BEST PICTURE
AMERICAN HUSTLE Charles Roven, Richard Suckle, Megan Ellison and Jonathan Gordon, Producers
CAPTAIN PHILLIPS Scott Rudin, Dana Brunetti and Michael De Luca, Producers
DALLAS BUYERS CLUB Robbie Brenner and Rachel Winter, Producers
GRAVITY Alfonso Cuarón and David Heyman, Producers
HER Megan Ellison, Spike Jonze and Vincent Landay, Producers
NEBRASKA Albert Berger and Ron Yerxa, Producers
PHILOMENA Gabrielle Tana, Steve Coogan and Tracey Seaward, Producers
12 YEARS A SLAVE Brad Pitt, Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, Steve McQueen and Anthony Katagas, Producers
THE WOLF OF WALL STREET Nominees to be determined
Twitch Pick
The Wolf of Wall Street
Popular wisdom has it that Gravity will win, with some still believing it's possible that the increasingly-conservative Academy will do the right thing and select 12 Years A Slave.
Gravity is a great popcorn flick and a visual treat, while 12 Years A Slave is an important, searing indictment of the worst impulses of mankind. And I really enjoyed other nominees Her, Nebraska, and American Hustle.
But the stand-out picture for me remains Martin Scorsese's incredible The Wolf of Wall Street, which is visually stylish without calling attention to itself, indicts greed and stupidity without insulting the audience by spelling it out, and showcases the finest performance of Leonardo DiCaprio's career. That's my vote, and I'm sticking to it.
Actual Winner
12 Years A Slave
Brad Pitt, Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, Steve McQueen and Anthony Katagas, Producers
ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE
Christian Bale AMERICAN HUSTLE
Bruce Dern NEBRASKA
Leonardo DiCaprio THE WOLF OF WALL STREET
Chiwetel Ejiofor 12 YEARS A SLAVE
Matthew McConaughey DALLAS BUYERS CLUB
Twitch Pick - by Jim Tudor
SHOULD WIN: Chiwetel Ejiofor (12 Years a Slave)
Many may not realize it, but Chiwetel Ejiofor has been working regularly as a successful actor since the mid 1990s. He's worked with such renowned directors as Stephen Frears, Richard Curtis, Ridley Scott, Woody Allen, Alfonso Cuarón, Tom Hooper, and Steven Spielberg.
Then Steve McQueen came along, chained him up, and hung him from a tree. And for that, he'll be remembered. In a fuzzy way, it resembles the arc of his unforgettable character in that film, 12 Years a Slave. Ejiofor plays the historical figure Solomon Northup, a free African American living up east in the age of slavery. But after Northup is tricked, drugged, and sent down south, he finds himself trapped in a nightmare of stripped identity, indignity, and inhumanity. In real life, guided by McQueen, his bold portrayal of a once-competent man reduced to helplessness has finally pushed Ejiofor over the hurdle of working actor to formidable star. TV and radio commentators are now racing to figure out the correct pronunciation of his name as he rightfully rides the wave as a prime awards season contender.
I can only imagine the inner difficulty a contemporary black man must face in agreeing to play a victim of slavery. Ejiofor soaks up this challenge and then some, imbuing Northup with an admirable persistence that is again and again overtaken by the reality of the sheer powerlessness he's forced to assume. It's easy for us to look at the evil around and say “Why doesn't he just...!” But then one second later, Ejiofor reminds us that in that terrible time and place, he couldn't.
WILL WIN: Matthew McConaughey (Dallas Buyers Club)
REALLY SHOULD WIN BUT WASN'T NOMINATED: Joaquin Phoenix (Her)
Actual Winner
Matthew McConaughey, Dallas Buyers Club.
ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Barkhad Abdi CAPTAIN PHILLIPS
Bradley Cooper AMERICAN HUSTLE
Michael Fassbender 12 YEARS A SLAVE
Jonah Hill THE WOLF OF WALL STREET
Jared Leto DALLAS BUYERS CLUB
Twitch Pick
Barkhad Abdi, Captain Phillips
The Academy appears to prefer rewarding a body of work and/or performances in which the actor is barely recognizable, which would seem to favor Michael Fassbender or Jared Leto -- the latter, especially -- but I'm taking this literally.
