1. Woody Allen - Blue Jasmine2. Bob Nelson - Nebraska3. David O. Russell and Eric Singer - American Hustle4. Craig Borten and Melisa Wallack - Dallas Buyers Club5. Ethan and Joel Coen - Inside Llewyn Davis(Alt: Spike Jonze - Her) This category is stacked with big name writers and films that have a lot of passionate support, which makes predicting the nominees very difficult. The one prediction that would seem the safest is Woody Allen for Blue Jasmine. Allen, nominated for an astounding 15 writing nominations from the Academy (more than any other writer in Academy history), wrote what many believe is his most substantial screenplay in some time, so given that Allen receives Oscar nominations for even some of his middling efforts, its almost inconceivable that he would miss out this year. I also am pretty confident of Nebraska's chances at a Best Original Screenplay nomination. Alexander Payne's movies have received three writing nominations (and won twice), and even though Payne didn't technically write Nebraska (that honor belongs to Bob Nelson), I'm guessing the writers will still appreciate the Payne-esque aspects of the film. American Hustle is probably a pretty safe bet as well considering what a major contender the film will be, but I'm not quite as confident as some. Eric Singer's script was pretty much rewritten from page one by David O. Russell, and much of it seemed to be decided on the set. This sort of improvised/shotgun approach is exactly something that appeals to writers, but given American Hustle's status in the season, it will probably make the cut. The last two spots are especially difficult to predict. Saving Mr. Banks was considered for a long time to be a major contender in this category, but as the film's prospects have dwindled, its odds at a screenplay nomination have slipped away. Gravity would seem like a sure thing considering that it may very well win Best Picture, but even many of the film's fans admit to the screenplay being the film's weak link, so it's likely Gravity will miss out on a screenplay nomination as did the sci-fi epic Avatar did in 2009. Subtracting these two contenders then leaves us with three possible nominees: Dallas Buyers Club, Her, Inside Llewyn Davis. On the one hand, you have two very recognizable names in Spike Jonze and the Coen Brothers. This name recognition advantage would seem to give them the advantage, but even though not many people have heard of Craig Borten and Melisa Wallack, I actually think Dallas Buyers Club is more up the writers alley. The Writer's branch typically likes personal stories, and the story of Ron Woodruff becoming an unlikely rebel in the early days of the AIDS crisis is the right mix of personal and political that it just feelslike the type of movie that gets a screenplay nomination. We are left then to choose between Spike Jonze and the Coen Brothers. It's a tough choice to make, especially considering the apparently waning awards prospects of Inside Llewyn Davis, but the Coen Brothers are five-time former nominees, while Spike Jonze just took his first stab at writing a screenplay solo. Her is also a film that relies heavily on visuals and concept to tell its story, which may be a strength of the film, but will likely be considered a detriment to the film's screenplay. For this reason, I'm going to go with the Coen Brothers getting their sixth writing nomination.
A film fanatic at a very young age, starting with the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle movies and gradually moving up to more sophisticated fare, at around the age of ten he became inexplicably obsessed with all things Oscar. With the incredibly trivial power of being able to chronologically name every Best Picture winner from memory, his lifelong goal is to see every Oscar nominated film, in every major category, in the history of the Academy Awards.
