We Hereby Officially Name Today "Best Original Screenplay Birthday Day"
Wednesday, September 24, 2014 at 6:30PM 
Pedro holding up a copy of his "Bad Education" screenplayToday's Useless Trivia! Not one, not two, not three, but FOUR Oscar nominated writers of contemporary cinema share this birthday: Nia Vardalos (My Big Fat Greek Wedding), Pedro Almodóvar (Talk To Her), Brad Bird (Ratatouille, The Incredibles), and John Logan (Gladiator, The Aviator). Only Pedro has won for writing (though Bird is also a multiple Oscar-winner) but it's a neat and weird coincidence, yes?
TWO QUESTIONS
What's your favorite Almodóvar screenplay (besides Talk To Her that is which rightfully scooped up the Oscar)?
Do you think Brad Bird deserved to win Original Screenplay in his years at bat (2004 and 2007)
P.S. You guessed it: This year's Oscar Chart Updates for Best Screenplay, Original and Adapted are now available.
Reader Comments (15)
All About My Mother and Women On The Verge.
Women on the Verge. Hands down one of the greatest screenplays (and films) ever written.
Kika is another of my favorites and gets better with each viewing.
Bird is a tough one. He wrote great films but lost to great films. I would say try again.
Script-wise, I would say The Skin I Live In because of its intricate approach to storytelling and the motivations of its central characters. My all-time favorite film of Pedro's is All About My Mother though I would often say its title in Espanol which is Todo Sobre Mi Madre.
I'd forgotten what a fun category 2007 original screenplay was! I'd give it to Bird, though - Ratatouille is my #1 Pixar - but there isn't a loser in the bunch.
Choosing a favorite Almodovar script is a task I'm just not up to. I just watched Tie Me Up, so it's freshest in my mind, and it's pretty wonderful on the script level.
A) The Skin I Lived In - just a fiendishly well plotted movie.
B) No. Eternal Sunshine was just too awesome and I disliked Ratatouille.
-Women.
-Not in 2004. I haven't seen Ratatouille yet (yes, I'm that kind of person), but Juno was hard to beat out.
I hope you are correct about the Original Screenplay line-up, that looks pretty amazing (I haven't seen 3 of them, but I have high hopes).
My very favorite Almodovar is Talk to Her but since you ruled that out, I think I'd have to go with Volver, which I really love for its celebration of family relationships among women.
You may accuse me of chauvinism, but Pedro should totally have been nominated for Volver , definitely one of my favorites of his.
Dude. Original Screenplay. The Interview. I would think that, at the very least, that's more of a "because you never know" than the fairly toxically reviewed The Judge.
Also: Really on Men, Women and Children at slot 10? Some of those reviews out of TIFF on Men, Women and Children were ALSO toxic as crap.
80's La Ley del Deseo
90's Todo Sobre mi Madre
00's Hable con Ella
He has one masterpiece in every decade since his breakthrough, even his "lesser" films have something interesting or remarkable. Love him!
My favorite Almodóvar screenplay is Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down, but I'm not a completist when it comes to his filmography (must remedy soon). I gather, talking to people who are more familiar with his work, that I might change my mind if I see Kika or High Heels, which are the two big ones I have not yet seen.
It's difficult to argue against Eternal Sunshine rightfully winning that 2004 Original Screenplay Oscar. I'll be gracious and say that Brad Bird was far and away my runner-up in a race that had such a clear favorite for me. I'm just so fond of The Incredibles. It's my favorite Pixar film. It's just so smart and inventive without being pandering to anyone. I can't imagine voting for the other three. Even Vera Drake, which I love as a movie...I always feel weird about the prospect of handing Mike Leigh writing awards given what we know about his process.
I'm not as crazy about Ratatouille as I am about The Incredibles, but I think it's due a re-watch. 2007 was a very strong screenplay slate at the Oscars that year (strong slate of nominees period). Were I voting today, I think I'd probably vote for The Savages, to my great surprise. My reaction upon initially seeing it back in '07 was kind of tepid, but it's grown so much in my estimation. I think I was initially put off by what an "ugly" movie it is...ugly in terms of character, even by indie dramedy standards. I'd have voted for Laura Linney for Best Actress as well.
Hmm....La Ley del Deseo, Volver or Los abrazos rotos.
Besides Talk to Her (my favourite script of that decade)? Probably Volver. Though depending on mood, it could also be All About My Mother, or maybe even Bad Education. What an amazing period Almodovar had between 1999 and 2006.
And how unsettling is it that he shares a birthday with Nia Vardalos?!
Besides Talk to Her? Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown.
Not in 2004, but in 2007, quite possibly.
Damn, but this got me thinking. Flower of my Secret, High Heels, Law of Desire.......Everyone one of them is special. Matador...........Carne trémula
Genius.