Road to the Oscars Part 6: Writing (Adapted Screenplay) and Writing (Original Screenplay)

90% of whether a film is good or not

Writing (Adapted Screenplay)

District 9 = I’d agree with this if it wasn’t for the fact that the main characters dialogue is mostly improvised. The story was good though. It was adapted from a short film on the same subject
An Education = I’m assuming its an adapted play? Pretty decent yeah
In The Loop = this film SOUNDS and feels improvised, but it wasn’t. The dialogue is fantastic. Very much deserves the Oscar. Adapted from the TV show they made before I suggested it should be a TV show in my review.
Precious: BLARGHABLOO = Push was a sci fi novel and this is nothing like it. Honestly I can’t say how well adapted it is, but the story was strong enough
Up In The Air = yeah sure why not

In an ideal world In The Loop would walk away with this. Unfortunately no one in the US has a clue what it is so it won’t. Which is a damned shame. I don’t have an academy membership, maybe one day, but I make the effort to see as many of the films as I can before spouting my opinion. I’d like District 9 to win because the story is good, but In The Loop will get it

Writing (Original Screenplay)

The Hurt Locker = I love this movie so hell yeah
Inglorious Basterds = Very clever as you’d expect from QT. Smart dialogue, interesting characters, good stuff.
The Messenger = They researched the hell out of this and it shows as the characters come across as very authentic. Character pieces hang on two things, the performance and the script. The Messenger works on both of those counts
A Serious Man = This is good Coen, so deserves a nod. Smart, kind of weird, a bit twisty.
Up = Hell of a story from Pixar. Some brave choices for a kids cartoon. Just the first 10 minutes of this was a great movie.

Fuck this is a hard category. Not a single one of these films is shit. I kind of want to go for The Hurt Locker, but its not an easy choice. I’ll give it to…Up as they won’t get one of the others its up for.

Still to come: Documentary Film, Best Director, Best Picture, probably the music and I’ll try and do the shorts though I haven’t seen any yet. Wait, saw the Aardman one at Christmas.