Joey here.......these are the nominations for this year's Scripter Awards-
Atonement
Into The Wild
No Country for Old Men
There Will Be Blood
Zodiac
From their site:
This year's finalists, in alphabetical order by film title, are: screenwriter Christopher Hampton for Atonement, based on the novel by Ian McEwan; screenwriter Sean Penn and adventure writer Jon Krakauer for Into the Wild; screenwriters Joel and Ethan Coen and Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Cormac McCarthy for No Country for Old Men; screenwriter Paul Thomas Anderson for There Will Be Blood, based on the book Oil by Upton Sinclair; and true-crime author-and former San Francisco Chronicle cartoonist-Robert Graysmith for Zodiac, adapted by James Vanderbilt.
I know Clay usually posts these but since it's not up yet I figured that I would be proactive and post this, as it's an interesting conversation topic when it comes to the Adapted Screenplay race.
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Please let this mean Zodiac have more traction than we think...?
ReplyDeleteI'd say it has a slight chance in the adapted screenplay race and cinematography....everything else is a huge longshot
ReplyDeleteHonestly, Zodiac was released far too early for academy voters to even care about. Basically, anytime you see Zodiac on a nominations list right now, Sweeney Todd is what actually should be up there. The only reason Sweeney Todd hasn't been on several recent lists is because of the fact that DVD screeners only went out like a week ago. However, critics and SAG nominees had plenty of screenings they could have attended. They just didn't Unlike Atonement and NCFOM, Sweeney hasn't been campaigned as heavily but that will be remedied long before oscars come along. It was just a matter of SAG members not nominating something because they couldn't be lazy about it and just watch it from their couch. They would have actually had to leave their penthouses and go to a screening. Poitn being, Zodiac is basically just the alternate that people who haven't seen Sweeney Todd are picking in it's absence.
ReplyDeletewell, it's somewhat irresponsible to assume that every vote for Zodiac is actually for Sweeney Todd...and in this case, Sweeney Todd wasn't even eligible I believe, so it's irrelevant....yes, Zodiac will be more of a critical darling than an Academy one, but it's not completely dead yet
ReplyDeleteI have to agree with Joey, neo78956. Musical adaptations were not eligible for this award and I would definitely not assume that Sweeney would be showing up instead of Zodiac in each and every place that Zodiac was honored. It was a good film, and they've been campaigning it. Yes, its chances of being in the Oscar race are slim, but it is not completely off the radar.
ReplyDeleteCharlie Wilson's War screeners were also sent out late, but that has been appearing in nominations. Philip Seymour Hoffman was just nominated by the OFCS for CWW. The CWW DVD's weren't sent out any earlier than the Sweeney DVD's. I agree that the lack of DVD screeners may have something to do with it, but I'm beginning to think there's more to it than that.
Plenty of AMPAS voters showed up at the screenings of the movie that were held for them, and don't think for a moment that Sweeney Todd hasn't been very heavily campaigned all along. They've just been using a different tactic, slowly building buzz since the Venice Film Festival by keeping everything secret and acting like the film is a "mystery", and then leaking clips here and there. Now their campaign ads are out and they're going with more traditional campaigning techniques.
I'm not exactly sure why the film (and the actors) isn't showing up more on critics and other lists (believe me, I was expecting to see it everywhere, along with No Country for Old Men), but I don't think the lack of DVD screeners is the whole story. The screeners were sent out in time to be received by Christmas Eve. Keep in mind also that there were many, many excellent, award-worthy films and performances this year. While it's true that perhaps many hadn't seen the film, it's also possible that people enjoyed and appreciated Sweeney but preferred other films.
wow Alison, first off...thanks for the backing...always appreciate it when someone agrees with one of the dumb things that come out of my mouth, or more appropriately, come out of my fingers here......and secondly...seriously...you make my writing look like gibberish...you put me to shame lol
ReplyDeletebut yes....without hammering home the point any further, Zodiac deserves every accolade that it gets....Sweeney Todd is a rather unusual film, and it is getting a reception that is positive but also somewhat unusual....it seemed like it was going to be a huge monster at the precursors, but it hasn't really been....time will tell...remember that nothing is set in stone yet.....for all we know, Grace is Gone will dominate the Oscars (incredibly unlikely, but i'm just throwing a name out)
I love seeing Zodiac so well represented (it's not huge, but much better than I'd expected). I don't really expect it to make much of an impact beyond techs and maaaayyyybbbeeeee screenplay, but again, it's nice to see that people still remember it and love it.
