USC Scripter Award nominations
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The authors and screenwriters of "Captain Phillips," "Philomena," "The Spectacular Now," "12 Years a Slave" and "What Maisie Knew" have been nominated for the 26th USC Libraries Scripter Award.
Unlike other feature film awards, the Scripter Award honors both the screenwriter or screenwriters of an adaptation, as well as the author on which the screenplay is based.
The nominees announced Thursday morning are:
"Captain Phillips": Billy Ray, screenwriter; Richard Phillips with Stephan Talty, authors of "A Captain's Duty: Somali Pirates, Navy SEALs, and Dangerous Days at Sea."
"Philomena": Steve Coogan and Jeff Pope, screenwriters; Martin Sixsmith, author of "The Lost Child of Philomena Lee."
"The Spectacular Now": Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber, screenwriters; Tim Tharp, author of the novel of the same name.
"12 Years a Slave": John Ridley, screenwriter; Solomon Northup, author of "Twelve Years a Slave."
"What Maisie Knew": Carroll Cartwright and Nancy Doyne, screenwriters, who adapted the novel by Henry James.
Previous Scripter winners include the screenwriters and the authors of "Argo," "The Descendants" and "No Country for Old Men." Those screenplays went on to win Academy Awards.
The 2014 Scripter selection committee was co-chaired by Naomi Foner, the Golden Globe Award-winning screenwriter, and Howard Rodman, USC professor and vice president of the Writers Guild of America, West. The committee chose the five finalists from a field of 86 eligible adaptations.
Among those serving on the committee were L.A. Times film critic Kenneth Turan, critic and historian Leonard Maltin and screenwriters Geoffrey Fletcher ("Precious"), Callie Khouri ("Thelma & Louise") and Steve Zaillian ("Schindler's List").
The USC Libraries will announce the winners at a ceremony Feb. 8 at the Edward L. Doheny Jr. Memorial Library at USC. Helen Mirren and Taylor Hackford serve as honorary dinner chairpersons.
The Times article does not mention this, but the wonderful novelist Michael Chabon (The Mysteries of Pittsburgh, The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay) was also part of the committee this year.
I am completely fine with the out-of-the-blue nomination for What Maisie Knew, a very poignant film which rather perfectly brings Henry James' story into the 21st century, particularly at the expense of the bloated and one-note Wolf of Wall Street screenplay.
A shame they did not recognize Blue Is the Warmest Color, though I know there is friction between graphic novelist Julie Maroh and director Abdellatif Kechiche. Not since The Shining has a production yielded so great a film and so much personal contempt.
