Unofficial Academy Awards Discussion Board

I think it may have been more an issue of picking the screenwriter best known as a screenwriter.

Sabin wrote:I'm more surprised by Billy Ray's victory. He's a great guy and deserves all the success in the world for his work but what was so amazing about his work? What dialogue did he write that leaps off the page? "I am the captain now?"

Didn't Barhad Abdi improvise that line? That's what I heard. That first scene was apparently also the first time that the actors, Hanks and Abdi, had ever met.

American Hustle could very easily go home empty handed. I'm not surprised that Spike Jonze won in this category because Hustle is so improvised, but between this and Lupita Nyong'o's win at the Screen Actor's Guild Awards this does not portend a fantastic night for Hustle.

I'm more surprised by Billy Ray's victory. He's a great guy and deserves all the success in the world for his work but what was so amazing about his work? What dialogue did he write that leaps off the page? "I am the captain now?"

Captain Phillips is a surprise, but then 12 Years a Slave wasn't eligible so no harm done.

The prizes went to:

Her (Original)
Captain Phillips (Adapted)
Stories We Tell (Doc)

Now tell me again how American Hustle is the frontrunner?