Awkward Bedfellows - NYTimes.com It's no secret that campaigners in awards and politics have a lot in common -- staying on message and burnishing egos among their shared goals. "And just as Washington types try to shape the official record, filmmakers this season have had to defend their views of history," the Bagger writes this week. Take Mark Boal, the Oscar-nominated screenwriter of "Zero Dark Thirty," which has been the subject of intense scrutiny from senators and others for its depiction of torture. He says the criticisms have only served to bolster his convictions: "Even though a lot of people have taken runs on the film and said a lot of things, to me the script still stands."