WGA Nominations

For the films of 2018
Post Reply
Mister Tee
Tenured Laureate
Posts: 8637
Joined: Wed Jan 01, 2003 2:57 pm
Location: NYC
Contact:

Re: WGA Nominations

Post by Mister Tee »

Not remotely to cast doubt on Can You Ever Forgive me?, which I admired immensely...but, in retrospect, the fact that this film is centered on a writer -- on, in fact, The Writer's Life -- probably did a lot to win over voters.

That it's paired with Eighth Grade's stunning upset makes it feel like the Guild was fomenting award season revolution.

By the way, let's credit Bo Burnham for scoring the two most startling moments of the season.
dws1982
Emeritus
Posts: 3790
Joined: Wed Jan 01, 2003 9:28 pm
Location: AL
Contact:

Re: WGA Nominations

Post by dws1982 »

Someone on Twitter pointed out that every major guild (DGA, PGA, SAG, WGA) has gone to a different movie for the first time ever.

And if you throw in the Cinematographers and Editors guilds, you still have no repeat winners.
Mister Tee
Tenured Laureate
Posts: 8637
Joined: Wed Jan 01, 2003 2:57 pm
Location: NYC
Contact:

Re: WGA Nominations

Post by Mister Tee »

And the Writers Guild declares war on predictability, picking Can You Ever Forgive Me? for adaptation.
Mister Tee
Tenured Laureate
Posts: 8637
Joined: Wed Jan 01, 2003 2:57 pm
Location: NYC
Contact:

Re: WGA Nominations

Post by Mister Tee »

Mister Tee wrote:So, this could be just an opium dream, but...

We've been largely thinking that, absent The Favourite, Roma was pretty much the only impediment to Green Book winning original screenplay at WGA -- and a weak one at that, since even most Roma fans don't see it as a writing achievement.

However...after last night...might we entertain the prospect that this Guild (that one-time chose Out of Sight, Election and American Splendor) could come through for Eighth Grade?

I know: all those other oddball winners were at least AMPAS nominees. But it's a weird year, and I don't think truly-out-there results can be ruled out.
Not an opium dream: Eighth Grade wins WGA!

Great speech by Burnham: "To the other nominees in this category: have fun at the Oscars, losers!"
Mister Tee
Tenured Laureate
Posts: 8637
Joined: Wed Jan 01, 2003 2:57 pm
Location: NYC
Contact:

Re: WGA Nominations

Post by Mister Tee »

So, this could be just an opium dream, but...

We've been largely thinking that, absent The Favourite, Roma was pretty much the only impediment to Green Book winning original screenplay at WGA -- and a weak one at that, since even most Roma fans don't see it as a writing achievement.

However...after last night...might we entertain the prospect that this Guild (that one-time chose Out of Sight, Election and American Splendor) could come through for Eighth Grade?

I know: all those other oddball winners were at least AMPAS nominees. But it's a weird year, and I don't think truly-out-there results can be ruled out.
The Original BJ
Emeritus
Posts: 4312
Joined: Mon Apr 28, 2003 8:49 pm

Re: WGA Nominations

Post by The Original BJ »

I cast my votes for Roma and If Beale Street Could Talk.
The Original BJ
Emeritus
Posts: 4312
Joined: Mon Apr 28, 2003 8:49 pm

Re: WGA Nominations

Post by The Original BJ »

Mister Tee wrote:Don't know if this is the place to post, but...Mark Harris is reporting that The Ballad of Buster Scruggs has (for reasons no one is explaining) been classified as adapted for Academy purposes. In case that has any impact on your Oscar predicting.
Two of the six segments -- "All Gold Canyon" and "The Gal Who Got Rattled" -- are based on short stories. In this case, classifying the film into one of the two categories we've got seems almost impossible. You either choose to make the call the WGA did (the majority of the film is a wholly original script, so it's more original than adapted) or the one the Academy did (such a decent chunk is based on previously published material, it's closer to an adaptation than an original), but it's an awkward fit either way.

