Babel

The nominees: Guillermo Arriaga

Previous nominations: First

Other notable previous work: Amores perros and 21 Grams (both directed by Babel director Alejandro González Iñárritu) and The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada.

Guillermo has done better in both Amores perros and 21 Grams. But his work here is solid and he was already very deserving of the honor.

Letters from Iwo Jima

The nominees: Iris Yamashita and Paul Haggis (Haggis only wrote the story, not the actual screenplay)

Previous nominations: Haggis was nominated for his screenplays for Million Dollar Baby and Crash, winning for the later.

Other notable previous work: This is Iris first produced movie. Haggis is the writer of Million Dollar Baby , Casino Royale, Flags of Our Fathers and Crash, having directed the later.

Beautiful screenplay that manages to deal with many issues not always found in war movies, and to approach in an original manner some that have been explored many times before.

Little Miss Sunshine

The nominees: Michael Arndt

Previous nominations: First produced screenplay.

Other notable previous work: Hmmmmm, no.

Much like the movie, a hit and miss screenplay with a strong ending.

Pan’s Labyrinth

The nominees: Guillermo del Toro

Previous nominations: No.

Other notable previous work: The Devil’s Backbone and Hellboy, both of which he directed and wrote and Blade II, which he just directed.

Perhaps the most original screenplay of the bunch, mixing fantasy and a very tough reality.

The Queen

The nominees: Peter Morgan

Previous nominations: First timer.

Other notable previous work: Also wrote the screenplay for The Last King of Scotland .

I’m not sure how he did this, imagining the private lives of very public figures. The screenplay hits a couple of false notes, but generally pulls it off brilliantly.

Who will win: I’m going to go out on a limb and say Peter Morgan, even though Michael Arndt is considered the favorite. But really, it wouldn’t be much of a surprise for any of the nominees to take it.

Who I wish would win: I like all the nominees in this category, but I think Peter Morgan and del Toro did work that was a little above that of the others.