28th annual Scripter Award ceremony has a TV twist
For the first time, this year’s event honoring adaptations of the written word includes episodic television writing
The USC Libraries have named the finalists for the 28th annual USC Libraries Scripter Award. Since 1988, the annual ceremony has honored the authors of printed works alongside the screenwriters who adapt their stories. This year, for the first time, Scripter will honor excellence in adaptation of the printed word into a television episode in addition to a feature film. The television and film finalists compete in separate categories for their own Scripter.
The finalist writers for film are in alphabetical order by film title:
Screenwriters Adam McKay and Charles Randolph for The Big Short, adapted from Michael Lewis’ nonfiction work The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine
Novelist Colm Tóibín and screenwriter Nick Hornby for Brooklyn
Screenwriter Donald Margulies for The End of the Tour, adapted from David Lipsky’s memoir “Although of Course You End Up Becoming Yourself: A Road Trip With David Foster Wallace”
Novelist Andy Weir and screenwriter Drew Goddard for The Martian
Emma Donoghue for the novel and screenplay of Room
The finalist writers for television episodes are in alphabetical order by series title:
Screenwriters David Benioff and D.B. Weiss for the episode “Hardhome” from Game of Thrones, adapted from the fantasy series “A Song of Ice and Fire” by George R. R. Martin
Damon Lindelof and Jacqueline Hoyt for the episode “Axis Mundi” from The Leftovers, based on the novel by Tom Perrotta
Frank Spotnitz for the episode “The New World” from The Man in the High Castle, based on the novel by Philip K. Dick
Michelle Ashford for the episode “Full Ten Count” from Masters of Sex, based on the biography by Thomas Maier, Masters of Sex: The Life and Times of William Masters and Virginia Johnson, the Couple Who Taught America How to Love
Screenwriters William F. Zorzi and David Simon for the miniseries Show Me a Hero, based on the nonfiction book by Lisa Belkin
Chaired by Howard Rodman, USC professor and president of the Writers Guild of America, West, the 2016 Scripter selection committee selected the finalists from a field of 73 film and 18 television adaptations.
Serving on the selection committee, among many others, are film critics Leonard Maltin, Anne Thompson and Kenneth Turan; authors Michael Chabon, Michael Ondaatje and Mona Simpson; screenwriters Graham Moore, John Ridley and Erin Cressida Wilson; producers Gale Anne Hurd and Suzanne Todd; and USC deans Elizabeth Daley of the USC School of Cinematic Arts and Catherine Quinlan of the USC Libraries.
The USC Libraries will announce the winning authors and screenwriters at a black-tie ceremony on Feb. 20, 2016, in the Doheny Memorial Library. Academy Award winners Helen Mirren and Taylor Hackford will serve as honorary dinner chairs.
For more information about the Scripter — including ticket availability, additional sponsorship opportunities and a list of sponsors — email scripter@usc.edu or visit scripter.usc.edu.
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Showing posts with label Nick Hornby. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Nick Hornby. Show all posts
Friday, January 8, 2016
Friday, January 9, 2015
USC Libraries Announce Finalists for 27th-Annual "Scripter Award"
USC LIBRARIES NAME FINALISTS FOR 27TH-ANNUAL SCRIPTER AWARD
LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The USC Libraries have named the authors and screenwriters of Gone Girl, The Imitation Game, Inherent Vice, The Theory of Everything, and Wild as finalists for the 27th-annual USC Libraries Scripter Award. Scripter honors the screenwriter or screenwriters of the year’s most accomplished cinematic adaptation as well as the author or authors of the written work upon which the screenplay is based.
The finalists are, in alphabetical order by film title:
--Gillian Flynn, author and screenwriter of Gone Girl
--For The Imitation Game, author Andrew Hodges, who wrote the book Alan Turing: The Enigma, and screenwriter Graham Moore
--Novelist Thomas Pynchon and screenwriter Paul Thomas Anderson for Inherent Vice
--Jane Hawking, author of Travelling To Infinity: My Life With Stephen, and screenwriter Anthony McCarten for The Theory of Everything
--Screenwriter Nick Hornby for Wild, adapted from Cheryl Strayed’s memoir Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail
The Friends of the USC Libraries established Scripter in 1988. Previous Scripter winners include the screenwriters and authors of 12 Years a Slave, The Social Network, A Beautiful Mind, and The English Patient.
