Directors Guild Award nominations... ugh.

Taylor Hackford - Ray
Clint Eastwood - Million Dollar Baby
Marc Forster - Finding Neverland
Martin Scorsese - The Aviator
Alexander Payne - Sideways

Ugh I am so sick of Bill Condon not getting proper recognition for KINSEY (and his other work) that I don't know what to do with myself. Hackford and Forster should be out in favor of Bill Condon and Michel Gondry, who directed Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and apparently created a stronger sense of camraderie on the set than most directors do.

Right. If anything, Forster should've been nominated for Monster's Ball - the more compelling and honest of the two films. But I guess that in an age where people are just as excited by footage of a tsunami and a skyscraper imploding as they are devastated by it, spectacle is what it takes to get serious awards consideration for relatively unfamiliar directors. Even Alexander Payne is just now making it after two films that were critically acclaimed for everything but his direction.

I think Hackford's direction may have enhanced what might have otherwise been a very mediocre film. And that's not quite a compliment. It's still unnecessarily long despite its rushed ending, and he's certainly to blame for that.

If I had it my way, the DGA nominees would be:

Michael Mann, Collateral - The premise is somewhat tired, but he infused it with impeccable energy and style

Kenny Conran, Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow - In the wrong hands, this film would have been a disaster (though some people believe that it is). It's to his credit that this concept worked.

Michel Gondry, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind - An abundance of visual imagination and emotion.

Martin Scorsese - For giving a period piece personality, as well as an emotional core. One of his most sensitive films ever.

Lars Von Trier, Dogville - Those who have seen the film know what I'm talking about.

And the winner is... Scorsese.

"Closer" had a great visual style, but I was not a fan of the movie. Clive Owen was great, though.

"But I still haven't seen Dogville."

(gasp) Really? So... what movies are you renting this weekend? (hint hint)

Having just finished watching Ray, I don't understand Mr. Hackford's inclusion on this list at all.

Hmmm - the things that pop into my mind immediately are: no arc, no narrative tone and sensationalistic melodrama lingering on things we've seen before - usually in a TV movie (heroin rehab? for 5 minutes?)

I agree. The only thing worthwhile about "Ray" is the acting. Mr. Hackford must know someone who knows someone.

Hi bwaylover I had no idea he was married to her - and I agree, she is about as good as it gets!

I met Helen Mirren a couple of years ago. She was very nice, and very funny.

I have to (o.k., "want to") speak up with a dissenting opinion. I thought Dogville was pretentious, cynical, empty and pointless.

"Dog" is "God" spelled backwards--I get it, I get it.

Beautiful, sure, but unsuccessful.

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Updated On: 1/8/05 at 02:29 PM

Go Peter Jackson! Wait wrong year. Give it to him anyway!

I know. What the hell are these people thinking? These are established directors choosing those nominees. They should be at the top of their game, voting for the most distinct and effective direction rather than the director of the "sweetest" film or the one with the "critically-acclaimed performance" (and nothing else). You would think they'd want to promote direction as an art by choosing the real innovators - Bill Condon and Michael Gondry.