We strike, therefore we award
The only thing moderately surprising about today's WGA nominations is the inclusion of "Zodiac" in the field of adapted scripts. Sure, the James Vanderbuilt adaptation of the Robert Graysmith novel received a nomination for the USC Scripter prize, but I felt that might have been more attributed to Graysmith than the actual script itself, which really has no structure to speak of and wouldn't seem the "typical" choice for this guild. But, in any case, this reveals that industry support is indeed there.
The presence of "Knocked Up" in the original ranks should come as a shock to no one. Judd Apatow was cited for his work two years ago on "The 40 Year Old Virgin" by the guild. I don't expect this to translate to Oscar, however, given the WGA's penchant for recognizing comedies that AMPAS is fine with ignoring ("Stranger Than Fiction," "Thank You for Smoking," "Garden State," "Mean Girls,""Bend It Like Beckham," "The Station Agent," "Best in Show," "High Fidelity," the list goes on and on).
Otherwise, it was buisness as usual. "Into the Wild" and "No Country for Old Men" remain the standouts during the precursor season that matters, as "There Will Be Blood" continues to make a case for itself as a Best Picture contender. That, frankly, is shocking to me. And the potential is all too possible for Scott Rudin to be his own worst enemy this season, because if both "No Country" and "Blood" make Oscar's final five, I could tell you a day-long story about how they will cancel each other out in the voting process. Which means things ought to be looking even better for "Wild" -- but that's a whole other conversation.
"The Diving Bell and the Butterfly" is also still in the thick of the year's competition, grabbing two makjor guild mentions this week, while "Atonement" has officially sunk like the heaviest stone one could have imagined. At this point, the only hope for Joe Wright's film is the entire BAFTA/AMPAS crossover contingent to stick it in the #1 spot on their ballots. Then, and only then, does it seem to have a prayer of finding a Best Picture nomination.
Ah, the malleability of an Oscar season.
The presence of "Knocked Up" in the original ranks should come as a shock to no one. Judd Apatow was cited for his work two years ago on "The 40 Year Old Virgin" by the guild. I don't expect this to translate to Oscar, however, given the WGA's penchant for recognizing comedies that AMPAS is fine with ignoring ("Stranger Than Fiction," "Thank You for Smoking," "Garden State," "Mean Girls,""Bend It Like Beckham," "The Station Agent," "Best in Show," "High Fidelity," the list goes on and on).
Otherwise, it was buisness as usual. "Into the Wild" and "No Country for Old Men" remain the standouts during the precursor season that matters, as "There Will Be Blood" continues to make a case for itself as a Best Picture contender. That, frankly, is shocking to me. And the potential is all too possible for Scott Rudin to be his own worst enemy this season, because if both "No Country" and "Blood" make Oscar's final five, I could tell you a day-long story about how they will cancel each other out in the voting process. Which means things ought to be looking even better for "Wild" -- but that's a whole other conversation.
"The Diving Bell and the Butterfly" is also still in the thick of the year's competition, grabbing two makjor guild mentions this week, while "Atonement" has officially sunk like the heaviest stone one could have imagined. At this point, the only hope for Joe Wright's film is the entire BAFTA/AMPAS crossover contingent to stick it in the #1 spot on their ballots. Then, and only then, does it seem to have a prayer of finding a Best Picture nomination.
Ah, the malleability of an Oscar season.
Red Carpet District is Variety contributor Kristopher Tapley's attempt at making sense of the ever-expanding glut of film awards coverage. He's been on the beat for six years. Email 
It's lonely on the Grace bandwagon, I know, but it's too crowded over at the Juno party. Thing is, in spite of that 600 word anti-Juno rant, I did like the film more than any of the other Comedy/Musical nominees (a truly embarassing bunch) so I guess I'll be pulling for it on Sunday night. That said, Yej, you need to show the Haggis a little more respect, and no Joe, no chance of paragraphs, they're overrated. Also, yet again, no one has responded to anything I had to say about Cody's background influencing the hype, or the fact that The Savages is a flat-out better written movie. You guys see what you want to see and respond to what you want to respond but you need to read the whole thing and add to the discussion rather than just complain that it was too long.
Posted by: MiraJeffAICN | 1/11/2008 2:56:58 PM
Elah and Grace moved me alright...to the bedroom for a nap.
Posted by: Kristopher Tapley | 1/11/2008 6:59:43 AM
Also Jeff, any chance of a paragraph or two...
