Alex Garland for Never Let Me Go
Flawed, certainly, but beautiful and dripping with so many great moments. It's a tricky source material to adapt and in a lot of ways, Garland accomplished much by what he chooses not to say.
David Lindsay-Abaire for Rabbit Hole
Gets its spot here for two reasons. Firstly, it's a great screenplay filled with wonderful moments that get to the core of its characters. Secondly, it's a great adaptation that never once feels like it was birthed from a stage play. The material feels tailored for the cinema in a way that few stage to film adaptations can boast.
Michael Bacall and Edgar Wright for Scott Pilgrim vs. The World
Everything a great comedic script should be. Fun, well-paced, and ridiculously quotable. "I want to have his adopted babies." For sheer, unabashed comic enjoyment, I don't think think there was another film that matched Scott Pilgrim vs. The World and it starts with the script.
Aaron Sorkin for The Social Network
Endlessly quotable, so deep and rich, and with a rhythm and pace that manages to feel lightning fast but never gimmicky. One of those rare scripts that's just so damn good you almost hate that you didn't write it yourself (for the writers out there). From its first scene, it hooks you and never lets go.
Debra Granik and Anne Rosellini for Winter's Bone
As I said in my write-up of the film, I went in expecting a fast and loose festival breakout whose sole purpose is to house a great performance. I was pleasantly surprised by its taut structure and engrossing mystery. And the words are just so good, "I already told you once with my mouth." Brilliant.
Finalist:
Even though the best screenplay of the year is an adaptation, it actually wasn't a huge bellweather year for adapted screenplays, at least in terms of the films I actually saw. 127 Hours is enjoyable, certainly and warrants consideration.
Semi-Finalists:
The Town, while a film I enjoyed, never really had a shot here because of how it stumbles in its last act. The ending, particularly. Ditto for For Colored Girls, but I'm citing it because it's Perry's most interesting work to date and quite possibly one of the most misunderstood films of the year.
Showing posts with label Adapted Screenplay. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Adapted Screenplay. Show all posts
Saturday, February 5, 2011
Friday, February 26, 2010
Pretentious Film Awards 2009--Best Adapted Screenplay
And the nominees are...
Neil Blomkamp and Terri Tatchell for District 9
The writing here has real flashes of brilliance that (mostly) serve to overshadow some structural issues with the film as a whole. I'm forgiving because the piece is so (again, mostly) inspired.
Lynn Barber and Nick Hornby for An Education
Yes, I described this film as wispy as all get out. And I stand by that. But within the wisps, there is true character development, great one-liners and a well-observed world, albeit one that we have seen before. And great acting (like Mulligan) is often begat form great writing.
Geoffrey Fletcher for Precious
"My favorite color is fluorescent beige..." Not in the novel. Sapphire didn't write that. That's pure, vintage Fletcher. And this highlights why I'm citing him here. The material practically begs to be relentless and awful, but Fletcher never forgets to find the real humor and the human connection. Great work.
Joe Penhall for The Road
Sparse, economic, often haunting. I am not judging Penhall's script against its staggering, elegaic source material. Make no mistake: The Road is an unfilmable novel. But he captures much of what makes the novel great--the aching sense of love and devotion between The Man and The Child, the desolation twinged with glimmers of hope in just the right places.
David Eggers and Spike Jonze for Where the Wild Things Are
This adaptation of Maurice Sendak's novel breaks several rigid conventions of screenwriting that are often red flags. The late-breaking inciting incident, the compounded third act, to name a few. And yet, it does what an adaptation of this work should do--it captures the wonder and the beauty and never loses the lens of the child.
Finalists/Semi-Finalist: Oddly enough...none. This was not really a bell-weather year for adaptations. I enjoyed parts of Up in the Air, but I cannot in good conscience cite it here (although I guess I just did). More in a later post on exactly why a second viewing of Up in the Air moved my reaction from tepid enjoyment, to distant coldness with traces of anger and annoyance here and there. I have a bone to pick with Jason Reitman.
Neil Blomkamp and Terri Tatchell for District 9
The writing here has real flashes of brilliance that (mostly) serve to overshadow some structural issues with the film as a whole. I'm forgiving because the piece is so (again, mostly) inspired.
Lynn Barber and Nick Hornby for An Education
Yes, I described this film as wispy as all get out. And I stand by that. But within the wisps, there is true character development, great one-liners and a well-observed world, albeit one that we have seen before. And great acting (like Mulligan) is often begat form great writing.
Geoffrey Fletcher for Precious
"My favorite color is fluorescent beige..." Not in the novel. Sapphire didn't write that. That's pure, vintage Fletcher. And this highlights why I'm citing him here. The material practically begs to be relentless and awful, but Fletcher never forgets to find the real humor and the human connection. Great work.
Joe Penhall for The Road
Sparse, economic, often haunting. I am not judging Penhall's script against its staggering, elegaic source material. Make no mistake: The Road is an unfilmable novel. But he captures much of what makes the novel great--the aching sense of love and devotion between The Man and The Child, the desolation twinged with glimmers of hope in just the right places.
David Eggers and Spike Jonze for Where the Wild Things Are
This adaptation of Maurice Sendak's novel breaks several rigid conventions of screenwriting that are often red flags. The late-breaking inciting incident, the compounded third act, to name a few. And yet, it does what an adaptation of this work should do--it captures the wonder and the beauty and never loses the lens of the child.
Finalists/Semi-Finalist: Oddly enough...none. This was not really a bell-weather year for adaptations. I enjoyed parts of Up in the Air, but I cannot in good conscience cite it here (although I guess I just did). More in a later post on exactly why a second viewing of Up in the Air moved my reaction from tepid enjoyment, to distant coldness with traces of anger and annoyance here and there. I have a bone to pick with Jason Reitman.
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