The Swan Soars at the Indie Spirt Awards

Black Swan flew high over the Independent Spirit Awards taking home 4 awards including Best Picture, Director (Darren Aronofsky), Actress (Natalie Portman~ who now seems almost unstoppable at tomorrow’s Oscars) and Cinematography. James Franco picked up the award for Best Actor for his wonderful and harrowing work in 127 Hours while Dale Dickey and John Hawkes won in the supporting categories for their fantastic work in Winter’s Bone. Take a look at all the winner’s below for the kudosfest which honors the best in low-budget (under $20 million) independently produced films.

2011 INDEPENDENT SPIRIT AWARD WINNERS

Best Feature: Black Swan

Best Director: Darren Aronofsky, Black Swan

Best Screenplay: Stuart Blumberg, Lisa Cholodenko, The Kids Are All Right

Best Male Lead: James Franco, 127 Hours

Best Supporting Male: John Hawkes, Winter’s Bone

Best Female Lead: Natalie Portman, Black Swan

Best Supporting Female: Dale Dickey, Winter’s Bone

Best Cinematography: Matthew Libatique, Black Swan

Robert Altman Award: Please Give (given to director Nicole Holofcener, casting director Jeanne McCarthy and the ensemble cast)

Best First Screenplay: Lena Dunham, Tiny Furniture

Best First Feature: Get Low (award given to the director, Aaron Schneider, and producers David Gundlach and Dean Zanuck)

Best Documentary: Exit Through The Gift Shop (the award goes to the director, but reclusive street artist Banksy reportedly sent “Mr. Brainwash” to accept the honor in his stead)

Best Foreign Film: The King’s Speech (award given to the director, Tom Hooper)

John Cassavetes Award (best feature made for under $500,000): Daddy Longlegs (written and directed by Benny Safdie and Josh Safdie and produced by Casey Neistat and Tom Scott)

Piaget Producers Award: Anish Savjani, Meek’s Cutoff

Someone To Watch Award: Mike Ott, Littlerock

Truer Than Fiction Award: Jeff Maimberg, Marwencol

The Rite rules another Weak Weekend

It was another lackluster weekend at the box office that saw two films open to middling results continuing the downward trend at the movies for 3 months now. Opening in first was Anthony Hopkins new thriller The Rite with $ 15 million while Jason Statham’s latest action film, The Mechanic, landed in 3rd with $11.5 million. With no new blockbusters hitting theatres, last week’s chart topper No Strings Attached held well only dropping 30% and several films got some nice box office boosts due to their Oscar nominations, most notably The King’s Speech, Blue Valentine, True Grit and 127 Hours. Take a look at the new top ten below and for all your chart needs, head to Box Office Mojo here.

TW LW Title (click to view) Studio Weekend Gross % Change Theater Count / Change Average Total Gross Budget* Week #
1 N The Rite WB (NL) $15,005,000 – 2,985 – $5,027 $15,005,000 $37 1
2 1 No Strings Attached Par. $13,650,000 -30.5% 3,022 +4 $4,517 $39,742,000 $25 2
3 N The Mechanic CBS $11,500,000 – 2,703 – $4,255 $11,500,000 – 1
4 2 The Green Hornet Sony $11,500,000 -34.9% 3,524 -60 $3,263 $78,800,000 $120 3
5 4 The King’s Speech Wein. $11,102,000 +41.3% 2,557 +877 $4,342 $72,217,000 $15 10
6 5 True Grit Par. $7,600,000 +3.7% 3,120 -344 $2,436 $148,388,000 $38 6
7 3 The Dilemma Uni. $5,476,000 -39.9% 2,901 -42 $1,888 $40,634,000 $70 3
8 6 Black Swan FoxS $5,100,000 -13.1% 2,315 -92 $2,203 $90,704,000 $13 9
9 8 The Fighter Par. $4,055,000 -2.6% 1,914 -361 $2,119 $78,373,000 $25 8
10 9 Yogi Bear WB $3,165,000 -17.1% 2,133 -377 $1,484 $92,507,000 $80 7

My Top 20 Movies of 2010!

So, you saw all my reviews and posts about the movies I saw in 2010 and now, it’s finally here… Yes, it’s my list of the Top 20 best films of the past year. There’s some crowd pleasers (Toy Story 3, Harry Potter, Inception), some tiny indies (Rabbit Hole, Blue Valentine) and even a couple of documentaries (Waiting for Superman, Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work). Take a look at my list of the best and 5 of the worst below and let me know what your favorites of the past year were too.

