The Nominations: Best Original Screenplay
“Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)” Written by Alejandro G. Iñárritu, Nicolás Giacobone, Alexander Dinelaris, Jr. & Armando Bo
“Boyhood” Written by Richard Linklater
“Foxcatcher” Written by E. Max Frye and Dan Futterman
“The Grand Budapest Hotel” Screenplay by Wes Anderson; Story by Wes Anderson & Hugo Guinness
“Nightcrawler” Written by Dan Gilroy
Shoulda Been a Contender: Ruben Ostlund for “Force Majeure”
Sure, it’s certainly not in English, but Ostlund’s superbly written Force Majeure would have been more than welcome here (sadly, he was locked out of the more realistic aim for subtitled films in the Best Foreign Language category).
Should Win: Alejandro G. Iñárritu, Nicolás Giacobone, Alexander Dinelaris, Jr. & Armando Bo for “Birdman”
Hands down, this belongs to the Birdman team.
Could Win: E. Max Frye and Dan Futterman for “Foxcatcher”
Futterman was last nominated as screenwriter for Miller’s Capote, and with Foxcatcher neglecting to secure the necessary hype in other categories, we could see it win here.
Will Win: Wes Anderson for “The Grand Budapest Hotel”
It’s Anderson’s third time at bat for Best Original Screenplay, and without a win. This lost at the Golden Globes, won the BAFTA and more importantly, the WGA award. We easily see Anderson taking the gold, like Spike Jonze did the year before.
