It’s that time of year again, yes, Oscar season. And much love was bestowed on white people and more specifically idiosyncratic white men. But so be it. The Director category looks fairly game this year, if not completely surprising, with nominations going to Richard Linklater for Boyhood, Wes Anderson for The Grand Budapest Hotel, Alejandro G. Iñárritu for Birdman, Bennett Miller for Foxcatcher, and Morten Tyldum for The Imitation Game. Though other good folks, like Ava DuVernay and David Fincher, were left in the proverbial dust, as far as directing nominations go, their films were not without at least some recognition. Here are five directors who lost out on an Oscar nomination, but whose films were still acknowledged by the Academy.
Ava DuVernay
Let it be said that Selma is an outstanding film, timely and timeless, aching with urgency and emotion. That Ms. DuVernay, who elevated an above average historical fiction screenplay to the piece of filmmaking it is, was left out of the directing category is really quite a shame. But, while Selma was mostly ignored across the board (surprising, since Academy members love historical movies and biopics), the film still acquired two: Best Picture and Original Song (for “Glory” by John Legend and Common). Selma is quite a feat, but I guess the film speaks for itself.
David Fincher
Usually, the Academy quite likes Fincher, what with films like The Social Network, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, and even The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo getting recognized by the Academy (and Fincher, specifically, for directing of the former two films). But, his trashy, pulpy masterpiece Gone Girl went pretty much unloved across the board… save for one sole nomination for Best Actress for Rosamund Pike as Amazing Amy Dunne. I’m all for it. I’m totally Team Amy. (I am surprised, though, that Gone Girl was left out of Original Score by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross and Editing. Guess we can’t all be as slick and sharp as Amy.)
Paul Thomas Anderson
PTA’s follow-up to his dizzying character examination The Master is like “The Long, Good High”, as it were; a labyrinthine noir whose plot doesn’t really, but whose attention to character, setting, and culture does. So, while PTA may not have gotten a nomination for, essentially, relaxing and having fun, Inherent Vice did manage to snag nominations for Adapted Screenplay, by Anderson and adapted from the Thomas Pynchon novel, and costume design. Let’s hope bell bottoms don’t come back and Phoenix’s ridiculous mutton chops don’t become a newfangled trend amongst hipsters.
Damien Chazelle
First time feature helmer Damien Chazelle has had a good year, Oscar wise. His debut feature is a rollicking, energetic piece of work that somehow left him out of the director category. But Whiplash nonetheless garnered nominations for Best Picture, Supporting Actor (JK Simmons as the scorchingly profane drum instructor), Adapted Screenplay for Chazelle (apparently, it was based on a short film), Film Editing, and Sound Mixing. Not too shabby for such a (rabid) underdog.
Mike Leigh
British auteur Mike Leigh has always had a relatively tepid relationship with the Academy Awards, or with the mainstream filmmaking industry in general. But, nevertheless, he’s been nominated seven previous times for writing and/or directing (Another Year, Happy-Go-Lucky, Vera Drake, Topsy-Turvy, and Secrets & Lies). The kitchen sink realist was left out of both writing and directing categories for his exquisite film Mr. Turner, but the film did land nominations in Cinematography by Dick Pope, Costume Design, Production Design, and Original Score by Gary Yershon. While a win for any of these might be a longshot (to me, who has been paying to the race approximately none percent this year), I’m glad the film was recognized at least, especially for its gorgeous cinematography, rendered exactly like Turner’s paintings.
