Oscar Prep: Directing

After a bizarre 2012 which saw Argo, which had no acting nominations, somehow also not get a directing nomination, 2013 is back back to how things normally are. Like the Edting category, this is indicative of which movies really are in contention for the Best Picture win. Unlike most of those years, the award is already locked up.

A couple notes first:
-Each category is arrange from Most to Least likely to win by my measure.
-An '*' before the title indicates a movie that I have seen.
-I'm trying to keep the shorthand to a minimum (get it). A couple that come up though are BAFTA (British Academy of Film and Television Arts), SAG (Screen Actors Guild), PGA (Producers Guild of America, WGA (Writers Guild of America), DGA (Directors Guild of America).

Other Picks

Best Director
Front Runner: *Gravity
Winner: Golden Globes - Best Director, BAFTA – Directing, DGA - Outstanding Direction
Gravity will win this. No other movie this years has been described as the director's opus. I don't know if there's even a critic's award that Gravity hasn't won for directing. It will win. If it doesn't, it will be one of the great Oscar surprises.

Dark Horse: *12 Years a Slave
Nominee: Golden Globes - Best Director, BAFTA – Directing, DGA - Outstanding Direction
 I can barely even entertain the thought that any one other than Cuaron will win this which is saying something because McQueen did an amazing job directing 12 Years a Slave and I'll be angry if this is his only shot at winning an Oscar.

Other Nominees: 
*American Hustle 
Nominee: Golden Globes - Best Director, BAFTA – Directing, DGA - Outstanding Direction
It's laughable to consider this. That's how tough the competition is.
*The Wolf of Wall Street
 Nominee: BAFTA – Directing, DGA - Outstanding Direction
Scorsese got his long overdue Oscar with 2006's The Departed. There's no feeling of being "owed" a win for this one.
*Nebraska
 Nominee: Golden Globes - Best Director
 I must not be as big of a fan of Alexander Payne as Academy voters because this would've been far from my consideration for best direction.