Oscar Nominees: Best Director

My predictions: 4/5, picking Ridley Scott over Lenny Abrahamson
My ballot: Come back in February!
The nominees: Adam McKay (The Big Short), George Miller (Mad Max: Fury Road), Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu (The Revenant), Lenny Abrahamson (Room), Tom McCarthy (Spotlight)

We’re used to such surprises in this category that this year almost feels tame by comparison. It’s very nice to see Abrahamson make the cut for a terrific film, and I’m still just sad that the amazing Jacob Tremblay couldn’t be a part of the love for that film, which somehow managed to get only four nominations, well behind a number of other films, and still showed up here. What I realized as soon as all the names were read is that Ridley Scott, who should have been a sure thing, got unfairly snubbed for making a great movie that scored seven nominations, including Best Picture. This would have been Scott’s fourth nomination, and it’s a shame he missed out. I’m glad to see Tom McCarthy didn’t get left off. McKay is a fine inclusion, though he doesn’t need to be here, and naturally Inarritu and Miller are here. Inarritu won last year on his second try, and he’s actually the only returning nominee in this race, which I’ll have to research but may well be a record-setting statistic. This list will definitely look almost nothing like my list.

My current bet to win: It’s hard to tell now whether buzz for Inarritu’s film will make him the first director in over fifty years to repeat, and so I still think Miller is the way to go. I’d love if it was McCarthy, but that’s hoping a lot.