ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
50/50, Written by Will Reiser; Summit Entertainment
Bridesmaids, Written by Annie Mumolo & Kristen Wiig; Universal Studios
Midnight in Paris, Written by Woody Allen; Sony Pictures Classics
Win Win, Screenplay by Tom McCarthy; Story by Tom McCarthy & Joe Tiboni; Fox Searchlight
Young Adult, Written by Diablo Cody; Paramount Pictures
ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
The Descendants, Screenplay by Alexander Payne and Nat Faxon & Jim Rash; Based on the novel by Kaui Hart Hemming; Fox Searchlight
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Screenplay by Steven Zaillian; Based on the novel by Stieg Larsson, originally published by Norstedts; Columbia Pictures
The Help, Screenplay by Tate Taylor; Based on the novel by Kathryn Stockett; DreamWorks Pictures
Hugo, Screenplay by John Logan; Based on the book The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick; Paramount Pictures
Moneyball, Screenplay by Steven Zaillian and Aaron Sorkin; Story by Stan Chervin; Based on the book by Michael Lewis; Columbia Pictures
DOCUMENTARY SCREENPLAY
Better This World, Written by Katie Galloway & Kelly Duane de la Vega; Loteria Films
If a Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front, Written by Marshall Curry and Matthew Hamachek; Oscilloscope Pictures
Nostalgia for the Light, Written by Patricio Guzmán; Icarus Films
Pina, Screenplay by Wim Wenders; Sundance Selects
Position Among the Stars, Script by Hetty Naaijkens-Retel Helmrich, Leonard Retel Helmrich; HBO Films
Senna, Written by Manish Pandey; Producers Distribution Agency
Yes, I agree. MI4 was very entertaining.
MI4 was sensational. I just saw it yesterday. Now that’s some smart entertainment!
OCO
It is time to face the truth, I am sorry to say.
“Face it. Harry Potter is sensational.”
Why? Sensational to you, but not to thousands of voters who work in the film industry. You have to take the aspect of film industry’s opinion into consideration, not just your subjective opinion. Some people might say MI4 is sensational, but every knows it has zero chance at the Oscars.
Chris138, JP is right, you can’t just compare the history of The Thin Red Line and think there is still hope. The Thing Redline is a WW2 film, and there were only 5 nominees. Every year is different, if Tree of Life had any momentum, it would have gotten on PGA’s list, or WGA, or SAG.
There is a big diffrerence between the thin red line ans tree of life. Trl was a WWII film. There were only 5 nominees then. Now there could be more, what can change things. Bu tol is not getting 7 oscar nominations. It will get a maximum of 4: picture, directing, cinematography and V. Effects.
Why wasn’t Potter eligible? Something said it wasn’t toward the top of the comments…
Patryk,
Who are you and where have you come from? Seriously. Haha.
I was about to mention what qwiggles wrote about The Tree of Life. It’s fate depends on whether or not it gets any recognition from the Directors Guild. The Thin Red Line only got nominated for the DGA, ASC and the ACE but still managed to rack up 7 Oscar nominations, including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay. I wouldn’t be writing that film off just yet.
Was Margaret eligible? It didn’t have much of a chance, but it deserves a writing nod.
Why is it that members of any given fandom are always putting down the movies they think that are threatening to the movie they connected to????? No one can take away the place that Star Wars,Indiana Jones,Avatar,Pirates,Lotr,Spiderman,etc (U name it) have made in the history of cinema…some made more money,some where vastly awarded,some were better received by the critics,others were more liked by the public;a few had all…They have every right to be side by side to more artistic movies and just because you like one specific story above all,doesn´t mean the others lose their worth…sheesh!
JK Rowling can come up with a prequel anytime, so HP8 may not be the last. Unless the secondary title says, “The Absolute Final Ultimate Last Harry Potter Movie, Sue Us if We Add Another One,” this series ain’t over yet.
Andrew says: “Why do bloggers still fall into two traps? Firstly that the awards are actually about the BEST films?”
