The nominees for Best Original Screenplay include three war movies, a Coen Brothers film, and an animated production. Jeremy Martin says “The Hurt Locker” is the favorite over Quentin Tarantino and “Inglourious Basterds,” but he doesn’t discount the possibility of an “Up”-set.

Quentin Tarantino’s “Inglourious Basterds” is his career masterpiece, Mallory Pickard writes. She closely examines the themes of this unique film and discusses Tarantino’s choices in altering history and spelling. Pickard sees great things for the historical fiction tale on Oscar night.

Voting began this week for the Writers Guild Awards, and our Jeremy Martin has cast his ballot. Should “Avatar” really win? What about “(500) Days of Summer” or “Brothers Bloom”? Martin discusses the nominees, examines the Oscar race, and shares his vote as well.

While the Academy separates screenplay Oscars into two awards for adapted and original, the Golden Globes does no such thing, offering only five writing nominations. Jeremy Martin find this unfortunate, especially since the Globes are famous for splitting other major categories into drama and comedy.