As we journalists struggle ever more and more to command even the faintest glimmer of respect among the general public and the political elites alike, the current awards season has served as stark representation for critics and cinephiles alike as to just how far apart we seem to be. The Directors Guild of America has nominated its choices for the best directed movies of 2018, and while their opinions aren't all bad, they aren't all good either. Where, might I ask, is Ari Aster for Hereditary? Barry Jenkins for If Beale Street Could Talk (yet another guild no-show)? Ryan Coogler for Black Panther? Yorgos Lanthimos for The Favourite? A depressing display, in all, with Green Book's Peter Farrelly and Vice's Adam McKay making the cut over many more critically-approved titles. Winners, which will probably be pure shite, will be announced at the DGA's gala ceremony on the 2nd of February. This post includes yesterday's announcement of the Documentary nominees, which had my hopes far too high. All the details below:
Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Feature Film
Bradley Cooper (A Star Is Born)
Alfonso Cuaron (Roma)
Peter Farrelly (Green Book)
Spike Lee (BlacKkKlansman)
Adam McKay (Vice)
Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Documentary
Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin (Free Solo)
Julie Cohen and Betsy West (RBG)
Morgan Neville (Won't You Be My Neighbour?)
RaMell Ross (Hale County This Morning, This Evening)
Tim Wardle (Three Identical Strangers)
Outstanding Directorial Achievement in First-Time Feature Film
Bo Burnham (Eighth Grade)
Bradley Cooper (A Star Is Born)
Matthew Heineman (A Private War)
Carlos Lopez Estrada (Blindspotting)
Boots Riley (Sorry to Bother You)
Image Credit: MovieStillsDB