Chaired by USC professor and vice president of the Writers Guild of America, West, Howard Rodman, the 2015 Scripter selection committee selected the five finalists from a field of 97 eligible adaptations.
Serving on the selection committee, among many others, are film critics Leonard Maltin, Anne Thompson and Kenneth Turan; authors Michael Chabon, Michael Ondaatje and Mona Simpson; screenwriters John Ridley, Erin Cressida Wilson and Steve Zaillian; and USC deans Elizabeth Daley of the School of Cinematic Arts, Madeline Puzo of the School of Dramatic Arts and Catherine Quinlan of the USC Libraries.
The studios distributing the finalist films and the publishers of the original stories are:
Gone Girl—Twentieth Century Fox and Crown Publishers
The Imitation Game—Weinstein Company and Princeton Univ. Press (film tie-in edition)
Inherent Vice—Warner Bros. and Penguin Books
The Theory of Everything—Focus Features and Alma Books
Wild—Fox Searchlight and Vintage Books (film tie-in edition)
The USC Libraries will announce the winning authors and screenwriters at a black-tie ceremony on Saturday, Jan. 31, 2015 in the historic Edward L. Doheny Jr. Memorial Library on the University Park campus of the University of Southern California. Academy Award winners Helen Mirren and Taylor Hackford will serve as honorary dinner chairs.
Celebrated mystery and crime writer Walter Mosley—the author of more than 40 books, including the Easy Rawlins series—will receive the USC Libraries Literary Achievement Award. Mosley is currently working on a Broadway version of his novel Devil in a Blue Dress, a film adaptation of which appeared in 1995, starring Denzel Washington.
Current silent auction donors and other event sponsors include Academy of Magical Arts and Ted Ushirogata, Alexander Denk, Allison Samon, American Eye Institute, Anchor Distilling Company, AOC, At Your Side Private Exercise, Bacara Resort & Spa, Badgley Mischka, Benjamin Salon, Bennett Farms, Bonny Doon Vineyard, Bouchon Bistro, Burton Morris, Carol Muske Dukes, Christine Ofiesh, Cynthia Baseman, Daryle Ann and Mark Giardino, David Lebovitz, David St. John, Faith and Flower, Flathead Lake Lodge, Fred Kayne and Terravant Wine Company, Gearys Beverly Hills, Geffen Playhouse, Glenn Sonnenberg, Gloria Kaplan, Hang Zhang, Hayley Kaplan, Hotel Del Coronado, Hotel Indigo, San Diego Del Mar, Hotel Kabuki, Howard Rodman, Jack Lindquist, Jar, Joel Prell, Jon Summers, KFK Jewelers, Kimber Modern, LACMA, Lake Arrowhead Resort and Spa, Laura Kasner, Left Brain Travel, Lisa Barkett, Lisa Dixon, Loews Regency Hotel, Los Angeles Dodgers, M. Kantor & Associates, Mark Danielewski, Mark Goldstein and Actuant Corporation, Mark Koenig, Matthew Kenney Cuisine, Maureen Furniss, Montage Hotels, Motif Seattle, Oheka Castle Hotel and Estate, New York, Oliverio at Avalon Hotel, One of A Kind Glass Designs and Patsy Dewey, Orin Swift Cellars, Osteria Mozza, Piel Skin Care, Porto Via, Pro Sup Shop, Sandra Tsing Loh, Save Our Heritage Organization (SOHO) San Diego, Seattle Seahawks, Shelley Berman, Silver King, South Beverly Grill, Stephen's Hay and Grain, Steven Travers, T.C. Boyle, Tank Town USA, The Belvedere at the Peninsula Hotel, The Kitchen For Exploring Foods, The LA Chamber Orchestra, The LA Opera, The LA Phil, The Rosenzweig Company, The St. Regis San Francisco Hotel, 20th Century Fox, The Voice, Toni Solorzano, U.S. Senator Dean Heller, USC Athletics, Vindy Lee, and Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts.
