ground would be an understatement; it barely makes it out of the hangar. Handsomely mounted yet dismayingly superficial, Mira Nair's film offers snazzy aerial photography and inspirational platitudes in lieu of insight into Amelia Earhart's storied life and high-flying career. Prestigious packaging, led by Hilary Swank's gussied-up performance as the iconic aviatrix, portends friendly commercial skies for the Fox Searchlight release, at least initially. But critical disdain is unlikely to be countered by much audience enthusiasm, even among admirers of this kind of old-fashioned, star-powered bio-mush.”

he he. Bad reviews are fun to read.
He goes on to say of Swank:”

But it's Swank who must shoulder the heaviest thesping burden, and her Amelia remains earthbound. An actress who does her best work in plain-spoken, contempo working-class roles, Swank is a decent physical match for her subject, and her slightly androgynous appearance here underscores Earhart's standing as a woman among men. But the character's passion hasn't been sufficiently dramatized (this Amelia likes to fly planes because the script says so), and every effort to transform Swank -- the close-cropped blonde hair, the '30s costumes designed by Kasia Walicka Maimone, the actress' wobbly Kansas accent -- ends up feeling like one fussy affectation on top of another.

”We will have to wait in see what the rest of the pack say before dismissing, however it does not look promising - although best actress is famous for nominating ok roles is not loved films.

The main shame is for Mira Nair who would be a wonderful addition to the women vying for a Best Director Oscar nom. One day her day will come. She seems to have difficulty tackling large ambitious projects stateside and aside from ‘Hysterical Blindness’, I like her better doing home grown projects.

MAFFE Awards 2009!! Director.

Jonathan Demme - Rachel Getting Married
Meanders through the film allowing the viewer to not even notice the film is being directed. You feel like a guest at the wedding. Amazing film making.


Mike Leigh - Happy-Go-Lucky
Never once tries to make you like Poppy. He knows how to stand back just far enough to allow his actors to shine.


Andrew Stanton - WALL-E
His vision is amazing. He is mainly in here for the brilliant, silent first third of the film.
Genious.


Christopher Nolan - The Dark Knight
This was truly his vision and what a vision it was. The twisted darkness he brings into the film is something to behold.


Gus Van Sant – Milk
Simply for telling the story with such passion and elegance.
Bonus points for the casting.



Courtney Hunt - Frozen River
This small story would not have been made without her, and she creates a masterful film about the overlooked of society.

Best Director Predictions

Katheryn Bigelow – ‘The Hurt Locker’

The reviews all praise her work on this.
She looks to be the one director who is a serious lock for a nomination. Girl power indeed.


Peter Jackson – ‘The Lovley Bones’

He is not a man to be dismissed.
The film is bound to have its rabid fans, and that and the scope of the project should see him easily make it in.


Clint Eastwood – ‘Invictus’

As anyone who has ever tried to make a prediction for the Oscars, one thing you should never do, and that is never bet against Clint.


Lee Daniels – ‘Precious’

Some reviewers have criticized some of his directorial choices, some other praise him for them and his bravery. He is looking like he could make it in.


Lone Scherfig – ‘An Education’

All of the nominations for this film, aside from Lead Actress, are dependant on how much it is loved.
If it is loved, it is because of her.


Jason Reitman – ‘Up in the Air’

He got a good cast, and a great screenplay. He is proving to be a major and well liked talent. Being liked can go further than having talent. He has both.


Spike Jonze – ‘Where the Wild Things Are’

Sometimes a labour of love can make it in the cut, even if the final result is uneven. If this is loved, he is in. If it is not, he could still make it.


Jane Campion – ‘Bright Star’

Another woman vying for a place. She has been nominated once before and this is said to be a return to form. I am still iffy on the chances for this film though.


Michael Haneke – ‘The White Ribbon’

Respected director makes a relatively ‘main stream; film. This could see him finally being embraced by the Academy. Cannes does not hurt either.


James Cameron – ‘Avatar’

Another labour of love. After being away so long, we are all waiting to see if he still has it. Will his dedication and hard work see him rewarded?


Rob Marshall – ‘Nine’

Not so sure about his chances. If the film is a hit with audiences and he gets decent reviews then he could slip in. There seem to be ‘better’ directors to choose from here.


Mira Nair – ‘Amelia’

Well respected director who has a major film coming out this year. The film needs to be loved and she needs to really stand out as director to make it in. Great to see so many women here though!

MAFFE Awards 2008!! The Directors

Paul Thomas Anderson has most likely created one of those films that will be studied for a while. Not just because of the amazing technical achievement, but also for the study of American Industry vs religion and the greed that corrupts them both.


