As I said last year, nominating ten movies for Best Picture is worthless because the only five films that will actually mean anything and have a chance at winning the top prize are the five where it's helmer is also nominated for Best Director. The rest will simply be filler. So when the Directors Guild of America select
Christopher Nolan (Inception),
Darren Aronofsky (Black Swan),
Tom Hooper (The King's Speech),
David O'Russell (The Fighter) and
David Fincher (The Social Network) as their five Best Director nominee's of 2010, well the Oscar race becomes a lot clearer. Are these five films then the leading contenders for Best Picture? It's worth reminding ourselves that last year the same five directors the DGA nominated were the same five names who were also recognised by the Academy and there's only been half a dozen deviations between the two camps in over 50 years! So clearly there's no love for the
Coens with
True Grit and
Danny Boyle's 127 Hours, both of whom were struggling to attract the buzz of the titles above, that much has been clear for a while. Both True Grit and 127 Hours should both be nominated for Best Picture, they just won't be a big player in the running... and neither will
Winter's Bone,
The Kids Are All Right and
Toy Story 3 that are likely to take the other three Best Picture slots. Personally, I like the directors list this year but despite how good The King's Speech is, surely the quality in that film comes from the writing & acting talents on display? Hooper's pretty ordinary direction shouldn't overlook the great work of the Coens and Boyle, who showed more skill in both of their pictures, I feel. The winner will be announced at the 63rd Annual DGA Awards Dinner on Saturday, January 29.