DGA Awards

[Big Magilla]

And the inners are...

Feature Film – Chloé Zhao – Nomadland
Debut Feature Film – Darius Marder – Sound of Metal
Documentary – Michael Dweck, Gregory Kershaw – The Truffle Hunters

[Sabin]

Best Feature: Nomadland
Best First Feature: Sound of Metal
Best Documentary: Truffle Hunters

[MaxWilder]

That may be the case but in real time Crowe was very much seen as the bad boy who broke up Quaid and Ryan.

That’s certainly how I remember the media’s version of it: The swaggering, hard-drinking, new king of Hollywood seduced America’s sweetheart.

[dws1982]

Pretty wild to think that, 18 years earlier, Russell Crowe broke up Hollywood’s sweethearts and still won an Oscar a few months later.

Actually Ryan and Quaid were already living separately with their marriage on the rocks for some years when Crowe came into her life. So he had nothing to do with her broken marriage. It was Quaid and his coke addiction that caused the marriage to fall apart.

That may be the case but in real time Crowe was very much seen as the bad boy who broke up Quaid and Ryan.

[Reza]

Pretty wild to think that, 18 years earlier, Russell Crowe broke up Hollywood’s sweethearts and still won an Oscar a few months later.

Actually Ryan and Quaid were already living separately with their marriage on the rocks for some years when Crowe came into her life. So he had nothing to do with her broken marriage. It was Quaid and his coke addiction that caused the marriage to fall apart.

[MaxWilder]

Was the Star is Born flame-out solely film-related, or were DGA members also reacting against actors-playing-director?

It’s forgotten now but Bradley Cooper did a New York Times interview in which he was polite but reticent (basically, “I realize this is your job but I’d rather not talk about some things”—his sobriety, I think) and people reacted strongly to that. How dare he! Pretty wild to think that, 18 years earlier, Russell Crowe broke up Hollywood’s sweethearts and still won an Oscar a few months later.

[Mister Tee]

The only way the main race becomes interesting is if Chloe Zhao DOESN'T win. Stat you may have missed: since the start of the PGA Awards, 2001 is the only year where the DGA pick didn't also win either the PGA or the Golden Globe for directing. Zhao, like recent winners Chazelle, del Toro and Mendes, won both; she should be a lock here.

This group's documentary slate differs from the Oscars in that it has an entirely different group of superior films that are reportedly going to fall to the bloody Octopus Teacher. I haven't completed my due diligence on the Oscar docs yet (Crip Camp to come over the next night or two), but, so far, the Octopus is the least worthy of the group, and, based on reviews of Boys State and Welcome to Chechnya, I'm guessing the same is true here. Can this awful outcome truly be inevitable? It seems like March of the Penguins over Murderball all over again.

Was the Star is Born flame-out solely film-related, or were DGA members also reacting against actors-playing-director? If the latter, it doesn't help Regina King's cause. Sound of Metal is a real "lots of people love this movie WAY more than I do" effort -- the Hell or High Water of 2020 -- but I agree the fact it feels heavily directed will likely help it over the finish line. Plus being American as opposed to high-Brit like The Father.

[Sabin]

BEST FEATURE FILM:
We can call this one already, right? I think Chloe Zhao has this one in the bag. If not her, who? I suppose David Fincher is the closest runner-up based on this being his fourth nomination but support for Mank seems weak.

BEST DOCUMENTARY FILM:
Hollywood loves that octopus movie. It's done more for them that years of therapy.

BEST FIRST-TIME FEATURE FILM:
I guess you have to choose how you want to be submitted: Best Feature or First-Time Feature. Either way, Emerald Fennell would have this one in the bag if she wasn't in the running for Best Feature Film. She'll have to settle for being the first woman to be nominated for Best Picture (and Best Director) for her Debut Feature. Really cool stuff! A while ago, I would've said Regina King was going to win but considering how poorly One Night in Miami did at the Oscars, I'm guessing it's between Darius Marder and Florian Zeller.

Past winners in this category include:
2015: Alex Garland, Ex Machina (no Best Picture nominees)
2016: Garth Davis, Lion (sole Best Picture nominee)
2017: Jordan Peele, Get Out (sole Best Picture nominee)
2018: Bo Burnham, Eighth Grade (over Bradley Cooper, A Star is Born)
2019: Alma Har'el, Honey Boy (no Best Picture nominees)

So, the only precedent for a Best Picture nominee losing to a non-Best Picture nominee was Eighth Grade. I suspect that had something to do with the pretty remarkable awards season free-fall of A Star is Born, which has been documented plenty. Considering that Eighth Grade managed a WGA win over Green Book and a DGA win over A Star is Born, maybe it was closer to a Best Picture nomination than we think? I certainly would've liked that. But I don't sense the same vitriol for Sound of Metal or The Father. One Night in Miami certainly has its fans but I don't imagine it's enough. Considering how techy Sound of Metal is (it's likely headed towards Film Editing and Sound Mixing wins), I bet Darius Marder wins.