A Closer Look at the Best Adapted Screenplay Nominees

Closing out our dissection of the big Oscar categories, here is a look at the Best Adapted Screenplay nominees. Much like the Best Original Screenplay selections, this year's batch features an impressive and diverse group of nominees that reflect the best in bring a film's story to life. Some are vivacious with profane bliss (The Wolf of Wall Street) while others explore slaver (12 Years a Slave) and long term guilt (Philomena). It is an interesting group and while less interesting than its counterpart category, it is as open a race.

Review: "Before Midnight" Brings a Romance of 18 Years to a Beautiful, Insightful End

Left to right: Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy 

It seems improbable that a trilogy as calculated as the Before series would work in the grand scheme. Unlike most trilogies, director Richard Linklater's portrayal of lovers Jesse (Ethan Hawke) and Celine (Julie Delpy) calculates the progression of a relationship in what feels like real time. The actors have aged, and so have the characters and their thought processes and beliefs. The move to set each installment in the series nine years apart almost seems ingenious in this regard, especially with almost every film series impatiently green lighting another installment for next year. However, with Before Midnight, Linklater has done something profound for cinema. He has painted a poignant, deeply detailed analysis of romance and what it means as your priorities change.