Film Independent Spirit Awards Voting Started. Here are My Picks

Once again, the Spirit Awards has some powerful contenders this year - the mightiest being the Female Lead category and the most difficult to choose. Everything else was a pretty clear choice.

And as usual, because nitpicking comes with award nominees, there were  a few snubs. But the only thing I can’t wrap my head around is how Stephen Chbosky’s THE PERKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER got nominated for Best First Feature when he made a film called THE FOUR CORNERS OF NOWHERE, which played at the Sundance Film Festival in 1995. According to Film Independent’s guidelines, the film submitted must be at least 70 minutes long. Both THE FOUR CORNERS and PERKS are 110 minutes. I may have missed something else in my research, but this just seems odd.

If you read this blog regularly or following me on Twitter or Facebook, then you know there’s one film I’ve been very loud about: HOLY MOTORS. This is unmistakably the best International Film of the year, and Its lead, Denis Lavant, gave the best performance of the year. The film didn’t make the guidelines required for eligibility, so I’ll just complain here while I can and IT’S MY PARTY AND I’LL CRY IF I WANT TO. C’est la vie. 

Despite those nags, I do adore some of the films nominated––SMASHED, AMOUR, BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD, and SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK being a handful of them. I’m a member of the Film Independent Spirit Awards, and voting started on the 25th––my picks are below in bold. Cross your fingers, eyes, toes, and torso that a few or all of them win.

The winners will be announced on Saturday, February 23rd at 10pm ET/PT.

BEST FEATURE
Beasts of the Southern Wild
Bernie
Keep the Lights On
Moonrise Kingdom
Silver Linings Playbook

BEST DIRECTOR
Wes Anderson
David O. Russell
Benh Zeitlin
Julia Loktev
Ira Sachs

BEST FEMALE LEAD
Linda Cardellini, Return
Emayatzy Corinealdi, Middle of Nowhere
Jennifer Lawrence, Silver Linings Playbook
Quvenzhané Wallis, Beasts of the Southern Wild
Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Smashed

BEST SUPPORTING FEMALE LEAD
Rosemarie DeWitt, Your Sister’s Sister
Ann Dowd, Compliance
Helen Hunt, The Sessions
Brit Marling, Sound of My Voice
Lorraine Toussaint, Middle of Nowhere 

BEST MALE LEAD
Jack Black, Bernie
Bradley Cooper, Silver Linings Playbook
John Hawkes, The Sessions
Thure Lindhardt, Keep the Lights On
Matthew McConaughey, Killer Joe
Wendell Pierce, Four 

BEST SUPPORTING MALE LEAD
Matthew McConaughey, Magic Mike
David Oyelowo, Middle of Nowhere
Michael Péna, End of Watch
Sam Rockwell, Seven Psychopaths
Bruce Willis, Moonrise Kingdom

BEST SCREENPLAY
Wes Anderson & Roman Coppola, Moonrise Kingdom
Zoe Kazan, Ruby Sparks
Martin McDonagh, Seven Psychopaths
David O. Russell, Silver Linings Playbook
Ira Sachs, Keep the Lights On 

BEST FIRST FEATURE
Fill the Void - Rama Burshtein (director); Assaf Amir (producer)
Gimme the Loot - Adam Leon (director); Dominic Buchanan, Natalie Difford, Jamund Washington (producers)
Safety Not Guaranteed - Colin Trevorrow (director); Derek Connolly, Stephanie Langhoff, Peter Saraf, Colin Trevorrow, Marc Turtletaub (producers)
Sound of My Voice - Zal Batmanglij (director); Brit Marling, Hans Ritter, Shelley Surpin (producers)
The Perks of Being a Wallflower - Stephen Chbosky (director);  Lianne Halfon, John Malkovich, Russell Smith (producers)

BEST FIRST SCREENPLAY
Rama Burshtein, Fill the Void
Derek Connolly, Safety Not Guaranteed
Christopher Ford, Robot & Frank
Rashida Jones & Will McCormack, Celeste and Jesse Forever
Jonathan Lisecki, Gayby

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Yoni Brook, Valley of Saints
Lol Crawley, Here
Ben Richardson, Beasts of the Southern Wild
Roman Vasyanov, End of Watch
Robert Yeoman, Moonrise Kingdom

BEST DOCUMENTARY
How to Survive a Plague - David France (director); David France, Howard Gertler (producers)
Marina Abramović: The Artist is Present - Matthew Akers (director); Maro Chermayeff, Jeff Dupre (producers)
The Central Park Five - Ken Burns, Sarah Burns, David McMahon (directors-producers)
The Invisible War - Kirby Dick (director); Tanner King Barklow, Amy Ziering (producers)
The Waiting Room - Peter Nicks (director-producer); Linda Davis, William B. Hirsch (producers)