For more information about Scripter—including ticket availability, additional sponsorship opportunities, and an up-to-date list of sponsors—please email scripter@usc.edu or visit scripter.usc.edu.
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Thursday, April 17, 2014
Review: "High Fidelity" is Endearing, Refreshing (Happy B'day, Nick Hornby)
High Fidelity (2000)
Running time: 113 minutes (1 hour, 53 minutes)
MPAA – R for language and some sexuality
DIRECTOR: Stephen Frears
WRITERS: D.V. DeVincentis, Steve Pink, John Cusack, and Scott Rosenberg (based upon the book by Nick Hornby)
PRODUCERS: Tim Bevan and Rudd Simmons
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Seamus McGarvey
EDITOR: Mick Audsley
COMPOSER: Howard Shore
BAFTA Award nominee
COMEDY/DRAMA/ROMANCE
Starring: John Cusack, Iben Hejejle, Todd Louiso, Jack Black, Lisa Bonet, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Joan Cusack, Tim Robbins, Shannon Stillo, Joelle Carter, Lili Taylor, Alex Desert, and Bruce Springsteen
The subject of this movie review is High Fidelity, a 2000 comedy, drama, and romance from director Stephen Frears. The film is based on the 1995 novel, High Fidelity, from author Nick Hornby. High Fidelity focuses on a record store owner, who is a compulsive list maker, as he recounts his top five breakups, including the one that just occurred.
After seeing Identity, I decided to go back and see some John Cusack movies that I hadn’t seen. I can call them “John Cusack movies” in the sense that Cusack’s personality pretty much dominates almost any film in which he stars. He’s presence is simply quite dynamic and magnetic. When he first came on the scene, many predicted that he’d be a huge star, and for some reason, his star isn’t as big as it should be. However, few actors of his generation have a combination of tremendous acting talent and the sense about him that the camera loves. Some have one or the other, but having both is rare.
In High Fidelity, John is Rob Gordon, owner of Championship Vinyl, a record store the specializes in collectible LP’s, emphasizing vinyl over compact disc, although the store does have a selection of hip and cool cd’s. As the movie begins, his current girlfriend, Laura Lydon (Iben Hejejle) is leaving him. So Rob, the film’s very dominate character and a compulsive list maker recounts his top five breakups, all the while trying to regain Laura’s companionship.
The film is based on a novel by Nick Hornby (the film About a Boy is also from one of his novels) and co-written by four writers including Cusack. Although the film has a director with a pedigree, Stephen Frears (Dangerous Liaisons, The Grifters), and a Hollywood hotshot as one of its screenwriters Scott Rosenberg (Con Air), this is John Cusack’s show. In the beginning, the character Rob is a little hard to take. It’s easy to see why he’d have problems with women, although Rob seems to think that his problems stem from his girlfriends. Cusack builds Rob Gordon slowly, layer upon layer, before our eyes. Rob talks a lot, and quite a bit of him is a mystery, but Cusack brings us in really close. He totally breaks the mythical fourth wall between fictional character/performer and viewer, and though Rob remains something of an enigma, we learn enough about him to love him and to root for him.
There are quite a few interesting characters in the film that we don’t see more of because this is Rob’s show. They might strengthen the story, but the storytelling is still excellent solely because of Cusack’s Rob. Laura remains as elusive as Rob is, so we might need her version of High Fidelity to get her side of the relationship.
The film is funny, touching, and in its own quirky way, very romantic. The supporting performances give Cusack’s Rob room to do his thing and give us enough to make Rob’s environment beyond his musings interesting. High Fidelity could have been a disaster because in many ways, Rob ain’t going anywhere. He doesn’t have any plans, and he is unsatisfied with his life, but not enough to do something – to act, so we could have brushed him off as a loser. I didn’t because I want to hear every word he has to say. Kudos to Cusack for making Rob so endearing and this film so refreshing.
