All are first-time nominees in this category.
Like far too many Academy voters, I’m unqualified to vote in this category. I hate reading scripts, I haven’t read/seen any of the source material, and I haven’t yet seen In The Loop (I thought I had when the nominations came out, then realized I hadn’t).
Still, I voted with my heart instead of my head, and voted for District 9, just because I’d LOVE to see it win something.
For me, it’s a toss up between In the Loop and Up in the Air, but I have to go with In the Loop for dialogue alone. I realize there is more to a script than just dialogue (I am your typical film school grad who calls themselves a writer), but the insults alone in this movie deserve some type of award so why not an oscar.
Why would you have to read the scripts? You just have to watch the movies.
I voted for An Education. Nick Hornby’s an impressive writer. I enjoy his novels, too. Though I do find his (small c) conservative messages a little dreary. Every one of his works screams CONFORM!
Though not in the lead, I’m gratified that I wasn’t the only one to vote for In the Loop, certainly not completely satisfying, but still tightly constructed with acres of meaty words for actors to dig into. And as long as the Academy was going to pick a sci-fi script to honor, I’m glad they chose the right one.
Between this vote and the Best Picture poll, there seem to be very few Precious fans on the SD.
bump
I voted for Up in the Air, because I want it to win something. I liked District 9 a lot, but I thought UitA was better.