Like many of my nominees this year, the Coen brothers do not partake in the flashy direction that so enamors some. They are almost invisible until the impact of the film finally hits you and you realise that there is no way this film could have been made without them.


No one has ever argued over the technical mastery of David Fincher, but it has been a while since "Fight Club" and "Seven" blew us away. This year he went more for story then flash and it paid off with a gripping 2 hours that I hoped would never end.


"4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days" is one of those films that takes you of a roller coaster ride. A quiet small little drama plays like torture on the viewer. You are waiting for everything to go wrong, and that wait is excruciating. Bravo to Cristian Mungiu for such an assured vision.


Julian Schnabel had one of the most difficult challenges as a director this year. How to make a moving story about a man paralized from his eye down, from that mans point of view. Well he managed to pull it off without it ever feeling like a neat trick or gimmick.


Joe Wright's direction of "Atonement" is by far the flashiest of the bunch. We feel his work in every frame and it adds to the beauty and the drama. By the time the final ten minutes come to life, and the audience is knocked sideways, we realise the magician has fooled us with his bag of tricks.

The Directors Guild Announce nominees!

And they are:

Paul Thomas Anderson, There Will Be Blood
Joel and Ethan Coen, No Country for Old Men
Tony Gilroy, Michael Clayton
Sean Penn, Into the Wild
Julian Schnabel, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly


This is a very very strong list, however the absence of Joe Wright name for "Atonement" is a slap in the face to film making. Then again none of these films are what you would call dusty and Wright directed an old fashioned movie in an old fashioned way. Perhaps it is just far too British, or perhaps it does not feel important enough to reward.

I guess I should not really bitch about this though, it has been a great year for movies and this is a strong list (from what I have heard). Yay for movies!!

Best Director Predictions

1) Danny Boyle – “Slumdog Millionaire”
His films are usually not the type that Oscar wholly embraces. This is a bona fide crowd pleaser. It should see him through since the reviews are all praising him. He does pull it off. previous ranking: 2)



2) Chris Nolan – “The Dark Knight”
He is a very respected Director. All his main films, bar ‘Insomnia’ were nominated for Oscars in one or two categories. People love his work. He mixes mainstream with an indie artistic cred that get everyone on his side. This will happen for him.previous ranking: 1)



3) Gus Van Sant – “Milk”
Will ‘Milk’ be the film that melds his ideals with more mainstream friendly fare? Will the Academy want to reward him with a nom, not because he is due, but to prove, post ‘Brokeback’ that they are not a bunch of homophobes? Seems likely.previous ranking: 3)


4) David Fincher – “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”
Even if the film is a let down they will have a hard time ignoring the work the man has put in. He has directed some of the most highly thought of films in the past 20 years (‘Se7en’, ‘Fight Club’, ‘Zodiac’). previous ranking: 5)


5) Darren Aronofsky – “The Wrestler”
For me, the man has not made a bad, or even ok film to date. This is supposed to be his best, and most accessible film. Expect this to go a long way in securing him year end kudos. But people have to see the film first.previous ranking: 6)


6) Ron Howard – “Frost/Nixon”
The man beat out Peter Jackson, Robert Altman, David Lynch and Ridley Scott in 2001. That should be reward enough. We will have to wait and see how the film is, but I think it will be about the actors, not the director. previous ranking: 12, 7)



7) Sam Mendes – ‘Revolutionary Road”
Will this be the big awards contender we thought a year ago? It has been hard for him to top his debut, but I am thinking directing his wife may have made him step up his game. The responce is just ok though.previous ranking: 7, 8)



8) Mike Leigh – Happy –Go-Lucky”
This film is going very well with critics, and although many thought most of the attention would focus on his star, most critics are pointing out how superb his direction is. He has surprised before..previous ranking: 8, 9)


9) Jonathan Demme – “Rachel Gettting Married”
A lot of the props for the film are going to Demme for his assured and clever direction. It will be interesting to see if the Academy notices the direction. It is not his usual style and that may confuse some voters.previous ranking: 9, 10)




10) Andrew Stanton - "WALL-E" How far fetched is this really?

Directors Guild Nominations

Bill Condon, Dreamgirls
Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris, Little Miss Sunshine
Stephen Frears, The Queen
Alejandro Gonzales Inarritu, Babel
Martin Scorsese, The Departed

I think this will be your Oscar Best Picture line up. I still think the Director line up will be different at the Oscars. The DGA and the PGA have agreed 100% this year. An interesting stat for you Oscar watchers as this is the first time in a while this has happened. Also Martin Scorses has been nominated for the DGA 7 times, this is everyone elses first nomination.

GO LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE!!!!

BEST DIRECTOR 2007