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The nominees:
- Darren Aronofsky, Black Swan
- Joel and Ethan Coen, True Grit
- David Fincher, The Social Network
- Tom Hooper, The King’s Speech
- David O. Russell, The Fighter
Adam
Film Director: a person who directs the actors and crew in the making of a film. They control a film’s artistic and dramatic aspects, while guiding the technical crew and actors. They often develop the vision for a film and carry the vision out, deciding how the film should look.
This is the definition of what a film director’s job is from the source of all knowledge – Wikipedia. I see a director as the story teller. Screen writers write the story, but they are brought to life by the director’s vision. The better the story, the easier it is for the story teller to make the story real/interesting/good. Ultimately, it is the director’s decision how the shots are setup, how the actors act (through endless takes if necessary), and how the final version of the movie works.
I have come to the conclusion, after years of experience, that less than 5% of the Academy has any idea of what a director does or what a good one looks like. One has only to look at the movies nominated this year to see the truth in this. The Academy also has a strong case of envy when it comes to Christopher Nolan. Regardless of how original you think the script is, Inception was easily the best directed movie of the year. Of course, that makes no difference to the Academy as it doesn’t even make the top 5 in their eyes. Let’s take a look at who they thought did better.
Darren Aronofsky, Black Swan
Let me first say that I really liked The Wrestler. I thought Aronofsky did a terrific job of creating a compelling character study of a washed up pro wrestler. Black Swan was less impressive. Part of this was due to a weak script, but it wasn’t that bad. The acting is really what saved this movie from failure. Natalie Portman did an amazing job and absolutely deserves an Oscar. Mila Kunis and Vincent Cassel (as usual) both put on very strong performances – I actually like Mila more than many of the Supporting Actress nominees. That being said, this isn’t a very good movie and most of it is due to Aronofsky’s directing. Portman’s decent into madness seems almost sloppy. There were definitely compelling scenes (e.g. the finger/toe nail and dressing room scenes), however in an effort to raise audience tension/ anxiety, Aronofsky resorts to directing and camera techniques that lead more to motion sickness than to tension.
David O. Russel, The Fighter
This is possibly the worst directed film of the year. There are really only two options when considering how this film was nominated: a.) Academy members thought they were voting for the Razzies, b.) the Academy is populated by a bunch of morons. The script for this film was atrocious, but that only excuses you so far. The fight scenes in this movie (barring the final one) are utter garbage. It’s like Russel has never seen a well done fight scene…ever. I can only assume this was nominate to piss off Christopher Nolan that much more.
Tom Hooper, The King’s Speech
The King’s Speech was one of my favorite movies of the year. An extremely entertaining movie that succeeded despite the fact that the premise is overcoming a speech impediment (not exactly gripping material). However, as much as I liked the film, its real strengths are in the script and the acting. I am thrilled it was nominated, but one of the most impressive things about the direction of this film is that Hooper managed to not ruin the movie. That may be a disservice to Hooper, though. He did a tremendous job of pulling this movie together and making it the entertaining production that it turned out to be.
David Fincher, The Social Network
What can I say about David Fincher? In the 1990’s, he made three movies I really enjoyed (Seven, The Game, and Fight Club). In the 2000’s, he made two movies I was not impressed at all with (Zodiac and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button) and one I didn’t see (Panic Room). After going back and thinking about these movies as a whole, I came to one conclusion: David Fincher is completely dependent upon the script he has been chosen to bring to life. Now, some may argue that that is the fate of any director. My rebuttal is that Fincher doesn’t seem to bring much else to the table, and, in fact, may even negatively impact any production he is associated with. After watching his movies, I would pay good money to see what a more talented director could do with Seven and Fight Club. The Social Network falls into that same category. I really liked this movie despite hating Facebook and rarely being impressed with Fincher. This is due solely to Aaron Sorkin’s script. We’ll talk more about that in a later post, but it is important to note that any success that The Social Network has is entirely the result of a fantastic script. This year, Fincher is once again saved by (and lauded for) being associated with an award winning script. Great job, David, not completely ruining this movie. (That’s about the biggest complement I can give him as the directing in this movie was uninspiring to say the least, and, in my opinion, negatively impacted the movie.)
