Geek For E!

Countdown to the Oscars – our picks for Screenplay: Original & Adapted

The 84th showing of the Academy Awards will air on ABC on Sunday the 26th of February and we at Geek for E have decided to join in on the fun and give you our predictions of who will win.

Today we go back to the “two for one” as we look at the Screenplay (Original) and Screenplay (Adapted) categories.
Screenplay (Original) is an original script that is written for the movie. The writers came up with all characters and situations that the characters find themselves in.  Screenplay (Adapted) is a script based off of source material generally from a novel. The script attempts to personalize the characters and story from the pages to the big screen.
And with that…the nominations go to…
SCREENPLAY (Original) …the nominations go to:
Michel Hazanavicius for “The Artist”
Annie Mumolo & Kristen Wiig for “Bridesmaids”
J.C. Chandor for “Margin Call”
Woody Allen for “Midnight in Paris”
Asghar Farhadi for “A Separation”

Denise: The Artist.  It’s silent, and yet the story is compelling and completely understandable.  The Bridesmaids love could cause an upset though, as could Midnight in Paris, Woody Allen’s best film in decades.

Tatiana: I really appreciated the overall idea of Midnight in Paris, which is huge, because I usually roll my eyes during Woody Allen movies. Still, I think on the basis of originality and numerous laugh-out-loud moments, I am going to go with Bridesmaids.

Alex:  As much fun as I had when watching Bridesmaids and finding it to be a lot funnier then both of the Hangover movies I just can’t see Annie Mumolo and Kristen Wiig getting the win. I know the artsy pick is for The Artist due to the silent nature of the movie. But I’m going to say that Woody Allen gets the win with Midnight in Paris and his “take” on a comedic time-travel story that has his quirky take on the world and also a stellar cast.
Score card…
Denise – The Artists
Tatiana – Bridesmaids
Alex – Midnight in Paris

SCREENPLAY (Adapted) …the nominations go to:
Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon & Jim Rash for “The Descendants”
John Logan for “Hugo”
George Clooney, Grant Heslov & Beau Willimon for “The Ides of March”
Steven Zaillian, Aaron Sorkin & Stan Chervin for “Moneyball”
Bridget O’Connor & Peter Straughan for “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy”

Denise: I’m rooting for The Ides of March in this one.  It’s a tense, well scripted look at the innerworkings of the body politic, and it leaves the clunky snoozefest Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy dead in the water.  It also has a nose-up on Clooney’s other film, The Descendants.

Tatiana: I did not read the book, but I am going to have to go with Moneyball. It was easy to keep up with (even if you aren’t a baseball lover, as I am), and boasted several smart and quick quips.

Alex: No matter who wins we’re all winners and if one of two win then Clooney is the big winner. And with that I’ll give the win to The Ides of March as Clooney has proven in the past that he is a well rounded when it comes to his career in front of and behind the camera.

Score card…
Denise – The Ides of March
Tatiana -Moneyball
Alex – The Ides of March


 

Comments

  1. I can’t believe I missed the submission! This is one of my favorite categories – the celebration of those who bring ink to quill.

    Original – I would love for ‘A Separation’ to get some love, that flick is deep, but the winner will be Woody Allen, Midnight In Paris.

    Adapted – Stinkerfest (can’t speak for Hugo) except for ‘The Descendants.’ I have to disagree with Denise (sorry), but I thought ‘Ides’ was sophomoric and relied on ideas that were too far fetched to land in a political thriller about a race for office. The issue with the writing is it was decent all the way up until the true nature of the characters are revealed, and then (just like the movie itself), it nosedives.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *