Best Director

• Darren Aronofsky, “Black Swan”
• David O. Russell, “The Fighter”
• Tom Hooper, “The King’s Speech”
• David Fincher, “The Social Network”
• Ethan Coen and Joel Coen, “True Grit”

Even as “The King’s Speech” began picking up steam with awards, the director category seemed safe for David Fincher. The awarding by the Director’s Guild of Tom Hooper, however, made this a two-man race. The surge of love for “The King’s Speech” suggests that voters will do anything they can to reward the film, even if the directing in the film, while technically capable, is banal and indistinctive. But voters will still likely see “The Social Network” as a movie defined by Fincher’s touch from the opening scene to the credits and reward him accordingly, even if it’s one of few times the Director and Picture category have split.

Best Animated Feature

“How to Train Your Dragon”
“The Illusionist”
“Toy Story 3”

Pixar movie. Enough said.