It’s Katniss vs. Kristin as The Hunger Games and Bridesmaids lead the MTV Movie Award Nominations

There was some serious girl power on display with yesterday’s announcement of this year’s contenders for the MTV Movie Awards. While the usual competitor Twilight entry is in the race again as Breaking Dawn got a nod for Best Movie, the shocker was that it only got 2 nods. Instead, the female centric movies The Hunger Games and Bridesmaids each towered over the competition with 8 nods while The Help grabbed 4 and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo grabbed 3. The other big nominee was the final Harry Potter film which landed in 6 races. Take a look at all the nominees below and I have to say MTV has picked a much better crop with these contenders than in most of the past decade. For more on the show which takes place on June 3 and to vote, head to MTV.com here.

2012 MTV Movie Award Nominees

Movie of the Year
“Bridesmaids”
“The Hunger Games”
“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2″
“The Help”
“The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1″

Best Male Performance
Daniel Radcliffe, “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2″
Ryan Gosling, “Drive”
Joseph Gordon-Levitt, “50/50″
Josh Hutcherson, “The Hunger Games”
Channing Tatum, “The Vow”

Best Female Performance
Jennifer Lawrence, “The Hunger Games”
Kristin Wiig, “Bridesmaids”
Emma Stone, “Crazy, Stupid, Love”
Emma Watson, “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2″
Rooney Mara, “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo”

Best Comedic Performance
Melissa McCarthy, “Bridesmaids”
Kristen Wiig, “Bridesmaids”
Zach Galifianakis, “The Hangover Part II”
Jonah Hill, “21 Jump Street”
Oliver Cooper, “Project X”

Breakthrough Performance
Melissa McCarthy, “Bridesmaids”
Rooney Mara, “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo”
Liam Hemsworth, “The Hunger Games”
Elle Fanning, “Super 8″
Shailene Woodley, “The Descendants”

Best Cast
“Bridesmaids”
“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2″
“The Hunger Games”
“21 Jump Street”
“The Help”

Best On-Screen Transformation
Elizabeth Banks, “The Hunger Games”
Rooney Mara, “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo”
Johnny Depp, “21 Jump Street”
Michelle Williams, “My Week With Marilyn”
Colin Farrell, “Horrible Bosses”

Best Fight
Daniel Radcliffe vs. Ralph Fiennes, “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2″
Jennifer Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson vs. Alexander Ludwig, “The Hunger Games”
Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill vs. Kid Gang, “21 Jump Street”
Tom Hardy vs. Joel Edgerton, “Warrior”
Tom Cruise vs. Michelle Nyqvist, “Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol”

Best Kiss
Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone, “Crazy, Stupid, Love”
Rupert Grint and Emma Watson, “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2″
Jennifer Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson, “The Hunger Games”
Rachel McAdams and Channing Tatum, “The Vow”
Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart, “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1″

Best Gut-Wrenching Performance
“Bridesmaids” (Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph, Rose Byrne, Melissa McCarthy, Wendi McClendon-Covey and Ellie Kemper)
“The Help” (Bryce Dallas Howard)
“21 Jump Street” (Jonah Hill and Rob Riggle)
“Drive” (Ryan Gosling)
“Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol” (Tom Cruise)

Best On-Screen Dirt Bag
Bryce Dallas Howard, “The Help”
Jon Hamm, “Bridesmaids”
Jennifer Aniston, “Horrible Bosses”
Colin Farrell, “Horrible Bosses”
Oliver Cooper, “Project X”

Best Music
“Party Rock Anthem,” LMFAO (“21 Jump Street”)
“A Real Hero,” College with Electric Youth (“Drive”)
“The Devil Is in the Details,” Chemical Brothers (“Hanna”)
“Impossible,” Figurine (“Like Crazy”)
“Pursuit of Happiness,” Kid Cudi (Steve Aoki remix) (“Project X”)

A Few Thoughts on today’s Oscar Nominations…

This morning Oscar nominee Jennifer Lawrence (Winter’s Bone) announced this year’s contenders and as always we saw the front runners like The Artist and Hugo grab headlines. However, we also saw some shocking snubs and some interesting inclusions. I already posted the full nominee list, so let’s take a look at a few thoughts I have on those who will be contending for this year’s Oscar.