Quite true. I think there’s another distinction that gets passed over as well. Critics, bloggers, academic film scholars and dedicated internet cinephiles have a professional (or obsessed amateur) commitment to watching and analyzing films. The guilds and the Academy are made up of people whose profession is making films. They appreciate craft and seeing whatever the members of their branch specialize in done well. They also want to put the best face on their product, so they don’t ignore positive audience and critical reactions, especailly if a film is considered serious or innovative in some way. But they aren’t intellectuals and they don’t spend every waking hour watching movies the way most of us probably do.
If any of you have ever gotten to interview and actor or director and pose some complicated, interpretive question, they’ll probably just look at you as if you’ve lost your mind. Thus their comfort zone with films that emphasize emotion over intellect and tell uplifting stories of individuals triumphing over adversity. Heck, that’s probably the story of most Academy voters’ careers.
That’s why philosophical meditations like Tree of Life aren’t going to get Best Picture. If it were just the story of Pitt, Chastain and their kids it would have had a lot better chance. Once you bring in the history of the universe, the meaning of life, and dinosours, you’ve lost most of the Academy voters.
Original: Midnight in Paris, Written by Woody Allen
Adapted: The Descendants, Screenplay by Alexander Payne and Nat Faxon & Jim Rash
OR
Hugo, Screenplay by John Logan; Based on the book The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick
That´s all!
who said that the oscars take in consideration rotten tomatoes??
harry potter could not keep in the top in this race. Simply it didnt get any suport for the critics awards, and the industry.
It’s tough to compare the HP case to the Star Wars prequel trilogy.
HP 7.2 is the end of a very successful saga not only in terms of box office but critically. Phantom Manace and Clone Wars got mixed reviews and were widely criticized for not being on the same level as the first trilogy. Phantom Manace, in especial, was a major disappointment critically although still a box office hit. Revenge of the Sith got good reviews but were not even close to the Harry Potter ones. They were more like the Captain America reviews.
But if you take the Star Wars saga as whole (6 film) you will see how Potter is important. Star Wars’ films quality decreased during the franchise. Specially in EP I and EP II. Imagine how tough it is to make, in Potter’s case, 8 huge BO hits and 8 films with a minimum of 78 at Rotten Tomatoes.
OCO. You forgot that none of the a HP films was nominated. HP is no lotr. They would not just give a nod just because it is the last chapter.
OCO, you are still in a denial. Without dga,pga.wga,sag. It is unlikely that H8 will be nominated foe best picture. It is over.
I’m really disappointed with the original screenplay slate. It truly is a weak year.
OCO, not talking about what you think abou h8. You forgot and ignored the fact that none of the HP films was nominated for major nods. AMPAS voters would not have just recognized the last chapter just because it got good reviews. HP movies are like the sequels of Star Wars, just because you liked it personally, does not mean it is Oscar material. The last prequel of Star Wars also got good reviews, but we all knew it would not have a chance in major mods. You have to take voters’ tastes into account. It is all about being realistic.
Missing War Horse bodes well for Hugo.
Yeah… Panda was not that bad but inferior to the 1st one. Same as Sherlock Holmes.
Forgot about Puss In Boots in the sequels too. This was a surprise. It’s not great but a good film and much better than everyone was expecting.
@JP Yeah, oh and you forgot kung fu panda 2
@ OCO300
I think it was bad year in almost every aspect. For sequels was kind of so-so.. not that bad but not that good also.
For sequels:
HP8 was great.
Apes (sort of a sequel) was great. MI4 and X-Men also.
but…
Cars 2, Happy Feet 2, Alvin and the Chipmunks 3, Breaking Dawn… Sherlock Holmes is not bad but inferior to the first one.
Pirates 4, Transformers 3 were not the worst films of their series but were not good films.
For Oscar-bait films, 2011 was one of the worst years I’ve ever seen. No possible comparison between this year and 2011. Social Network, Toy Story, Black Swan, 127 Hours, True Grit… make a top 10 with the Oscar nominees of last year and the probable Oscar nominees of this year…
For animated, no comments. A MEDIOCRE year. Probably the worst ever. Every single animated nominee of 2010 would easily win this year’s Oscars and the un-nominated Tangled (box office hit and great reviews) and Despicable Me (a big box office hit)probably would win also. And films nominated in 2009 also: Up, Coraline, The Fantastic Mr. Fox, The Princess and the Frog.