Barkhad Abdi provides incredible support to Tom Hanks, and is a major reason why Hanks gives his best performance in a while. Hanks, and the film, needs the contrast between the two characters in order to provide a dynamic charge to the narrative, and Abdi provides that in abundance. He is completely convincing, to the point that it's easy to forget that he's an actor playing a part.
Actual Winner:
Jared Leto, Dallas Buyers' Club.
ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE
Amy Adams AMERICAN HUSTLE
Cate Blanchett BLUE JASMINE
Sandra Bullock GRAVITY
Judi Dench PHILOMENA
Meryl Streep AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY
Twitch Pick - by Eric Ortiz Garcia
Should and will win: Cate Blanchett (Blue Jasmine)
Perhaps the only thing that could prevent Cate Blanchett from winning her second Oscar, and first for a leading role, is the big controversy that her director Woody Allen faced recently. The Academy certainly pays attention to these kind of things but other than that, this is her finest performance yet and a very, very powerful one.
If not Blanchett, I would definitely put my money on American Hustle’s Amy Adams.
Actual Winner
Cate Blanchett, Blue Jasmine.
ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Nominees:
Sally Hawkins BLUE JASMINE
Jennifer Lawrence AMERICAN HUSTLE
Lupita Nyong’o 12 YEARS A SLAVE
Julia Roberts AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY
June Squibb NEBRASKA
Twitch Pick - by Kurt Halfyard
Who Will Win: Lupita Nyong’o Who Should Win: Julia Roberts
I know, I know, give the Oscar veteran the statue over the brash newcomer? No disrespect to the fine performance of Lupita Nyong'o in 12 Years A Slave, where she is punched, beaten, picks cotton, and is pretty much raped by Michael Fassbender's smitten-slash-guilty plantation owner. She takes abuse well and still has fire in her eyes.
However, in August: Osage County, Julia Roberts simmers, explodes, consoles, protects and ultimately melts down, it is a complex performance in an overly bombastic film, and one that requires 20-30 years in the film business to give that kind of gravitas. Now one might argue that Roberts is more of a co-lead with Meryl Streep than merely 'supporting' -- that is a whole other issue with the Academy Awards -- but she goes the extra mile here at a point in her career where ‘constantly working’ seems less important than ‘excellence in work.’
Actual Winner
Lupita Nyong’o 12 Years A Slave.
ANIMATED FEATURE FILM
Nominees:
THE CROODS Chris Sanders, Kirk DeMicco and Kristine Belson
DESPICABLE ME 2 Chris Renaud, Pierre Coffin and Chris Meledandri
ERNEST & CELESTINE Benjamin Renner and Didier Brunner
FROZEN Chris Buck, Jennifer Lee and Peter Del Vecho
THE WIND RISES Hayao Miyazaki and Toshio Suzuki
Twitch Pick - by Eric Ortiz Garcia
Should Win: The Wind Rises
Another gorgeous film by master Miyazaki Hayao, The Wind Rises tells the fictionalized story of Horikoshi Jiro, a Japanese aeronautic engineer. This is Miyazaki’s ultimate portrait of his own fascination for airplanes and considering he did stuff like Porco Rosso, this is indeed saying a lot. It plays as a touching account of a young boy who grows up to see his dream come true and, at the exact same time, his nation in pain.
As a film that deals with WWII, I truly admire The Wind Rises for evoking many emotions, making us feel the horror, without ever focusing solely on war, meaning the battles and bombings. It is, after all, a film about the life of a human being, a dreamer, who certainly feels love; it features one of the purest love stories I have seen recently.
The animation is masterful but that should be a given with Studio Ghibli.
Ultimately, one Oscar for them shouldn’t be enough, but I see a second just as a dream, a beautiful one certainly as this is Miyazaki’s swan song.
Will Win: Frozen
Unlike The Wind Rises, Frozen is one for the kiddies. If not for our own Jason Gorber’s review, I would not have seen it on opening weekend. And, for my money, it does everything a Disney movie with princesses should do. It leaves a message of love, the importance of family and friendship, all with stunning animation, colorful characters and catchy songs. The Oscar is pretty much guaranteed, right?
Actual Winner
Chris Buck, Jennifer Lee and Peter Del Vecho, Frozen.