MY TOP 20 MOVIES 2010:
1. The King’s Speech
2. The Social Network
3. Inception
4. The Kids are Alright
5. Toy Story 3
6. 127 Hours
7. Rabbit Hole
8. How to Train Your Dragon
9. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Pt. 1
10. The Fighter
11. Winter’s Bone
12. Blue Valentine
13. Waiting for Superman
14. The Town
15. I Love You Phillip Morris
16. Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work
17. Tangled
18. Conviction
19. Made in Dagenham
20. Easy A

Honorable Mention: Get Low

Favorite Guilty Pleasure: Burlesque

Most Overrated Movie of the Year: Black Swan

Worst 5 Movies I saw in 2011:
1. TIE:  Hereafter/ MacGruber
2. Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time
3. Wolfman
4. Alice in Wonderland
5. The Other Guys

The Kids are Alright and Winter’s Bone lead the Indie Spirit Noms

This morning, the ladies led the way at the Independent Spirit Award nominations as two films by female directors,The Kids are Alright and Winter’s Bone, grabbed the most nominations. Lisa Cholodenko’s Kids nabbed 5 nods including Picture, Director, Actress (Annette Bening) and Supporting Actor (Mark Ruffalo) while Winter’s netted 7 honors including Picture, Director (Debra Granik), Actress (Jennifer Lawrence), Supporting Actor (John Hawkes) and Supporting Actress (Dale Dickey). Other films with multiple noms included 127 Hours with 3 (Picture, Director, Lead Actor-Jame Franco), Black Swan with 4 (Picture, Director, Cinematography and Lead Actress- Natalie Portman), Greenberg with 4 (Picture, Director, Lead Actor- Ben Stiller, Lead Actress- Greta Gerwig) and Rabbit Hole with 4 (Director, Screenplay, Lead Actor- Aaron Eckhart, Lead Actress- Nicole Kidman).
Some notable snubs, that may affect their Oscar prospects, included Robert Duvall (Get Low), Keira Knightley and Carey Mulligan (Never Let Me Go), Julianne Moore (The Kids are Alright), Ryan Gosling (Blue Valentine), Jim Carrey (I Love You Phillip Morris) and Diane Weist (Rabbit Hole)…. Also, note Oscar front-runner The King’s Speech was only eligible in the Foreign Film category (where it was nomm’d) because it was not an American production. Take a look at the full nominee list below and watch for the winners when they’re announced at the Independent Spirit Awards on Feb. 26, 2011

BEST FEATURE

127 Hours
Black Swan
Greenberg
The Kids Are All Right
Winter’s Bone

BEST DIRECTOR

Darren Aronofsky, Black Swan
Danny Boyle, 127 Hours
Lisa Cholodenko, The Kids Are All Right
Debra Granik, Winter’s Bone
John Cameron Mitchell, Rabbit Hole

BEST MALE LEAD

Ronald Bronstein, Daddy Longlegs
Aaron Eckhart, Rabbit Hole
James Franco, 127 Hours
John C. Reilly, Cyrus
Ben Stiller, Greenberg

BEST FEMALE LEAD

Annette Bening, The Kids Are All Right
Greta Gerwig, Greenberg
Nicole Kidman, Rabbit Hole
Jennifer Lawrence, Winter’s Bone
Natalie Portman, Black Swan
Michelle Williams, Blue Valentine

BEST SUPPORTING MALE

John Hawkes, Winter’s Bone
Samuel L. Jackson, Mother and Child
Bill Murray, Get Low
John Ortiz, Jack Goes Boating
Mark Ruffalo, The Kids Are All Right

BEST SUPPORTING FEMALE

Ashley Bell, The Last Exorcism
Dale Dickey, Winter’s Bone
Allison Janney, Life During Wartime
Daphne Rubin-Vega, Jack Goes Boating
Naomi Watts, Mother and Child

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

Adam Kimmel, Never Let Me Go
Matthew Libatique, Black Swan
Jody Lee Lipes, Tiny Furniture
Michael McDonough, Winter’s Bone
Harris Savides, Greenberg

BEST DOCUMENTARY

Exit Through the Gift Shop
Marwencol
Restrepo
Sweetgrass
Thunder Soul

BEST FOREIGN FILM

Kisses
Mademoiselle Chambon
Of Gods and Men
The King’s Speech
Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives

BEST SCREENPLAY

Stuart Blumberg, Lisa Cholodenko, The Kids Are All Right
Debra Granik, Anne Rosellini, Winter’s Bone
Nicole Holofcener, Please Give
David Lindsay-Abaire, Rabbit Hole
Todd Solondz, Life During Wartime

BEST FIRST FEATURE

Everything Strange and New
Get Low
Night Catches Us
The Last Exorcism
Tiny Furniture