For docs, there was no big hit, a film that everyone was commenting on like Inside Job last year for example, but there were great films. Senna is one of the best films of the year. A fantastic piece of work ignored by that nonsense branch at the Academy.
For blockbusters, it was not a good year as a whole. It will most definitely end up with less box office overall than 2009/2010. And if you take top 20 films of the year in the USA, there were 7/8 well-reviewed but if you take top 5 you have Pirates, Hangover, Twilight, Transformers and only Potter to save.
@JP well at least 2011 wasn’t a bad year for sequels
Family films are not Oscar-kind of films. This is the reason they ignored every single Walt Disney film from Snow White to The Little Mermaid, except Marry Poppins I think so, a nod in the main categories. I Guess the first animated to get a script nod was Toy Story in 1995 and only one non-Pixar film did so: Shrek. And BP was only Beauty and the Beast and Up/Toy Story 3, which could probably have failed to get nominated with 5 or with this new system. (But I had a feeling had Up not been nominated for BP, Pixar would not have submited TS3 for the Animated Oscar to make a pressure in the Academy for the BP nomination).
Why do bloggers still fall into two traps? Firstly that the awards are actually about the BEST films? History tells us this is not the case. IMO only a handful of Oscar BPs have been the best of the year.
Secondly that a film they are passionate about (HP seems to be this years pic) HAS to be nominated. your personal love for a film don’t get it nominated.
I would argue that most true lovers of film get more disappointment than joy from the awards circuit.
Castle,
do you think Raiders of the Lost Ark or Jaws would be nomiated today?
The problem I have with the originals is that they are all about chattiness and wit, not thought and depth.
dont continue looking for excuses. Those 96% doesnt matter anymore. That is past. And the oscar doesnt need to harry potter. That is the reaso they have been ignorig it 10 years
I am well aware that Tree of Life had a script. Thanks for pointing that out. My point is that because of the nature of the film, whether correctly or incorrectly, the script is not scene as the strength of the film.
Another point: the Oscars need much more a Harry Potter than the opposite. Potter has already made billions of dollars, sold millions of DVDs, have zillions of fans… the Oscars repercussion and ratings are the one that will suffer with a BP lineup that is not even close in terms of quality compared to previous years (2011 was not a good year for movies in the end). Last year’s lineup had about 5 or 6 films that are better than the best films of this year’s probable lineup. Try to put the 10 BP nominees in 2010 and the 7 or 8 probable nominees of this year and try to make a TOP 10. A HP inclusion would not improve THAT much the quality (although I think It’s a better film than The Help for example) of the category, but would help the ratings. This category needs to diversify its choices… not only oscar-bait, but more comedies, more blockbusters, more animated films (not in 2011 because it was a year to forget in animation), foreign films and there should be even space for docs.
In this year there is no REAL public fave, no REAL blockbuster… as I said in other posts ALMOST NOBODY will turn on the TV to watch films like The Help and Bridesmaids. Just like they didn’t with Juno or Little Miss Sunshine.
@Sunrise
Streep-Davis-Williams-Theron-Swinton. Thanks.
@ Castle
It’s good for 96% of the critics also (good, what means they liked it… not that they thought it was years best). Of course it’s not an awards-kind movie but Raiders of The Lost Ark and Jaws would not be nowadays. Things have changed.
@phantom
Rooney Mara? Do you really believe? I think she has no chance.
Meryl-Michelle-Viola-Tilda-Glenn. Thankx.
Harry potter is not sensacional, face it mister OCO300.
Harry potter is not drama. HThey tried it, but didt make it, because there were stupid comedy moments.
Harry potter 8 didnt have a good direction or screenplay. They adapted very bad the book that was very good.
Harry POtter had good acting, but not for nominations, because the director didnt allow them to stand out in any scene.
the warner brother videos have been igored for every award. So it wont get any importat nomination. It has not everything what need.
Face it. Harry Potter is just good for the fans, not for competing in awards.
Sooooooooooo happy for Young Adult!! this is one of the most original rare film i’ve ever seen, risky and brave, Charlize Theron is a outstanding in it my god she was terrific, fingers crossed for her, she deserves it better than close and even davis, hopefully it will continue that way.
