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2007 Oscar Watch: The Screenplay

Writers strike be damned! If the writers are still on the picket line come Academy Awards time, host Jon Stewart may not have much to say, but you better believe nominated screenwriters will show up to get the recognition they deserve. It’s going to be tough whittling down five Best Original and five Best Adapted screenplay nominations from this year’s crop of excellent writing efforts, but here are the ones we think will most likely make the cut.

Best Original Screenplay

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Juno 
Written by: Diablo Cody

Cody probably didn’t think she’d ever be living a Hollywood dream of getting Oscar nominations when she was giving lap dances in a Minneapolis strip club. But the former stripper-turned-hotter-than-hot first-time screenwriter is indeed on the fast track with her quirky, sardonic–and yes, even sweet–script about a teenager (Ellen Page) who gets pregnant and decides to give her baby to a childless couple (Jennifer Garner, Jason Bateman). Done before? Yes, but it’s the particular way Cody views the situation which makes Juno a top contender.

Exhibit A:
Vanessa: Juno, we’d really appreciate it if you could keep us updated on any doctor’s appointments, ultrasounds, other things of that nature.
Juno: Oh. Sure. Of course you’d want to know how your kid is cooking.
Vanessa: So, then, you really think you’re going to go ahead with this?
Juno: Yeah. For sure. I like you guys.
Vanessa: How sure? Percentage-wise, would you say you’re 80 percent sure, 90 percent sure?
Juno: I’m like 104 percent sure. Look, if I could give it to you now, I would. But it probably looks like a Sea Monkey at this point, so I think we should leave it in there for a while until it gets cuter, you know?
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Knocked Up 
Written by: Judd Apatow

It may be a little out of the realm of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to nominate something like Knocked Up, but it deserves a spot nonetheless. Sure, Apatow is the king of raunchy, hilarious comedy these days, but somehow in the rambling musings of his Knocked Up alter-egos–single guy Ben (Seth Rogen) and married guy Pete (Paul Rudd)–Apatow puts in a fair amount of truth. Come on, a nomination for Knocked Up would make the Academy look awfully cool, wouldn’t it?

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Exhibit A:
Pete: [high on ‘shrooms] Did you know there’s a guy whose sole job is to find chairs for these hotel rooms?
Ben Stone: Please take the chairs away.
Pete: Like this one! It’s red with gold stripes and… [sits] Oh, this one is amazing!
Ben Stone: Please take the chairs away. I don’t like them. The big one is staring at me and that short one is being very droll.
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Michael Clayton 
Written by: Tony Gilroy

With all three of the Bourne movies on his resume, it’s clear Gilroy  knows how to craft a smart thriller. Yet, with Michael Clayton, he takes it up a notch. He interweaves those clever twists found in all good legal dramas with some serious soul searching. Then he creates multi-dimensional characters who have more than enough moral dilemmas to contend with. Gilroy will most likely see his name on the list.

Exhibit A:
Michael Clayton: You are the senior litigating partner of one of the largest, most respected law firms in the world. You are a legend.
Arthur Edens: I’m an accomplice!
Michael Clayton: You’re a manic-depressive!
Arthur Edens: I am Shiva, the god of death.
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Ratatouille
Written by: Brad Bird

It’s always been Pixar’s priority to concentrate on story first–and with Bird, the animation studio has found a kindred spirit. Having already given us The Incredibles, Bird knows what he’s doing, combining great CGI with an engaging story–this time about a rat named Remy who loves to cook and who, despite all the obstacles, finds a way to excel at it in a top-notch French restaurant. Again, maybe an odd choice given it’s an animated movie, but Ratatouille stands as one of the better scripts of the year.

Exhibit A:
Waiter: Do you know what you’d like this evening, sir?
Anton Ego: Yes, I think I do. After reading a lot of overheated puffery about your new cook, you know what I’m craving? A little perspective. That’s it. I’d like some fresh, clear, well-seasoned perspective. Can you suggest a good wine to go with that?
Waiter: With what, sir?
Anton Ego: Perspective. Fresh out, I take it?
Waiter: I am…
Anton Ego: Very well. Since you’re all out of perspective and no one else seems to have it in this bloody town, I’ll make you a deal. You provide the food, I’ll provide the perspective, which would go nicely with a bottle of Cheval Blanc.
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The Savages
Written by: Tamara Jenkins

Brilliantly written slice-of-life dramedies are always an Academy favorite in the writing categories, and this year’s best is definitely The Savages from writer/director Jenkins. She has taken quite a hiatus between this and her last film, the 1998 Slums of Beverly Hills, but sometimes time adds a certain level of maturity and sophistication, which Jenkins infuses in her look at two estranged siblings dealing with their deteriorating father.

Exhibit A:
Wendy: John, it’s me. Dad is losing his mind or something! I got a phone call. There’s something wrong with him…This is a crisis!
John: I don’t think this actually qualifies as a crisis. It’s an alarm.
Wendy: It’s like we are on orange?
John: Exactly. But we are on yellow. OK? So we should just be aware and be cautious. When it hits red, then we are in trouble.

Honorable Mentions: Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead, I’m Not There, Cassandra’s Dream, Lars and the Real Girl, Margot at the Wedding, Once
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Best Adapted Screenplay

Atonement
Novel by: Ian McEwan
Screenplay by: Christopher Hampton

Hampton (The Quiet American) follows McEwan’s sweeping novel faithfully and captures the essence of the characters, especially the enduring love story between Robbie (James McAvoy) and Cecilia (Keira Knightley), torn apart by circumstances beyond their control. His delicate and brilliant handling of the material is a true testament to the big-screen adaptation. Being that Atonement stands as one of the Oscar frontrunners, a Best Adapted Screenplay nomination should indeed be included in the onslaught.