CINEMATOGRAPHY
THE GRANDMASTER Philippe Le Sourd
GRAVITY Emmanuel Lubezki
INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS Bruno Delbonnel
NEBRASKA Phedon Papamichael
PRISONERS Roger A. Deakins
Twitch Pick
Bruno Delbonnel, Inside Llewyn Davis
Oddsmakers are favoring Emmanuel Lubezki for Gravity, but in this increasing digital age, I'm uncomfortable with the idea of this award going to another green-screen movie.
Of the other nominees, I loved the lush beauty of Philippe Le Sourd's photography in The Grandmaster and the rough beauty of Phedon Papamichael's black-and-white work for Nebraska.
In my head, though, I keep coming back to the light captured by Bruno Delbonnel. Inside Llewyn Davis begins indoors and then moves outdoors, and in and out of smoky clubs, and then on a journey by automobile, and it's all in the midst of a cold winter, yet it always looks different than Roger Deakins' work in Fargo, another cold-weather Coen Brothers movie. And somehow it suggests the period in which the movie is set as both contemporary and nostalgic; it's brilliant.
Actual Winner
Emmanuel Lubezki, Gravity.
COSTUME DESIGN
AMERICAN HUSTLE Michael Wilkinson
THE GRANDMASTER William Chang Suk Ping
THE GREAT GATSBY Catherine Martin
THE INVISIBLE WOMAN Michael O’Connor
12 YEARS A SLAVE Patricia Norris
Twitch Pick
William Chang Suk Ping, The Grandmaster
Sumptuous and subtle, earthy and comfortable, incredibly colorful, wonderfully varied. I may not know much about costumes, but I know what I like, and I've always liked William Chang Suk Ping's designs.
Actual Winner:
Catherine Martin, The Great Gatsby.
DIRECTING
AMERICAN HUSTLE David O. Russell
GRAVITY Alfonso Cuarón
NEBRASKA Alexander Payne
12 YEARS A SLAVE Steve McQueen
THE WOLF OF WALL STREET Martin Scorsese
Twitch Pick - by Eric Ortiz Garcia
Should win: Martin Scorsese (The Wolf of Wall Street)
Is filmmaking a young man’s game? Well, Martin Scorsese is 71 and his most recent film is one of his best ever. The Wolf of Wall Street is an adrenaline shot, a 3-hour epic that feels like it only lasts 80 minutes. Hear the music (bluesy tunes included), watch the montage, and you’ll get pure Scorsese.
I would love to see both Marty and Leonardo DiCaprio taking an Oscar home. I mean, just watch that Popeye sequence, they haven’t done anything better together!
Will win: Alfonso Cuarón (Gravity)
I’m pretty sure Gravity will be the film that wins most Oscars, but definitely not the Best Picture one (that one goes to 12 Years a Slave). On the other hand, Alfonso Cuarón is winning the Best Director Oscar race to Steve McQueen and if nothing extraordinary happens, a Mexican director will finally earn this prestigious accolade. Even though I just said Scorsese should win, a Cuarón victory would be equally deserved.
Actual Winner
Alfonso Cuarón, Gravity.
DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
THE ACT OF KILLING Joshua Oppenheimer and Signe Byrge Sørensen
CUTIE AND THE BOXER Zachary Heinzerling and Lydia Dean Pilcher
DIRTY WARS Richard Rowley and Jeremy Scahill
THE SQUARE Jehane Noujaim and Karim Amer
20 FEET FROM STARDOM Nominees to be determined
Twitch Pick - by Jason Gorber
Should win: This is the toughest category for me, as I have several dogs in this fight. Back in 2012 and TIFF I saw the remarkable film The Act of Killing, one of the most harrowing films ever made that perfectly details the banality of evil. I've watched over the last 18 months as its reputation has grown, while people all over the world have seen the remarkable power of this film.
A year later, I saw another shattering documentary, The Square. The version that played TIFF was completely reshaped after its initial run at Sundance. This film lives up to the notion of history being written with lightning; it's a wonderfully nuanced and impactful take on the events that unfolded in the last few years in Egypt. Both films are masterpieces, both demanding to be seen by a wide audience.
Will win: Besides the adequate if overly saccharine Cutie and the Boxer, and the real outlier Dirty Wars, we're left with the film that's likely to take the trophy, the sublime.20 Feet From Stardom is the tale backup singers and their remarkable contribution to musical expression. I won't be disappointed if any of these three films takes it on Sunday night, and can only hope that the nominations alone will grant a bigger audience to these select film, whichever gets to take home the naked golden man.