I really don’t see why people think Midnight in Paris is such a great screenplay. The sections in the past are amusing but all the scenes in the present are like other Woody Allen movies, and not as funny.
Midnight in Paris will win this, and the Oscar. I think the Academy will take this opportunity (possibly the last) to honour Woody, and I can’t see him winning Director.
Am I the only one on this site that loves Nostalgia for the Light? Have you guys seen it?
Dan, I mentioned Nostalgia for the Light when I sketched out my list of favorite films in this comment, Dec 28th.
It’s in the Doc list. My third favorite documentary of the year.
Hmm, I actually thought the writing of Dragon Tatt. was its weakest element. Direction, cinematography and Mara made it work, though.
Good for Diablo! Great read. Descendants another great piece of writing. I liked Shame though, for all it dared NOT SAY. But what do I know.
We could be looking at an oscar race where only The Artist and The Descendants have directing, writing and acting nominations.
War Horse, Hugo, Midnight in Paris don’t have acting – War Horse and Midnight in Paris could have no directing either.
Moneyball likely won’t have director, but if Bennett Miller does get a DGA nomination that could turn everything on its head.
The Help, if Tate Taylor gets a DGA nod, could start looking really good as well. With a lot of support from the actors, directors and writers it could become a serious contender.
War Horse and Midnight in Paris surely cannot win if Spielberg does not get a DGA nod.
I still don’t know about Hugo’s chances without any acting nods – It will only win if the academy decides to crown Scorsese again – which they did in 2007 so I don’t think that’s happening.
In conclusion (talking about winning BP not getting nominated)
Serious contenders:
The Artist, The Descendants
Pretenders to the throne: (Become serious contenders if they get a DGA nod)
The Help
Relying on DGA nods to stay in the game:
Midnight in Paris, Moneyball, War Horse
Needs the Academy to want to crown Scorsese:
Hugo
Good to see Tom MCcarthy receive a nominated for WIN WIN. Christopher Hampton should have been nominated for The Dangerous Methods. This great film should be nominated for BP BD Cronenberg .TDM and Win WIN are the 2 most underated filmS OF the year Drive and TTOL are the 2 most overated films of the year
Right now “Tree of Life” is in such a troubled path (personally, never thought it have a shot for Best Picture and Director, but were a shoo-in for best screenplay and for at leastthree or four tech nods) that I begining to think that maybe could get only one nomination: best cinematography for Emanuel “Chivo” Luzbeki. As a consolation prize is the second most-already-locked-for-a-nomination-and-the-win Oscar of this year. The first, of course, is Christopher Plummer.
Why does Dragon Tattoo say “originally published by Norstedt?” Who cares what company published the book?
Yay for Hugo, Descendants, Bridesmaids, and Midnight In Paris!
@RobertlowercaseA
Harry Potter is a drama.
Harry Potetr is adapted from a book.
Harry Potter was a financial success.
Harry Potter had excellent acting, visuals and music.
It has everything it needs for a best Picture. What else do they want? Explosions? Oh wait…it had some of that too. I think it will get a nomination. Haven’t you seen all these trailers Warner Brothers are realeasing?
Harry Potter had some of the best directors I’ve ever seen. It had a genius story-line that continued for a decade, with characters that we grew up with. There is no need to reward it with the best picture nomination, because I think we’ve proved who’s boss in box-office. Harry Potter rules everything, music wise, book wise, and film wise. Face it. Harry Potter is sensational.
Midnight In Paris!
I don’t think War Horse will get nominations for its actors or for its screenplay.
The last movie to win Best Picture w/o acting or writing nominations is Grand Hotel (1932)
Yes, there is more to a script than dialogue. But I think it’s also common knowledge that Terrence Malick’s finished films are FAR different from the screenplays he starts with, and from what I hear Tree of Life is no exception. Much of what you see on the screen is a result of improvised/instinctive shots on location, and segments created in the editing room.
So this shouldn’t be a surprise that writers don’t acknowledge the actual writing, and also has nothing to do with whether or not Malick or the film are nominated for BP and Director.
