Poll: Best Director

Best Actress was a landslide for Kate Winslet. Lets see who FHDC picks for Best Director.

Maybe it's because of the American Experience thing on Castro I'm half-watching right now, but I just read that as "Best Dictator."

I'm rooting for Scorsese. I haven't seen the other films though. I think he'll win because he deserved to win before and didn't so now he is owed one.

I've only seen Ray, but I voted for Alexander Payne because it's the only not-huge movie in the bunch. Ray was good, but mostly because of Jamie Foxx's performance and the awesome music that would make any movie good. I mean the direction was competent, but in no way could it have been the best anyone did all year.

doesn't work like that.

Actually, I think the Oscars frequently do work like that. I think Gordon is completely correct. The Oscars are far more of a popularity contest than any objective measure of greatness.

the people I know who are in the academy don't do that. then again, I only know two or three (unless I know others who don't talk about it), so they may not be representative of the collective.

I don't know anyone in the academy, but I watch the Oscars every year and it seems pretty evident to me that they are not an objective measure of great film/acting/directing. That said, I very much enjoy the pulpy ceremony that is the Oscars.