6. Richard Linklater, Julie Delpy, and Ethan Hawke - Before Midnight
It's not often that "three-quels" get major Oscar attention outside the inevitable technical awards such as Best Visual Effects and Best Sound Mixing, but it is not totally unprecedented. Toy Story 3 managed a Best Adapted Screenplay nomination (along with a Best Picture nomination) back in 2010, and The Godfather Part III, despite massively paling in comparison to its preeminent predecessors, somehow engineered a Best Picture nomination for itself in 1990 (although the film did not receive an accompanying writing nomination). Even so, these are clearly exceptions to the rule, and I wouldn't hold my breath for any of you Marvel fanatics hoping for a Best Adapted Screenplay nomination for Iron Man 3. However, I do expect the nightcap of a trilogy may receive a Best Adapted Screenplay nomination this year. Before Midnight, the third and (I believe) final act in Richard Linklater's "Before" series (the other two being Before Sunrise (1995) and Before Sunset (2004)), has been receiving rave reviews since its debut at Sundance. In particular, Oscar pundits from all corners of the world wide web have been speculating on the film's relatively strong chances in the Best Adapted Screenplay category. This soothsaying is hardly an example of of wishful thinking or the internet, yet again, talking out of its ass, because the Academy has already declared the series nomination worthy in its writing with a Best Adapted Screenplay nomination for the middle child of the series, Before Sunset. While that film didn't take the award home, it cracked a lineup that included three Best Picture nominees (Million Dollar Baby, Sideways, and Finding Neverland), so it was a pretty impressive feat. Even detractors of "the lowest grossing trilogy in history of motion pictures", as the films' star Ethan Hawke declared it, have to admit that if nothing else, the series has been an interesting exercise in writing, seeing as the series is essentially an elongated conversation between two people. The key question for Before Midnight's Oscar chances in the writing category comes down to whether or not the film will get squeezed out by bigger, more sexier films that will undoubtedly be popping up in many additional categories. Unlike the four previously mentioned films in this article, Before Midnight will most likely not figure into 2014's Best Picture race, which is an obvious drawback for the film. However, the Writer's branch more than any other branch in the Academy has shown a penchant for going its own way, which is why I am cautiously optimistic that Before Midnight will sneak into this year's Best Adapted Screenplay lineup.