@ Daveylow
The Artist could win but a silent film winning the screenplay Oscar is like the actors voting for an Avatar-like (mo-cap) or an animated film to win Best Picture. Tough to imagine.
Allen wins here.
“Midnight in Paris” might very certain win here, but I doubt it has a chance at the Academy Awards against “The Artist”!
TV writers get to vote for films right? If so that may explain why year after year comedies get more recognition in the WGA than a token spot at the academies.
There’s one take away from the WGA nominations – the Writer’s Guild has a sense of humor.
rufussondheim, almost all films are script-based. Those stretches where you say it’s all visuals, no narrative – they’ve all been written into the film, not just directed and edited in.
But Matt, your point is silly. Yes, technically 20 films could receive the required percentage of the vote, but the new rules were devised based on previous voting patterns. 5% was the most sensible threshold, I believe. And they clearly are serious about it; do you think they’re fiddling around for the sake of it, wondering what might happen this time…?!? No. I’d say theY’RE definitely serious about it.
McCarthy is 3/3 for nods for scripts he directed. the only time he wasn’t nominated here was for the ineligble UP, for which he went on to earn an Oscar nod for
Hugo baby!!!
Can we all stop comparing Bridesmaids to every other broad popular good comedy that’s come out in recent years? It’s on another level. Period. Yes Knocked Up, The Hangover, and Mean Girls all got WGA nominations… so what? Which of them got two SAG nominations? A PGA nomination? Yes The Hangover got ADG recognition and GG recognition. We all know the GGs are worthless and can only bring attention to films which previously got none (Braveheart) but the Academy actually has to like the films it brings attention to or the film obviously won’t get nominated (The Tourist). Will Bridesmaids win the GG for Best Picture M/C? Against The Artist and Midnight in Paris? Hell no. Neither would The Hangover, it just happened to be released in a year with comedies and musicals that didn’t appeal to the HFPA. Will Bridesmaids be nominated for Best Picture? Probably not. In a year of 10? Absolutely. That is something The Hangover couldn’t pull off so please stop comparing. Thanks.
PS- FYC Harry Potter!
Rufus
TToL may not be dialogue based, but it is clearly script based. Dialogue, though it is the surface thing people react to, is only a small part of a screenplay, far less important than for a stage play.
Matt, it’s a gross simplification of the nomination process to say that you need 5% of the number one votes. I would even say it’s inaccurate. I’ve put up a link which explains the process numerous times, but people seem to gloss over it. I’m not putting up the link anymore
Tree of Life is not script based, I wouldn’t expect it to get a nomination. After all, there’s a 20 minute or so stretch where it’s all just visuals and score, and it’s way too fragmentary. There are only a couple of extended scenes of narrative. It’s all director. But even then, if it doesn’t get a DGA slot it’s not out of the running. There are 5 DGA slots, with 6 to 8 pictures likely to be nominated (based on statistics, think Bell Curve) It will be a tough uphill, but I expect it to still have a real shot.
I can’t imagine Midnight in Paris losing the Oscar for its screenplay.
And am I the only one who finds the new voting system odd due the fact that the 5% requirement technically could lead to 20 Best Picture noms? I know it maxes out at 10, but that leaves it WAY open. It should have been 10% if their serious about it.
Harry Potter did get a SAG, not a major one, but still. War Horse, and Tree of Life didn’t either (that I can recall) and they are hardly out of the race. Just because i film does not get every guild nom doesnt mean its out. And I personally believe that the only reason Bridesmaids got the PGA in my opinion is because of all the TV producers, especially NBC, who love the stars of their shows (Melissa McCarthy, Elle Kemper, Kristen Wiig, and Maya Rudolph are/were all on popular shows on major networks) most likely voted for it. Its a good movie, but come on, better than Drive? Life? Shame? Potter? Apes? etc. Hardly.
Wait, War horse got producers guild. My bad!
(Or theirs.)
Bridesmaids 4 guilds, War Horse: 0.
Love it.
In this race of diarrhea versus horse shit, the better film is winning.
I’m rooting for Midnight in Paris nevertheless. (Congrats Woody!)