Actual Winner
20 Feet From Stardom
DOCUMENTARY SHORT SUBJECT
CAVEDIGGER Jeffrey Karoff
FACING FEAR Jason Cohen
KARAMA HAS NO WALLS Sara Ishaq
THE LADY IN NUMBER 6: MUSIC SAVED MY LIFE Malcolm Clarke and Nicholas Reed
PRISON TERMINAL: THE LAST DAYS OF PRIVATE JACK HALL Edgar Barens
Twitch Pick
Five-way tie.
Full disclosure: I intended to watch these over the weekend, and instead the dog ate my homework. Sorry! No disrespect intended! They all deserve to win!
Actual Winner
Malcolm Clarke and Nicholas Reed, The Lady In Number 6: Music Saved My Life.
FILM EDITING
AMERICAN HUSTLE Jay Cassidy, Crispin Struthers and Alan Baumgarten
CAPTAIN PHILLIPS Christopher Rouse
DALLAS BUYERS CLUB John Mac McMurphy and Martin Pensa
GRAVITY Alfonso Cuarón and Mark Sanger
12 YEARS A SLAVE Joe Walker
Twitch Pick
Joe Walker, 12 Years A Slave
It seems to me that the best editing is that which calls the least attention to itself. Of these nominees, I thought Joe Walker's editing kept the pace of Steve McQueen's film pulsing, allowing the full effect of each horrible scene sink in, while not neglecting the restorative power of an extra beat or two when it bolsters the sequence.
Actual Winner
Alfonso Cuarón and Mark Sanger, Gravity.
FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
BROKEN CIRCLE BREAKDOWN Belgium
THE GREAT BEAUTY Italy
THE HUNT Denmark
THE MISSING PICTURE Cambodia
OMAR Palestine
Twitch Pick - by Shelagh M. Rowan-Legg
What I think should win: Broken Circle Breakdown
What will likely win: The Great Beauty
This is a fight between Broken Circle Breakdown and The Great Beauty. Both have received great critical praise, numerous awards around the world, and both have had box office success in their native countries and others.
Broken Circle Breakdown is arguably the favourite, given its heartfelt story, genuine emotional connection with the subject matter and performances that will break your heart. But it treads controversial territory and directly implicates US health care policy, which might turn off a lot of the Academy voters (seeing as the majority are old, male, white and conservative).
The Great Beauty is a little less narratively coherent, but its main character is a late-middle-aged rich white man, and the majority of Academy voters will likely see themselves reflected in him. Also, it’s the kind of European-art-house film that voters like to pick because it makes them look smart.
Actual Winner
The Great Beauty.
MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING
DALLAS BUYERS CLUB Adruitha Lee and Robin Mathews
JACKASS PRESENTS: BAD GRANDPA Stephen Prouty
THE LONE RANGER Joel Harlow and Gloria Pasqua-Casny
Twitch Pick
Stephen Prouty, Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa
A ballsy nominee that deserves the win. The Johnny Knoxville transformation -- and attention to fine anatomical details -- is a marvel to behold.
Actual Winner:
Adruitha Lee and Robin Mathews, Dallas Buyers Club.
MUSIC (ORIGINAL SCORE)
THE BOOK THIEF John Williams
GRAVITY Steven Price
HER William Butler and Owen Pallett
PHILOMENA Alexandre Desplat
SAVING MR. BANKS Thomas Newman
Twitch Pick
William Butler and Owen Pallett, Her
This is how to write music for a contemporary romantic drama set in the near future, with a collection of notes and chords that underscore the emotional harmony and discordant conflicts that arise and fall away, like the waves of the ocean.
Actual Winner
Steven Price, Gravity.
MUSIC (ORIGINAL SONG)
- Alone Yet Not Alone * ALONE YET NOT ALONE Music by Bruce Broughton Lyric by Dennis Spiegel * (later disqualified)
Happy DESPICABLE ME 2 Music and Lyric by Pharrell Williams
Let it Go FROZEN Music and Lyric by Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez
The Moon Song HER Music by Karen O Lyric by Karen O and Spike Jonze
Ordinary Love MANDELA: LONG WALK TO FREEDOM Music by Paul Hewson, Dave Evans, Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen Lyric by Paul Hewson
Twitch Pick
"Let It Go," from Frozen
As much as I love the music in Her, I must admit that "The Moon Song," standing alone, er, really needs to sun of the movie as a whole. And "Ordinary Love" is, well, a song by U2, and it comes at the end of the movie, and it's more a tribute to the man than an integral part of the movie.