7 of 10
A-
NOTES:
2001 Golden Globes, USA: 1 nomination: “Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Comedy/Musical” (John Cusack)
2001 BAFTA Awards: 1 nominations: “Best Screenplay – Adapted” (D.V. DeVincentis, Steve Pink, John Cusack, and Scott Rosenberg)
2001 Black Reel Awards: 1 nomination: “Theatrical - Best Supporting Actress” (Lisa Bonet)
Updated: Thursday, April 17, 2014
The text is copyright © 2014 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this site for syndication rights and fees.
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Review: An Education
An Education (2009)
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: UK
Running minutes: 100 minutes (1 hour, 40 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for mature thematic material involving sexual content, and for smoking
DIRECTOR: Lone Scherfig
WRITER: Nick Hornby (from the memoir by Lynn Barber)
PRODUCERS: Finola Dwyer and Amanda Posey
CINEMATOGRAPHER: John de Borman (D.o.P.)
EDITOR: Barney Pilling
Academy Award nominee
DRAMA/ROMANCE
Starring: Carey Mulligan, Peter Sarsgaard, Alfred Molina, Cara Seymour, Dominic Cooper, Rosamund Pike, Olivia Williams, Matthew Beard, and Emma Thompson
An Education is, at the very least, an exceptional coming-of-age film because it is exceptionally well-directed and well-written, and the actors give high-quality performances. However, it is Carey Mulligan’s star-making turn that anchors An Education.
Set in England in 1961, An Education focuses on Jenny Mellor (Carey Mulligan), a bright schoolgirl who is focused on taking and passing the A-levels, the exams that could help her get into Oxford. She meets David Goldman (Peter Sarsgaard), a charming, older Jewish man, and the two begin a relationship that steadily leads to romance. David even manages to charm Jenny’s protective parents, Jack played by Alfred Molina, giving his usually fine performance, and Marjorie (Cara Seymour).
David introduces Jenny to his fast lifestyle and to his friends, Danny (Dominic Cooper) and Danny’s girlfriend, Helen (Rosamund Pike, who is so radiantly beautiful that she steals practically every scene in which she appears). Jenny becomes torn between studying for a place at Oxford and enjoying the more exciting and fun alternative lifestyle that David offers, but then, she must also confront the darker side of David’s freewheeling lifestyle.
In creating Jenny Mellor, Carey Mulligan fashioned the kind of female character that carries a drama all the way to victory. Mulligan convincingly gives Jenny that cheeky arrogance which makes high school age teens believe they know how to live a much better life than any adult they know has ever lived. Jenny is a clever girl, and Mulligan makes sure her smarts shine through every time. This is a rich, multi-layered performance that absorbs everything that An Education
is trying to convey to its audience and makes it crystal clear.Mulligan’s wonderful turn almost eclipses the exceedingly fine performance by the underrated Peter Sarsgaard as David. Sarsgaard deftly keeps David’s secrets close to him, making David act as the perfect foil for Jenny’s haughty smarts, but Sarsgaard also gives David an edge that is somehow too sweet to resist. Sarsgaard’s wonderful contribution and Mulligan’s terrific performance make An Education a coming-of-age story that will work its magic through the ages.
8 of 10
A
NOTES:
2010 Academy Awards: 3 nominations: “Best Motion Picture of the Year” (Finola Dwyer and Amanda Posey), “Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role” (Carey Mulligan), and “Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published” (Nick Hornby)
2010 BAFTA Awards: 1 win: “Best Leading Actress” (Carey Mulligan); 7 nominations: “Best Costume Design” (Odile Dicks-Mireaux), “Best Director” (Lone Scherfig), “Best Film” (Amanda Posey and Finola Dwyer), “Best Make Up & Hair” (Elizabeth Yianni-Georgiou), “Best Screenplay – Adapted” (Nick Hornby), “Best Supporting Actor” (Alfred Molina), and “Outstanding British Film” (Amanda Posey, Finola Dwyer, Lone Scherfig, and Nick Hornby)
2010 Golden Globes: 1 nominations: “Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama” (Carey Mulligan)
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
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