The frontrunners for Best Director used to be married to each other. Kathryn Bigelow looks to become the first woman to win this Oscar for the low-budget “Hurt Locker,” while James Cameron’s big-budget “Avatar” was groundbreaking. Adam Spunberg likes Bigelow, but don’t count out Quentin Tarantino.
Bryce Van Kooten sees the list of Oscar nominees and sees plenty of performances that got snubbed. His list includes “Star Trek” for Best Picture, Matt Damon’s for Best Actor in “The Informant!” and Zoe Saldana for her portrayal of Neytiri in “Avatar.” Who do you think got snubbed?
Before the nominees were announced, Adam Spunberg had a good idea what would be snubbed. Writing on Monday evening, Spunberg said that Viggo Mortensen and Zooey Deschanel put in just a handful of first-class performances that the Academy overlooked.
Kathryn Bigelow won the Best Director award from her peers at the Directors Guild of America Awards for “The Hurt Locker.” After the becoming the first woman to win, Bigelow appears to be the frontrunner to take home the Best Director Oscar over her ex-husband James Cameron.
Quentin Tarantino won a screenplay Oscar for “Pulp Fiction” in 1995, but his eyes are on a bigger prize. “Inglourious Basterds” is his best shot yet at Best Picture. Is this Tarantino’s year, or is filmmaker too violent and too unusual to win over the Academy? Michaela Zanello reports.
Once married, James Cameron and Kathryn Bigelow are reunited at awards shows, competing for Best Director for “Avatar” and the “The Hurt Locker.” Bigelow won the Critics Choice Award while Cameron took the Golden Globe. Jeremy Martin takes a closer look.
Tom Ford’s “A Single Man” is a gem, writes Kit Bowen. Given an opportunity to showcase his talents, Colin Firth gives a memorable performance as a lonely gay college professor. Julianne Moore is deserving of her first Oscar, Bowen says, while Ford’s directorial debut is hard to top.
Usually mid-year releases don’t contend at the Oscars, but “The Hurt Locker” could buck the trend. Paul Popiel says the film is one of the year’s best, thanks largely to the explosive work of Kathryn Bigelow, who will try to become the first woman to ever win Best Director. Jeremy Renner is also up for Best Actor.