Of course, even though only ten films made our Best Screenplay picks, we also loved some other films that just didn’t get enough votes to be on the top ten. Two of those films happen to have had first-place votes, so let’s talk about them first: Date Night and I Love You, Philip Morris. While Date Night didn’t have a lot of overall votes, its two first-place votes vault it high enough into honorable mention. Putting Steve Carell and Tina Fey in a romantic comedy together is enough of a gimme that they’re able to elevate the film by being so charming with each other. I Love You, Philip Morris has a completely different romance, between Jim Carrey and Ewan McGregor. Their performances and the caustic, satiric script have been lauded since the film opened this past December, even if most people haven’t had a chance to check it out.

Among our other screenplays for honorable mention, almost all are up for one Oscar or more. From The Kids Are All Right to The Town to How To Train Your Dragon, we loved some of these awards hopefuls; just not everyone did. All of those films have great attributes (I’d say the performances in the former two and the animation in the latter are their best qualities), but the scripts have champions here. Our last three honorable mention picks are all bleak in one way or another. Four Lions, a little-seen satire from British comedian Chris Morris, is a political satire, but by telling a story about would-be terrorists, it’s hard not to see the dark side behind the laughter. Rabbit Hole and Blue Valentine, on the other hand, are as sad as possible. The former tells of how a couple deal with the aftermath of their child being killed, while the latter shows a relationship in bloom and in its final throes in graphic detail. The female leads from both films — Nicole Kidman and Michelle Williams — have been nominated for Oscars, but the scripts, while impressive, got no recognition. Yet another reason for us to create the Calvins. We’re giving recognition for the films that get no love from the Oscars.

The Calvins Introduction
Best Actor
Best Actress
Best Album
Best Cast
Best Character
Best Director
Best Overlooked Film
Best Picture
Best Scene
Best Screenplay
Best Supporting Actor
Best Supporting Actress
Best TV Show
Best Use of Music
Best Videogame
Breakthrough Performance
Worst Performance
Worst Picture

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