It is possible, but not likely, but who knows? The Artist’s appeal is its format(tribute to silent films), and not so much about the screenplay, which in my opinion is kind of cliched and nothing out of the ordinary. I honestly don’t know if The Artist is really going to win best picture, but it sure has the best chance so far, unfortunately in my opinion. If Artist doesn’t take the best picture, The Descendant is next.
What I meant to say was Fincher still has a chance of getting a DGA nod, but not a lock in my opinion.
Is it possible for The Artist to get original screenplay at the Oscars rather than MIP?
It’s likely if Midnight in Paris gets the Oscar for original screenplay, Allen won’t be there to accept.
Midnight In Paris is almost a lock to win here and at tge Oscars. Happy for W. Allen who will get his script win number 3!
Sure. Fincher has a chance.
@ phantom
I think that’s a possible scenario for Best Actress. Swinton could still make it, though, if Mara is nominated as Glenn Close is also on shaky ground.
OCC300. Harry Potter is out of the race. No PGA, No SAG, no WGA, it won’t have DGA. It is time to face the truth. I admire your passion and support for Harry Potter like i said before, but HP8 is out of the race.
Sorry to break it to you, Daveylow, Midnight in Paris is winning the best original screeenplay.
Sorry to break it to you, Daveylow, Midnight in Paris is winning the best original screeenplay.
Yeah, most likely.
Oh, by the way, am I the only one who thinks that if Fincher receives a DGA-nomination on Monday, Rooney Mara WILL get in probably instead of the always excellent Tilda Swinton ? Mara had perfect timing, she started building buzz around the same time the voting started and now we can see that her film MIGHT end up in the top5…and if it does, she is IN…right ?
Although if Young Adult sneaks into the script-category, Charlize Theron might still have a chance, but Mara has much greater buzz at the moment. Tilda Swinton’s biggest obstacle that her brilliant film is not considered in ANY other categories…it is beyond me, why ?
I hope MIPS does not win this. All the parts in the present were tedious.
So DGA ?
LOCKS
1. Michel Hazanavicius
2. Martin Scorsese
3. Alexander Payne
STRONG CONTENDERS
4. Steven Spielberg
5. David Fincher
6. Woody Allen
POTENTIAL SURPRISES
7. Terrence Malick
8. Tate Taylor
9. George Clooney
10.Bennett Miller
11.Nicolas Winding-Refn
POTENTIAL SHOCKERS
12. Tomas Alfredson
13. David Yates
14. Jason Reitman
15. Stephen Daldry
Were SHAME, IDES OF MARCH, TREE OF LIFE and TAKE SHELTER eligible?
@steve50 well at Hrry Potter 8 did alot of things that not even any of these films have never done
So, 5 comedy films on Original Screenplay. Seems interesting 😀
Also, DRAGON TATTOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YAY YAY YAY YAY
And great to see.one of the best films of 2011: Senna… Don’t know how that nonsense docd branch could snub it!
OK, so the semi-unexpected climbers so far :
BEST PICTURE
– The Help has GG-bp/BFCA-bp/PGA/WGA/SAG Ensemble + 3 lock acting contenders
– Bridesmaids has GG-bp/PGA/WGA/SAG Ensemble
– ‘Dragon Tattoo’ has PGA/WGA nods (for such a late entry, impressive)
– The Ides of March has PGA/GG bp (although SAG Ensemble should have happened)
BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
– 50 / 50 has WGA/BFCA nominations
– Young Adult has WGA/BFCA nominations
– Win Win has WGA/BFCA nominations
Well said. Zetto
the artist, although a silent film, will bump out either win win or young adult… And things are looking good for TGWDT and Bridesmaids but bad for the tree of life. If malick fails to get a dga nod…
TGWTDT!!!!!!!!!!
Even though I was slightly disappointed by Tatoo, I am glad it’s got PGA ans WGA nod, if Fincher picked up a DGA nod next week, I would be happy,too.
I think War Horse is out of the Screenplay Oscar race. It’s a visually stunning film, but even in films that Oscar loves, AMPAS can often smell a stinker of a script. Titanic’s script didn’t get nominated, after all.
