I'm a little behind but before I catch up let me vent a little on a pet peeve I have had almost as long as the sixty odd years I have been watching movies. The voting members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences know very little about motion picture arts and sciences. For example, this year they nominated Logan for best adapted screenplay. Flashback to my impressions:
Allgorhythm said:Logan (2017)
7.5/10
Would have given it an 8 but there was just a little too much profanity. It's as if the writers were being paid by the word and thought it was easier to throw in four letter words than put any thought into the dialog. Given the bleak setting, some profanity was to be expected and would have added to the atmosphere. However, its use in the movie was just unimaginative.
On the positive side, Dafne Keen as Laura was remarkable which is particularly noteworthy given the stellar cast. The movie overall was great and it is unfortunate that the dialog was not better written.
I liked Logan as you can see above. Logan was a great movie in spite of the screenplay. If you take away the profanity there's not much left in the way of substantive dialog or plot. Anyone who knows anything about cinema, drama, or literature would have given the screenplay an F minus. Of course, no one would accuse any of the voting members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences of knowing anything about cinema, literature, or drama.
Before Logan, no super hero movie had been nominated for best adapted screenplay. Some super hero movies were deserving of a nomination. Avengers comes to mind. Well received at both the box office and with the critics this is what Rotten Tomatoes had to say:
Thanks to a script that emphasizes its heroes' humanity and a wealth of superpowered set pieces, The Avengers lives up to its hype and raises the bar for Marvel at the movies.
link hiddenAvengers had a large cast of larger than life super heroes portrayed by exceptional actors and actresses. The special effects were exceptional. You would expect the story to, at least, take a back seat if not be completely overwhelmed by the personalities of the characters and by the special effects.
Nevertheless, Joss Whedon orchestrates a phenomenal narrative that captivates audiences with its dramatic intensity and plot reversals as it works its way to a satisfying crescendo. He weaves the superheroes back stories into action to differentiate them from each other and give them greater depth of character. He also uses the back stories as dramatic devices to allow audiences to recover from one climactic scene and prepare them for the next. The movie is a cinematic roller coaster where each peak is higher and more exciting than the one that preceded it.
Had Avengers been nominated for best adapted screenplay, it might not have won. There were other great movies during 2012. Avengers could understandably have lost to Silver Linings Playbook (nominated but did not win) or to Les Misérables (not nominated for its screenplay but nominated for best picture that it did not win). What movie did win best screenplay in 2012? Considering that none of the voting members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences of know anything about cinema, literature, or drama; the 2012 best adapted screenplay winner is not surprising--Argo.
Argo was an entertaining film that had some great acting. However, its entire plot was revealed in the previews. It certainly should never have been nominated for best adapted screenplay especially when exceptional adapted screenplays like Les Misérables and Avengers were snubbed.
Of the nominees for best adapted screenplay in 2012, Argo was the worst. Nobody should even have considered nominating it. In 2018, nobody should have considered nominating Logan for best adapted screenplay. Yet, the rocket scientists comprising the voting members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences decided to include it in the list of nominees. As I said earlier, I liked the movie. However, as I also said earlier, anyone who knows anything about cinema, drama, or literature would have given the screenplay an F minus. Since the voting members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences are not burdened by knowledge of cinema, drama, or literature and appear to be completely lacking in intellect; it is very likely that Logan will win in the category for best adapted screenplay.
End of rant.