Joel & Ethan Coen, True Grit
I appreciate the Coen brothers. I may not always LOVE their movies, but I can almost always appreciate what they were trying to accomplish. The way in which they approach and execute their movies is very impressive. True Grit is no exception. It is rare that a remake is better than the original, but the Coen brothers were able to accomplish this feat handily. Their re-envisioning of the beloved John Wayne movie is impressive – I enjoyed their version a lot better than the original. Joel and Ethan excel at giving their movies scope and depth using the locations and sets of their movies. Shots are meticulously planned and executed to get the most of both the action and the backdrop. This movie was no exception. The biggest flaw was the ending. The last 5-10 minutes of the movie were horrible. This is the only aspect of the movie that was far inferior to the original.
Who Should Win: Christopher Nolan
However, since he can’t win: Toss-up between the Coens and Hooper, but I probably give it to the Coens. Either would be fine with me, though.
Jared
The Fighter is one of the worst-directed films of the year, and I’m stunned so few people seem to be on the same page as me here. Sure, David O. Russell was working with a crappy script. But take any boxing scene from the film, other than the final fight. Take it and burn it because it is nothing less than an insult. At best, they are cut scenes from a low-grade boxing video game. They alone should have prevented Russell from getting a nomination. While it is hard to blame Russell too much for the rest of the movie’s failures, I do think he heavily contributed to the repeated references, to the point of being really obnoxious, that the family was lower class.
I’m clearly just not on the same page as the Coen brothers. If one of the major roles of a director is establishing a compelling tone, then the Coens have missed the mark on that front. With True Grit, as perhaps other of their films of late, I never really felt drawn into the story. And while a lot of that is on the script, I think some of it has to be thrown at the feet of the brothers’ directing efforts. Similarly, Aronofsky’s directing in Black Swan was fine, but not awards-worthy. He had a difficult task, at there was a lot of incomplete thoughts going on, to be sure. But I think the film would have had a significantly stronger impact if, for example, it had been directed by someone with more of a feel for horror films.
So we’re down to the big question, Hooper or Fincher? The two films are pretty different and demanded quite different styles. Sure, The King’s Speech is a lot less showy than The Social Network. But I think it is a testament to Hooper that he didn’t get in the way of the story. Starting with that cast is a big leg up. Hooper’s straightforward style runs with that advantage, creating a crisp, efficient feel that is quite effective for the film.
But I’ll join in with the chorus who say that it was Fincher‘s directing that made Sorkin’s script something truly special. I wasn’t in Fincher’s camp at first, when I mainly though of the regatta scene, and how odd it was. Instead, take the scene in the bar with Justin Timberlake. Other directors may have turned that into artsy, clubby nonsense. Instead, Fincher rather effectively creates an atmosphere that furthers the story. Really, the shifts in tone from location to location are pretty remarkable, and I think a good chunk of the credit there goes to Fincher for effortlessly weaving together the different parts of the story while maintaining a consistent overall tone.
John
I’ll leave the vitriol and verbosity to my colleagues. I quite liked all the nominees. When talking directing, there’s no better indicator of greatness than simply making a great movie, but I also look for things like vision, style, tone, and pacing.
A few of these nominees stand out from the others. The Coens create what I would call a well-crafted movie. It’s one of those films where all the technical elements come together so well: camerawork, acting, sets, costumes, music. I wish it added up to a bit more. Aronofsky produces the flashiest work of the group. Black Swan is intense and frenetic and his capable hands. I’ve loved all of his films I’ve seen so I’m glad to see him finally get some Oscar love.
My winner, fairly handily, is Fincher. Adam is too uncharitable here. The script simply establishes the dialogue and structures the story. The shot composition that follows a complex narrative and rapid fire dialogue, the film’s cool aesthetic, the varying but always spot-on tone, the breathless pacing: these have Fincher’s fingerprints all over them. There are an unlimited number of directions the exact same Sorkin script could have gone in someone else’s hands. It’s great with Fincher at the helm.
Snub: The best directed film of the year is Inception. What creativity! What vision! What style! What does Christopher Nolan have to do to get a directing Oscar nomination??
Oscar nominees are announced on the 25th. Yay! So let’s summarize what we (the royal we, at least) know. Keeping in mind, of course, that when it comes to the Academy, no one knows anything. Especially me. This time: Best Director.
