Writers Guild Nominations
Say what you want about critics’ honors, when it comes to Oscar prediction my money is on the guilds. Plus there’s the simple satisfaction of knowing that the guilds are professionals judging the work of their peers rather than some half-assed blogger like me spouting off this or that opinion.
Agree or disagree with the nominations, one has to assume most of these people know a good screenplay when they see it. Judging by some of the turds that hit the big screen, that’s probably a really weak argument but I’m sticking with it because I’m stubborn.
Having said that, the absence of Charlie Kaufman’s Synecdoche, New York stings.
Thanks to Ryan Adams for the heads up.
Original Screenplay
- Burn After Reading, Joel Coen & Ethan Coen
- Milk, Dustin Lance Black
- Vicky Cristina Barcelona, Woody Allen
- The Visitor, Tom McCarthy
- The Wrestler, Robert Siegel
Adapted Screenplay
- The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Eric Roth; screen story by Eric Roth and Robin Swicord based on the short story by F. Scott Fitzgerald
- The Dark Knight, Jonathan Nolan and Christopher Nolan; story by Christopher Nolan & David S. Goyer based on characters appearing in comic books published by DC Comics; Batman created by Bob Kane
- Doubt, John Patrick Shanley based on his stage play
- Frost/Nixon, Peter Morgan based on his stage play
- Slumdog Millionaire, Simon Beaufoy, based on the novel Q and A by Vikas Swarup
Documentary Screenplay
- Boogie Man: The Lee Atwater Story, Stefan Forbes and Noland Walker
- Chicago 10, Brett Morgen
- Fuel, Johnny O’Hara
- Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson, Alex Gibney from the words of Hunter S. Thompson
- Waltz with Bashir, Ari Folman
Filed under: Awards
Tags: WGA, Writer's Guild of America
Well I don’t think we could legitimately have a beef with any of these choices, now could we…..There’sd really not a weak choice for the categories that they were named in, (with the possible exception of “Frost Nixon,” but truthfully the scting and the script in that film were solid enough) Documentary Screenplay aside. (I haven’t seen three of those).
I am glowing over “the Visitor” of course, and like Craig am stunned that the omission of Charlie Kaufman’s script is a disturbing reality.
I have beef. No Synecdoche, New York, no Happy-Go-Lucky, no Rachel Getting Married. I got beef, and I usually lurve the WGAs.
Indeed Nick. But of course my post was basically about the worthiness of the films that were picked, rather than the films they weren’t picked. I agree that there were several better than the ones up there.
I would add “The Reader”, “Happy-Go-Lucky”, “The Edge of Heaven”, “The Pool” and “Rachel” to the mix myself.
I have beefs with the omissions, but I’m hard pressed to pick what I’d throw out. I’m not the Visitor fan Sam was, but I know I’m on a lonely island on that score.
People have criticized Milk, but I liked the restraint it showed and the way it avoided typical bio fodder. Naturally I’m always happy to see Coen writing get its deserved rewards.
I don’t know. Beyond that I’m happy to see Button, Doubt, Boogie Man and Gonzo included in the mix.
I could swap out BAR or The Visitor for a different pick because I think the biggest asset in those films is the acting, but they’re not bad scripts per say.
Disappointed to see Frost/Nixon on the Adapted list when Let the Right One In or Tell No One are SO much more deserving, but I’m not surprised by their choices.
The island’s not so lonely, Craig.
I thought “The Station Agent” was far superior to “The Visitor.” Not to say the latter is a bad film–quite the contrary–but it didn’t go as far as I thought it would from the outset. It’s nice to tackle immigration and the questionable incarceration/deportation practices of the U.S., but the moral of the story felt quaint and dated to me. Also, Hiam Abbass’ character felt underdeveloped.
Too bad “In Bruges” didn’t get a nod here. One of the best films and possibly the best screenplay of the year.
Nothing against The Visitor at all, but I think Joel is right that the performances (particularly Jenkins) elevated it above some problems I had with the material.
In Bruges has been getting some end-of-year love from far flung corners. I was a little in the middle on it, maybe I should have another look.