I just saw A Separation yesterday and I would not be at all surprised if it made it into Original Screenplay at the Oscars. The script is just that fucking good. I liked Win Win but I don’t think it’s a serious contender with AMPAS. The Artist is definitely in too obviously, which probably means Young Adult is out.
Tree of Life is a great film, but I’d be surprised if it got more than a couple technical nominations at this point. Cinematography, maybe Visual Effects, possibly Editing. I seriously doubt the DGA recognizes it. And sorry folks, but Bridesmaids still isn’t getting a Best Picture nomination. It’s a crowd pleaser, but the total antithesis of an Oscar movie. Think Dark Knight and you’re probably not too far off.
“War Horse” failing to receive a nod here is not very surprising at all; I wouldn’t necessarily expect a nod from the writers’ branch of the Academy, either. The nod for “Bridesmaids”, however, was entirely predictable; in the end, I suspect that AMPAS’ writers’ branch will look elsewhere (bear in mind, the far more critically acclaimed “Knocked Up” received a WGA nod but no recognition from the Academy). In adapted, I suspect “Dragon Tattoo” will be replaced in AMPAS’ lineup; I’m wondering whether “Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy” was even eligible for WGA consideration. I wouldn’t read too much into these nominations, under any circumstances – as always, a number of films which are more likely to score with the Academy were ineligible for consideration under WGA rules…
I’m proud to see a full on genre comedy getting out there in the world. Kudos to Apatow co and Bridesmaids! Power to the comedies!
I sure hope The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo continues to pick up major nominations like this. It’d be a great boost for a great film.
Oh, and Steven Zaillian (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo) is up against himself (Moneyball)…and will probably lose to Alexander Payne and co. considering Sorkin won last year and Zaillian might split the votes.
I’m fairly sure that “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy” will get an Adapted Screenplay Oscar nomination next month. Its screenplay is just the kind of intelligent show-stopper script the Academy likes to embrace. The writing and diologue in this film are exceptional.
I also think “The Tree of Life” will also be included in the AMPAS listing next month.
TOL was not cast or word-driven. It ain’t over until the fat lady sings (or takes it’s spot on the list)
Oh, and the Young Adult/Win Win duo now has the WGA/BFCA combo which might not say a lot, but it is rather consistent. Even if one of the ineligible contenders knock one out (The Artist will probably get in, and Margin Call could still surprise), I think Young Adult will stay…but to be fair, I would prefer the Win Win script instead of The Artist…latter is a great film with but in my opinion, the script is only ‘good’ and the story isn’t very original (very ‘A Star is Born’esque).
Here, I updated the top4 precursors chart :
http://awardscorner.blogspot.com/2012/01/who-are-strongest-contenders-in-main.html
I would say, come Oscar time, Win Win gets pushed out by The Artist and Young Adult will somehow stay in the mix, leaving Tree of Life out in the cold. Which is a shame…both of them.
As for Adapted, I’d expect War Horse to push out Dragon Tattoo…just a feeling…I’d say The Descendants and Moneyball are the only sure bets there, though.
My DGA prediction:
The Help
The Artist
The Descendant
Hugo
Midnight in Paris.
So…I’m just wondering out loud here. Art Directors…Writers…Producers…
Does BRIDESMAIDS have 250 1st place votes?
Sure, but even if TOL takes DGA, (i doubt)it still can not guarantee its best picture chance when it failed to get pga,sag,wga.
Drive and TTSS were not eligible.
Kholby: I Feel Love for Paris and Dragon too!
Bye..war horse, potter, tree of life, drive, tinker tailor, and extremely loud..tsk tsk
WGA is not a major precursor? Tree of life missed out SAG, PGA, WGA, it will have a hard time at the Oscars. Time to be realistic.
Seems like the films that got hurt by these noms are War Horse, Ides of March, and especially Tree of Life. Adapted screenplay is as always a very competetive category, so it’s not this doesn’t necessarily reflect poorly on WH and IOD’s chances at best pic. TOL on the other hand was not even competing against many oscar juggernauts and it got snubbed. The Guilds may be reflecting the summer reviews of TOL that it is not for everyone.
