The WGA Awards were announced last night and Bo Burnham won best original screenplay for EIGHTH GRADE - a film nominated for exactly zero Oscars.
What movies do you think were snubbed by the Academy this year? What nominees surprised you?
Screenwriting : Oscar Snubs? by Allen Roughton
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I had never heard of this Eight Grade before this post. I'll definitely check it out now that I just read about the premise and that it's been so critically well-received. I haven't seen any of the original screenplay nominations and have only seen two of the adapted screenplays. However, history has proven that many great scripts, performances and directing jobs have been overlooked by the Academy. I know several Academy members and it's often what they've seen, sentimental choices or what's hip or popular.
"Eighth Grade" was a huge shrug and utterly unworthy of WGA recognition.
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Bo Burnham is hysterical, though, if you've ever seen him or any of his stuff. He also won the DGA award for Best Directing for Eighth Grade, an Oscar nominee-worthy script, too. I hope all the L.A. eighth-graders picket the Academy show, and are armed with water balloons - Justice for Eighth Grade! Heh-heh. Here's a link to the screenplay:
http://a24awards.com/film/eighthgrade/Eighth_Grade_Script.pdf
Most of the WGA show is on Youtube. He got his start on Youtube, too.
I don't want to tip off my hand for the Stage32 Academy Awards Contest, but I was surprised that Ethan Hawke wasn't nominated for First Reformed, CO-PRODUCED BY STAGE32 MEMBER JACK BINDER; that Bradley Cooper (A Star Is Born) and Peter Farrelly (Green Book) weren't nominated for Best Director; and that Timothee Chalameet (Beautiful Boy), Toni Collette (Hereditary), and Michael B. Jordan (Black Panther) weren't nominated. And what about the documentary Won't You Be My Neighbor? There were a lot of worthy nominees who were snubbed - there's only so much space on the ballots, you know?.
And worst fortunes to all my competition in the Stage32 Academy Awards Contest - I will not be denied what is rightfully mine, losers! Heh-heh.
Ptooey on "Eighth Grade." :) The exclusion of "First Reformed" over it is unbelievable.
I'm kind of surprised that Bradley Cooper wasn't nominated for directing A Star in Born. It received a Best Adapted Screenplay nom and Best Picture nom, and generally actors who transition into writing or directing are rewarded by the Academy. I don't think the film was flawless but it's a really solid directorial effort by Cooper.
I was also just a bit surprised that Peter Jackson's WWI doc, They Shall Not Grow Old, wasn't nominated. Anyone see that? That is one amazing piece of work.
There were a ton of great docs released this year, and many had major prodco/studio partners. At-large voting results for Best Doc will be interesting. Which trailblazer wins it, RBG or Free Solo, about the man who climbed El Capitan without a rope? Visually, it's not even close. But politically, it's a different story. Toughest choice of the night.
“Three identical strangers”, one of the greatest doc I’ve ever seen.
Bill Costantini, totally agree with your posts. Bradley Cooper for Directing and Won't You Be My Neighbor especially. Those two are crazy to me.
I have "The Shall Not Grow Old" in the hopper, Bill. Looking forward to it. Nix on Bradley Cooper, poor direction. ",,,Neighbor" is a real travesty.