The Writers Guild of America has announced their nominees for the 2010 Writers Guild Awards. The winners will be announced on Saturday, February 20th, from a ceremony held in Los Angeles and New York. The guild breaks up the awards into three screenplay categories – original, adapted and documentary. And there are quite a few surprises.
In the original screenplay category, the biggest is probably The Hangover. Granted, when I reviewed back in June, I made mention of its unique structure, saying it “plays like a detective story where the MacGuffin is a missing groom.” Perhaps that is why the WGA recognized its originality. Another surprise in the original category was James Cameron’s Avatar. There are countless stories discussing the film’s impact on special effects and 3D and what it will mean for movies in the future. But when it comes to the story, it is getting grilled as being “Dances with Smurfs” or the subject matter is anti-military or having a political bias. Maybe the nomination was because many WGA members just loved hearing Sigourney Weaver say “numbnuts.”
ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
(500) Days of Summer, Written by Scott Neustadter & Michael H. Weber
Avatar, Written by James Cameron
The Hangover, Written by Jon Lucas & Scott Moore
The Hurt Locker, Written by Mark Boal
A Serious Man, Written by Joel Coen & Ethan Coen
ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Crazy Heart, Screenplay by Scott Cooper
Based on the novel by Thomas Cobb
Julie & Julia, Screenplay by Nora Ephron
Based on the books Julie & Julia by Julie Powell and My Life in France by Julia Child with Alex Prud’homme
Precious: Based on the novel Push by Sapphire, Screenplay by Geoffrey Fletcher
Based on the novel Push by Sapphire
Star Trek, Written by Roberto Orci & Alex Kurtzman
Based upon Star Trek, Created by Gene Roddenberry
Up in the Air, Screenplay by Jason Reitman and Sheldon Turner
Based upon the novel by Walter Kirn
DOCUMENTARY SCREENPLAY
Against the Tide, Screenplay by Richard Trank
Based on original material written by Richard Trank & Rabbi Marvin Hier
Capitalism: A Love Story, Written by Michael Moore
The Cove, Written by Mark Monroe
Earth Days, Written by Robert Stone
Good Hair, Written by Chris Rock & Jeff Stilson and Lance Crouther and Chuck Sklar
Soundtrack for a Revolution, Written by Bill Guttentag & Dan Sturman
Overall, the WGA has made some sound choices. The only one I’m truly rooting for is (500) Days of Summer, but I’m glad films like Up in the Air, The Hurt Locker, and even Star Trek also got recognized. Though, don’t go thinking that the nominees for Original and Adapted Screenplays are a precursor to Oscar nominations. Bob Peterson and Pete Docter could get a nomination for Up and Neill Blomkamp and Terri Tatchell for District 9. We’ll just have to wait and see when nominations are announced on February 2, 2010.
Source: Writers Guild of America