BEST INTERNATIONAL FILM
Amour (France), Michael Haneke
Once Upon A Time in Anatolia (Turkey), Nuri Bilge Ceylan
Rust And Bone (France/Belgium), Jacques Audiard
Sister (Switzerland), Ursula Meier
War Witch (Democratic Republic of Congo), Kim Nguyen

Sundance 2013 Review: THE SPECTACULAR NOW is an Important Coming-of-Age Movie About Teens for Adults

The late John Hughes was the man in Hollywood who understood teenagers and teen angst better than anyone else in the industry. He knew how to tell beautiful stories about how sometimes being young can be weird and confusing, and brought this to life on film flawlessly. The Breakfast Club and Sixteen Candles are timeless classics, not only because they’re good storytelling and star Molly Ringwald, but because their depiction of high school life is still accurate to this very day. The older the audience is, the more the films become relatable. This brings me to James Ponsoldt’s The Spectacular Now, which is perhaps the most important adult-oriented film about the victories and woes of high school life in the last decade.

Free spirited closet-alcoholic high schooler Sutter Keely (Miles Teller) has many talents, but making good decisions is not one of them. At the near-end of his senior year in high school, his really hot girlfriend dumps him for a silly reason (and possibly for another guy). Like any other recently dumped closet-alcoholic who lives on a steady diet of whiskey, he pursues exciting opportunities in the field of getting piss drunk and waking up dazed and confused on strangers’ front lawns. Standing over him during his latest outing is Aimee Finicky (Shailene Woodley), who stops on her morning paper route to check to see if he’s dead. After collecting his thoughts, she helps him find his car, which he somehow lost during his drunken slumber the night before. 

Aimee’s not the most popular kid in school. In fact, she goes unnoticed by even the uncoolest of uncool kids, and the closest she’s had to a guy flirting with her is when he asked if she’d tutor him in Math (it was Sutter, the day after they first met). Seeing something special in her, Sutter begins an unlikely friendship with Aimee, which takes them on a journey of something much deeper and more satisfying than both originally imagined. 

Sutter and Aimee’s chemistry is dynamic and they hit it off immediately. What helps is Sutter’s fearless resolve to live in the now, which in turn helps Aimee loosen up to embellish her life a little bit.

Director James Ponsoldt really knows how to bring out the spectacular wow in his actors. Last year, in his sophomore feature, Smashed, he gave Mary Elizabeth Winstead room to shine in a career-defining performance. After seeing her poignant and courageous performance of a struggling alcoholic, I will forever be a part of the MEW fan club. MEW, by the way, peeks briefly into this film.

The lead in Ponsoldt’s latest is Teller. He had a very small role in John Cameron Mitchell’sRabbit Hole, and his little screen time showed he had a lot of bite in him. In The Spectacular Now, he chews up every scene he’s in. His performance as the cool Sutter is effortless and the most entrancing portrayal of a calm but persevering high schooler I’ve seen in years. Sutter really winds around the heart - his pizzazz is surprisingly unassuming, which makes every guy want to be him. He’s so adventurous, he even commits the unspeakable crime of falling in love with the school dork. He lives how he wants to live and that’s in the now - right in this moment. But remember, he’s heavy on the sauce, so a lot of hard life lessons lie ahead of him. No matter how daring you are, life will still suck the proverbial donkey dick when it wants to. 

Shailene Woodley co-starred in last year’s hit, The Descendants. She’s not even 21 and already on her way to leading lady status. She may play the harmless loser here, but Aimee’s determination to win at life is incredibly endearing. This is due to Woodley’s onscreen charisma. Big things are coming her way. There’s also a great cameo from Kyle Chandler as Sutter’s deadbeat father. His screen time is short, but it’s one of the best performances he’s ever given. 

The Spectacular Now is adapted from the novel of the same name by (500) Days of Summerscribes Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber. These two gents clearly know a thing or two about heartache. They say a movie will never be as good as the book, but perhaps they’ve broken that trend with the aid of Ponsoldt. I haven’t read the book, but when I left the theater, I felt like I was punched in the heart and strangely enough, loved it. 

There are dozens of teen films that stop being appreciated at a certain age. I can’t remember the last time I watched Drive Me Crazy for its profound and important underlying messages. Films like Drive Me Crazy are fun when you’re 16, but lose their appeal when you’ve grown up and realize the only cool thing was the soundtrack, which now sucks. The Spectacular Now will be remembered as a high school movie with a determined message - that living in the now is a constant change, whether we’re ready or not. This is the most important coming-of-age movie you’ll see this year. It’s so beautiful it hurts my feelings. 

