Oscar Nominees: Best Adapted Screenplay

My predictions: 4/5
My ballot: Come back in February!
The nominees: The Ballad of Buster Scruggs, BlacKkKlansman, Can You Ever Forgive Me?, If Beale Street Could Talk, A Star is Born

It’s no wonder I didn’t predict The Ballad of Buster Scruggs here – I had it in tenth place for Best Original Screenplay! I guess my research was a bit sparse, but I also never expected this anthology film from the Coen Brothers to earn three nominations. I’d argue this is the least deserved of them since the first of the segments is excellent and everything else doesn’t really compare. It’s a shame that “Black Panther” missed the cut here since it was close, and I would have loved to see either “The Death of Stalin” or “Leave No Trace.” At least If Beale Street Could Talk scored one of its just three bids here, though it really should have performed better in the technical races. Can You Ever Forgive Me? was the third of the three-nomination films honored here, placing everywhere most expected. I wasn’t sure that A Star is Born would make the cut, but it did, along with BlacKkKlansman, representing the Best Picture field in this category.

My current bet to win: I’m picking If Beale Street Could Talk since this category isn’t always connected to doing well in other races.