Mar
1
2005

the scribes have it

Rob suggested tonight over kabobs and tea that the screenwriting Oscar awards serve as better indicators of a given year’s best movies — moreso than the “Best Picture” award. To test that theory, here are screenplay and movie Oscar winners for the past ten years:

Year Adapted Screenplay Original Screenplay Best Picture
2004 Sideways Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind Million Dollar Baby
2003 The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King Lost in Translation The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
2002 The Pianist Talk to Her Chicago
2001 A Beautiful Mind Gosford Park A Beautiful Mind
2000 Traffic Almost Famous Gladiator
1999 The Cider House Rules American Beauty American Beauty
1998 Gods and Monsters Shakespeare in Love Shakespeare in Love
1997 L.A. Confidential Good Will Hunting Titanic
1996 Sling Blade Fargo The English Patient
1995 Sense and Sensibility The Usual Suspects Braveheart

Comparing the results against my own movie preferences, I think that theory holds some water. (Granted, most years the moviemaking world produces far more “best” movies than the ones that get recognized, so such lists can never be taken to be at all definitive. Still, fascinating.)

Posted at 12:25 AM in movies

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