VIRTUAL LOCKS
- David Fincher, The Social Network
- Darren Aronofsky, Black Swan
- Tom Hooper, The King’s Speech
Confession time: I don’t really have any clue how to discern exactly what the director’s contributions to a film are. And I don’t think many other people know either, other than a general assumption that good movie=good directing. People are saying that David Fincher was exactly the director to make Aaron Sorkin’s script shine. Maybe that’s true, I just hope the evidence is stronger than that regatta scene. This’ll be Aronofsky‘s first Oscar nomination, an honor for which he’s probably overdue. I don’t really see what others do in the movie, but given the script’s weakness, sure, I’m happy to pass some credit to the director for elevating the film into something better. I really liked The Damned United, and the film was different enough from the book that I’ll begrudgingly pass some credit to screenwriter Peter Morgan and director Tom Hooper. His follow-up, of course, has been a bit more successful. I look forward to seeing his work in the future and I imagine that’ll only increase once I get around to watching Prime Suspect.
LIKELY IN
- Christopher Nolan, Inception
Like everyone else, I do believe there’s a spot for Nolan, I’d just feel a little more comfortable if the buzz for the film was a little more palpable. Still, it’d be shocking if he gets snubbing after creating such a visionary, successful film.
LAST ONE IN
- David O. Russell, The Fighter
I’ve always heard that if you can’t say something nice, you should shut your big fat mouth.
FIRST ALTERNATES
- Ethan Coen and Joel Coen, True Grit
- Danny Boyle, 127 Hours
- Lisa Cholodenko, The Kids Are All Right
I was really tempted to put the brother Coen in that last spot, but since I haven’t seen that anywhere else, I figured it is just my bias against that film in the fifth spot. The Academy loves them some Coen Bros, but they do only have the one directing nomination (for No Country for Old Men, which they won). I dunno, I won’t be surprised at all if they get the nomination. The claustrophobia of 127 Hours sure is different from the vastness of Slumdog Millionaire, huh? Maybe Boyle‘s film was released just a little too early to hit at the Oscars, or maybe it wasn’t quite as good as originally expected. I hope to see Lisa Cholodenko get a directing nomination someday, but this year is just so tough, with so many well-respected auteurs in line to get their due.
DARK HORSES
- Ben Affleck, The Town
- Debra Granik, Winter’s Bone
- Mike Leigh, Another Year
- Martin Scorsese, Shutter Island
Affleck‘s two for two in critically acclaimed directing successes and this one even made a nice chunk of a change. This kid may just have a career in the industry. After what Down to the Bone did for Vera Farmiga and this film did for Jennifer Lawrence, if I were an agent with a starlet on my hands, I’d be busting my balls to get her an audition for whatever Granik has next on her plate. As I mentioned elsewhere, it is always dangerous to count Mike Leigh out with the Academy. But maybe next time he should make sure his film’s trailer doesn’t make it seem like the most boring film ever. Shutter Island just edged out The Departed as Scorsese‘s highest-grossing film (in worldwide dollars). What, now that’s he mainstream the Academy has no use for him?
SHOULDA BEEN A CONTENDER
- Edgar Wright, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World
No clever lede here. The Wrestler is just an all-around terrific movie. I don’t even really care about the Mickey Rourke resurrection story. I’ve never seen any of the early films in which he showed much promise, only Sin City. In fact, it’s a little obnoxious that so much of the hoopla surrounding the film is centered on Rourke and his story instead of how great it is in total.
Rourke’s Randy “The Ram” reached his peak as a professional wrestler in the 80s and now works the local circuit in school gymnasiums and American Legion halls while scrimping up the rent for his trailer. Marisa Tomei’s Cassidy’s rise and fall isn’t as dramatic, but she depended on her body at the strip club and now that she’s older she’s losing out to younger girls. It’s a simple but devastating story of faded glories and the inability to let go. They know how to do one thing and keep at it, because what else are they going to do? They may be stuck in the past but what else do they have to stick to?
I think a little of the film’s impact was muted initially by the shock of the graphic wrestling scenes, but as time goes on it remains in my head. The fate of those who depend on their youth for their livelihoods and peak early is an interesting theme and one that I’ve often pondered in non-film settings. I’m always interested to hear what has happened to ex-athletes or faded entertainment stars, especially those who experienced a brief but substantial time in the spotlight: too short to be set for life but too long to simply return back to normalcy. The college hoops star is on top of the world at 22 but nothing at 42.
