Argo Keeps Momentum as Affleck Wins DGA

Argo is going to win Best Picture at this year's Academy Awards... at least if all of this guild love is of any indication. Fresh off from its PGA win and shock SAG Ensemble triumph last weekend, its director Ben Affleck was honored by the Directors Guild with its top award over the weekend. Affleck is the sixth straight first-time winner holding off four previous winners continuing the undeniable momentum of his film through awards season. Of course, Affleck will not be repeating his win here at the Oscars since he wasn't nominated, but his film is another story. In the past ten years, only one film (Crash) has won a Best Picture without its director not winning the DGA Award. Does this mean Lincoln, Life of Pi, or Silver Linings Playbook is out of luck? In this crazy year, one can never be sure, but I wouldn't bet against Argo for the top prize on Oscar night. The only thing that might derail its victory is if voters start thinking that the film has been over-awarded, but that hasn't ever really happened before.

The more interesting question now is who is the frontrunner to win Best Director as the Academy Award with Affleck not in the running? The best bet would be Steven Spielberg, but a surprise win for Ang Lee or even Michael Haneke this year wouldn't even shock me. The rest of the night's winners are listed below:

Feature Film: Ben Affleck, Argo
Documentary Feature: Malik Bendjelloul, Searching for Sugarman
TV Drama Series: Rian Johnson, Breaking Bad
TV Comedy Series: Lena Dunham, Girls
TV Movie/Miniseries: Jay Roach, Game Change
Reality Programs: Brian Smith, Master Chef
Musical Variety: Glenn Weiss, 66th Tony Awards
Daytime Serials: Jill Mitwell, One Life to Live
Children's Programs: Paul Hoen, Let It Shine

Lena Dunham continues to pave new ground by getting this high accolade for her HBO show while Rian Johnson (Looper, Brothers Bloom) was honored for his work in Breaking Bad. Like Affleck, Malik Bendjelloul's win here bodes well for his film's chances at the Academy Awards. It's interesting to note that all three, like Affleck, are first-time winners.