With the success of A Star Is Born, it is likely that actor-director Bradley Cooper will put his name in the 2019 Oscar categories. He is not the only one who successfully “moved the territory” this year.
Each Oscar period saw a separate race in addition to the awards, marking a growing trend in Hollywood that year. 2017 marks the return of old directors, with nostalgic themes, culminating in the triumphs of Guilermo del Toro and The Shape of Water. Before that, 2016 was the rise of black directors, dramatic until the last minute when Moonlight (Moonlight) by Barry Jenkins. And as 2018 draws to a close, the vision for this year’s race is almost clear: This could be the year of actors turning to directors.
Leading the race is of course Bradley Cooper. The 3-time Oscar-nominated actor surprised at the first time he took charge of a movie. A Star Is Born (Bright Stars), a remake of the 1976 classic, became a sensation when it hit theaters in September. In addition to his brilliant acting, Cooper was commended for his artistic choices in leading the production. . If not surprising, at least two Oscar nominations in the categories of Director and Male awaited Cooper in February.
Another actor is Jonah Hill, who co-starred with Cooper in War Dogs (War Dog, 2016), also impressed with his debut work Mid90s (90s decade). Despite his comedic background, Hill chose to write and direct a difficult coming-of-age drama. The film is about a 13-year-old boy and his team of skaters in Los Angeles in the 90s. Although not as popular as it is. A Star Is Born, Mid90s received many positive reviews. Rotten Tomatoes considers this work “smart and nostalgic, marking the beginning of the promise of writer-director Jonah Hill”.
Scenes from the movie Mid90s
However, if I have to choose a name that can compete with Cooper, not inferior, it must be Wildlife by Paul Dano. Actor known for his supporting roles in Little Miss Sunshine (Little Miss Sunshine, 2006) and There Will Be Blood (Blood, 2007) didn’t get a lot of attention when it announced this debut project. However, when the film was released, with the outstanding duo Jake Gyllenhaal and Carey Mulligan, the critics were surprised. The psychological drama set in the nuclear race of the 60s received a score of 94% on Rotten and 80/100 Metacritic. “Ingenious and beautiful leadership” are the reviews for Dano, with a prediction of the nomination for Best Director.
In the lane for the challengers, the number is increasing as the fall season is over. Actor Brady Corbet, best known for starring in the television series Thirteen (13, 2003), is about to make his second directing debut. Vox Lux. The film marks the return of actress Natalie Portman, with similar content A Star Is Born: The journey and the price paid for the star status of a female singer. The film follows the surrealist school of Blackswan (Black Swan, 2010), the film in which Portman won the female lead statue.
Scenes from the movie Wildlife
2018 is a good year for the sensational genre, and it wouldn’t be surprising if John Krasinski was in the gold medal race. The 39-year-old actor and his wife Emily Blunt conquered both the mass audience and critics with A Quiet Place (Land of Silence) at the beginning of the year. A suspenseful monster movie metaphor for the fear of parents for their children. Following the rising trend of the horror/thriller genre in recent years, the highlight is the success of Get Out (Running, 2017), the opportunity for Krasinski is not small.
Another person of the same generation, Joel Edgerton, also explored the land of fear with Boy Erased (Delete homosexuality). After The Gift (The Gift, 2015) was well-reviewed, the actor decided to improve his directing skills with a difficult script about current issues in America: Homosexuality Treatment. Featuring an A-lister cast that includes Russel Crowe, Nicole Kidman and Lucas Hedges, Boy Erased is about an Arkansas young man whose parents sign a “gay cure”. Little did he know it was the key to hell. In charge of both director, screenwriter and actor, Boy Erased promising is Edgerton’s new turning point.
If there’s anything disturbing about the actor-to-director trend of 2018, it’s probably the lack of women. After a booming 2017 in both professional and social aspects, it seems that female actors and directors are settling down before the domination of male colleagues. Last year, Greta Gerwig had an attractive competition with del Toro with Lady Bird in each category. However, 2018 has not seen any breakthrough.
Notable this year is probably the young actress Karen Gillan. The Marvel Universe’s Nebula directed her first psychological comedy The Party’s Just Beginning (The party has just begun). The film is about the female lead, played by Gilan herself, having to deal with negative emotions after her best friend commits suicide. The film premiered in early December but received average early reviews. She once replied humorously to EW that: “I grew up thinking that directing is a male profession, so it was strange to take on this position myself.” Gillan is only 30 years old and has a long way to go.
Party’s Just Beginning movie scene
Still, cinema has no limits and it’s never too late to give it a try. In the older generation, veteran actress Lea Thompson from the classic trilogy Back to the Future (Back to the Future), just debuted at the age of 57. Romantic comedy work The Year of Spectacular Men (Youth years) was performed by Thomspson with the acting of… two daughters Zoey and Madelyn. A true family film, when the producer and screenwriter is her husband, director Howard Deutch. The film’s content is also largely based on Thompson’s old emotional memories. Actually, the film was completed in 2017, but it was not released until 2018 and did not get very good reviews.