As usual, the DGA nominations will really help clarify a few things. If Spielberg is left off the DGA list, then I will start questioning whether “War Horse” will even get nominated for a BP Oscar. Also, someone asked earlier about the position of “Midnight in Paris” in the race. If Woody is nominated for director by the DGA, then “Midnight” is almost certainly positioned in the top five. If not, it’s a little more in question exactly where “Midnight” will fall.
The big test for “The Tree of Life” will be the DGA. If Malick isn’t nominated, it will be a tough fight for Tree to still get a Best Picture nomination. And DGA is one list where “Bridesmaids” won’t show up! Three DGA slots are probably already reserved for The Artist, The Descendants, and Hugo.
Loving these nominations! It will be interesting to see the DGA nominations. I’m really feeling that this is an unpredictable year!
It feels good to have two movies that I’m championing and to see them show up everywhere. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and Midnight in Paris.
Oh, love to love you baby.
The Girl with the Dragon Tatoo has legs!
RIP. War Horse and Harry Potter
Midnight in Paris/The Descendants should take this easily, the Bridesmaids/The Help duo might be the potential surprises.
Other than The Artist (ineligible) and War Horse (snubbed), which films threaten these ten for Oscars?
Definitely good news for late-entry ‘Dragon Tattoo’, now after receiving PGA/WGA, I think it WILL get DGA, too.
This is a good list. Does this mean that Dragon Tattoo will have a real chance now for some oscar nominations? Now we just need Fincher for a DGA.
As for Tree of Life, I still say Thin Red Line’s surprise Picture/Director/Screenplay nods are worth remembering: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120863/awards. Only major precursors were DGA, the Eddie, and ASC, and it got through. Don’t write it off yet.
Midnight in Paris and The Descendant are going to take the WGA. Bridesmaids over Tree of life, hell yeah.
Disney sent screeners of War Horse to members (I don’t think they got Tattoo, Moneyball, Hugo, others, so it even had that advantage).
Munich missed with a lot of the guilds and still showed up, so (sadly) you can’t count War Horse out yet, at least not unless it misses with the DGA.
Bravo. Bridesmaids. PGA, WGA, SAG. Bye bye, Tree of life.
“Win Win” instead “The Tree of Life” was the only surprise for me.
It looks like one of those Original Screenplays will give up their spot to The Artist…. but which one?
All original screenplays are comedy or drama/comedy. Great year for comedies, I think.
Dragon Tattoo has good support from the Guild ! Maybe DGA, i believe.
Congrats to Tom McCarthy for his nomination for Win Win. Looks to possibly be an easy win for Woody Allen for Midnight in Paris for Original Screenplay. Adapted Screenplay is a little more of a toss-up at this point. Another win for Payne for The Descendants?
Nice. Glad to see Win Win, Dragon Tattoo, 50/50, Young Adult and Senna in there.
Also, was War Horse ineligible or is WGA the only guild that can see how badly written that film was?
Okay, this is bad news for War Horse. The film isn’t doing well with the precursors. It scored a Globe nod, but Spielberg was left out. It scored a PGA nod, but both the Art Directors Guild and the Writers Guild of America snubbed it. And the WGA snub hurts because there were so many films that weren’t eligible.
Many films including Harry Potter and Skin were not eligible.
War Horse was, but not nominated, which is your headline.
NGNG. 50-50. If it’s eligible, of course
NGNG: Rise of the Planet of the Apes (either category)
NGNG – Drive
Presuming that Midnight in Paris gets a WGA nod, where exactly is Midnight in Paris in the BP race right now?
I have seen it every where from 3rd safest to fighting for the final spot with Dragon Tattoo and Brides. Is the strong support for Midnight amongst the actors securing its position at the very least in the top 5?
Coriolanus for Adapted Screenplay
Off topic, a fun read… Aint it Cool’s Massawirm’s BOTTOM 10 of 2011… http://www.aintitcool.com/node/52497
I mean, LOL (and some really good observations).
NGNG Original screenplay: Contagion
2 obvious NGNG:
The Skin I Live In, Adapted
Harry Potter, Adapted
On Original:
Red State – even if not in my wildest wet dream I would consider it having a chance.
NGNG: Ian for Best No Guts, No Glory Ever
NGNG: Bridesmaids for Original AND Adapted screenplay 😛