Noah Oppenheim’s taut script for Kathryn Bigelow’s “A House of Dynamite” leads in Round 1; Dave Karger calls it “a sure thing” and Glenn Whipp says, “It’s an ingenious construction; controlled, yet unrelenting. You might not sleep after seeing this movie.”
Ryan Coogler, who has proved a master of making genre specimens his own, gets strong support for “Sinners”: “The indie darling-turned-franchise hitmaker can craft everything from horror to period piece, crowd pleaser to prestige,” writes Amy Nicholson. “This script is proof of his genre expertise — and love.” Robert Daniels calls it a “sticky, sexy and sweaty vampire movie that doubles as an ode to Southern blues” and praises the filmmaker for his “sheer willingness to take such narrative and tonal risks.”
Karger adds that the top contenders aren’t all American: “The writers branch could also make room for this year’s winner and runner-up at Cannes: Jafar Panahi’s ‘It Was Just an Accident’ and Joachim Trier’s ‘Sentimental Value.’ ”
Best adapted screenplay | Best international feature