Best Director

Sure-Things:

The Artist, Michel Hazanavicious

The Descendants, Alexander Payne

Hugo, Martin Scorsese

Remaining Predictions:

Midnight in Paris, Woody Allen

War Horse, Steven Spielberg

Alternates:

The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, David Fincher

The Tree of Life, Terrence Malick

Long-Shots:

Drive, Nicolas Winding Refn

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, Stephen Daldry

The Help, Tate Taylor

The Ides of March, George Clooney

Moneyball, Bennett Miller

A Separation, Asghar Farhadi

In a year that will see few first-time nominees, the directing race is especially vintage; four of the top seven contenders are the most exciting new filmmakers of…the 1970’s. Scorsese and Malick thrilled the critics this year and Allen pleasantly surprised them, so I think Spielberg, with his usual crowd-pleasing tear-jerker, is on the shakiest ground.