No one ever mentions this but I am always saddened year after year to see how "inferior" the Original Screenplays are to the Adapted Screenplays. Do novelists really write better stories than filmmakers? Is it for lack of taking risks? Almost all of the compelling and affective narratives are adaptations. Another thing of note: this year seemed to be the year of the established screenwriters and not so much one of breakouts. Steve Zaillian, Aaron Sorkin, Diablo Cody, Dustin Lance Black, John Logan, Richard Curtis, et al.

It's not that screenwriters can't write as good stories - it's just they can't sell them. Novels are pre-sold franchises - the kind of stories studios would never have bought - if they hadn't been a best-selling novel already.