Best Director

The following notable films of 2008 were directed by women:

Cadillac Records, Darnell Martin
Elegy, Isabel Coixet
Frozen River, Courtney Hunt
Kit Kittredge: An American Girl, Patricia Rozema
The Secret Life of Bees, Gina Prince-Blythewood
Stop-Loss, Kimberly Peirce
Then She Found Me, Helen Hunt
Twilight, Catherine Hardwicke
Wendy and Lucy, Kelly Reichardt

On to the 78th Annual Boys’ Club. For now, the leader of the pack is Trainspotting director Danny Boyle, who left his native England to film Slumdog Millionaire in Mumbai. Another sure-fire first-time nominee is American David Fincher for his time-spanning epic …Benjamin Button. Ron Howard, a previous winner for A Beautiful Mind, is sure to be mentioned for bringing cinematic drama to two guys sitting down and talking in Frost/Nixon. Finally, Good Will Hunting nominee Gus Van Sant has directed some very odd films in the past 10 years with mixed results, but widespread praise for his stirring biopic Milk will easily return him to Oscar’s favor. The film world has wondered since July if The Dark Knight can overcome the Academy’s prejudice against action flicks. But let’s consider the competition: Revolutionary Road’s Sam Mendes is out. Stephen Daldry is pretty much out; reviews for The Reader were dutifully respectful but unenthusiastic. Indies Frozen River, The Visitor, and Rachel Getting Married are too small for the big-league races. Clint Eastwood directed two films this year, like the crazy movie-making machine he was two years ago with companion WWII films, but neither Changeling nor Gran Torino have shown any clout in this category. Darren Aronofsky’s The Wrestler hasn’t muscled ahead of its competitors. Mike Leigh was an inexplicable Best Director nominee four years ago, so can’t be ignored, but he’s still quite unlikely. Doubt has picked up many accolades for its script and performances, but absolutely none for its director John Patrick Shanley. This category often likes to save a spot for a foreign language film, in which case Ari Folman’s Waltz With Bashir could be a surprise choice. There are even rumors that the Academy could make history with a first nod for an animated flick by drafting Wall-E. Still, the most likely candidate is Christopher Nolan, an almost-nominee for Memento, who pulled off the rare feat of making a sequel superior to the original.