Oscars — Best Director, For Now, is Martin Scorsese vs Christopher Nolan

It’s been a weird year at the movies. There’s a writers and actors strike. ‘Barbenheimer’ is saving the box-office. We’re also still not entirely sure what will break out this fall.

Of the major titles being released in the fall, I keep hearing mixed things about “Maestro,” “Ferrari,” “Priscilla” and “The Killer.” Whereas Lanthimos’ “Poor Things” hasn’t test screened yet, but has the luxury of screening at Venice, Telluride and New York.

Alexander Payne’s “The Holdovers” has had some strong word of mouth, but what’s with it not being part of NYFF and Venice? Ditto “Saltburn,” another test screening winner that is set to only screen at Telluride, and London a month later.

As “Barbenheimer” mania continues, the Best Director race seems to be the most fascinating category. According to the predictions of the “experts” at Gold Derby, the category is, for now, a two-way race between Christopher Nolan(“Oppenheimer”) and Martin Scorsese (“Killers of the Flower Moon“).

Nolan has the narrative behind him, he’s never won a directing Oscar, and his work on the biographical drama about the father of the atomic bomb is has been beloved by critics and audiences. Whether it’s the best work of his career, or not, “Oppenheimer” might finally get Nolan that golden statuette.

Scorsese premiered “Killers of the Flower Moon” at Cannes, where it was rapturously received, and it’s the work of a filmmaker who can still make great cinema. A tour-de-force of directing, ‘Killers’ is the kind of ambitious story that rarely gets told these days in mainstream moviemaking — “Oppenheimer” being the other exception.

Nolan’s “overdue” narrative is reminiscent of the one that Scorsese had when he finally won Best Director for 2006’s “The Departed” — though Scorsese waited much longer for his first trophy than Nolan has had to.

Celine Song (“Past Lives”) seems to be a cinch for a directing nomination. She directed the most critically acclaimed movie of the year, so far. Her narrative, from playwright to filmmaker, is contagiously infectious and “Past Lives” has been an indie hit, grossing $10 million domestically.

Of course, it’s very early. Another director could swoop in and beat both Nolan and Scorsese. Greta Gerwig (“Barbie”) is probably at #3 or 4 and could easily sneak up on her counterparts. Between now and December, given the current fall slate, I just can’t see many other directors crashing the category the way Scorsese, Nolan and Gerwig have thus far.

Maybe Denis Villeneuve can grab a nod for his “Dune” sequel, but a win would be out of the ordinary for a franchise that not everyone has warmed up to, but many respect. Don’t get me wrong, “Dune” has its ardent fanbase, but there are definitely many Academy voters who don’t really care for it.