And, there we are. “Avatar” gets a nomination for best writing from a 10,000 member-strong guild and plenty will find reason to argue with it. But let’s look at the rest.
“The Hangover” managed to get a nomination in the original screenplay field in the wake of a number of eligibility rulings on some top contenders. I’m most excited for Scott Cooper and “Crazy Heart,” because I’m getting the feeling he might turn this and his USC Scripter bid into something tangible for Oscar consideration. “District 9,” of course, was not eligible here and is still a threat, ditto “An Education,” but the race is a little more interesting now. Especially when you consider Nora Ephron (also nominated today), who I’ve always felt was a threat with the Academy for navigating two sources and making some entertaining sense of it all.
Elsewhere it’s the usual suspects, except for the appearance of “Star Trek” in the adapted ranks. Yes, the writers of “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen” are WGA nominees. But in my view, they deserve the pat on the back for this film, a high octane entertainment that was smartly conceived and remains one of the true gems of 2009.
Check out the nominees after the jump.
Adapted Screenplay
“Crazy Heart” (Scott Cooper)
“Julie & Julia” (Nora Ephron)
“Precious” (Geoffrey Fletcher)
“Star Trek” (Alex Kurtzman, Roberto Orci)
“Up in the Air” (Jason Reitman, Sheldon Turner)
Original Screenplay
“(500) Days of Summer” (Scott Neustadter, Michael H. Weber)
“Avatar” (James Cameron)
“The Hangover” (Jon Lucas, Scott Moore)
“The Hurt Locker” (Mark Boal)
“A Serious Man” (Ethan Coen, Joel Coen)
Documentary
“Against the Tide” (Richard Trank)
“Capitalism: A Love Story” (Michael Moore)
“The Cove” (Mark Monroe)
“Earth Days” (Robert Stone)
“Good Hair” (Lance Crouther, Chris Rock, Chuck Sklar, Jeff Stilson)
“Soundtrack for a Revolution” (Bill Guttentag, Dan Sturman)
Comments
56 responses to “‘Avatar,’ ‘Star Trek’ among WGA nominees”
I forgot, was “An Education” not eligible?
Well, you can tell how much value these have by the fact they nominated The Hangover and Star Trek. Neither of which would get anywhere close to a writing nod if this guild had sane qualifying rules.
No “Invictus”? I like it.
Yeah, Jack. :(
Great list, although no Bright Star or Fantastic Mr Fox. Yikes.
Liked Julie & Julia, A Serious Man and Star Trek inclusion. Don’t understand what’s Avatar doing there though.
Yay for Star Trek and The Hangover. And boo for you know what.
Oh and 500 Days of Summer. That’s awesome.
let’s be serious. The list doesn’t mean anything, with
Inglourious
Up
Fantastic Mr Fox
An Education
District 9
not being eligible.
Take out Crazy heart, Julie & Star Trek and replace them with Frantastic, Education & district.
and Avatar and Hangover, replaced by Inglourious and Up.
and there’s the writing category.
Anyone else thinking Invictus will be vulnerable in Best Picture? Under performed big time at the box office, missed at the Globes, missed with the WGAs despite MAJOR eligibility issues which should have made its nomination a no brainer… I could see Freeman being its only big 8 nomination.
I agree about Invictus, Bing. And I’m not sure about Freeman.
What makes you think Fantastic is going to get a nomination from the Academy anyway, Alex?
I didn’t think Avatars writing was good enough to warrant a nomination
I agree with Will, the screenplay for AVATAR getting a nomination is simply a reflection of voters liking the movie I guess. Because the screenplay is not deserving here.
Considering how much was ineligible, it could’ve been a whole lot worse for sure. Would’ve liked to have seen a nod for Where the Wild Things Are, but at least the nominee in its stead, Star Trek, was pretty good too.
I only got 6/10 correct but I did predict Star Trek. I thought the movie was really good but the one problem I had with it was its screenplay… But I picked it anyways because I think Kurtzman/Orci had a really tough assignment. This was a popular show ages ago that has had no real impact on the pop culture of the last 10 years, and always remained in Star Wars’ formidable shadow. They brought the series into the 21st century and set-up a great Kirk/Spock relationship. I think they did right by an iconic series and reinvigorated global interest in a dormant franchise, which is no small feat. That’s why they got it.
Star Trek!? Really?
well…mmm…let me say…
THAT’S FANTASTIC!!
I loved that movie, well deserved!
I wasn’t especting to see AVATAR there, but
well, thats what 1.3 BILLION dollars can get you, right?
I mean, i LOVE the film and i hope it wins BEST PICTURE, but even I can recognize how weak the sreenplay actually is
So does this mean 500 Days of Summer might be in for a BP nod instead of Invictus or Nine?
No. It’s more telling for “Star Trek” — “Nine” (which was never going to get nominated here) and “Invictus” both missed out in the adapted race, after all.
screenplays are more then just dialogue and cameron creating an entire world and finding paraleells between our current political enviorment and the far off future on a distant moon is what makes it worthy, cause the dialogue isnt the reason
Kris, Julie & Julia is really based on two books.