So that leaves the Disney pick. I don't love the orchestration, but, dang, every musical needs its theme song, and this does a good job of defining the character and is key to the narrative. Sometimes you have to put personal taste aside.
Actual Winner
Music and Lyric by Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez, "Let It Go," Frozen.
PRODUCTION DESIGN
AMERICAN HUSTLE Production Design: Judy Becker Set Decoration: Heather Loeffler
GRAVITY Production Design: Andy Nicholson Set Decoration: Rosie Goodwin and Joanne Woollard
THE GREAT GATSBY Production Design: Catherine Martin Set Decoration: Beverley Dunn
HER Production Design: K.K. Barrett Set Decoration: Gene Serdena
12 YEARS A SLAVE Production Design: Adam Stockhausen Set Decoration: Alice Baker
Twitch Pick - by Ard Vijn
The Great Gatsby
Few directors have the visual eye for excess that Baz Luhrman has. For his adaptation of The Great Gatsby, opulence oozes out of every frame. Even this director's love affair with special effects and crazy camera-moves cannot hide the massive, MASSIVE amount of throwaway stellar art direction in this film.
Will it win, though? The Great Gatsby is not the most beloved of the films in this category, nor will it benefit from a "bowl over" effect by being nominated in many other categories. Still, if the jury remembers what art direction is, this one might get lucky.
Actual Winner
Production Design: Catherine Martin Set Decoration: Beverley Dunn, The Great Gatsby.
SHORT FILM (ANIMATED)
FERAL Daniel Sousa and Dan Golden
GET A HORSE! Lauren MacMullan and Dorothy McKim
MR. HUBLOT Laurent Witz and Alexandre Espigares
POSSESSIONS Shuhei Morita
ROOM ON THE BROOM Max Lang and Jan Lachauer
Twitch Pick - by Jim Tudor
SHOULD WIN: Room on the Broom.
Based on the British children's book by Julia Donaldson, Room on the Broom is an all-ages animated short. Narrated in sparse storybook fashion by Simon Pegg, and starring Gillian Anderson as the voice of a kindhearted witch, Room on the Broom is 25 minutes of fun, simple characters on a speedy adventure. Fantastic craftsmanship.
Created for the BBC, filmmakers Jan Lachauer and Max Lang have delieved a curious and satisfying blend of old school stop motion animation and 3D computer animation, without ever losing any of the children's book charm inherent to the presentation. Room on the Broom is a lovingly realized and, yes, bewitching tale of charity, acceptance, and hospitality - even in the craziest of circumstances.
WILL WIN: Get a Horse!
It's the Disney short that ran before Frozen, so the more Oscar voters are certain to have seen it than any of the competition. If that alone doesn't ensure its victory, then its fun (if mildly wearing) notion of bringing the Steamboat Willie-era Disney characters into a 3D meta-chase will.
Actual Winner
Laurent Witz and Alexandre Espigares for Mr. Hublot.
SHORT FILM (LIVE ACTION)
AQUEL NO ERA YO (THAT WASN’T ME) Esteban Crespo
AVANT QUE DE TOUT PERDRE (JUST BEFORE LOSING EVERYTHING) Xavier Legrand and Alexandre Gavras
HELIUM Anders Walter and Kim Magnusson
PITA A KO MUN KAIKKI HOITAA? (DO I HAVE TO TAKE CARE OF EVERYTHING?) Selma Vilhunen and Kirsikka Saari
THE VOORMAN PROBLEM Mark Gill and Baldwin Li
Twitch Pick
Anders Walter and Kim Magnusson, Helium
Good films all around, but, if you'll excuse the expression, Helium rises above.
Actual Winner
Anders Walter and Kim Magnusson, Helium. (!!!)
