This is the week that the guilds announce their awards for the year, which is the first time we get to hear from the people who make movies-- not just those of us who sit on the sidelines and alternately cheer or boo. We've already heard from the cinematographers and producers, today we'll get word form the directors, and now we have the nominees from the screenwriters, who selected five original and five adapted screenplays for their awards.
Woody Allen got his 19th nomination from the WGA for Vicky Cristina Barcelona, settling into the original screenplay category along with four-time nominees Joel and Ethan Coen (Burn After Reading), first-timer Dustin Lance Black (Milk), practically first-time Robert Siegel (The Wrestler), and The Visitor writer-director Tom McCarthy.
In the adapted category, the funny pages get their due with Christopher and Jonathan Nolan's nomination for The Dark Knight. More traditional material inspired the other nominees, including a novella (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button), a novel (Slumdog Millionaire), and two plays (Frost/Nixon, Doubt).
Want to hear about the snubs? Well, Wall-E wasn't eligible-- and won't be for the DGA awards either-- so don't be sad that the robot is missing. But neither of the high-profile Kate Winslet projects of the fall, The Reader and Revolutionary Road, got any traction, nor did Happy-Go-Lucky, which won screenplay nods from a ton of critic's groups. It's just further evidence that the guilds and the critic's group are very different, and the guilds almost always have better luck predicting how the Oscars will go.
We'll hear from the DGA later today and have a much better picture of where this race is standing. In the meantime, check out the full list of WGA nominees below, taken from Variety.
ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
"Burn After Reading," written by Joel Coen & Ethan Coen
"Milk," written by Dustin Lance Black
"Vicky Cristina Barcelona," written by Woody Allen
"The Visitor, "written by Tom McCarthy
"The Wrestler," written by Robert Siegel
ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
"The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," Screenplay by Eric Roth; Screen Story by Eric Roth and Robin Swicord; Based on the Short Story by F. Scott Fitzgerald
"The Dark Knight," Screenplay by Jonathan Nolan and Christopher Nolan; Story by Christopher Nolan & David S. Goyer; Based on Characters Appearing in Comic Books Published by DC Comics; Batman Created by Bob Kane
"Doubt," Screenplay by John Patrick Shanley, Based on his Stage Play
"Frost/Nixon, "Screenplay by Peter Morgan, Based on his Stage Play
"Slumdog Millionaire," Screenplay by Simon Beaufoy, Based on the Novel "Q and A" by Vikas Swarup
DOCUMENTARY SCREENPLAY
"Boogie Man: The Lee Atwater Story, "written by Stefan Forbes and Noland Walker,
"Chicago 10", written by Brett Morgen
"Fuel", written by Johnny O'Hara
"Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson", Screenplay by Alex Gibney, From the Words of Hunter S. Thompson
"Waltz with Bashir, "written by Ari Folman
