WGA Nominees

Post Reply
Mister Tee
Tenured Laureate
Posts: 8637
Joined: Wed Jan 01, 2003 2:57 pm
Location: NYC
Contact:

Re: WGA Nominees

Post by Mister Tee »

And the winners are Call Me by Your Name and Get Out.
Sabin
Laureate Emeritus
Posts: 10747
Joined: Thu Jan 02, 2003 12:52 am
Contact:

Re: WGA Nominees

Post by Sabin »

The WGA gave it to ‘Call Me By Your Name.’ Now as we wait to see if it’s ‘Get Out’ or ‘Lady Bird,’ I ask myself when was the last time a screenplay race came down to a horse race of more than two? I suppose 2012, with Boal, Haneke, or Tarantino, but for all of them it would have been their second win (as Haneke would have won the Foreign Language Oscar earlier that evening), so there was something blasé about that race. Gerwig, McDonagh, and Peele have such passionate fans. When was the last time anyone demanded that a certain writer win anything?!

NOTE: as I wrote this, ‘Get Out’ won.
Last edited by Sabin on Sun Feb 11, 2018 10:39 pm, edited 1 time in total.
"How's the despair?"
Mister Tee
Tenured Laureate
Posts: 8637
Joined: Wed Jan 01, 2003 2:57 pm
Location: NYC
Contact:

Re: WGA Nominees

Post by Mister Tee »

I'd have voted for the same two BJ did, but I'm not 100% sure of either winning this weekend.

Call Me by Your Name will most likely triumph, but the WGA in the past has dissented from best picture nominees (Election, American Splendor), so i wouldn't completely rule out Mudbound or even Molly's Game.

And on the original side, I rather think Get Out is the more likely winner -- partly because of what okri noted, the writers' tendency to value novelty of concept, but also just because the Guild is pretty male-dominated, and they're more likely to go for a male-centered story than one as specifically female as Lady Bird.
The Original BJ
Emeritus
Posts: 4312
Joined: Mon Apr 28, 2003 8:49 pm

Re: WGA Nominees

Post by The Original BJ »

I sent in my votes for Lady Bird and Call Me By Your Name.
The Original BJ
Emeritus
Posts: 4312
Joined: Mon Apr 28, 2003 8:49 pm

Re: WGA Nominees

Post by The Original BJ »

And it's worth also just mentioning that Logan does have a third writer, Michael Green, who is a pretty big deal in Hollywood at the moment -- this year alone, he wrote Logan, Blade Runner 2049, Murder on the Orient Express, Alien: Covenant, and created American Gods for television.
Mister Tee
Tenured Laureate
Posts: 8637
Joined: Wed Jan 01, 2003 2:57 pm
Location: NYC
Contact:

Re: WGA Nominees

Post by Mister Tee »

You guys make a good point about Logan's writing pair. I tend to just look at titles, but it's possible that, for some -- especially in the small group that makes up the AMPAS writers' branch -- reputation can carry weight, particularly when we're talking about a niche candidate taking a 4th or 5th spot on very few votes.

Mangold has had a spotty but respectable career, with highlights. Scott Frank has been a favorite of mine since his script for Branagh's Dead Again, so I wouldn't mind his picking up a meaningless nod for career reasons.
User avatar
OscarGuy
Site Admin
Posts: 13668
Joined: Wed Jan 01, 2003 12:22 am
Location: Springfield, MO
Contact:

Re: WGA Nominees

Post by OscarGuy »

I wonder (not to pun the seven billion films this year with that word in the title) if maybe we're underestimating Logan.

Let's look at who the writers for the other films Tee cited were:

Deadpool - Rhett Reese, Paul Wernick
Guardians of the Galaxy - James Gunn, Nicole Perlman
Star Trek - Roberto Orci, Alex Kurtzman
The Dark Knight - Jonathan Nolan, Christopher Nolan, David S. Goyer
40 Year Old Virgin - Judd Apatow, Steve Carell
Knocked Up - Judd Apatow
Trainwreck - Amy Schumer

Bridesmaids - Kristen Wiig, Annie Mumalo

Logan - James Mangold, Scott Frank

Mangold, while not on the level of writing as say Billy Wilder or Woody Allen, has some respectable films on his filmography: Cop Land, Girl, Interruprted, Walk the Line. Similarly, Scott Frank has Get Shorty, Minority Report, Out of Sight, Heavnly Creatures, and The Lookout. Frank even has an Oscar nomination. Yeah, it's still not likely for Logan to get the Oscar nomination, but unlike all of the writers for the films Tee cited, Mangold and Frank are far better respected than any of the others. That might be their only saving grace.
Wesley Lovell
"Any society that would give up a little liberty to gain a little security will deserve neither and lose both." - Benjamin Franklin
Sabin
Laureate Emeritus
Posts: 10747
Joined: Thu Jan 02, 2003 12:52 am
Contact:

Re: WGA Nominees

Post by Sabin »

Well, I was right about 'Logan' sneaking in, which I think has just as much to do with the presences of Scott Frank and James Mangold as this proud (?) tradition...

I had to read the article twice to fully grasp that 'The Post' failed to grab a nomination. I was caught up in thinking about how 'Dunkirk''s star had dropped. I may not be a fan of 'The Post' but that is a fairly shocking omission.

'I, Tonya' also scored an Eddie nomination. Everyone I've been talking to has real enthusiasm for the film. I'm not yet ready to call it for more than acting nominations but tomorrow could change that.