SOUND EDITING
ALL IS LOST Steve Boeddeker and Richard Hymns
CAPTAIN PHILLIPS Oliver Tarney
GRAVITY Glenn Freemantle
THE HOBBIT: THE DESOLATION OF SMAUG Brent Burge
LONE SURVIVOR Wylie Stateman
Twitch Pick
Steve Boeddeker and Richard Hymns, All Is Lost
Respect to all sound editors, but I'm picking this one because I loved the movie and think it deserves more attention.
Actual Winner
Glenn Freemantle, Gravity.
SOUND MIXING
CAPTAIN PHILLIPS Chris Burdon, Mark Taylor, Mike Prestwood Smith and Chris Munro
GRAVITY Skip Lievsay, Niv Adiri, Christopher Benstead and Chris Munro
THE HOBBIT: THE DESOLATION OF SMAUG Christopher Boyes, Michael Hedges, Michael Semanick and Tony Johnson
INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS Skip Lievsay, Greg Orloff and Peter F. Kurland
LONE SURVIVOR Andy Koyama, Beau Borders and David Brownlow
Twitch Pick
Andy Koyama, Beau Borders and David Brownlow, Lone Survivor
For this category ... I got nothing. Lone Survivor has a lot of sounds, some of them are important, and I could hear them all clearly.
Actual Winner
Skip Lievsay, Niv Adiri, Christopher Benstead and Chris Munro, Gravity.
VISUAL EFFECTS
GRAVITY Tim Webber, Chris Lawrence, Dave Shirk and Neil Corbould
THE HOBBIT: THE DESOLATION OF SMAUG Joe Letteri, Eric Saindon, David Clayton and Eric Reynolds
IRON MAN 3 Christopher Townsend, Guy Williams, Erik Nash and Dan Sudick
THE LONE RANGER Tim Alexander, Gary Brozenich, Edson Williams and John Frazier
STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS Roger Guyett, Patrick Tubach, Ben Grossmann and Burt Dalton
Twitch Pick - by Ard Vijn
Gravity
The world of movie special effects has always been one of technological advancement. As new procedures and machinery became available, so did the opportunities for filmmakers to do something special with it. However, in recent years the development of computer graphics has made the advancement more incremental for the audience. We've been treated to epic crowds, well-animated creatures, and massive destruction for decades now already. Is there still any progress?
We are now at the point where if we want to judge quality, we need to look at the use of special effects, rather than their quantity. And while there is stellar work in all nominees this year, Gravity was the film that used special effects in such a way, that while you knew they were there (in vast, VAST quantities even), you were too immersed in the film's world to be on the lookout for them. In short, instead of "how did they do that?', the reaction to Gravity's effects is more "Holyshitwhatjusthappened?!"
And for that reason, I think Gravity is going to get the statue this year.
Actual Winner
Tim Webber, Chris Lawrence, Dave Shirk and Neil Corbould, Gravity.
ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
BEFORE MIDNIGHT Written by Richard Linklater, Julie Delpy, Ethan Hawke
CAPTAIN PHILLIPS Screenplay by Billy Ray
PHILOMENA Screenplay by Steve Coogan and Jeff Pope
12 YEARS A SLAVE Screenplay by John Ridley
THE WOLF OF WALL STREET Screenplay by Terence Winter
Twitch Pick
John Ridley, 12 Years A Slave
Five great picks, five great scripts. I'm quite tempted to pick Terence Winter's adaptation, but I'm voting for John Ridley, because 12 Years A Slave captures the flavor of a bygone era, the rhythm and flow of language, and creates the type of characters who leap off the page.
Actual Winner
John Ridley, 12 Years A Slave. (!!!)
ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
AMERICAN HUSTLE Written by Eric Warren Singer and David O. Russell
BLUE JASMINE Written by Woody Allen
DALLAS BUYERS CLUB Written by Craig Borten & Melisa Wallack
HER Written by Spike Jonze
NEBRASKA Written by Bob Nelson
Twitch Pick
Spike Jonze, Her
I'm still gobsmacked that the Coen Brothers were not nominated for Inside Llewyn Davis. That's my favorite script of the year. But since they were left off the list, for me it comes down to Nebraska and Her. And though Bob Nelson's screenplay is wonderfully episodic and flavorful, my vote is for Spike Jonze, who takes Her to places both wonderful and tragic, and develops the story in a manner that feels organic yet oddly other-worldly. It has a quality that is rare, a haunting poignance that feeds the entire movie.
Actual Winner
Spike Jonze, Her. (!!!)