BEST FIRST SCREENPLAY

Diane Bell, Obselidia
Lena Dunham, Tiny Furniture
Nik Fackler, Lovely, Still
Bob Glaudini, Jack Goes Boating
Dana Adam Shapiro, Evan M. Wiener, Monogamy

JOHN CASSAVETES AWARD

Daddy Longlegs
Lbs.
Lovers of Hate
Obselidia
The Exploding Girl

ACURA SOMEONE TO WATCH AWARD

Hossein Keshavarz, Dog Sweat
Laurel Nakadate, The Wolf Knife
Mike Ott, Littlerock

PIAGET PRODUCERS AWARD

In-Ah Lee, Au Revoir Taipei
Adele Romanski, The Myth of the American Sleepover
Anish Savjani, Meek’s Cutoff

AVEENO® TRUER THAN FICTION AWARD

Ilisa Barbash, Lucien Castaing-Taylor, Sweetgrass
Jeff Malmberg, Marwencol
Lynn True, Nelson Walker, Summer Pasture

ROBERT ALTMAN AWARD

Please Give
Director: Nicole Holofcener
Casting Director: Jeanne McCarthy
Ensemble Cast: Ann Guilbert, Rebecca Hall, Catherine Keener, Amanda Peet, Oliver Platt, Lois Smith, Sarah Steele

My still really Early November Oscar Predictions.

So, last month, I gave you my first predictions for this year’s Oscar race. And while many of the films out front are still there (The King’s Speech, The Social Network), a few are falling (Secretariat, Black Swan) and others are gaining steam (Winter’s Bone). With that said, here are my November predictions and I’ve ranked them according to their likelihood of getting nominated (plus their change since the last rank). Check back in the coming weeks as the Critics choices and the Golden Globe nominees are announced and the race really takes shape.

My Still Really Early November Oscar Predictions

Best Picture
1. The Social Network (-)
2. The King’s Speech (-)
3. The Kids Are Alright (+1)
4. Inception (-1)
5. Toy Story 3 (-)
6. 127 Hours (-)
7. Winter’s Bone (new)
8. Rabbit Hole (+1)
9. Another Year (new)
10. The Fighter (-2)

~in contention: The Town, True Grit, How to Train Your Dragon

Best Director:
1. David Fincher, The Social Network (-)
2. Christopher Nolan, Inception (-)
3. Danny Boyle, 127 Hours (+1)
4. Tom Hooper, The King’s Speech (-1)
5. Lisa Cholodenko, The Kids are Alright (-)

In Contention: The Coen Brothers (True Grit), Debra Granik (Winter’s Bone), Mike Leigh (Another Year)

Best Actor:
1. Colin Firth, The King’s Speech (-)
2. James Franco, 127 Hours (-)
3. Javier Bardem, Biutiful (new)
4. Jesse Eisenberg, The Social Network (-1)
5. Ryan Gosling, Blue Valentine (-1)

In contention: Jeff Bridges (True Grit), Leonardo DiCaprio (Inception), Aaron Eckhart (Rabbit Hole)

Best Actress:
1. Annette Bening, The Kids are Alright (-)
2. Natalie Portman, Black Swan (-)
3. Nicole Kidman, Rabbit Hole (-)
4. Jennifer Lawrence, Winter’s Bone (new)
5. Julianne Moore, The Kids are Alright (-1)

In contention: Lesley Manville (Another Year), Halle Berry (Frankie & Alice), Gwyneth Paltrow (Country Strong), Michelle Williams (Blue Valentine)

Best Supporting Actor:
1. Geoffrey Rush, The King’s Speech (+1)
2. Christian Bale, The Fighter (-1)
3. Mark Ruffalo, The Kids are Alright (+2)
4. Andrew Garfield, The Social Network (-1)
5. Sam Rockwell, Conviction (new)

In contention: John Hawkes (Winter’s Bone), Jeremy Renner (The Town), Matt Damon (True Grit)

Best Supporting Actress:
1. Melissa Leo, The Fighter (+3)
2. Helena Bonham Carter, The King’s Speech (-1)
3. Amy Adams, The Fighter (-1)
4. Dianne Weist, Rabbit Hole (new)
5. Marion Cottillard, Inception (-2)

In Contention: Mila Kunis (Black Swan), Jackie Weaver (Animal Kingdom), Juliette Lewis (Conviction), Miranda Richardson (Made in Dagenham)

Best Original Screenplay:
1. The King’s Speech (+2)
2. The Kids are Alright (-1)
3. Inception (-1)
4. Another Year (+1)
5. How Do You Know? (new)

