Andrew's 2015 DGA Award predictions

1. George Miller, Mad Max: Fury Road
2. Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, The Revenant
3. Adam McKay, The Big Short
4. Tom McCarthy, Spotlight
5. Ridley Scott, The Martian

Not unlike PGA and SAG before it, this is an extremely tough race to forecast. You can, however, (sadly) count on non-Oscar nominee Scott not taking home the prize here. It's entirely plausible any of Inarritu, McKay or McCarthy will triumph here - Inarritu picked up the Globe, McKay's picture triumphed at PGA and McCarthy's film scored at SAG. There's buzz and momentum all-around. In an awards season where several films, as opposed to just to just one, are picking up the big prizes, however, I anticipate this trend may well continue and finally give Mad Max its due with victory here. Miller is a legend in the directing community who has never picked up a DGA prize (or even nomination for that matter) and I suspect that status will carry the day here. But don't be surprised one bit if someone else prevails. 

2015 DGA Award nominees

Congratulations to this year's nominees!

Alejandro G. Iñárritu, The Revenant
Tom McCarthy, Spotlight
Adam McKay, The Big Short
George Miller, Mad Max: Fury Road
Ridley Scott, The Martian

Andrew's 2015 DGA Award nomination predictions

Tuesday, January 12 marks the announcement of 2015's DGA Award nominations. Here for your viewing pleasure are Andrew's two cents:

1. Alejandro González Iñárritu, The Revenant
2. George Miller, Mad Max: Fury Road
3. Tom McCarthy, Spotlight
4. Steven Spielberg, Bridge of Spies
5. Ridley Scott, The Martian
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6. Todd Haynes, Carol
7. Adam McKay, The Big Short
8. J.J. Abrams, Star Wars: The Force Awakens
9. Lenny Abrahamson, Room
10. Danny Boyle, Steve Jobs

It will be quite a surprise if any of Iñárritu, Miller or McCarthy is snubbed at the announcement of this year's DGA nominations. Perhaps it is McCarthy, missing in action among this year's BAFTA nominees, who is on the shakiest footing. If he misses out here, it becomes exceedingly unlikely Spotlight can win Best Picture come Oscar night. Beyond those three gentleman, I have to go with the two most legendary filmmakers (besides Mr. Miller) in this year's Best Director race, Spielberg and Scott. Spielberg pretty much never misses at DGA when he has a picture in Oscar contention - he was nominated here for Amistad and Empire of the Sun and famously won at DGA for The Color Purple when the Academy didn't even nominate him. If Bridge of Spies hadn't been such an underperformer in this year's Oscar race thus far (beyond nods everywhere for supporting actor Mark Rylance), he would be a shoo-in. I suspect the 5th slot will be a tight one between Scott and Haynes. The DGA hasn't historically been as enamored with Scott as with Spielberg - he wasn't nominated for American Gangster and has never won at DGA. That being said, he is beloved in the directing community and while Haynes could certainly show up here, he hasn't influenced scores of DGA members in the way Scott has. From there, McKay and Abrams could ride their pictures' buzz and momentum to a nomination, though it would be a surprise. Abrahamson and Boyle will get their fair share of votes too but may have to settle for showing up as mere attendees, not nominees.