Favorite Nomination: Melissa McCarthy (Bridesmaids)… I was so happy to see her included in this hilarious film. She gave a wonderfully hysterical performance that had way more layers than you might expect. Comedy needs more representation at the Oscars, so this is a nice start. (Also kudos to Kristin Wiig and her Oscar nominated script for the film).

Best Surprise: Rooney Mara and all the love for The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. This fantastic film nabbed 5 nods in total. I just wish it was up for Best Pic and Director (David Fincher).
Biggest Snub: Michael Fassbender (Shame)… apparently his great performance may have been overlooked by his hot nekkid body? Or he cancelled himself out with other great turns in A Dangerous Method and Jane Eyre.

Other Big Snubs:
Leonardo DiCaprio (J. Edgar)… looks like academy members really didn’t like this film, which is a shame because Leo was great
Armie Hammer (J. Edgar)
Tilda Swinton (We Need to Talk About Kevin)… another film that may have been too dark and unlikable to get it’s great star a nod.
Albert Brooks (Drive)
Drive in all other categories (except sound)
Charlize Theron, Patton Oswalt and Young Adult… apparently this acerbic dark comedy just didn’t resonate with Oscar voters. I’m sad, cuz it was a good flick.
Steven Spielberg (War Horse) for Director
Andy Serkis (Rise of the Planet of the Apes) and Alan Rickman (Harry Potter) both proved its hard to get nominated for big popcorn action films… oh and motion capture performances may never get nominated.
Elizabeth Olsen and Martha Marcy May Marlene… this great indie introduced us to a major acting star in Olsen and still got bupkiss
50/50 and Joseph Gordon Levitt… another great indie that should’ve gotten some love
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Pt. 2 in all big categories…. why oh why couldn’t this amazing franchise ever pull out a Best Pic nom? Especially when the final installment was clearly one of the best films of the year.

More Snubs: Shailene Woodley (The Descendants), Vanessa Redgrave (Coriolanus), Ryan Gosling (Drive, The Ides of March), The Adventures of Tin Tin (in Animated film), Carey Mulligan (Shame), the casts of The Ides of March and Midnight in Paris, Beginners for Screenplay and Director (Mike Mills)

~ And a Big Boo to the voters for dissing The Help for Screenplay, Score, Song, Costume Design and Director… That wonderful film should’ve had 9 noms, not just 4.

~While I’m complaining, I just have to say yuck to all the nods for The Tree of Life. Oy vey!

Other nice inclusions:
~Demian Bichir (A Better Life)… this wonderful performance in this small indie broke through with a SAG nod and he made the list today. I’m thrilled.
~Gary Oldman (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy)… can you believe this is his first nomination? I just wish it was for a better film.
~Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close and Max Von Sydow... I’m so happy one of my fave films of the year finally got some love. And I was kinda shocked to see it among the 9 nominees for Best Picture.
~Moneyball grabbed more noms that The Descendants, hehe….
~W.E. got into costume design. Yes, a film by Madonna got an Oscar nod. (I just wish her Golden Globe winning song “Masterpiece” had been eligible)

Speaking of Best Song….
What the heck is wrong with that category? By having a ridiculously difficult rule of the songs needing to rate 8.5 or higher by the music branch (out of 10), only 2 songs made the cut… And the one from The Muppets wasn’t even the best song from that film…
Look at all the snubbed songs that should’ve gotten mentioned:
“Life’s a Happy Song” (The Muppets)
“Pictures in My Head” (The Muppets)
“Bridge of Light” (Happy Feet 2) by P!nk
“Hello Hello” (Gnomeo & Juliet) by Elton John
“The Living Proof” (The Help) by Mary J. Blige
“Lay Down Your Head” (Albert Nobbs) by Glenn Close, etc

So, there are just a few thoughts for you… Now, let’s see who is gonna win… I’d say The Artist is still out in front despite Hugo landing the most noms…. I still have hope for The Help too.. and Meryl better win… With that said, what are your favorite noms? And who is the worst snub? Sound off below and watch for more on the Oscars in the weeks ahead.

