Oscar 2013 - Directing

Since I still have headaches + also a ear bothers me (just to know it's there ...) I'll make this entry short. Anyway, this year the Oscar nominations for directing were quite surprising leaving apart Kathryn Bigelow for "Zero Dark Thirty" and mostly Ben Affleck for "Argo". Which is actually fine for me considering what movie I support ;) ...

Michael Haneke is nominated for "Amour". The movie is partly hard to watch, but to be honest not as much as I was expecting. Anyway, for who has seen something else by Haneke, the directorial styles is easy to recognize. You have the same background tension maintained from beginning to the end. As directing value for me is the second from the nominees here, but as chances for Oscar I don't think it has more than "Best Foreign Language Film" (and even there we might have a surprise).

Ang Lee has a nomination for "Life of Pi". I think it's one class above the rest of the nominees. "Life of Pi" is a director's movie from beginning to the end. Maybe with the exception of "Amour" from above, I don't think there is another nomination in which the direction influence is that visible compared to other aspects (script, actors, etc). On top of that, I also think it's the first Ang Lee movie where the lengths are proper dosed to get the desired effect on the more dense parts (unlike "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" for instance where you end up suffering of chronic sleepiness up to the last 15 minutes). To conclude here, I think/hope that's the movie with the best chances to get an Oscar, especially with the absences above, although .. there would be also another candidate.

David O. Russell is nominated "Silver Linings Playbook". As in the case of the script, I have nothing to comment. The movie is ok, but it doesn't pass the level of a decent romantic comedy. Not even on directing ...

Steven Spielberg, with "Lincoln" is I think the only "problem" that might steal the Oscar here. At least that's what's said it might happen. If it happens though, I only can qualify it as lame. Not that the directing is bad. After all to make a catchy biopic is not that easy, and "Lincoln" is watchable. But I didn't see anything remarkable (unlike "Hitchcock" for instance, but I think there's mostly the fault of the script).

Benh Zeitlin for "Beasts of the Southern Wild" is the surprise on this category. What probably also makes it the last on the possible winners list. It's a debut movie, and for a debut movie - especially an indie - I can't say more than a "well done" and leave further comments for the director ...