8. George Clooney and Grant Heslov - The Monuments Men
The Academy is partial to action/adventure capers rooted in some historic truth. We saw this last year with Ben Affleck's Argo taking the Academy's top prize, but even before the CIA exfiltration flick tickled the Academy's fancy, the Oscars had set the precedent of welcoming films that spice up history a bit. From Mel Gibson's Braveheart to Warren Beatty's Reds, these epic films directed by actors-turned-"visionaries" have the undeniable glossiness that attracts Hollywood insiders like flies to ointment but are steeped in just enough historical "truth" as to assure the consciously-minded among them that they are voting for something sufficiently weighty as to be of some great importance. Given this irrefutable historic trend within the Academy (and especially considering both Mr. Clooney and Mr. Heslov are coming off Oscar victories as producers of the aforementioned Argo), you can understand why many Oscar prognosticators are so high on the chances of The Monuments Men. Based on a book by Robert M. Edsel, The Monuments Men tells the true story of how art historians and museum curators successfully managed to save priceless works of art from the nefarious clutches of the Nazi war machine. If this synopsis isn't enough to make the typical Hollywoodian salivate, surely the all-star cast attached to the film, including George Clooney himself, Matt Damon, Cate Blanchett, Bill Murray, John Goodman, and Jean Dujardin (Academy Award-winning actor of The Artist) will have them drooling. The multi-hyphenated Clooney (who may very well have the opportunity to win a slew of Oscars this year, for a few different movies) has actually already been recognized in this category before. In fact, just two short years ago, both he and his writing/producing partner Grant Heslov both received nominations in this category for adapting the play Farragut North into the movie The Ides of March. The dynamic duo also managed a nomination in Best Adapted Screenplay's sister category, Best Original Screenplay, for their screenplay based on Edward R. Murrow's battle with infamous Red-baiting Wisconsin Senator Joseph McCarthy in the film Good Night, and Good Luck. The Writer's branch has then firmly established that they consider the two as genuine colleagues, and not a bunch a privileged Hollywood darlings posing as scribes. This obviously plays well for the film's chances in this category, but the one thing that has me ever so slightly apprehensive over the film's Oscar odds (and this is in general, not simply for Best Adapted Screenplay), is that so soon after Argo, The Monuments Men may give off a "sloppy seconds" vibe that could prevent the Academy from embracing the film as unreservedly as they might otherwise. Now, given the current state of cinema and Hollywood's utter disdain for originality, my trepidation over the film's awards prospects are almost certainly unfounded, but surely there are a few lost souls in the film industry who are uncomfortable with the vapidity of the formulaic? Right? Right?!