My Current Obsession~ the Music from “Drive”

I finally caught up with one of the best, most innovative, surprising and simply awesome films of the year this week, Drive. I am kicking myself for not having seen it when it hit theaters in September because it’s just fantastic. This film starring Ryan Gosling (who’s reaped Critics Choice and Independent Spirit Award nominations for his performance) as a stunt driver who gets wrapped up in the dark crime underworld of LA got raves from critics when it was released. However, it only did so so at the box office. That’s unfortunate because it’s one of the best films of 2012. Carey Mulligan is wonderful as the woman Gosling chooses to protect from some scary circumstances and Golden Globe/Independent Spirit/Critics Choice nominee Albert Brooks is stunning as an evil mob boss plus great turns by Emmy winner Bryan Cranston, Emmy nominee Christina Hendricks, Ron Pearlman and Oscar Isaac. The movie has brilliant direction (by Independent Spirit/Critics Choice nominee Nicholas Winding Refn), editing and cinematography and one incredible element that has also received great notice~ the music. The soundtrack and score are reminiscent of 80′s new wave classics and they will stick in your head. The music is available on iTunes and other digital outlets now and I highly recommend you get it. So, take a listen to some choice cuts from the wonderful soundtrack to the film Drive which hits dvd next month. Oh and the film gets an “A” grade by the way.

The music from Drive….

“A Real Hero”- College featuring Electric Youth

“Nightcall”- Kavinsky

“Under Your Spell”- Desire

And here’s the trailer for the best most unsung film of 2011: Drive

The Online Film Critics Love The Tree of Life and Serve up Some Serious Snubs

The Online Film Critics Society is one of the last critics organizations weigh in on their top choices of the year, but boy did they make some waves today with their nominations. The Tree of Life led the nominations with 7 bids followed by Drive with 6. Those films overshadowed the other big three contenders that seem to be leading the derby currently: The Descendants, The Artist and Hugo. But no worries, those films were mentioned. However there were a lot of big names missing from the list. Among the big snubs: everyone from The Help including Viola Davis and Octavia Spencer, plus no Glenn Close, Leonardo Dicaprio, Steven Speilberg, Ryan Gosling, Kenneth Branaugh, Bernice Bejo (The Artist), and no Brad Pitt for Moneyball. However, Brad and his costar Jessica Chastain did receive nods for Tree (Chastain has been getting most of her recognition for The Help this season). For more on the nominations and the group head to their website here and check out all the nominations below.

Best Picture:
The Artist
The Descendants
Drive
Hugo
The Tree of Life
Best Animated Feature:
The Adventures of Tintin
Arthur Christmas
Kung Fu Panda 2
Rango
Winnie the Pooh
Best Director:
Michel Hazanavicius – The Artist
Terrence Malick – The Tree of Life
Nicolas Winding Refn – Drive
Martin Scorsese – Hugo
Lars von Trier – Melancholia
Best Lead Actor:
George Clooney – The Descendants
Jean Dujardin – The Artist
Michael Fassbender – Shame
Gary Oldman – Tinker Tailor Solider Spy
Michael Shannon – Take Shelter
Best Lead Actress:
Kirsten Dunst – Melancholia
Elizabeth Olsen – Martha Marcy May Marlene
Meryl Streep – The Iron Lady
Tilda Swinton – We Need to Talk About Kevin
Michelle Williams – My Week with Marilyn
Best Supporting Actor:
Albert Brooks – Drive
John Hawkes – Martha Marcy May Marlene
Nick Nolte – Warrior
Brad Pitt – The Tree of Life
Christopher Plummer – Beginners
Best Supporting Actress:
Jessica Chastain – The Tree of Life
Melissa McCarthy – Bridesmaids
Janet McTeer - Albert Nobbs
Carey Mulligan – Shame
Shailene Woodley – The Descendants
Best Original Screenplay:
Martha Marcy May Marlene
Midnight in Paris
A Separation
The Tree of Life
Win Win
Best Adapted Screenplay:
The Descendants
Drive
Moneyball
Tinker Tailor Solider Spy
We Need to Talk About Kevin
Best Editing:
Drive
Martha Marcy May Marlene
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
The Tree of Life
We Need to Talk About Kevin
Best Cinematography:
The Artist
Drive
Hugo
Melancholia
The Tree of Life
Best Film Not in the English Language:
13 Assassins
Certified Copy
A Separation
The Skin I Live In
Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives
Best Documentary:
Cave of Forgotten Dreams
The Interrupters
Into the Abyss
Project Nim
Tabloid
Special Awards
To Jessica Chastain, the breakout performer of the year
To Martin Scorsese in honor of his work and dedication to the pursuit of film preservation

