comment #1

Noah says ...

We must take down Michael Arndt, he's cashing in on his oscar nom by doing Toy Story 3. If we're taking down Eddie Murphy for Dreamgirls because he's doing Norbit, then it only makes sense. Fair is fair. Oh wait, that's right, Michael Arndt is Wells' buddy so he would never stick to his "morals".

comment #2

erniesouchak says ...

Why would The Departed beat Little Children or Children of Men (Wells' favorite!) Departed was far worse than the work it was adapted from.

comment #3

gruver1 says ...

Wells to Noah: I hear what you're saying, but Michael Arndt has been living a Spartan lifestyle and struggling hard for years -- I think it's okay to take a paycheck job with that kind of background.

comment #4

MASON says ...

Cashing in on Toy Story 3? Comparing it to Norbit? Get a clue. Toy Story 1 and 2 may not be your thing, but they were both really well written movies. Nominated for academy awards in fact.

comment #5

Noah says ...

Yes, Mason and we all know that Academy Award Nomination = Good movie every single time, right? The Toy Story movies are good, fun animated films, but do you mean to tell me that you think Michael Arndt took the job for writing the third one because he just couldn't resist the material? Because Toy Story 3 was in his heart and his soul? Please, he took it for the money. It's not even an argument against the quality of the Toy Story movies, it's the motivation for why Michael Arndt would write the third one. And the motivation is clearly $$$.

comment #6

MASON says ...

Ardnt has been working at Pixar for months now -- it's a dream gig for many writers because you almost only deal with creative types and not execs who only think they're creative. Maybe Toy Story 3 isn't his "passion project", but the first two were very smart and fun -- and very well respected by most WGA members. Arndt can certainly look at himself in the mirror when he's working TS3, that's for sure. And then he can write his "passion project" on spec because studios aren't exactly developing tons of them nowadays.

comment #7

EDouglas says ...

I wouldn't count those chickens for LMS just yet... it's going up against Peter Morgan's screenplay for The Queen which is a far superior script. The only thing that LMS has in its favor is that the WGA is notoriously anti-foreigner whereas the Academy has often honored foreigners for their writing.

comment #8

Noah says ...

Look, you can color it any way that you want to. It might be a great work environment and he might produce a piece of entertainment that will not make him want to kill himself. BUT, it is still a job taken solely for the purpose of making money. I'm not saying this is even a bad thing. I'm just saying it's the same thing as Eddie Murphy making Norbit after Dreamgirls. I get that we all got bills to pay, but Norbit and Toy Story 3 are both jobs taken for the money. Maybe Norbit was a dream set to be on for Eddie Murphy just as Pixar is a great place to work for Arndt. It doesn't change the fact that it's all about the benjamins, not the art.

comment #9

MASON says ...

Agree to disagree, but to me there's a big difference between Toy Story 3 and Norbit. And I'm a huge Eddie Murphy fan.

comment #10

Noah says ...

I'm not comparing the movies though, Mason. I'm comparing the motivation for taking the job. But, let's call the whole thing off, no hard feelings.

comment #11

bipedalist says ...

I agree with Ed - don't count out The Queen for two reasons. 1) their publicity team is on it. 2) that script has won everything so far, save the Critics Choice, which picked LMS. This a group that went for Gosford Park for screenplay; I think there's a really strong chance The Queen takes it. Then again, it will probably be LMS, despite its weak last act.

comment #12

jeffmcm says ...

And weak first act.

comment #13

dixiedugan says ...

I enjoy the Bafta Awards!

comment #14

bipedalist says ...

I actually switched my prediction after re-watching Little Miss Sunshine this evening. I think it's going to win because probably more people saw it and connected with it than they they did The Queen. Doesn't seem possible it can lose. The WGA aren't critics.

comment #15

EDouglas says ...

I would think that the WGA would pick a screenplay based on what's on the printed page, and having read both scripts, the Queen is much better writing all around and that's all that matters, not that it 'connects"... these aren't overly emotional actors. (Writers tend to have more in common with critics than any other guild.) Also, maybe more people saw Little Miss Sunshine (so far) but most people saw it months ago whereas more people are seeing The Queen right now.

Completely changing topic, I think that Forrest Whitaker's embarassing performance on SNL is going to wreck his chances at winning the Oscar. yeah, right.

comment #16

bipedalist says ...

Ed, I agree with you but I think people will feel more, ESPECIALLY writers, for LMS. Think about it - that movie, underneath it all, is a message Arndt is telling to himself about doing what he does for a living (because he was never really making a living at it for so long). Writers and artists will identify with all of those characters. The Queen is a brilliant, but very British and very subtle work. I don't know; I think I would probably vote personally for Babel. But I think LMS will win. Who knows.

comment #17

OddDuck says ...

"Maybe Norbit was a dream set to be on for Eddie Murphy just as Pixar is a great place to work for Arndt. It doesn't change the fact that it's all about the benjamins, not the art."

Of course both of these movies are being made for the money. Money is a motivating factor for 99.9% of major movies being made today. But by your logic anyone who is not making their "passion" project is on the same moral plane as the creator of Norbit. Bullshit. Every creative decision in Hollywood must to some extent balance the interests of art and commerce (and sometimes find synergies between the two), and I'd argue that the creative forces behind Norbit and TS3 go about this in diametrically opposing ways.

Put more simply, there's a difference between putting yourself out for hire on a top-notch high quality (albeit commercial) endeavor such as TS3 (admit I'm speculating based on Pixar's track record here) and making a steaming pile of shit like Norbit. And saying that the two are both "about the Benjamins" is both obvious and somewhat besides the point.

comment #18

craiged says ...

The two choices are as different as chalk and cheese.

Arndt has simply chosen to work on a high profile and commercial project for a company thats highly respected and has a good track record.

Murphy just jumped straight back in to his usual crass, couldnt give a shit mode and did the first think someone offerred him a truckload of cash for. Just a shame it didnt end up going the same way as Pluto Nash.

comment #19

pjm says ...

The WGA doesn't vote on scripts - the members are supposed to decide which film has the best script by watching each of them! No attempt is made to make the various drafts of the scripts of every eligible film available for WGA members. This always struck me as odd. Writers should read and judge scripts, not films!

comment #20

Larry says ...

Why listen to what the Writer's Guild thinks--these people nominated a non-script, Borat, for their award.