Golden Globe Musings: Best Director – Motion Picture

Golden Globe nominations for this year will be announced shortly, 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 anything 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:
Spike Lee (BlacKkKlansman)
Peter Farrelly (Green Book)
Alfonso Cuaron (Roma)
Bradley Cooper (A Star is Born)
Adam McKay (Vice)

This is a category that mostly draws from Best Motion Picture - Drama nominees and a well-received Comedy/Musical honoree or two, which, this year will probably be two. Quentin Tarantino (Once Upon a Time in Hollywood) should be a sure thing, while Taika Waititi (Jojo Rabbit) is likely but not guaranteed. Martin Scorsese (The Irishman) is a lock, and, based on recent buzz, so is Sam Mendes (1917). I think Noah Baumbach (Marriage Story) and Bong Joon Ho (Parasite) are competing for the last slot, with a disadvantage to the latter, which is not eligible in the top categories because it’s a foreign-language film. The same is true for longshot Lulu Wang (The Farewell). Another possibility is Greta Gerwig (Little Women), though she wasn’t nominated for “Lady Bird” two years ago when it won Best Motion Picture – Comedy/Musical. I’m not sure any of the other possibilities, like Clint Eastwood (Richard Jewell), Todd Phillips (Joker), Marielle Heller (A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood), James Mangold (Ford v Ferrari) and Pedro Almodovar (Pain and Glory), feel like they’ll be able to muster enough support.

Current predictions:
Martin Scorsese (The Irishman)
Taika Waititi (Jojo Rabbit)
Noah Baumbach (Marriage Story)
Sam Mendes (1917)
Quentin Tarantino (Once Upon a Time in Hollywood)