Golden Globe Musings: Best Director – Motion Picture

Golden Globe nominations for this year will be announced in just a few weeks, so here’s a survey of the contenders and the most likely predictions at this time. Weigh in with your thoughts, and let me know if I’ve left off anyone important. A reminder that the Globes are wildly unpredictable and that it is still a bit early to gauge the reception or awards potential of a number of the so-called “contenders” at this point.

Last year’s nominees:
DAVID FINCHER, THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
RON HOWARD, FROST/NIXON
STEPHEN DALDRY, THE READER
SAM MENDES, REVOLUTIONARY ROAD
DANNY BOYLE, SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE

This year’s pool:
At the head of the pack in this race is six-time nominee Clint Eastwood (Invictus), who should make it in even if his film doesn’t open to critical acclaim (see: “Flags of our Fathers” in 2006). Other big names and past nominees include Peter Jackson (The Lovely Bones), Jane Campion (Bright Star), Joel and Ethan Coen (A Serious Man), Quentin Tarantino (Inglorious Basterds), and Rob Marshall (Nine). Possible newcomers are Lee Daniels (Precious), Kathryn Bigelow (The Hurt Locker), Lone Scherfig (An Education), Jason Reitman (Up in the Air), and Michael Hoffman (The Last Station). There’s always the chance of a wild card like James Cameron (Avatar), Spike Jonze (Where the Wild Things Are), Terry Gilliam (The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus), or Tom Ford (A Single Man), but I think artful surprises like those are better saved for the Oscars. Someone like Nora Ephron (Julie & Julia) might even sneak through here.

Predicted nominees:
LEE DANIELS, PRECIOUS
CLINT EASTWOOD, INVICTUS
PETER JACKSON, THE LOVELY BONES
ROB MARSHALL, NINE
JOEL AND ETHAN COEN, A SERIOUS MAN