January
28Will Directors' get Final Cut?
Oscar watchers eagerly await the Directors Guild results this weekend to see whether the “Slumdog” Streamroller will continue to gain momentum.
It’s up to the directors to decide who gets the nod between the two favorites, David Fincher and Danny Boyle. Do they honor one man’s technical mastery or another’s brilliant exercise in guerrilla filmmaking? It’s the classic Big Picture vs. Little Picture choice.
A “Slumdog” win would drain a lot of the energy out of the Oscar race. The studios will likely conclude that this is irrevocally the Mumbai Moment – Danny Boyle’s remarkable little sleeper could sweep the Oscars come Feb 22.
But here’s the catch: It’s relatively rare that one film sustains its momentum throughout the race. Time and again in recent years the Oscar race has seen “waves” of emotion alter the character of the voting. “Brokeback Mountain” seemed to be the 2005 leader before “Crash” suddenly began to emerge as a voting favorite. Academy members were stunned when the 1998 “Shakespeare in Love” overtook “Saving Private Ryan.” The last time a film had such a sweep was the third “Lord of the Rings,” which nabbed honors at the Globes, SAG, PGA, – and the DGA.
The “Slumdog” phenomenon has reminded many Academy voters of these upsets. Reaction to the film has been emotional. In a season of “downers” Slumdog is the ultimate “feel-good” movie and audiences have reacted accordingly. Weeks from now, will that sentiment still prevail? Or will the Academy’s older constituency rally behind “Benjamin Button,” a more traditional Hollywood movie – and one representing a milestone of technical achievement?
That’s why the DGA’s response will be so intriguing. A victory for Danny Boyle could take a lot of the juice out of the Oscar race. Sure, there are many interesting rivalries among the actors and supporting actors to be resolved, and the writers have yet to weigh in with their winners (that comes a week behind the DGA).
But this year the directors to a remarkable degree, have “final cut” over the Oscar race.
For the record the DGA nominees are Danny Boyle, David Fincher, Ron Howard, Christopher Nolan and Gus Van Sant.
It’s up to the directors to decide who gets the nod between the two favorites, David Fincher and Danny Boyle. Do they honor one man’s technical mastery or another’s brilliant exercise in guerrilla filmmaking? It’s the classic Big Picture vs. Little Picture choice.A “Slumdog” win would drain a lot of the energy out of the Oscar race. The studios will likely conclude that this is irrevocally the Mumbai Moment – Danny Boyle’s remarkable little sleeper could sweep the Oscars come Feb 22.
But here’s the catch: It’s relatively rare that one film sustains its momentum throughout the race. Time and again in recent years the Oscar race has seen “waves” of emotion alter the character of the voting. “Brokeback Mountain” seemed to be the 2005 leader before “Crash” suddenly began to emerge as a voting favorite. Academy members were stunned when the 1998 “Shakespeare in Love” overtook “Saving Private Ryan.” The last time a film had such a sweep was the third “Lord of the Rings,” which nabbed honors at the Globes, SAG, PGA, – and the DGA.
The “Slumdog” phenomenon has reminded many Academy voters of these upsets. Reaction to the film has been emotional. In a season of “downers” Slumdog is the ultimate “feel-good” movie and audiences have reacted accordingly. Weeks from now, will that sentiment still prevail? Or will the Academy’s older constituency rally behind “Benjamin Button,” a more traditional Hollywood movie – and one representing a milestone of technical achievement?
That’s why the DGA’s response will be so intriguing. A victory for Danny Boyle could take a lot of the juice out of the Oscar race. Sure, there are many interesting rivalries among the actors and supporting actors to be resolved, and the writers have yet to weigh in with their winners (that comes a week behind the DGA).
But this year the directors to a remarkable degree, have “final cut” over the Oscar race.
For the record the DGA nominees are Danny Boyle, David Fincher, Ron Howard, Christopher Nolan and Gus Van Sant.
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Hi Peter,
Shoot out was an excellent book. Your a bit behind the times when it comes to commentary about the Oscar race. Stick to writing books, stop with the biased commentary. Your friend... Mr Know It All.
Posted by: Mr. Know It All | 2/2/2009 9:23:57 AM
The Oscar votes were due back on January 12. So the “Oscar race†effectively ended then. Everything after that is just media blather. After the votes are cast, all the waves of emotion and momentum changes are meaningless to the final outcome.
Posted by: Dan In NYC | 1/29/2009 5:46:04 PM