Before Sunday’s Golden Globes ceremony, Hollywood will officially enter the “playoff” stage — or wildcard — stage of Oscar season. By Friday afternoon, the Directors Guild of America, Producers Guild of America, American Society of Cinematographers and BAFTA will roll out nominations and longlists that will dramatically narrow the field for more than two dozen films vying for Academy Awards attention (Variety’s SAG predictions for Wednesday are here).

Historically, this stretch becomes one of the highest-pressure tests for campaigns. With Oscar nomination voting starting on Monday, Jan. 12, it doesn’t leave a lot of room for pivots and campaign strategy changes. Momentum hardens, vulnerabilities are exposed and the gap between contenders and pretenders is out in the open.

At the DGA, the best director race is expected to align closely with the top contenders for best picture. The likeliest nominees include Paul Thomas Anderson (“One Battle After Another”), Ryan Coogler...See full article at Variety - Film News