Best Adapted Screenplay:
1. The Social Network (-)
2. Winter’s Bone (+2)
3. Toy Story 3 (-1)
4. Rabbit Hole (-1)
5. 127 Hours (-)

Megamind leads a Big Box Office Weekend

On the first big box office weekend of the fall, three new films all met expectations with good openings that could foreshadow a strong holiday season. Opening on top was the latest 3D cartoon from Paramount/Dreamworks, Megamind, which took in $ 47.6 million (on par with this spring’s brilliant P/DW toon How to Train Your Dragon). Boasting big star power with Brad Pitt, Will Ferrell, Tina Fey and Jonah Hill, this one should be the big family choice for several weeks til Harry Potter comes to town. Opening in second was the new comedy from The Hangover director Todd Phillips, Due Date, starring Robert Downey Jr. and Zach Galifinakis which netted $33.5 million. While that’s a nice start, it will be interesting to see how it plays out in the coming weeks as word of mouth isn’t so good on this one. Tyler Perry’s latest, For Colored Girls, was next in line grabbing a standard $20 million opening. The film starring a bevy of talented African-American actresses including Oscar nominee Janet Jackson, Oscar winner Whoopi Goldberg, Thandie Newton and Anika Noni Rose didn’t cross over to audience outside of Perry’s usual core group. However, the film is hoping to be an awards player (especially for its performances, most notably Kimberly Elise) which could help it reach a bigger audience in the future. Two other big awards contenders opened strongly in limited release as well. Fair Game with Naomi Watts and Sean Penn grabbed $700,000 in only 46 theatres while James Franco’s star turn in 127 Hours grabbed a huge $66,500 per screen average in just four theatres. (That was the second biggest per screen average for a limited release this year following Oscar bait The Kids are Alright). And still showing good legs were Red and Secretariat while last week’s chart topper Saw 3D plummeted the expected 64%. For all your box office needs, head to Box Office Mojo here. And check out the weekend top ten below.

TW LW Title (click to view) Studio Weekend Gross % Change Theater Count / Change Average Total Gross Budget* Week #
1 N Megamind P/DW $47,650,000 – 3,944 – $12,082 $47,650,000 $130 1
2 N Due Date WB $33,500,000 – 3,355 – $9,985 $33,500,000 $65 1
3 N For Colored Girls LGF $20,100,000 – 2,127 – $9,450 $20,100,000 $21 1
4 3 Red Sum. $8,858,000 -17.4% 3,229 -120 $2,743 $71,871,000 $58 4
5 1 Saw 3D LGF $8,200,000 -63.6% 2,808 – $2,920 $38,801,000 $20 2
6 2 Paranormal Activity 2 Par. $7,298,000 -55.8% 3,168 -71 $2,304 $77,224,000 $3 3
7 4 Jackass 3-D Par. $5,097,000 -40.1% 2,165 -974 $2,354 $110,814,000 $20 4
8 5 Hereafter WB $4,020,000 -37.4% 2,365 -59 $1,700 $28,730,000 $50 4
9 6 Secretariat BV $4,002,000 -20.1% 2,614 -494 $1,531 $50,965,000 $35 5
10 7 The Social Network Sony $3,600,000 -20.3% 1,860 -907 $1,935 $85,047,000 $50 6

James Franco is not a Drag.

James Franco is just an enigma. He’s an incredible actor with Oscar buzz for 127 Hours and great reviews for his role as gay beat poet Allen Ginsberg in Howl. He’s also a filmmaker, writer, artist, student and all around crazy guy. Now, he’s getting in touch with his feminine side. Take a look at James in drag below in a photo shoot he did for Candy magazine … and then see his classically handsome mug below… Seriously, he can pull off both looks! I guess we shouldn’t be surprised. This is a guy at home playing James Dean or a pot smoking criminal in Pineapple Express or a psycho on a soap (General Hospital). James may be in drag in this picture, but he’s certainly not a drag!

James Franco before….

And After….

My Ridiculously Early October Oscar Predictions

The fall movies are here and it’s about to be my favorite time of year: Awards season! Yes, I’m a bit obsessed with entertainment awards from the Emmys to the Tonys, Grammys and of course the biggie the Oscars. And with each of those kudofests, I like to hand out my predictions of who will be nominated and who will win. This year, I’m starting the Oscar race rather early with my first ridiculously early October Oscar nomination predictions. Now, what that means is these predictions will likely change as more films are released, get critical acclaim, buzz and box office. It is a race after all. However, I’m pretty confident in several of my pics thus far (Inception, The King’s Speech, The Social Network, The Kids Are Alright). So, take a look as I rank who I think is most likely to be nominated in the Big 8 categories. Also, check back at the beginning of November and December for monthly updates as we get closer to the actual nominations. Enjoy awards lovers!

