This should come as no surprise.
Paul Thomas Anderson has been named Best Director for “One Battle After Another” by the Directors Guild of America,
PTA and the film are headed to the Oscars as odds-on favorites.
Anderson beat Guillermo del Toro, Chloe Zhao, Ryan Coogler, and Josh Sadfie in the final vote.
We’ve sort of known since it was screened the day before the New York Film Festival that “One Battle” and PTA would be winning all the awards. It’s 90 for the film and 10% for the director who’s not won before despite a sterling resume of films from “Boogie Nights” through “Licorice Pizza.”
Michael Apted First-Time Theatrical Feature Film went to Charlie Polinger for “The Plague.”
Mstyslav Chernov won Best Documentary for “2000 Meters to Andriivka.”
Among the TV prizes was Best Movie, “Nonnas,” by Stephen Chbosky. This is a sweet film on Netflix that’s worth catching up on for its ensemble acting.
Other TV prizes went to “The Pitt,” “Saturday Night Live,” “The Studio” and “Dying for Sex.” Rebecca Miller won Best Documentary Series for “Mr. Scorsese: All This Filming Isn’t Healthy.”
The fact that around 300 feature films are eligible each year for the top prizes, and five get nominated is really what matters. The top five are the best of the best. Congrats to all!