Hugo and The Artist get the Critics Choice Consensus leading the way with 11 Noms Apiece

This morning, the Oscar race really revved up with the announcement of the nominees for this year’s Broadcast Film Critics Choice Awards. The show, which airs on VH1 on January 12th, has become an even better Oscar prognosticator than the Golden Globes and it’s likely today’s nominations gave us a good idea as to what will be in the running for the Golden guy in a few weeks. Leading the way with 11 nominations apiece, including Picture and Director, are The Artist and Hugo. Coming in with 8 each were The Help and surprisingly Drive. Most of the actors and films in the running were expected but there were a few surprises and omissions…

Best Surprise nomination: Andy Serkis for Best Supporting Actor for Rise of the Planet of the Apes

Other happy nominations: the continuing love for Melissa McCarthy and the Bridesmaids ensemble… Jessica Chastain getting in for The Help over her other 400 movies this year… Patton Oswalt and Charlize Theron making the cut for Young Adult… The incredibly good list of contenders in the Young Actor field (I’m currently betting on Thomas Horn or Shailene Woodley)… 50/50 landing a screenplay nom

Biggest Snubs: No Glenn Close or Janet McTeer for Albert Nobbs. No Gary Oldman or any noms for Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. No big noms for The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. No noms for Sandra Bullock or Max Von Sydow from Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close. No Vanessa Redgrave (Coriolanus) or Woody Harrelson (Rampart) or John Hawkes (Martha Marcy May Marlene) and songs by Pink (“Bridge of Light” from Happy Feet 2) and Madonna (“Masterpiece” from W.E.) were also ignored.

But how about you check out all the nominees and let me know what you think. Take a look below and talk about your favorites in the comments as well.

2012 Critics Choice Award Nominees

BEST PICTURE
“The Artist”
“The Descendants”
“Drive”
“Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close”
“The Help”
“Hugo”
“Midnight in Paris”
“Moneyball”
“The Tree of Life”
“War Horse”

BEST ACTOR
George Clooney – “The Descendants”
Leonardo DiCaprio – “J. Edgar”
Jean Dujardin – “The Artist”
Michael Fassbender – “Shame”
Ryan Gosling – “Drive”
Brad Pitt – “Moneyball”

BEST ACTRESS
Viola Davis – “The Help”
Elizabeth Olsen – “Martha Marcy May Marlene”
Meryl Streep – “The Iron Lady”
Tilda Swinton – “We Need to Talk About Kevin”
Charlize Theron – “Young Adult”
Michelle Williams – “My Week With Marilyn”

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Kenneth Branagh – “My Week With Marilyn”
Albert Brooks – “Drive”
Nick Nolte – “Warrior”
Patton Oswalt – “Young Adult”
Christopher Plummer – “Beginners”
Andrew Serkis – “Rise of the Planet of the Apes”

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Berenice Bejo – “The Artist”
Jessica Chastain – “The Help”
Melissa McCarthy – “Bridesmaids”
Carey Mulligan – “Shame”
Octavia Spencer – “The Help”
Shailene Woodley – “The Descendants”

BEST YOUNG ACTOR/ACTRESS
Asa Butterfield – “Hugo”
Elle Fanning – “Super 8”
Thomas Horn – “Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close”
Ezra Miller – “We Need to Talk About Kevin”
Saoirse Ronan – “Hanna”
Shailene Woodley – “The Descendants”