My Ridiculously Early October Oscar Predictions (ranked in order of likelihood of nomination)

Best Picture:
1. The Social Network
2. The King’s Speech
3. Inception
4. The Kids are Alright
5. Toy Story 3
6. 127 Hours
7. The Town
8. The Fighter
9. Rabbit Hole
10. Secretariat

~In the running: How to Train Your Dragon, Another Year, Black Swan

Best Director
1. David Fincher (The Social Network)
2. Christopher Nolan (Inception)
3. Tom Hooper (The King’s Speech)
4. Danny Boyle (127 Hours)
5. Lisa Colodenko (The Kids are Alright)

~In the running: Darren Aronofsky (Black Swan), David O’Russell (The Fighter), Ben Affleck (The Town)

Best Actor
1. Colin Firth (The King’s Speech)
2. James Franco (127 Hours)
3. Jesse Eisenberg (The Social Network)
4. Ryan Gosling  (Blue Valentine)
5. Jim Carrey (I Love You Phillip Morris)

~in the running: Leonardo Dicaprio (Inception), Javier Bardem (Biutiful), Jeff Bridges (True Grit)

Best Actress:
1. Annette Bening (The Kids are Alright)
2. Natalie Portman (Black Swan)
3. Nicole Kidman (Rabbit Hole)
4. Julianne Moore (The Kids are Alright)
5. Diane Lane (Secretariat)

~In the running: Hilary Swank (Conviction), Michelle Williams (Blue Valentine), Jennifer Lawrence (Winter’s Bone), Anne Hathaway (Love & Other Drugs)

Best Supporting Actor:
1. Christian Bale (The Fighter)
2. Geoffrey Rush (The King’s Speech)
3. Andrew Garfield (The Social Network)
4. Jeremy Renner (The Town)
5. Mark Ruffalo (The Kids Are Alright)

~In the running: Justin Timberlake (The Social Network), Aaron Eckhart (Rabbit Hole), Sam Rockwell (Conviction), John Malkovich (Secretariat)

Best Supporting Actress:
1. Helena Bonham Carter (The King’s Speech)
2. Amy Adams (The Fighter)
3. Marion Cottillard (Inception)
4. Melissa Leo (The Fighter)
5. Lesley Manvilee (Another Year)

~In the running: Keira Knightley (Never Let Me Go), Dianne Weist (Rabbit Hole), Jackie Weaver (Animal Kingdom), Loretta Devine (For Colored Girls…)

Best Original Screenplay:
1. The Kids are Alright
2. Inception
3. The King’s Speech
4. Black Swan
5. Another Year

Best Adapted Screenplay:
1. The Social Network
2. Toy Story 3
3. Rabbit Hole
4. Winter’s Bone
5. 127 Hours

James Franco~ A double Oscar contender?

James Franco is one of the most fascinating actors working in the biz today. He’s an actor, filmmaker, novelist and soap star (did you see his recent stint as a loony tunes killer on General Hospital?) He’s extremely talented, wildly unpredictable, massively intelligent and, let’s face it, kinda weird. He’s been nominated for SAG and Emmy Awards and won a Golden Globe for playing James Dean. Now, he might even find himself in the Oscar race for two upcoming roles. The actor, who was sadly snubbed by the Academy for his brilliant work in Milk, stars first in the upcoming introspective biopic docudrama Howl about beat poet Allen Ginsberg and the obscenity case surrounding his poem “Howl”. The film co starring Jon Hamm, Mary Louise Parker, David Strathairn, Jeff Daniels, Treat Williams and Broadway stud Aaron Tveit (Next to Normal) played to raves at Sundance and Outfest and having seen it, I can tell you Franco is brilliant. However, he may top himself with his performance in director Danny Boyle’s follow-up to his Oscar-winning Slumdog Millionaire, the drama 127 Hours. Here, Franco plays a real life mountain climber, Aron Ralston, who became trapped under a boulder and went to extreme measures to save himself after being trapped for 127 hours. (Email me if you want to know just what those extreme measures are. Let me tell ya it’s a bloody good story!). With this performance Franco will explore the depths of fear, despair and the sheer force of will to survive and I’m betting under Boyle’s expert tutelage it will be an amazing portrayal in a great film. Check out a taste of the film which also features Emmy and Golden Globe nominee Amber Tamblyn (Joan of Arcadia) and Kate Mara (Brokeback Mountain) below. And for more on Howl, click here.

127 Hours trailer