ReplyDeleteAs for Sweeney Todd (which I loved, incidentally), it has the perpetual feeling so far this season of being a bridesmaid: being nominated for some things and winning almost nothing. It just makes Oscar chances that much trickier to predict, but who knows?
Yeah, I'm not sure what the story is with Sweeney Todd, Myles. I haven't seen it yet.
ReplyDeleteThe reviews have been excellent for the most part. And the film has been showing up on both Critics Awards top 10 lists. I think it will certainly be nominated for many art and tech awards. And, call me crazy, but I think Tim Burton getting a director nomination is almost a lock. He won the NBR, he was just selected by the Houston critics, and there were a few critic awards that showed their runner-ups - Burton showed up there as well. In fact, right now, I feel more confident about him than about Depp (though I'm certain that Depp is in as well).
I meant to say it's been showing up on Critics Awards top 10 lists and critics' individual top 10 lists.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I agree with you about Burton, I think he's got a great shot (perhaps he gets a Director nod and the movie gets artistic/techs and Depp but no dice for Picture), although I wouldn't go as far as calling him a lock quite yet, if only because No Country For Old Men is the only film this season that I can honestly say is a lock for anything: every single other movie could really go either way, from Juno, Atonement, and Into The Wild, to Michael Clayton, Diving Bell, and There Will Be Blood, to of course Sweeney Todd. This has to be one of the most exciting seasons yet, simply because the buzz seems to rapidly fluctuate every other day.
ReplyDeleteI have to disagree on the levels which Sweeney Todd will be recognized in the next couple of weeks. I think the DGA, PGA and (assuming they're even going to have awards this year) the WGA awards will be a good indicator as to Sweeney Todd's standing at that oscars. The PGA nominations for best picture is almost a sure fire lock because of Richard Zanuck. Zanuck is one of the most well respected producers in the history of cinema, and the PGA isn't going to ignore him. The DGA noms are almost as much a sure fire lock, as well, with Burton winning several best director awards (including the National Board of Review). Rest assured, Sweeney has just as much of a chance at any of the awards its eligible for as any other film this year. It's practically guaranteed to win big at the golden globes, taking home at least two of the nominations (best actor in a c/m and best picture c/m). I'd also lie to say that Daniel Day Lewis isn't quite as unstoppable as everyone thinks. Like his performance in Gangs of New York, he was a bit over the top and theatrical in There Will be Blood. This played a huge part in him losing to Adrien Brody in 2002. Adrien Brody, however, was far more subtle in his approach. This is the same case in Depp vs. Daniel Day Lewis. Depp was very non-verbal with a lot of his acting in Sweeney Todd, whereas sometimes I wished Daniel Day Lewis would just stop talking for a few minutes. We could have another big upset, which I'd be happy to see. However, if NCFOM wins the Best Picture and Best Director slots, I won't be disappointed. I thought both films were two of the best films of the last 7 years and though largely different, were both equally as brilliant.
ReplyDeleteThat, and in terms of campaigning, Warner Bros. has opted for an approach to Sweeney Todd much like the one they used with The Departed. And look how that played out. The Departed won best picture and best director.
ReplyDeleteglad to see we have an honest to goodness debate goin on here...the only thing i'll really add is that while the marketing for Sweeney Todd may in fact be similar in approach to The Departed, a huge reason The Departed won Best Picture was because it was the year of honoring Martin Scorsese....Tim Burton isn't considered to be that overdue yet, either for him or his films
ReplyDeleteneo78956, most people don't know the whole story with the DDL/Nicholson/Brody year. Everyone was certain that the race was down to DDL and Nicholson. However, Nicholson already had 3 Oscars. DDL already had one. After seeing Brody's performance he openly supported him and encouraged people who were planning to vote for him to instead vote for Brody. This is what greatly aided in Brody's win. And breaking it down to a non-verbal vs. verbal performance is oversimplifying it in the extreme. Forest Whitaker was hardly subtle in his excellent turn as Idi Amin last year.
