Oscar Nominees: Best Original Screenplay

My predictions: 4/5, picking “The Master” over “Flight”
My ballot: Come back next week!
The nominees: Amour, Django Unchained, Flight, Moonrise Kingdom, Zero Dark Thirty

This category is solid, though it sleeps like a slap in the face to omit Paul Thomas Anderson, whose “The Master” scored a respectable three acting nominations and nothing else. It’s also melancholy to think that this is the only place that “Moonrise Kingdom” got mentioned, since it could easily have snatched the unclaimed tenth Best Picture slot. This is the only acknowledgement of “Flight” aside from its star Denzel Washington. The other three films are nominated for Best Picture, and one is up for Best Director, but it’s not the one you think. Check back later today for Best Director analysis – it’s just nuts. Otherwise, this is definitely a good list, though I’d swap out “Django Unchained” for “The Master” in an instant.

My current bet to win: Who knows now because of snubs in other categories? I’ll go with Zero Dark Thirty anyway.