I’m really happy about the Julie & Julia and Star Trek nods. Obviously they’re going to have a tough time converting to Oscar nods (and I’m not sure they’re really deserving), but they’re two great movies that deserve a bit of recognition.
Both Star Trek and District 9 are very much in the Best Picture race…
I think Julie & Julia deserves the Oscar nom, even the New York Times critics agree.
To Avatar’s defense, I think it’s a bit unfair that the entire criticism towards the film and the screenplay in particular seems to be squarely aimed at the broad plot points, about it being Pocahontas/Dances with Wolves/etc. while completely ignoring that the screenplay actually describes this entire world that Cameron dreamt up as well; this planet, the Na’vi, the beasts, the weapons and machines. All those things are part of the screenplay as well. I think if you’re going to criticize a film’s screenplay, at least take every aspect of it into consideration first.
FYI, the Avatar screenplay can be downloaded on foxscreenings.com in case anyone wants to read it.
Req is SO on the right track.
Jake: I know that, but the actual “Julie and Julia” book by Powell is pretty damn bad.
I’m also surprised Invictus bombed out here. No DGA, WGA or SAG ensemble (the latter probably a stretch anyway, to be fair?).
Are we sure it was eligible?
I really wish these didn’t have as many disqualifications, and I don’t say that as an Avatar hater or anything. I think there’s a great chance it still gets the Oscar nom. It’ll be what, a hundred million away from Titanic if not past it by the time votes are due?
It just would have been nice to have seen so many great scripts noticed by the fucking writers guild.
I’ll be depressed if Alien Pocahontas…. cof cof sorry, if Avatar gets a nomination on writing.
Kris,
Why FANTASTIC MR. FOX?
– because the writers are generous with Animated.
– it’s written by 2 Oscar nominees.
– it got substantial support from critics in this category, when Up in the Air is the clear favorite.
– I don’t see Invictus happening, qualitywise, Crazy Heart doesn’t seem like the writing type, A Single Man is a bit cold lately, I didn’t like Star Trek and I’m not so sure writers are that excited about it (in the end, District 9 is the interesting, more original sci-fi; Star Trek’s screenplay is pure commercial and I don’t think they’ll go for 2 sci-fi in the same category), Bright Star seems dead and Julie&Julia… the screenplay just didn’t strike me, especially Julie parts.
but you can always count on an Away from Her coming from nowhere, I guess…
It’s hard to take these nominations too seriously, with most of the major contenders ineligible. Though this is definitely bad for “Invictus”… Hopefully it’ll be out of Best Pic. I mean, is there anyone really championing it?
I’d say this is about where we’re at for Best Pic:
1. The Hurt Locker
2. Up in the Air
3. Inglorious Basterds
4. Avatar
5. Precious
6. An Education
7. Up
8. (500) Days of Summer
9. District 9
10. A Serious Man
with “The Messenger” and “Star Trek” as possible spoilers.
As for the Screenplay categories, I still think they largely look the same:
Original:
1. The Hurt Locker
2. Up
3. (500) Days of Summer
4. A Serious Man
5. The Messenger
Adapted:
1. Up in the Air
2. An Education
3. In the Loop
4. Julie & Julia
5. District 9
Kristopher Tapley said…
Req is SO on the right track.
Jake: I know that, but the actual “Julie and Julia” book by Powell is pretty damn bad.
——
Not addressed to me, but the nomination is not for the book Julie and Julia, it’s for Norah Ephron’s adaptation of the book, regardless of the quality of the original source. That just shows that Ephron took the best out of a mediocre book.
Oh shit, The Messenger didn’t make it?!
Why even bother reporting this? It’s complete nonsense with all the great screenplays that weren’t eligible…
The Star Trek nomination is deeply depressing. The pool of films these people are aware of is shockingly shallow.
Andrew: That’s exactly the point Kris was making.
@Travis: Hope some academy members read your 10 best pic list. It would be absolutely awesome if (500) Days of Summer gets a nod for picture.
Avatar, Julie & Julia, (500) Days of Summer, The Hangover are not deserving, for me, and though I thought Star Trek was OK I’ll have to agree with Chad.
If Avatar gets nominated, it will be even worse beacuse Titsnic deserved it more.
Avatar`s WGA nomination doesn`t mean it`ll win WGA, just that there`s a big amount of goodwill towards the movie. Haters should chill.
REQ is obviously right about scripts being not just about dialogue, but the dialogue wasn’t what I found so unbelievably stupid about Avatar. The film is so mixed up about its ethics and philosophy. At one point it wants to be pacifist, at the other it wants to say “Fight!” At one point it says one must learn the cultural institutions of the native population, at another it basically says “Fuck their arranged marriage system!” Not only that but its characterizations were ridiculous. Stephen Lang’s character (whose name eludes me) is a ridiculous one-note character, chomping on cigars and reveling in his own scar. Michelle Rodriguez’s character is apparently an idiot, not realizing that she’s been attempting to destroy the native population this whole time. Sigourney Weaver’s character was basically an assemblage of one-liners (and dear lord, Grace Augustine? Seriously?!) The dialogue of the movie wasn’t even that terrible to me. It was stocky and archaic and was filled with silly one-liners, but that wasn’t the worst thing about the movie. It was a shitty script through and through. The script may’ve been coherent in its timeline and space, but incoherent in its ideas. If anything, Cameron did a good job of direction, he brought the viewer up (at least most viewers) in the simple story and made a terrible script exciting. He understood the space of the planet.