BEST ACTING ENSEMBLE
“The Artist”
“Bridesmaids”
“The Descendants”
“The Help”
“The Ides of March”

BEST DIRECTOR
Stephen Daldry – “Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close”
Michel Hazanavicius – “The Artist”
Alexander Payne – “The Descendants”
Nicolas Winding Refn – “Drive”
Martin Scorsese – “Hugo”
Steven Spielberg – “War Horse”

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
“The Artist” – Michel Hazanavicius
“50/50” – Will Reiser
“Midnight in Paris” – Woody Allen
“Win Win” – Screenplay by Tom McCarthy, Story by Tom McCarthy & Joe Tiboni
“Young Adult” – Diablo Cody

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
“The Descendants” – Alexander Payne and Nat Faxon & Jim Rash
“Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close” – Eric Roth
“The Help” – Tate Taylor
“Hugo” – John Logan
“Moneyball” – Steven Zaillian and Aaron Sorkin, Story by Stan Chervin

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
“The Artist” – Guillaume Schiffman
“Drive” – Newton Thomas Sigel
“Hugo” – Robert Richardson
“The Tree of Life” – Emmanuel Lubezki
“War Horse” – Janusz Kaminski

BEST ART DIRECTION
“The Artist” – Production Designer: Laurence Bennett, Art Director: Gregory S.Hooper
“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2” – Production Designer: Stuart Craig, Set Decorator: Stephenie McMillan
“Hugo” – Production Designer: Dante Ferretti, Set Decorator: Francesca Lo Schiavo
“The Tree of Life” – Production Designer: Jack Fisk, Art Director: David Crank
“War Horse” – Production Designer: Rick Carter, Set Decorator: Lee Sandales

BEST EDITING
“The Artist” – Michel Hazanavicius and Anne-Sophie Bion
“Drive” – Matthew Newman
“The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo” – Kirk Baxter and Angus Wall
“Hugo” – Thelma Schoonmaker
“War Horse” – Michael Kahn

BEST COSTUME DESIGN
“The Artist” – Mark Bridges
“The Help” – Sharen Davis
“Hugo” – Sandy Powell
“Jane Eyre” – Michael O’Connor
“My Week With Marilyn” – Jill Taylor

BEST MAKEUP
“Albert Nobbs”
“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2″
“The Iron Lady”
“J. Edgar”
“My Week With Marilyn”

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2″
“Hugo”
“Rise of the Planet of the Apes”
“Super 8″
“The Tree of Life”

BEST SOUND
“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2″
“Hugo”
“Super 8″
“The Tree of Life”
“War Horse”

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
“The Adventures of Tintin”
“Arthur Christmas”
“Kung Fu Panda 2″
“Puss in Boots”
“Rango”

BEST ACTION MOVIE
“Drive”
“Fast Five”
“Hanna”
“Rise of the Planet of the Apes”
“Super 8″

BEST COMEDY
“Bridesmaids”
“Crazy, Stupid, Love”
“Horrible Bosses”
“Midnight in Paris”
“The Muppets”

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
“In Darkness”
“Le Havre”
“A Separation”
“The Skin I Live In”
“Where Do We Go Now”

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
“Buck”
“Cave of Forgotten Dreams”
“George Harrison: Living in the Material World”
“Page One: Inside the New York Times”
“Project Nim”
“Undefeated”

BEST SONG
“Hello Hello” – performed by Elton John and Lady Gaga/written by Elton John and Bernie Taupin – “Gnomeo & Juliet”
“Life’s a Happy Song” – performed by Jason Segel, Amy Adams and Walter/written by Bret McKenzie – “The Muppets”

“Man or Muppet” – performed by Jason Segel and Walter/written by Bret McKenzie – “The Muppets”
“Pictures in My Head” – performed by Kermit and the Muppets/written by Jeannie Lurie, Aris Archontis and Chen Neeman – “The Muppets”
“The Living Proof”- performed by Mary J. Blige, written by Mary J. Blige, Harvey Mason Jr. & Thomas Newman