ReplyDeleteAs for DDL being unstoppable, I think the people who are saying that are being as hasty as the people who are saying with authority that Depp is going to win. The nominations haven't even been announced; it's possible that DDL and Depp won't get nominated. Highly unlikely, but I'm just saying that no one should count on anything.
I'm also not counting on it being Depp vs. DDL just yet. Clooney has a lot of precursor attention and he is very popular. He could easily slip in and take the award from both of them. And don't forget Emil Hirsch and Viggo Mortensen. They've gotten precursor attention (especially Viggo Mortensen) and both of them gave excellent performances, especially Viggo. If both DDL and Depp are nominated, and people still think DDL is the frontrunner, it's very possible that Depp could be the one to upset. Or it might be someone else. Call me crazy but I think it could be Clooney.
As for Sweeney's campaign approach, I agree with you. The studio is clearly repeating The Departed; I've sensed that all along. But keep in mind that Scorsese was way overdue after receiving six nominations. Receiving a first nomination will be a big boost for Burton and AMPAS may think that's enough. If he and the picture win, I'll be happy. But I'm not expecting it to necessarily turn out like The Departed - that was a special situation of a director who was very overdue for a win plus a strong box office that gave the film momentum and recognition in not all but several of the precursors. ST may have the same luck, but I'm not necessarily expecting it.
Finally, I have to respectfully disagree with you about DDL's performance. Yes, there were a lot of theatrical aspects to it. But there were many moments in which he expressed quite a bit non-verbally. Those were extremely touching scenes. How the Academy will receive it (and the movie) and anyone else's performance is yet to be seen.
Joey, my comment took so long to write that you posted my feeling about The Departed before I had a chance to. :)
ReplyDeleteI wasn't clear in my DDL/Nicholson/Brody comment. :)
ReplyDeleteDDL already had an Oscar and Nicholson had three. Nicholson openly supported Brody and encouraged people who were going to vote for him to instead vote for Brody. I'm not certain if DDL did the same. If he did, he was not verbal about it.
great minds think alike Alison lol.....but essentially this debate is what shows why this year is such an exciting one to observe...if you were asked to make your top 5 selections for best pic, and then told to eliminate those and do it again, you'd have no problem doing so...in fact, you could probably do it a third time and still be more than happy with the choices....same for directors or even the actors this year....gotta love it
ReplyDeleteI agree, the year is exciting to watch. It was getting really boring when everyone and their momma predicted Atonement to win everything. Unfortunately for Joe Wright, his film stinks too much of being made as an oscar movie. The reason I fully support Sweeney Todd is several fold.
ReplyDelete1.) Burton is been ignored (Though I suppose 30 years of snubbing is different) by the academy almost his entire career. Ed Wood, until now considered his best film, got the two oscars it was nominated for but was considered to odd. Big Fish , should have gotten way more nominations than a simple Original Score nod. Granted, it was released during the same year as LOTR-ROTK. But the point being that Big Fish was the most academy friendly film Burton made and he was still ignored. I think the academy is starting to look to vote for those who have been ignored a long time. Burton, The Coen brothers, P.T. Anderson (though TWBB was the only film of his I enjoyed) and Ridley Scott have been ignored and snubbed for some time. Sentimentalism way be a driving force recently. Many actors and directors without oscars are being honored more than those with oscars these days.
2. Burton, Depp, and co. all stepped WAY out of their comfort zone, and the result was phenomenal. The AMPAS tend to really liek it when people bring great new things to the table and Sweeney Todd was a huge leap for many people.
3. Depp is long overdue, and this may give him just the right edge over DDL. The HFPA and the AMPAS have been waiting and wanting to give Depp a GG and Oscar for a very long time and I think this may be his role they love enough. He not only turned in a powerful acting job, but he also acted through the songs and really made you feel the character's emotions through the lyrics.
4. It was simply the best film of the year. It had star power, a great script, the genius music of Sondheim, the directing by Burton, etc. NCFOM was equally as brilliant, but the ending may not appeal to many AMPAS voters. The ending to Sweeney was conclusive and cathartic.