Posted by: Joe | 1/11/2008 4:25:30 AM
Jeff, we really did not need a 600-word response. It's not THAT important. :-)
Posted by: yej | 1/11/2008 12:57:14 AM
Yeah... a two-time Academy Award-winning writer is inferior to Diablo Cody, who's had one screenplay produced. Um, ok Yej. And Kris, I believe you know that's not the reason I don't do coverage anymore. But if I did, whatever company or studio I did it for would be lucky to have me. Just because I passed on a movie that turned out to be a sleeper hit doesn't mean I shouldn't have passed at the time. Looking at Cody's script on its own, it had potential, but it smelled of b.s. It wasn't like Ellen Page came attached to the project, or that Jason Reitman would bring such clarity and vision to the words on the page. It's a decent first-script but it's hardly Oscar worthy in my humble opinion. But I don't get paid to prognosticate do I, so I guess my opinion isn't as expert as others. But there are plenty of others out there like me... two groups of people who are probably very different. The people who think Juno is overrated. And the people who thought Elah was underrated. Also, while Juno may be a box office sensation, that doesn't speak to the quality of the film, only to how gullible most audiences are for swallowing this overhyped media sensation of a movie. I mean, the movie won me over. It did. The performances were all great, even Jennifer Garner who I generally loathe. But the script is still the most overpraised thing I've ever read. Does it really deserve all these accolades, in the face of all the movies I named above? Sure it moved me at times, but on the whole, was it really more moving than Elah or Grace Is Gone? There's no way, and maybe those examples mean I'm a sucker for sentimentality, but I can smell the stink on this Juno movie from miles away, and I honestly don't think it would be getting the coverage it has if Diablo didn't have a sordid history of stripping, which is an irresistible backstory that any newspaper or magazine dealing in entertainment would be interested in. And good for her.. she's very talented and charming in person, but is her script for Juno really the pinnacle of original screenwriting this year, which has to be one of the deepest years since 99 as far as I'm concerned. I honestly believe that if Nancy Oliver or Tamara Jenkins had been strippers, their movies would've gotten more media attention, and thus more box office. The Savages has made like half a million dollars. Compare that to Juno, which will likely crack $100 million when all is said and done. Does that seem proportional at all, in terms of the qualities of the movies? What's even more ridiculous is that Searchlight is sitting on two of the best original screenplays of the year in The Savages and Once, but it isn't pushing either particularly hard because it figures Cody has it in the bag. I just wish someone else was getting all the attention this season. Her win almost seems like a given now which is a shame. There're so many better examples of screenwriting out there. Say what you will about the drab look of Grace Is Gone but that was a different look at the war in Iraq and it was one of the most heartbreaking and humane stories of the year. Juno is studio-supporteded junk food for the masses sealed in an official outsider-approved indie wrapper. I suppose Ellen Page deserves a Best Actress nomination (though it is a weak year for that category), and I wouldn't even object THAT loudly to a nomination for Cody, but a WIN sounds completely insane to me. If you had told me 2 years ago when I read that script that it would win Best Original Screenplay I would've laughed in your face. Look who's got the last laugh now... Diablo Cody. Unbelievable...
Posted by: MiraJeffAICN | 1/11/2008 12:16:09 AM
No wonder you don't do coverage anymore, Jeff. You passed on a bona fide awards contender and an obvious box office sensation. Doh!
Posted by: Kristopher Tapley | 1/10/2008 9:48:52 PM
Long live the Haggis? You make me laugh -- trashing one screenwriter by lauding the work of a far inferior writer.
Posted by: yej | 1/10/2008 9:20:25 PM
Yej, I had my problems with 'Wild,' namely Jena Malone's narration and Vince Vaughn, but there's no question it was a way more heartfelt film than Juno. And I know how Juno got made (I did script coverage on it two years ago -- PASS) and how it wasn't built to be an Oscar contender but that has nothing to do with it. It's a nice little movie but nothing more. For a comedy, is isn't very funny and the dialogue rings false, and for a drama, it doesn't probe the female psyche or illuminate anything with regards to teen pregnancy. It's a sweet little film that has exceeded all expectations but I don't see why people are falling in love with it, and I CERTAINLY don't see how a critic at the top his profession, in an incredibly deep year full of masterworks like The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, There Will Be Blood and Zodiac, can say that Juno is the best movie of the year. It wasn't even one of the Top 5 comedies of the year. I liked it less than Knocked Up, Superbad, Lars and the Real Girl, The Savages and The Darjeeling Limited, and to a lesser extent, Margot at the Wedding, Hot Fuzz and Walk Hard. The hype surrounding the movie has gotten out of control and I just don't understand why. The opening ten minutes were absolutely dreadful. I hated the animated title sequence and the soundtrack was grating. I've read Jennifer's Body, Diablo's new script, and was equally unimpressed. She's not The New Tarantino or even Apatow With Tits, she's a total flavor-of-the-month and ten years from now once the Juno hype has died down, I'll be there to say I told you so. Long live the Haggis! Elah may not have been perfect but it was 2-5 million times better than that phony hamburger phone crap.
Posted by: MiraJeffAICN | 1/10/2008 8:55:09 PM
Jeff, not sure why you'd be so upset over a Top 25 of the Year film being nominated for Best Picture. It happens all the time. I'd be much more concerned about "Into the Wild" being nominated, which was a rather insulting, amateurish film.
Posted by: yej | 1/10/2008 8:28:08 PM
What would be so wrong with "Juno," a movie clearly made with zero awards season aspirations and that is loved by the masses, and has really connected with a younger generation, winning Best Picture? Seriously, there's no Oscar pedigree in Juno. It's the least baity potential nominee by miles. I'm not saying it's the best of the bunch, but it was hardly built to win Oscars like some nominees will be. Seriously, people need to lighten up. People are voting for Juno because they actually LOVE it, not because a) they think they should or b) because they don't want to vote for something else or c) they're being bought. So really, we could and have done SO much worse than a year where a movie like JUNO could win Pic.
Posted by: Brian Duffield | 1/10/2008 8:09:50 PM
If Juno wins Best Picture I promise to never watch another movie again for as long as I live. The thought of it even being nominated makes me physically ill. And the thing is, it's a good movie. Top 25 of the year. But Top 5, let alone #1 is capital-C Crazy, as in Britney Spears/Amy Winehouse crazy. I think they brainwashed Ebert during one of his surgeries.
Posted by: MiraJeffAICN | 1/10/2008 6:33:48 PM
"Into the Wild" will most likely be nominated, but I don't see it having the support (or the box-office results) to pull off a win if "No Country" and "There Will Be Blood" split the vote. If "Juno" gets nominated, that's the film to watch out for. It's already the highest-grossing film of the bunch, and it will probably reach $100 million by the time ballots are due.
Posted by: yej | 1/10/2008 2:54:23 PM