New York Magazine’s Vulture blog has some fascinating interviews with the screenwriters behind some of the year’s best films, “Fruitvale Station,” “Inside Llewyn Davis,” “Philomena,” “The Butler,” “Iron Man 3,” “12 Years a Slave,” “Before Midnight,” “The Spectacular Now,” “Saving Mr. Banks,” “Enough Said,” and “Gravity.” Each was asked to describe the toughest scene to write. Some of the choices are what you might expect — the fight scene in “Before Midnight,” Martin’s delivering the sad news in “Philomena,” the meeting with the alcoholic father that is a turning point in “The Spectacular Now,” the twist about the Ben Kingsley character in “Iron Man 3.” The way that the writers frame the problem and consider the options is fascinating. It is also fascinating to see some unexpected choices like the selection of the audition song in “Inside Llewyn Davis” or the scene with the two slave women having an unexpectedly civilized cup of tea in “12 Years a Slave.” The fact that those scenes are so fully organic that they do not seem to have been difficult is proof of the talent of these superb writers.
Some of these screenplays appear on the new list of Writers Guild nominees:
ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
American Hustle, Written by Eric Warren Singer and David O. Russell; Columbia Pictures
Blue Jasmine, Written by Woody Allen; Sony Pictures Classics
Dallas Buyers Club, Written by Craig Borten & Melisa Wallack; Focus Features
Her, Written by Spike Jonze; Warner Bros.![before midnight](https://www.beliefnet.com/columnists/moviemom/files/2013/05/before-midnight.jpeg)
Nebraska, Written by Bob Nelson; Paramount Pictures
ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
August: Osage County, Screenplay by Tracy Letts; Based on his play; The Weinstein Company
Before Midnight, Written by Richard Linklater & Julie Delpy & Ethan Hawke; Based on characters created by Richard Linklater & Kim Krizan; Sony Classics
Captain Phillips, Screenplay by Billy Ray; Based on the book A Captain’s Duty: Somali Pirates, Navy SEALS, and Dangerous Days at Seaby Richard Phillips with Stephan Talty; Columbia Pictures
Lone Survivor, Written by Peter Berg; Based on the book by Marcus Lutrell with Patrick Robinson; Universal Pictures
The Wolf of Wall Street, Screenplay by Terence Winter; Based on the book by Jordan Belfort; Paramount Pictures
DOCUMENTARY SCREENPLAY
Dirty Wars, Written by Jeremy Scahill & David Riker; Sundance Selects
Herblock – The Black & The White, Written by Sara Lukinson & Michael Stevens; The Stevens Company
No Place on Earth, Written by Janet Tobias & Paul Laikin; Magnolia Pictures
Stories We Tell, Written by Sarah Polley; Roadside Attractions
We Steal Secrets: The Story of Wikileaks; Written by Alex Gibney; Focus Features