BEST SCORE
“The Artist” – Ludovic Bource
“Drive” – Cliff Martinez
“The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo” – Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross
“Hugo” – Howard Shore
“War Horse” – John Williams

Brad, Michelle and The Artist wow the Boston Critics

We really have a big Oscar race on our hands. With each critics group announcements, we are getting a big variety of winners making for one heck of an awards derby. Yesterday the Boston Society of Film Critics heralded their choices which included The Artist, Brad Pitt, Michelle Williams, Albert Brooks and Melissa McCarthy (yay, that’s two wins for the Bridesmaids star!). Check out all the winners below including the cast of Carnage who won their first big kudo for Best Ensemble.

Boston Society of Film Critics Award Winners:

Best Picture
The Artist

Best Actor
Brad Pitt, Moneyball

Best Actress
Michelle Williams, My Week with Marilyn

Best Supporting Actor
Albert Brooks, Drive

Best Supporting Actress
Melissa McCarthy, Bridesmaids

Best Director
Martin Scorsese, Hugo

Best Screenplay
Steven Zaillian, Aaron Sorkin and Stan Chervin, Moneyball

Best Cinematography
Emmanuel Lubezki, The Tree of Life

Best Documentary
Project Nim

Best Foreign-Language Film
Incendies

Best Animated Film
Rango

Best Film Editing
Christian Marclay, The Clock
(awarded in memory of Karen Schmeer)

Best New Filmmaker
Sean Durkin, Martha Marcy May Marlene
(awarded in memory of David Brudnoy)

Best Ensemble Cast
Carnage   (John C. Riley, Jodie Foster, Christoph Waltz, Kate Winslet)

Best Use of Music in a Film
Tie: Drive and The Artist

The Artist and Take Shelter face off at the Independent Spirit Awards

The award races are coming fast and furious today as the Independent Spirit Award nominations were announced this morning (after last night’s Gotham Awards and this afternoon’s NYC Critic’s Choice winners announcement). Leading the way are the big Oscar contender The Artist and the little dramatic film Take Shelter with 5 nominations apiece. Just behind with 4 bids are Drive, Martha Marcy May Marlene, Beginners and The Descendants. Interestingly, the star of The Descendants and supposed Oscar front-runner George Clooney was snubbed as were other likely contenders Glenn Close (Albert Nobbs) and Woody Allen (Midnight in Paris). Take a look at all the nominees below and head to the Indie Spirit website here for more info on the show which honors the best in independent cinema (and films made in America for less than $20 million~ hence The Tree of Life was not eligible). Watch for the trophies to be handed out in early February the day before the Oscars.

2012 Independent Spirit Award Nominees:

Best Feature
The Artist
Beginners
The Descendants
Drive
50/50
Take Shelter

Best Female Lead
Lauren Ambrose, Think of Me
Rachael Harris, Natural Selection
Adepero Oduye, Pariah
Elizabeth Olsen, Martha Marcy May Marlene
Michelle Williams, My Week With Marilyn

Best Male Lead
Demián Bichir, A Better Life
Jean Dujardin, The Artist
Ryan Gosling, Drive
Woody Harrelson, Rampart
Michael Shannon, Take Shelter

Best Supporting Female
Jessica Chastain, Take Shelter
Anjelica Huston, 50/50
Janet McTeer, Albert Nobbs
Harmony Santana, Gun Hill Road
Shailene Woodley, The Descendants

Best Supporting Male
Albert Brooks, Drive
John Hawkes, Martha Marcy May Marlene
Christopher Plummer, Beginners
John C. Reilly, Cedar Rapids
Corey Stoll, Midnight in Paris

Best Director
Michel Hazanavicius, The Artist 
Mike Mills, Beginners
Jeff Nichols, Take Shelter
Alexander Payne, The Descendants
Nicolas Winding Refn, Drive

Best Screenplay
Michel Hazanavicius, The Artist
Mike Mills, Beginners
Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon, Jim Rash, The Descendants
Joseph Cedar, Footnote
Tom McCarthy, Win Win

