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I do like David Fincher as a film director and I loved The Curious CAse of BB, but I truly believe that Danny Boyle and Slumdog deserve the wins.

Maybe next time, eh, Finch?

Something tells me David Fincher doesn't lose much sleep over lost awards.

Both excellent (and under appreciated as far as awards do) directors so I'm happy that they seem to be the front runners this year. Now if someone like Ron Howard or Daldry sneak a win I'll be really disappointed with the Academy.

Do you have a screen cap from the close-up of PTA when Alan Ball won the screenplay Oscar for American Beauty?...

It's so funny you mention that mutinyco, I remember that reaction shot very well. And as much as I admire PTA as a filmmaker, that reaction was uncalled for. What a brat.

I've got no sympathy for Fincher, pass the violin.

Yes, it must really hurt Fincher to have a hit film with multiple nominations. He looks crushed. Not.

While it is always nice to win awards, I sincerely doubt that a win (or otherwise) will have that much effect on their careers. I think both Fincher and Boyle are wise enough and talented enough to withstand the shocking thrill of winning. I reckon they will continue on doing what they have been doing.

david poland, may i ask: how do you figure this is 'the year that was supposed to be theirs [fincher/ben button's]'? where does that sense of entitlement - if indeed it exists - come from? (because the academy messed up so badly snubbing 'zodiac' that fincher and co. figure they will want to have make-up sex?)

also, i don't see a 'how did we become also-rans?' expression on fincher's face, i see: 'sigh. yep, alrighty then (checks watch, turns to the others), what time is our flight out?'

'slumdog' is a uk production made by a beloved english director, written by an englishman with an english star and a largely uk crew, filmed in a former stronghold of the british empire...would fincher honestly go to merry ol' england thinking 'button' had a snowball's chance in hell of pulling off the upset over the homegrown juggernaut at the british academy awards? i would think not (and the american acacemy might give it to him now just to thumb its collective nose at the former redcoat rulers - ha, we'll show them! taxation without representation my ass)

The sense of entitlement happens in more than one place every year... one by one, the expectations narrow into disappointments.

Button was the BIG movie with the GREAT director and STAR whose time had come and the mighty dragon has been slayed by a little film that one studio didn’t even want to release.

I agree. I doubt Fincher went to London expecting to win. He was gracious in being there. But the underdog status of Button is not because it’s not British, but because it has become, over the last month and change, an also-ran and Slumdog has become the clear frontrunner. And, of course, seven wins really shoves your face in it.

The last time “beloved English director” Danny Boyle was BAFTA nominated was 13 years ago for Trainspotting. The film was not nominated for Best Film, but only for Best British Film which it lost to Madness of King George, which was also nominated for Best Film, unlike Trainspotting. (Kate Winslet won Supporting Actress that year.) He was not nominated for Best Director in that year or in any other until this year.

Fincher, too, was BAFTA nominated for the first time… though he did win a DGA award for commercials a few years back.

My point is, people seem to be happy to make excuses for why Boyle and Slumdog keep winning awards. Could it just be because people like the movie and the work in it better than other films?

gotcha, dp, thanks for the reply (i guess boyle isn't nearly as beloved by BAFTA members as he is by the british public at large, tho i suppose one could argue that he hasn't really directed any 'awards bait'-type films since 'trainspotting' - with the exception of 'millions' perhaps - for which to be BAFTA nom'd, '28 days' being too 'the-end-is-extremely-fucking-nigh' horror genre for fancy-pants awards taste even just for best direction, which i personally think it deserved)

I don't recall seeing PTA's reaction to losing the screenplay award to Ball, but if he thought he had a shot of beating the Best Pic favorite in that category -- well, he was the only one. Not talking quality here, just reality.

"But the underdog status of Button is not because it’s not British, but because it has become, over the last month and change, an also-ran and Slumdog has become the clear frontrunner."

David, there was never really a time when Button was anything other than a presumed frontrunner. And that, too, was due in large part to the fact that the movie was among the latest to be unveiled to the public.

Once it was shown to the critics it still stayed in frontlines of the race but it was no longer THE movie to beat. In fact, what Slumdog always had on virtually any other movie in the competetion, is that it entered with no expectations and only gained gained from being shown to the public (even, as I, personally and respectfully don't share the public's excitment for it)/

So I think you are wrong about the enitlement. It was only ever the movie that COULD*. The contender, the optimistic possibility, however strong. But to claim that Fincher and Co. truly believed they had a definite thing would be too much. Well maybe Fincher did. But...

*God knows, Kathleen Kennedy, of all people knows not to assume anything when it comes to awards.

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