(And then there was that trip to a strip club not too long ago with that awkward older stripper who had trouble finding up dances. So she just circled the room, nude and sad. I felt so bad that when I turned her down I had to tell her it wasn’t her, I just didn’t want any dances from any strippers. But if I did, no, I probably wouldn’t have chosen her either.)
The Wrestler only landed two Oscar noms, for leading Actor Rourke and Supporting Actress Tomei. Both are very well-deserved and Tomei’s inclusion was one of my personal highlights for nomination morning (between this and Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead does she get any roles that don’t require her to be topless through half the film?). There’s not much I can say about Rourke that hasn’t been said- what a perfect actor to play a broken down piece of meat. But it really should have been in the running for more. Robert Siegel’s – whose other credit is The Onion Movie(!) – script creates wonderful characters and places them in some incredibly poignant moments, such as Randy’s good and bad days behind the deli counter at the grocery store or his devotion to an old wrestling Nintendo game and the local kid who humors him by playing with him. For a film with this pedigree and style it really could have played a part in Best Picture discussions but yet somehow did not.
Darren Aronofsky’s direction style puts us in the ring and nearly always hits the right notes. This guy’s had a heck of an early career. I hesitate to say he can do no wrong since I haven’t seen the polarizing The Fountain, but what a resume: The Wrestler is one of the best films of 2008, Pi is wonderful and odd, and the brilliant Requiem for a Dream is one of the best films of the decade.
And then there’s the case of perhaps the most puzzling snub of the year: Bruce Sprinsteen’s exclusion in the Best Song category. I don’t know what else you can ask for in a movie song. As Randy leaps from the ropes and the screen fades to black, the strums of Springsteen’s ode to the one trick pony and one-armed man punching at the breeze begins. It was so perfect thematically and tonally that it kept me glued to my chair through the credits. Commercials and trailers for the film backed with the song give me chills. It’s the best song on Springsteen’s pretty terrible new album and it’s one of my favorite songs of 2008. The Academy actually chose three very good nominees but none come close to “The Wrestler.”
Last year I hoped that The Savages wouldn’t be the little film to fall through the cracks of time and this year it’s The Wrestler for which I wish the same.
Darren Aronofsky’s first three feature-length films all elicited a very visceral reaction from me. I watched Pi in AP Stats and found it sublimely confusing; it was exciting to realize a movie could be so off the wall and yet so compelling. Requiem for a Dream is nearly unwatchable. I was bored out of my gourd. The Fountain, on the other hand, is probably one of my favorite movies of all time. The three movies, of course, are exceedingly different, so I didn’t really know what expectations I should have going into The Wrestler. Strangely, while the film is different in style and tone from its predecessors, it is much more accessible and yet (or maybe therefore) had much less of an impact on me.
Maybe it isn’t surprising that The Wrestler sticks out among Aronofsky’s work. It is the only film he didn’t write himself, Robert D. Siegel gets the credit for this one. And the story has a much more linear feel than Aronofsky’s earlier films.
That’s not to say I disliked The Wrestler. I liked it just fine, I guess I was hoping to be a bit more affected. The main character, Mickey Rourke’s Randy the Ram, is certainly compelling in theory. Once at the top of the professional wrestling world, he now ekes out a living doing third-rate shows in fourth-rate towns, doing promotional signings in rec centers with over the hill wrestlers, and supplementing it all with a job hauling stuff at a local supermarket. He lives (when he can make the payments) in a rented trailer, and the only person with whom he can have a conversation seems to be his favorite stripper at a random joint. He’s a sad person, someone who lives and breathes and is only good for one thing, and he’s no longer supposed to do that.
In my mind, though, Aronofsky and Rourke dehumanize The Ram. He’s unable to have prolonged interactions with other people. He can’t maintain a relationship with his daughter. Can’t hold a steady job. His life has become professional wrestling. Not in the sense that he’s obsessed with it, rather that’s just who he is and what he was made for, like a machine built for a certain task, he was made to wrestle. Even his nickname, “The Ram”, acts to dehumanize him. And I’d argue that this dehumanization leads to a certain inevitability about The Ram’s path. So it is hard to feel badly for The Ram’s failures at life outside of professional wrestling any more than a Roomba’s life outside vacuuming. It may be tragic he was molded into a machine, but I’m not sure there’s anything inherently sad about a machine doing what it does until it can no longer go.
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