Best First Screenplay
Mike Cahill & Brit Marling, Another Earth
Phil Johnston, Cedar Rapids
Will Reiser, 50/50
J.C. Chandor, Margin Call
Patrick deWitt, Terri

Best First Feature
Another Earth
In the Family
Margin Call
Martha Marcy May Marlene
Natural Selection

John Cassavetes Award (for features under $500,000)
Bellflower
Circumstance
The Dynamiter
Hello Lonesome
Pariah

Best Documentary
An African Election
Bill Cunningham New York
The Interrupters
The Redemption of General Butt Naked
We Were Here

Best Cinematography
The Artist
Bellflower
The Dynamiter
Midnight in Paris
The Off Hours

Best International Film
The Kid With A Bike
Melancholia
A Separation
Shame
Tyrannosaur

Robert Altman Award (for ensemble cast): Margin Call

Piaget Producers Award
Chad Burris, Mosquita y Mari
Sophia Lin, Take Shelter
Josh Mond, Martha Marcy May Marlene

~And now a list of the big names that were snubbed by today’s nominees….

Indie Spirit Snubs~
Best Actor race: George Clooney (The Descendants), Joseph Gordon Levitt (50/50)
Best Actress: Glenn Close (Albert Nobbs), Tilda Swinton (We Need to Talk About Kevin), Felicity Jones (Like Crazy)… the last two films may have been inelligible~ I’ll have to check
Supporting Actor: Kenneth Branaugh (My Week with Marilyn)
Supporting Actress: Bernice Bejo (The Artist), Kim Wayans (Pariah), Robin Wright (Rampart)
Screenplay: Woody Allen (Midnight in Paris)
Director: Woody Allen (Midnight in Paris)
Picture: Midnight in Paris

The Lion eats up SJP and Ryan Gosling at the Box Office

Never underestimate the bite of a big furry cat. That’s what Ryan Gosling, Sarah Jessica Parker and Alexander Skarsgaard found out this weekend as the rerelease of The Lion King ate up all the competition at the box office with a big $29.3 million. For a movie that’s like 17 years old and available everywhere, that’s pretty amazing. Granted it’s a brilliant film and now it’s in 3D!.. So, just how did those stars fare against Simba and friends? Well, the sexiest man on Earth, Gosling did the best with his incredibly well reviewed action drama Drive which took in an ok $11 million. It may have legs in the weeks ahead because of those critical notices and strong audience reaction. The same can’t be said for Parker who had her biggest bomb to date with I Don’t Know How She Does It limping into sixth place with $4.5 million. Just barely beating it was the new take on Straw Dogs featuring the True Blood hunk alongside James Marsden and Kate Bosworth which took in a sad $ 5 million. Watch for both to hit dvd in a minute or two. Holding up well were The Help, Contagion and The Debt. For more on the numbers, head to Box Office Mojo here and check out the new top ten below.

TW LW Title (click to view) Studio Weekend Gross % Change Theater Count / Change Average Total Gross Budget* Week #
1 N The Lion King (in 3D) BV $29,300,000 – 2,330 – $12,575 $29,300,000 – 1
2 1 Contagion WB $14,480,000 -35.4% 3,222 – $4,494 $44,192,000 $60 2
3 N Drive (2011) FD $11,019,000 – 2,886 – $3,818 $11,019,000 – 1
4 2 The Help BV $6,438,000 -27.9% 3,014 +79 $2,136 $147,365,000 $25 6
5 N Straw Dogs (2011) SGem $5,000,000 – 2,408 – $2,076 $5,000,000 – 1
6 N I Don’t Know How She Does It Wein. $4,502,000 – 2,476 – $1,818 $4,502,000 – 1
7 4 The Debt Focus $2,945,897 -38.3% 1,831 -43 $1,609 $26,543,546 $20 3
8 3 Warrior LGF $2,770,000 -47.2% 1,883 +14 $1,471 $9,912,000 $25 2
9 6 Rise of the Planet of the Apes Fox $2,625,000 -32.5% 2,340 -547 $1,122 $171,618,000 $93 7
10 5 Colombiana TriS $2,300,000 -41.7% 1,933 -421 $1,190 $33,347,000 $40 4