I can’t say there were any major surprises with today’s Directors Guild of America noms, only that it made some things a little clearer.

The Writers Guild of America just announced their nominations. Another good precursor for the Oscars as there are a TON of writers who are also AMPAS voters.

Can you believe Aaron Sorkin’s “Being the Ricardos” received a PGA nomination this morning? I mean, how bad of a movie year must it have been to nominate Sorkin’s ill-conceived film?

Ron Howard’s “Thirteen Lives” has had such uniformly positive test-screening reactions that MGM has decided to release the film right at the thick of this year’s awards season schedule.

The Producers Guild of America will announce their ten best Picture nominees tomorrow. They are as good of a precursor to the Academy Awards as we likely get every year. Usually, 90-95% of the films nominated by the PGA make it to the Oscars. That’s why it’ll be very exciting to see what happens demain.

Another day, another batch of quirky indies.

Today’s American Society of Cinematography nominees set up the Oscar race quite nicely, but where’s West Side Story’s Janusz Kaminski? Snubbed.

Looks like Nanni Moretti will start filming “The Sun of the Future” in March, the film will star Mathieu Amalric who is supposedly learning Italian for the role. A three-month shoot is set, so is an inevitable Cahiers du Cinema rave.

Some Toronto International Film Festival news from The Globe and Mail’s talented writer, Barry Hertz.

Given the obvious obstacles that came in organizing a film festival during the Omicron surge, Sundance has been doing very well with its virtual format again this year. I can see many of the films being screened this year having long legs in the streaming world, and even, a few, via theatrical distribution.

According to Deadline, Netflix and the French Film commission have struck a deal that would allow the streaming giant early access to theatrical releases all under a revised windowing system.

Rumours are starting to fly hard that Francis Ford Coppola is planning a fall 2022 shoot for his upcoming epic “Megalopolis.” The film is said to star Oscar Isaac, Cate Blanchett, Michelle Pfeiffer, Jessica Lange and Zendaya. The budget for the whole thing would be between $150-$200 million, with Coppola contributing a hefty chunk of his own money for it.

Is there any doubt that Jane Campion will win the Best Director prize? Even voters who weren’t particularly keen on “The Power of the Dog” might want to vote for Campion: it’s a great narrative.

Another day at virtual Sundance.

In a 01.21.21 piece titled “Martin Scorsese wants you to watch ‘Nightmare Alley. Let him tell you why,” the master himself makes the case for cinephiles to give a chance to Guillermo del Toro’s ”disturbing, but exhilarating” film.

The new David O. Russell movie, rumoured to be titled “Canterbury Glass,” test-screened a month or so ago to a few very positive reactions. Another test-screening is set next week in Irvine, California. Stay tuned for any reactions that might come out of that one.