Christopher Nolan won the award for directing the Best Feature at the DGA Awards last night.
Celine Song, director of “Past Lives,” won for Best First Feature.
“Succession” and “The Bear” won in the TV awards.
Nolan’s win pretty much cements his place for the Oscars in both Best Picture and Best Director. “Oppenheimer” is going to pick up a lot of Academy Awards including Best Supporting Actor with Robert Downey, Jr.
This is a very winning turnaround from last year when the totally mystifying “Everything Everywhere All at Once” won Best Picture and Best Director, plus three of the four acting prizes. It was as if the entire Academy was hypnotized into selecting a film that no one liked or understood but was told was cutting edge.
“Oppenheimer” is a gripping epic, a true story about a piece of modern history that has resonated into contemporary life. Nolan, who’s made two decades of daring movies, is finally being rewarded, as is Downey and all the artisans who contributed to the film.
I’m a little sad about “Killers of the Flower Moon” and Martin Scorsese. That film remains remarkable on so many levels. I guess Lily Gladstone winning Best Actress will be the payoff. She deserves it. Her performance is so disarming and unexpected, and that’s big considering the other women in that category.
But nothing is 100% certain. Voting hasn’t begun yet, we haven’t had the SAG awards, and there could be wild cards. So don’t place your bets just yet!