Until I see something that is better than Sweeney Todd this year, I'll be supporting it to the very end. Of course, my main respect for Burton, Depp, and co. is that like all their previous collaborations, the film was not made out of desire to make huge money or win tons of awards, it was made because it was what they wanted to do. All the awards for Sweeney Todd are just icing on the already incredibly delicious cake....er, meat pies. =] I also encourage anyone who hasn't seen it yet to do so.
it's perfectly alright to support a film and pull for it (much like in my case i'd be doing the same with Into the Wild) but it doesn't automatically mean that it's going to win....frankly, a lot of people are going to find Sweeney to be too odd for their tastes....honestly, as much as I liked the film, I feel like the Academy is somewhat more likely to embrace a musical like Hairspray than Todd if it chooses to recognize one at all....gun to my head right now I see Burton with a good shot at a director nomination, and Depp and HBC with a nice chance for acting nominations, but aside from art categories, I think it's a long shot in Best Pic and Adapted Screenplay.....as much as Atonement is tailor made for the Oscars, they tend to like that sort of thing....
ReplyDeleteI don't think Hairspray is a good example of a preference. I think the academy is a lot less squeamish than they used to be. A lot of people said The Departed was too violent. Dead wrong. A lot of people said Braveheart was too violent. Dead wrong. I think the academy will probably go for NCFOM in terms of best picture. Want my predictions?
ReplyDeleteBest Picture - NCFOM
Best Director - Tim Burton
Best Actor - Johnny Depp
Best Actress - Ellen Page
Best Supporting Actor - Javier Bardem
Best Supporting Actress - Cate Blanchett
Best Original Screenplay - Juno
Best Adapted Screenplay - NCFOM
Best Editing - Sweeney Todd
Best Cinematography - Sweeeney Todd
Best Sound Mixing - Sweeney Todd
Best VFX - Transformers
Best Sound Editing - Transformers
neo78956, I agree with you that Burton has always been notoriously snubbed and is overdue for recognition. I never saw Big Fish, but he certainly deserved a nod for Ed Wood, which I consider his best film (and Johnny Depp deserved a nom for that, too - that was a snub). I will be thrilled if Burton finally gets a nomination.
ReplyDeleteBut Scorsese was on the scene for longer than Burton. He received SIX Oscar nominations and never won. I'm not ready to call Burton equal to that yet. If he earns a nomination, that's a milestone for him right there.
Same with Depp. It took him a long time to get the much-deserved recognition that he has now and he certainly should win an Oscar. Due for one? Yes. Overdue? Again, compared to other actors and actresses, I would say there are many who are far more overdue than Depp. How about Peter O'Toole? Paul Newman was nominated 7 or 8 times before he finally won (and after he got the Lifetime award). It took Al Pacino about that many nominations before he won as well. Is Depp there yet? I don't think so. That doesn't mean he doesn't deserve to win. I'm just saying that there are degrees of overdueness. I haven't seen Sweeney Todd yet; he may very well deserve the award for this role. I've also read feedback from people who have seen it and felt that the performance was lacking something. I'll make my own judgment about it after I see the film.
But I will say that there have been numerous excellent performances for lead actor this year. If you only want to look at one, that's fine. It's great that you're passionate about Sweeney Todd and about Depp. I'm looking at the many extraordinary films and performances this year. Whichever one of them wins, it will not be undeserved.
Also, I'd like to point out that the Coens are also due for a Director win.
ReplyDeleteit's not so much the blood neo as the offbeat factor.....they tend to go more mainstream as opposed to creative and unique choices....good example of them only partially rewarding a weird film...Mulholland Dr. The film got David Lynch a director nod, but it simply was too odd for them to nominate for best pic....Eternal Sunshine is another example...won original screenplay, but didn't get nominated for pic...there's Magnolia and plenty others too...Hairspray was just an example of something the Academy might swallow easily...and as for your predictions, I like most of them...especially Page for actress (if only)...again, a bit too much Sweeney Todd love, but that's what makes the world go round....and Alison is right (again...wow lol) The Brothers Coen are more this year's Scorsese than Burton or even Ridley Scott....though Sidney Lumet would qualify as an interesting dark horse...but his chances are somewhat slim
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed Before the Devil Knows Your Dead, Joey, but I agree that Sidney Lumet is pretty much out. He's got no buzz and he's been absent from the precursors. If he gets in it will be a real surprise - he's a very dark horse.