Exhibit A:
Robbie Turner: [voiceover] Dearest Cecilia, the story can resume. The one I had been planning on that evening walk. I can become again the man who once crossed the surrey park at dusk, in my best suit, swaggering on the promise of life. The man who, with the clarity of passion, made love to you in the library. The story can resume. I will return. Find you, love you, marry you and live without shame.
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Into the Wild
Book by: John Krakauer
Screenplay by: Sean Penn

Being a bit of a solitary guy himself, writer/director Penn certainly taps into this true story of Christopher McCandless (Emile Hirsch), a 22 year-old man who, in the 1990s, became a modern-day Thoreau, chucking his privileged life and venturing into the wild in search of adventure. Each strand of McCandless’ journey is woven meticulously into Penn’s adaptation, as we hear the young man expound on what he believes is the true meaning of life.

Exhibit A:
“Rather than love, than money, than faith, than fame, than fairness… give me truth.”
“Some people feel like they don’t deserve love. They walk away quietly into empty spaces, trying to close the gaps of the past.”
“I read somewhere… how important it is in life not necessarily to be strong… but to feel strong.”
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No Country for Old Men
Novel by: Cormac McCarthy
Screenplay by: Joel and Ethan Coen

Cormac McCarthy, a literary maverick renowned for his stories set against the changing American West, hands us the sinewy, suspenseful, humor-spiked thriller No Country for Old Men about an honest man (Josh Brolin) who happens upon $2.4 million in drug money on the Texas borderlands and finds himself in a headlong pursuit by a ruthless killer (Javier Bardem). The story just screams for a treatment by the Coen brothers, doesn’t it? With this film, the Coens easily find McCarthy’s voice and blend it with their own unique vision. The result is incredibly compelling and action-packed Oscar contender.

Exhibit A:
Anton Chigurh: What’s the most you ever lost on a coin toss.
Gas Station Proprietor: Sir?
Anton Chigurh: The most. You ever lost. On a coin toss.
Gas Station Proprietor: I don’t know. I couldn’t say.
Anton Chigurh: Call it. [He flips a quarter from the change on the counter and covers it with his hand]
Gas Station Proprietor: Call it?
Anton Chigurh: Yes.
Gas Station Proprietor: For what?
Anton Chigurh: Just call it.
Gas Station Proprietor: Well, we need to know what we’re calling it for here.
Anton Chigurh: You need to call it. I can’t call it for you. It wouldn’t be fair.
Gas Station Proprietor: I didn’t put nothin’ up.
Anton Chigurh: Yes, you did. You’ve been putting it up your whole life you just didn’t know it.
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There Will Be Blood 
Novel by: Upton Sinclair
Screenplay by: Paul Thomas Anderson

Based on Sinclair’s sprawling novel Oil!, Anderson carefully chronicles the life and times of one Daniel Plainview (Daniel Day-Lewis), who transforms himself from a down-and-out silver miner raising a son on his own into a self-made oil tycoon, corrupted by greed. Seeing that Anderson’s previous nominated writing efforts–Boogie Nights and Magnolia–also examine the human condition, There Will Be Blood seems like a natural choice for the writer/director to sink his teeth into.

Exhibit A:
Plainview: Are you an angry man? Are you envious? Do you get envious? I have a competition in me; I want no one else to succeed. I hate most people. There are times when I I look at people and I see nothing worth liking. I’ve built up my hatreds over the years little by little. I see the worst in people. I don’t need to look past seeing them to get all I need. I want to earn enough money I can get away from everyone. I can’t keep doing this on my own, with these… people.
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Gone Baby Gone
Novel by: Dennis Lehane
Screenplay by: Ben Affleck and Aaron Stockard

Lehane, best known for his novel Mystic River, also created a popular series about an unusual co-ed team of South Boston private eyes, Patrick Kenzie (Casey Affleck) and Angie Gennaro (Michelle Monaghan). The entire series was widely acclaimed, but it was the fourth book in the series Gone Baby Gone that drew particular attention due to its unflinching and all-too-topical exploration of crimes against children. As a Boston native, Affleck knows exactly where Lehane is coming from and proves his Oscar for co-writing Good Will Hunting wasn’t a fluke as he and co-writer Stockard deftly handle the sensitive material. Affleck may have finally found his true calling.

Exhibit A:
Patrick Kenzie: Cheese, if you ever disrespect her again like that, I’m gonna pull your f**kin’ card, okay? So you’re saying you didn’t do it, fine. We’ll take your money, and we’ll be on our way. When it turns out you’re lying, I’m gonna spend every nickel of that money to f**k you up. I’m gonna bribe cops to go after you, I’m gonna pay guys to go after your weak f**kin’ crew, and I’m gonna tell all the guys I know that you’re a C.I. and a rat, and I know a lot of people. And after that, you’re gonna wish you listened to me, ’cause your sh*tty pool hall crime syndicate headquarters is gonna get raided, and your doped-up bitches are gonna get sent back to Laos, and this f**kin’ retard right here is gonna be testifying against you for a reduced sentence, while you’re gettin’ cornholed in your cell by a gang of crackers. ‘Cause from what I’ve heard, the guys that get sent up Concord for killing kids, life’s a mother**ker.

Honorable Mentions: The Kite Runner; Charlie Wilson’s War; Away From HerSweeney Todd; Lust, Caution

 

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