Andrew: What Guy said.
Craig: Because it’s my job.
Sorry, that was way longer than I thought. I hope it doesn’t sound snarky either, I was just trying to say what I found wrong with the script.
Matt King – I LOVED your review. Very funny.
If Avatar wins Best Picture, I think years from now, it will be looked at as a terrible pick. The technology of the film is what makes it exciting and fun – right now. But, years from now when BETTER technology comes along will it still be considered great? I doubt it.
“I didn’t sign up for this shit” was still one of the more badass lines of the year.
Every person should utter “I didn’t sign up for this shit” line once in a while. In real life.
Surely everyone does.
Jonathan, the line’s hardly unique to Avatar!
“Sigourney Weaver’s character was basically an assemblage of one-liners (and dear lord, Grace Augustine? Seriously?!)”
but hey, at least cameron didn’t name jake Hero Mandude, quaritch Quarrel McBadass, and parker selfridge Parker Selfish Suit, III.
i mean, there’s SOME subtlety there, right? and that’s all we can ask for, honestly. he spent SO much time on everything else, to ask for a script that wasn’t facepalm-bad is just being unfair, i think.
very unfair.
you hater, you.
What drew me in about the Avatar script is that despite the cliches and the cheesy dialogue, I was moved by the love story, by the environment, and I was cheering. I hated Stephen Lang’s character so much and I wanted to see him die, I wanted Neytiri to rescue Jake with the gas mask, I wanted the Na’Vis to win. I knew it would happen, but the story is so well told that I wanted to see it happen, and the characters also drew me in. We may not get a lot of background on the characters, but we know who they are by what we see (film is about showing, not telling after all, that’s the first thing they teach you in screenwriting school). Also, another reason the script is good I believe is because everything that is set up is paid off. Jake’s first interaction with the General is with the General practicing on his metal machine for a reason (it sets up the final battle) and the story of Toruk Macto sets up Jake having to conquer him to unite everyone, and Norm teaching Jake the greeting sets up that scene where Neytiri rescues the human Jake. Setup and pay off is important.
Also, nothing “original”? How is the bond of Tzahelu not original (and my favorite part, making the bond with their hair)? How are the Ikrans not original (and magnificent creatures)? There is so much richness in this world, and it all started with the script. Yes, the story is not very original, but it’s so well told, and the world you’re presented is so beautiful that you invest so much in it emotionally and you don’t want to see it die. Or maybe I’m just a very attached viewer, but that was the experience I had watching this film (twice).
Anyway, as for Oscars, I do want to see Inglorious Basterds and Up nominated for Original, and The Hurt Locker and A Serious Man are great nominees.
What Isaac said. Sometimes people get this idea that screenplay = dialogue. Not true at all. If that were true, WALL-E would never have gotten a much deserved nomination last year. Film is a storytelling medium. It’s about the way it’s told, not just the things the characters say.
There’s an asesome line in the Avatar script that probably got him the nod:
“A THANATOR. The most awesome land predator the universe has
ever conceived This thing could eat a T-rex and have the
Alien for desert.”
Aaron: My paragraph against the movie’s script was just that – against the script. Why can’t we expect a little more subtlety from it? It was nominated by the WGA, wasn’t it? Why can’t we expect more from a WGA-nominated script. I mean, “Die Hard” was lacking subtlety too, and had silly one liners. But it also had a coherent storyline and was entertaining. However, I don’t think “Die Hard” deserves a WGA nomination. Why should the “Avatar” script be treated any differently? If anything, it should be looked at with more scrutiny because it has pretensions of being something that it isn’t. I feel I’m being completely fair here.
Isaac: I’m guessing you are defending the movie’s originality to someone else, because I said nothing of the film’s lack of originality. Certainly, the script’s best element is its ability to create an entire world. It has full knowledge of the world it is creating, and includes some really cool science fiction stuff (like that connection thing). I absolutely can acknowledge that Cameron knows how to create a world. However, I think that scriptwriting is more than just creating a setting. It’s characters, it’s story, and it’s ideas too. In those things, I think it largely fails, and therefore does not deserve a WGA nomination. But, I understand that disappointment comes with the awards season, and have now decided to get over it.
My best guess is both of these are 3/5 with oscar with Up and Inglorious Basterds replacing Hangover and (500) Days in Original (Avatar could easily miss here but I’ve been feeling a third major nom for a while now, and it is very rare for BP frontrunners to miss screenplay noms), and An Education and District 9 instead of Julie & Julia and Star Trek in adapted.
For the most part this was expected, albeit the Star Trek nom showing strong support for the film even if I doubt this nom will translate over to oscar.
Why the hell is Avatar in original screenplay? It should be in adapted, considering it’s based on source material (ehm… pochahontas)