ReplyDeleteAMPAS may very well go for Sweeney. Who knows? The precursors have thrown a proverbial wrench into everything. Into the Wild was honored with several nominations from BFCA and SAG, yet snubbed at the Globes. Sweeney got BFCA and Globe love (no surprise there) but was shut out of SAG. I know about the "screeners weren't sent" argument, but I think there's more to it than that. Once the other guild awards are announced things may become clearer. Or not.
But I agree that with Sweeney it's not a blood or violence issue. Sweeney is not a typical musical and Sondheim is not a typical lyricist/composer. The Academy embraced musicals like Moulin Rouge and Chicago, but those shows have a different appeal than Sweeney. It's very hard to predict how AMPAS will receive Sweeney.
Alison, that's one of the best things about the race this year...each and every film has both a real power to it and also a drawback that could potential spoil its chances....we've spoke of Sweeney...but for No Country, it could miss out because of its ending (though not likely), Into the Wild may see a bit too much like Beat Poetry for the Academy...they may not understand what the hell the people in Juno are saying...etc....good times ahead though...good times indeed
ReplyDeleteInto the Wild may seem like Beat Poetry to AMPAS? Aren't those voters the right age to completely embrace that?
ReplyDeleteMaybe there's a chance for I'm Not There, too. It wouldn't surprise me if there are tons of Dylan fans in the Academy.
quite possible...unless they're squares of course lol....i've recently begun to think that Into the Wild is the best non No Country bet at the awards....though Atonement could still be a compromise pick...again, I gotta say it....i could come up with a list of probably 20 films that they could nominate, and any one of them would be more than deserving of the award....though again, i'd have to say that i'll have my fingers (and toes) crossed for Into the Wild
ReplyDeleteI like what you said about each film having great power yet a fatal flaw, joey.
ReplyDeleteSweeney have a great cast, great music, a great story, and great tech aspects. However, the violence and subject matter might be a bit too odd for some. Like an acquired taste.
NCFOM had a brilliant script and direction, but could very well have been ruined by an ending.
Atonement may be a bit to over the top in some aspects.
TWBB, though beautifully written and shot is a bit artsy for some. Same goes for The Assassination of Jesse James suffers form the same issues.
My favorite films of the year were
1. Sweeney Todd
2. No Country for Old Men
3. There Will Be Blood
4. Eastern Promises
5. American Gangster
6. The Bourne Ultimatum
7. The Assassination of Jesse James
8. Juno
9. Before the Devil Knows You're Dead
10. 3:10 to Yuma
Honestly, I just think Sweeney has greater chance at the big awards than some are giving it credit for. But at the end of the day, Sweeney Todd reminas my second favorite movie of all time and my favorite broadway musical of all time, so big awards or not, I'll love it all the same. All I can say is that it's been a great fall season for film this year.
indeed sir...oddly enough the safest films are the longshots, like 3:10 to Yuma and Hairspray and such....but yes, it'll be very interesting to see how the Academy saw these flicks and which they dug the most
ReplyDeleteMeh, Hairspray wasn't very memorable to me. I thought it was cute at best, a feel-good movie. But nothing really more than that. 3:10 to Yuma I can see getting some tech nominations. Anyways, it's pretty late and I'd better head off to sleep. Shall we continue this in the BAFTA long list blog entry tomorrow?
ReplyDeleteWell, Joey, I'm not sure how accurate a SAG ensemble nomination is for predicting a BP nom, but the studio did send out screeners for 3:10 to Yuma after it got that nom. And the DVD release is coming out. There are plenty of ads on television. Maybe the film will suprise.
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't be disappointed. It's a fabulous and very overlooked film, with exceptional performances by both Russell Crowe and Christian Bale. At least BAFTA had the sense to recognize these two men. Though for some reason the film got directing and adapted screenplay notice but didn't make the best picture long list.
it was only an example, but the more you state its case, the more interesting it sounds as a real dark horse....if the Academy finds a lot of things to pick at with many of the top contenders, something like this might make its way in
ReplyDelete