At the end of the day, though, I imagine all of this will essentially be moot.
Mister Tee
Tenured Laureate
Posts: 8637
Joined: Wed Jan 01, 2003 2:57 pm
Location: NYC
Contact:

Re: WGA Nominations

Post by Mister Tee »

Don't know if this is the place to post, but...Mark Harris is reporting that The Ballad of Buster Scruggs has (for reasons no one is explaining) been classified as adapted for Academy purposes. In case that has any impact on your Oscar predicting.
User avatar
OscarGuy
Site Admin
Posts: 13668
Joined: Wed Jan 01, 2003 12:22 am
Location: Springfield, MO
Contact:

Re: WGA Nominations

Post by OscarGuy »

Netflix and Amazon are the only ones who know how to stream content, so I tend to ignore screening links I get. I've been trying to watch FX VIP for several weeks and the playback is inconsistent, which makes it rather difficult to watch. That's the primary reason I tend to ignore them.
Wesley Lovell
"Any society that would give up a little liberty to gain a little security will deserve neither and lose both." - Benjamin Franklin
The Original BJ
Emeritus
Posts: 4312
Joined: Mon Apr 28, 2003 8:49 pm

Re: WGA Nominations

Post by The Original BJ »

A couple inside baseball notes:

A24 didn't send hard copy screeners to the WGA, only digital screeners. Obviously this didn't prevent one of its major contenders (Eighth Grade) from making the list, but it might possibly have cost the other (First Reformed). I think digital screeners -- an e-mail with a link to watch the movie -- are a lot easier for voters to just lose track of, as opposed to a physical DVD that sits in a stack, which keeps reminding you that you need to watch it. Oscar voters have received hard copy screeners of both.

Also, The Death of Stalin did not send screeners to Oscar voters at all, which means it would have to rely on the writers making a point of seeking it out to crack the list, which I genuinely wonder if enough of them will do. IFC Films sadly doesn't even seem to be trying to campaign much at all at this point -- they did send Wildlife screeners to Oscar voters, but not to ANY guilds, which feels like a total missed opportunity to not even try for some nominations with two films as solid as those. But of course, it all comes down to $$$$.
MaxWilder
Graduate
Posts: 238
Joined: Sat Jan 18, 2014 2:58 pm

Re: WGA Nominations

Post by MaxWilder »

You know things are bad when not seeing a nod for Bohemian Rhapsody is a pleasant surprise.
Mister Tee
Tenured Laureate
Posts: 8637
Joined: Wed Jan 01, 2003 2:57 pm
Location: NYC
Contact:

Re: WGA Nominations

Post by Mister Tee »

So, after semi-lunatic results from other places, finally a list that reflects common consensus.

The Favourite will clearly replace something at the Oscars, most likely A Quiet Place? A lot of critics/bloggers would push for Vice to be ousted, but McKay has cred with the writers' branch, and the film is holding up unexpectedly well commercially. The news here would be that Eighth Grade seems to have the edge over First Reformed for the indie spot. Schrader might be a sentimental choice for some at AMPAS, but it's worth remembering he's never received a nomination there.

On the adapted side, the main question vis a vis the Oscars might be, does Black Panther hold onto its spot, or is it replaced by something like The Death of Stalin or Leave No Trace? Logan of course did carry over last year, but that was in a dire field. Most films like Panther (Guardians, e,g,) have not repeated, and the jury is still out on whether the Marvel-ness of Panther will be an impediment in the end.
The Original BJ
Emeritus
Posts: 4312
Joined: Mon Apr 28, 2003 8:49 pm

WGA Nominations

Post by The Original BJ »

Exactly as Sabin and I predicted!

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

Eighth Grade, Written by Bo Burnham; A24

Green Book, Written by Nick Vallelonga & Brian Currie & Peter Farrelly; Universal Pictures

A Quiet Place, Screenplay by Bryan Woods & Scott Beck and John Krasinski, Story by Bryan Woods & Scott Beck; Paramount Pictures

Roma, Written by Alfonso Cuarón; Netflix

Vice, Written by Adam McKay; Annapurna Pictures

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

Blackkklansman, Written by Charlie Wachtel & David Rabinowitz and Kevin Willmott & Spike Lee, Based on the book by Ron Stallworth; Focus Features

Black Panther, Written by Ryan Coogler & Joe Robert Cole, Based on the Marvel Comics by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby; Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

Can You Ever Forgive Me?, Screenplay by Nicole Holofcener and Jeff Whitty, Based on the book by Lee Israel; Fox Searchlight

If Beale Street Could Talk, Screenplay by Barry Jenkins, Based on the novel by James Baldwin; Annapurna Pictures

A Star is Born, Screenplay by Eric Roth and Bradley Cooper & Will Fetters, Based on the 1954 screenplay by Moss Hart and the 1976 screenplay by John Gregory Dunne & Joan Didion and Frank Pierson, Based on a story by William Wellman and Robert Carson; Warner Bros.
Post Reply

Return to “91st Academy Awards”