'The Shape of Water' is the winner of the day. Best Original Screenplay is absolutely packed with contenders ('I, Tonya''s showing today didn't change that) and it is clearly a director's vision more than an example of great structure. The fact that 'The Shape of Water' edged past 'The Post' definitely bodes well for its chances at getting that crucial writing nomination and also overall.
"How's the despair?"
The Original BJ
Emeritus
Posts: 4312
Joined: Mon Apr 28, 2003 8:49 pm

Re: WGA Nominees

Post by The Original BJ »

Mister Tee wrote:I just think the odds lean strongly against, from all precedent.
In general, I would agree with you about a script like Logan being a classic WGA/not-Oscar candidate. I just wonder if the paucity of the field this year might make its chances quite a bit stronger than say, Deadpool last year, which I didn't think had a prayer against all the Best Picture heavyweights in its screenplay category.

And in addition to All the Money in the World, I guess there's the WGA-ineligible Victoria & Abdul, though neither of those strike me as rock-solid contenders either. There's sort of nothing that leaps out as being such a strong alternative, so the possibility that something less traditional might sneak in seems stronger.
Mister Tee
Tenured Laureate
Posts: 8637
Joined: Wed Jan 01, 2003 2:57 pm
Location: NYC
Contact:

Re: WGA Nominees

Post by Mister Tee »

The Original BJ wrote:Do we really think there is a NINETY percent chance the Oscars don't nominate Logan? What's its closest competition for that slot? Wonder Woman? Wonder? (Both of those also strike as me as more WGA/not-Oscar types.) ANYTHING?
All the Money in the World.

Obviously 90 was just a number I pulled out of the air, but it was based on seeing numerous comic book-ish (Deadpool, Guardians, Star Trek, The Dark Knight) and broad comedy (40 Year Old Virgin, Knocked Up, Trainwreck) hits nominated at this guild over the years, with only one from either group -- Bridesmaids -- gaining passage to the Oscar list.

Of course it's possible Logan makes it -- Nate Silver had Hillary with an 80% chance of winning the election; when people tell him he "got it wrong", his response is, what do you think that other 20% is for? I just think the odds lean strongly against, from all precedent.
The Original BJ
Emeritus
Posts: 4312
Joined: Mon Apr 28, 2003 8:49 pm

Re: WGA Nominees

Post by The Original BJ »

I'd say the news is not simply The Post missing, but that I, Tonya now vaults itself (triple-axels itself?) into an already overstuffed race, where I hadn't really thought it a player up to this point. In retrospect, it maybe shouldn't be THAT shocking, as I, Tonya has obvious elements -- time-hopping, snappy dialogue -- that would appeal to writers. But it seemed to be occupying a lower tier of enthusiasm than movies like The Post, Phantom Thread, and The Florida Project (as well as these other four nominees), and when you throw in Three Billboards as a near-certain Oscar nominee, its AMPAS chances still seem pretty slight to me.

The was also a good get for The Shape of Water, which I thought probably would make it here, but which could have missed if some viewed it as more a visual achievement than a verbal one. All signs keep pointing to real overall strength with this one.

I agree that PGA is a much more crucial precursor for Call Me By Your Name -- was there ANY scenario where it missed this nomination?

Do we really think there is a NINETY percent chance the Oscars don't nominate Logan? What's its closest competition for that slot? Wonder Woman? Wonder? (Both of those also strike as me as more WGA/not-Oscar types.) ANYTHING?
Mister Tee
Tenured Laureate
Posts: 8637
Joined: Wed Jan 01, 2003 2:57 pm
Location: NYC
Contact:

Re: WGA Nominees

Post by Mister Tee »

The headline has to be The Post not showing up, even with the disqualified Three Billboards offering a free spot. Phantom Thread is also something of a miss, but it could slip in with AMPAS the way Inherent Vice did.

Logan continues the proud WGA tradition of nominating a comic book or broad comedy film that the Oscars are 90% likely to ignore.

Call Me by Your Name shows a pulse, but, as I said under ADG, tomorrow's PGA list will be crucial to its long-time survival.
Mister Tee
Tenured Laureate
Posts: 8637
Joined: Wed Jan 01, 2003 2:57 pm
Location: NYC
Contact:

WGA Nominees

Post by Mister Tee »

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

The Big Sick, Written by Emily V. Gordon & Kumail Nanjiani; Amazon Studios
Get Out, Written by Jordan Peele; Universal Pictures
I, Tonya, Written by Steven Rogers; Neon
Lady Bird, Written by Greta Gerwig; A24
The Shape of Water, Screenplay by Guillermo del Toro & Vanessa Taylor; Story by Guillermo del Toro; Fox Searchlight


ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

Call Me by Your Name, Screenplay by James Ivory; Based on the Novel by André Aciman; Sony Pictures Classics
The Disaster Artist, Screenplay by Scott Neustadter & Michael H. Weber; Based on the Book The Disaster Artist: My Life Inside the Room, the Greatest Bad Movie Ever Made by Greg Sestero and Tom Bissell; A24
Logan, Screenplay by Scott Frank & James Mangold and Michael Green; Story by James Mangold; Based on Characters from the X-Men Comic Books and Theatrical Motion Pictures; Twentieth Century Fox Film
Molly's Game, Screenplay by Aaron Sorkin; Based on the Book by Molly Bloom; STX Entertainment
Mudbound, Screenplay by Virgil Williams and Dee Rees; Based on the Novel by Hillary Jordan; Netflix


DOCUMENTARY SCREENPLAY

Betting on Zero, Written by Theodore Braun; Gunpowder & Sky
Jane, Written by Brett Morgen; National Geographic
No Stone Unturned, Written by Alex Gibney; Abramorama
Oklahoma City, Written by Barak Goodman; American Experience Films
Post Reply

Return to “90th Predictions and Precursors”