It’s week three of my OscarWatch TV series with the indomitable Missy Schwartz, and since the Writers Guild Awards are this weekend, we’re taking a look at the two screenplay categories. One of them contains one of the tightest races of the year, while the other is a cakewalk. Check out our predictions in the videos below…and see what caused Missy to unleash a profanity-filled tirade all up in my grille.
I hope anything wins Original Screenplay but The Hurt Locker, the most overrated film of the year.
i totally agree
Agreed. I flat-out dislike The Hurt Locker. I would hardly call many films boring, but that is one I have no trouble declaring so.
I totally disagree. The Hurt Locker is the best and most significant film of the year. The most overrated film without question is Avatar.
Hurt Locker must have had no military, Marine or Army consultant! The picture is totally incorrect on how the military operates, the placement of medals, etc.
because people went to see the most visually stunning film ever. By a mile…um, no. not overrated.
I disagree I thought Bastards was way over rated and got way too much Oscar love…The movie dragged for about 75% and Brad Pitt seemed like a supporting actor…it was not even close to being one of Tarantino’s best it was really disappointing
“and Brad Pitt seemed like a supporting actor”
Because he was one.
It seemed to drag because Tarantino saved the violence and gore for the end of the film. Listen to his interviews with Elvis Mitchell & Teri Gross for further insights.
Or, you know, just keep your head buried and emerge from time to time to make rude comments. That seems to be working for you.
Movie got bought and paid for good reviews. Other than that it was a load of crap
Avatar, very overrated, Hurt Locker..a bomb…. Inglorious, glorious..great screen play
I completely agree. It wasn’t saying anything there was no real plot to it. They just go around defusing bombs cmon
Couldn’t agree more!
Totally agree with you
Want Hurt Locker to win BP, but I’m rooting for Basterds for screenplay. I also think Missy is being kind of hard on two great movies (Basterds, Up in the Air)
I would be happy with any of the Original Screenplay nominees winning, preferably Basterds, Hurt Locker, Up, or A Serious Man.
Hurt locker: pic director editing cinematography
Basterds: screenplay Supp actor
Up in air: adapted screenplay
Haha. That was so hilarious! Missy has it right. In the Loop made me laugh so hard, and it’s a shame it won’t win. Haha. What a great string of profanity she laid out.
My favorite line, “If I could I would punch you into paralysis.”
I happen to absolutely agree with Missy that the Hurt Locker should win not only Best Picture but also Best Orig. Screenplay. Sure, Basterds was well-written and well acted. But it is not in the same league as the Hurt Locker. Basterds’ script was cool and easy to like but I found a little hollow and it lacked depth. What was so great about the Hurt Locker was that although it wasn’t a wordy film, I was still riveted by what little dialogue it had. With regards to Best Adapted Screenplay, I think Up in the Air should win but I wouldn’t mind at all if In the Loop pulls an upset because it is an outrageously funny and smart film.
*”I found it to be a little hollow” Sorry for the mistake..
RE: MESSENGER – Um, dialogue is about half of a screenplay – the other half are actions of characters and visual storytelling. A silent film could win Best Original Screenplay.
And RE: AVATAR – a decade ago it made a 10 Best Unproduced Screenplays list, and also made the 10 Best Unproduced Screenplays list in Empire Magazine half a decade ago. Again — you may be confusing dialogue with screenwriting… which is writing for the screen, writing *pictures*.
Thank you for the shout-out for The Hurt Locker. I also feel that Mark Boal’s great script in the classical sense deserves to win Original Screenplay. In fact, I feel that everything about The Hurt Locker is an emblomatic example of how you make a great movie and feel that future film students will be studying this film for many years to come. Also, glad to see you’re a fan of In the Loop, one of my 10 best of 2009. Everyone was buzzing about The Hangover being the best comedy of 2009, but they obviously haven’t seen In the Loop. I never laughed so hard during a movie last year. In the Loop easily had some of the best dialogue bits of 2009. I love The Hurt Locker and In the Loop (and going-to-win Up in the Air).
I LOVE In the Loop
I believe Inglourious Basterds will win for Best original Screenplay over The Hurt Locker because Basterds had more dialogue than Hurt Locker if you think about it very closely. Up in the Air will win for Best Adapted Screenplay.
Inglourious Basterds will win not just because it has more dialogue. I think it is the quality of the writing. That scene at the restaurant with Waltz and Laurent was mesmerizing. No one has ever been so menacing yet charming while eating. The best moments in the movie are from people sitting at a table talking. The highlights of the Hurt locker are the suspenseful moments when he was disarming bombs and they were under attack in the middle of the desert. It is easy for voters to credit those moments to the director and not the writer especially when there is alternative to vote for with some of the most entertaining dialogue of the year.
Amen, Jane!
The Academy’s writer’s branch once nominated a screenplay with no dialogue, so by focusing on dialogue you’re kind of missing the point of a complete screenplay.
You guys are so fun to watch! I’m hoping that IG will win for screenplay. Up in the Air had a great screenplay as well. Forgot how good Anna Kendrick was.
Reitman can write his Oscar speech now, he is a 100% sure thing, no one else has a shot in that category.
Quentin will watch Chris Walz thank him from the stage when he wins, and there is some behind the scenes mo’ for Quentin in the Screenplay category too, and I could see him winning there.
You gotta understand, you are not voting what YOU think or YOU want to win- you are voting what the Oscar voters think and how their various factors play out. Not what you the viewer thinks, that just does not count.
That said, my heart is with Mark Boal, who I wish would win but almost certainly won’t unless there is a big upset.
Inglorious Basterds deserves to win for Original Screenplay. Of all the nominees it was truly ‘original’.
Watching that clip of IB just made me upset freakin’ Melanie Laurent wasn’t nominated. She’d have no chance in hell of winning, but seriously, no nomination?
I love both The Hurt Locker & IB for different reasons, so I’ll be pumped if either of them win. They’re lovely!
IG was sooo boring and drawn out. They should have focused more on Brad Pitt and the basterds. This script seemed to me like Tarantino was trying to relive the great dialouge and scenes from Pulp Fiction with his usual self rightous characters but there were no Vinny Vegas for us to love.
Instead there was Hans Landa who is the best character Tarantino has ever written!
How could you call this film boring???
A picture doesn’t have to be completely “shoot ‘em up” (and I am referring to both the violence of PF as well as the drug references) to be incredibly intense. Did you not get the tension in the opening scene in at the dairy farm, much less the restaurant scene??? How could you have a pulse and NOT be drawn in???
Brad Pitt can’t act, if they had given him any more screentime the movie would have been even worse than it was
OH please.. Brad was freakin awesome in that movie. Problem for me he was not in it enough. The audience i saw it with were clapping like crazy every time he was on the screen.
IB should win Best Original Screen Play.. because it was Orginal.. nothing like it has ever hit the screen. Plus Quentin is due. The dialogue was adult and not dummy down. I hate when films treat the audience like children. Plus I love that there were lots of different languages. The film was groundbreaking. Hurt Locker was a great film.. but not the best of the year. And I will not even talk about Up in the Air.. booring as hell..
My fingers are crossed for IB.. Best film I saw this year.. 3 times as a matter of fact..