Follow Chase Whale on Twitter.

Five Films the Universe Will Not Stop Me From Seeing at Sundance Should I Not Die Prior to the Festival

The most rewarding part of a film festival is going into movie completely blind and walking out slack-jawed. This happened to me last year at Sundance with two films: Beasts of the Southern Wild and Smashed. If you follow me on Twitter, then you already know how loud I’ve been about both films. These two floored me and I’ve championed them since first rushing out of the theater to tweet my first reactions.

I’m hoping a heavy number of films will give me that same exhilarating feeling this year, but there are some I’m already eagerly anticipating. Here’s five.

The Spectacular Now

Based on the novel by Tim Tharp, The Spectacular Now is an unconventional high school love story directed by James Ponsoldt, who co-wrote and directed Smashed. Miles Teller (Rabbit Hole) takes the lead with Shailene Woodley (The Descendants), Brie Larson (Scott Pilgrim vs. the World), Jennifer Jason Leigh (Fast Times at Ridgemont High), Mary Elizabeth Winstead (Smashed), and Kyle Chandler (Friday Night Lights) rounding out the stellar cast. I want to see this spectacular-sounding movie right now.


Upstream Color

It’s been nine years since filmmaker Shane Carruth blew the roof off independent cinema with his first feature, a super low-budget time travel movie, called Primer. Premiering at Sundance in 2003, Carruth deservingly took home the Grand Jury Prize in the U.S. Dramatic Competition and the Alfred P. Sloan Feature Film Prize for Best Writing and Directing. Then he disappeared and a lot of movie geeks (myself included) wept.

Well, the auteur is back in Park City with his sophomore feature, Upstream Color. I could tell you the complexed plot synopsis from Sundance’s website, but it’ll make you go cross-eyed. Just know only a fool with would miss this. Carruth also stars in the film, along with indie darling Amy Seimetz, and up-and-comer Frank Mosley (keep a sharp eye on this guy).

C.O.G.

Highly acclaimed author David Sedaris has been a stickler (and rightfully so) about who he wants to adapt his short stories into a film. He has shot down many prolific directors, been fickle about a few, and for the first time in history, he gave someone his full blessing. That someone is Kyle Patrick Alvarez, who won the Someone to Watch award at the 2010 Independent Spirit Awards for his first feature, Easier with Practice. Here’s what will knock you off your couch: Alvarez was 26 when he made that film. When I was 26, I was still trying to figure out which cereal was my favorite and how many creative excuses I could come up with to not go to work.

The essay Alvarez adapted is taken from the novel Naked, and is of the same name, C.O.G.. The film follows a young man who, while working on an apple farm, learns about the upsets life so conveniently hands out. Adapting a Sedaris short story into a feature is unquestionably difficult, but don’t worry your pretty little head, Alvarez is no stranger to tailoring short stories. Easier with Practice was an essay written by Davy Rothbart for GQ Magazine. In Kyle I trust.

Don Jon’s Addiction

Joseph Gordon-Levitt started acting as a child and has risen to become one of the most prolific and successful actors working today. Considering the long history of child actors who fade away, this is already an incredible accomplishment. But this boy wonder is a go-getter and continues to expand his flourishing career in all sorts of diverse and artful directions. In a few weeks, I’ll be seeing his directorial debut, Don Jon’s Addiction, about the times of a rico suave unsatisfied with his current very gifted sex life. So, like anyone who can get any lady he wants, he seeks out a new challenge. Levitt also wrote the film, and and stars alongside Scarlett Johansson, Julianne Moore, Tony Danza, Glenne Headly, and Rob Brown.

Prince Avalanche

Please, God let this year be the triumphant return of writer/director David Gordon Green. Green made his mark at Sundance in 2003 with All the Real Girls, where he took home the Grand Jury and Special Jury awards in the U.S. Dramatic Competition. He then returned in 2007 with the compelling feature, Snow Angels. His career took a misguided nosedive when he started making appalling major studio stoner comedies, which confused everyone, everywhere. I was worried The Sitter would be the end of Green’s once-promising career, but it appears that he’s remembered how to make a notable film again, an adjective his last three weren’t.

Starring Paul Rudd and Emile Hirsch, Prince Avalanche is adapted from the Icelandic feature film, Either Way, about bickering friends who bond through humor and filthy bantering. Sundance claims Green “gets back to his independent roots” with this film, so the world will now be a better place.

