Matthew Sanders: Is Hollywood suddenly gun-shy? Director's Guild nixes Tarantino in nominations

The Director's Guild of America, or DGA, announced its nominations for Steven Spielberg and Ben Affleck for "Argo," Kathryn Bigelow for "Zero Dark Thirty," Tom Hooper for "Les Miserables," Ang Lee for "Life of Pi." As reported by Reuters:

"These directors represent the highest standard of filmmaking, and their films are a testament to artistic achievement, innovative storytelling and the passion that filmmakers share with their audiences," DGA President Taylor Hackford said in a statement."

Notably absent from the list this year was director Quentin Tarantino, whose latest film "Django Unchained," a spaghetti-western slave retribution tale, has been gaining awards buzz after landing five Golden Globe nods including best director.

Tarantino has entered the national conversation on violence recently, where many see him and his work as the bellwether for Hollywood sponsored movie violence. Is the DGA refusal to back Tarantino, a movie critic darling, a signal that Hollywood is feeling the heat for its role in promoting a violent culture?

While Hollywood may be backing off its support for Tarantino and his guns, Disney-owned ESPN padded its wallet by promoting Texas Chainsaw Massacre 3D during the college football bowls. So suddenly Tarantino's brutal gun movies are out-of-vogue, but a slasher film is fine?

Matthew studied economics at Brigham Young University and business and government at Harvard University. He is a GM at Deseret Digital Media where he oversees Deseret Connect and Deseret News Service. msanders@deseretnews.com or @Sanders_Matt