Review: SMASHED Offers a Sobering Look at a Young Alcoholic

Young and in love, married couple Kate and Charlie Hannah like to get smashed. Like GG-Allin-meeting-your-Christian-parents smashed, someone is going to vomit and piss themselves at some point in the night. They spend their days in bars getting drunk and nights having unconscious sex. The good life, right?

Things change, however, when schoolteacher Kate — Mary Elizabeth Winstead in a knockout career performance — throws up in the middle of class from sipping too much whiskey before entering the building one morning. The crack she smoked for the first time while being black-out drunk the night before may have also played a part.

When questioned by school authorities, Kate tells them she’s pregnant, and now must sober up and figure out how to extricate herself from this unfortunate lie. With help of the school’s vice principal, Dave (Nick Offerman, who says his most awkward line in his career ever) and newfound friend Jenny (the always wonderful Octavia Spencer), Kate decides to get sober. She begins to clean up, and her marriage to Charlie (Aaron Paul) is put to the ultimate test as he continues his efforts to hit the bottle as hard as he can. She’s a work-in-progress and he’s a train-wreck just waiting to happen.

Alcohol addiction is no laughing matter, but co-writer/director James Ponsoldt transforms this disease into an honest, somber, and often good-humored story. Being a guy who’s butted heads with alcohol, I can see Ponsoldt understands that even with living a great life, even with being super happy, alcohol often sneaks up, takes control, and sends your life spiraling in all kinds of horrifying directions, completely out of control. It’s like being damned to listen only to Michael Bolton for all eternity; nobody wants that.

With that being said, this is a light-hearted yet bracingly real look at a young alcoholic, driven by a strong lead we can relate to and care for during the awkward, sad, and hilarious moments when she’s desperately trying to take control. Mary Elizabeth Winstead (Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World) is absolutely terrific. She simply gets it. She gets the rigid and painful experience of giving up something that was once so fun and innocent. Winstead was born to be a star.

Most films dealing with booze-loving people tend to cast older actors, but Smashed catches the disease at its most youthful, absent-minded stage, the mid-twenties. Ponsoldt paints the dangerous-but-oh-so-fun portrait of a drunk woman trying to better herself, and it’s smashing.

(Review originally published during the Sundance Film Festival in January 2012. The film opens in limited theatrical release in the U.S. on Friday, October 12.)

Follow Chase Whale on Twitter.

Originally Published on Twitch FIlm.

SUNDANCE 2012 REVIEW: SMASHED IS A COMPELLING LOOK AT THE AWKWARD SIDE OF FACING SOBRIETY

Young and in love, married couple Kate and Charlie Hannah like to get smashed. Like GG-Allin-meeting-your-Christian-parents smashed, someone is going to vomit and piss themselves at some point in the night. They spend their days in bars getting drunk and nights having unconscious sex. The good life, right? 

Things change, however, when Kate - Mary Elizabeth Winstead in a knockout career performance - a school teacher, throws up in the middle of class from sipping too much whiskey before entering the building one morning. The crack she smoked for the first time while being black out drunk the night before may have also played a part.

When question by school authorities Kate tells them she’s pregnant and now must sober up and figure out how to get out of this unfortunate lie. With help of the school’s vice principal, Dave - Nick Offerman, who says his most awkward line in his career ever - and newfound friend Jenny - the always wonderful Octavia Spencer - Kate decides to get sober. She begins to clean up and her marriage to Charlie (Aaron Paul) is put the ultimate test as he continues his efforts to hitting the bottle as hard as he can. She’s a work in progress and he’s a train-wreck just waiting to happen.

Alcohol addiction is no laughing matter but co-writer/director James Ponsoldt transforms this disease into an honest, somber, and often good-humored story. Being a guy who’s butted heads with alcohol, I can see Ponsoldt understands that even with living a great life, even with being super happy, alcohol often sneaks up, takes control, and sends your life spiraling in all kinds of horrifying directions, completely out of control. It’s like being damned to only listen to Michael Bolton for all eternity - nobody wants that.

With that being said that this is a light-hearted and real look at a young alcoholic, driven by a strong lead we can relate to and care for during the awkward, sad, and hilarious moments when she’s desperately trying to take control. Mary Elizabeth Winstead (Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World) is absolutely terrific. She simply gets it. She gets the rigid and painful experience of giving up something that was once so fun and innocent. Winstead was born to be a star. 

Most films dealing with booze-loving people tend to have their actors a lot older, but Smashed catches it at its most youthful, the absent-minded stage, the mid-twenties. Ponsoldt paints the dangerous-but-oh-so-fun portrait of a drunk woman trying to better herself and it’s smashing. 

Source: Twitch Film