2014 Independent Spirit Awards Nominations - Complete List

by Amos Semien

Film Independent’s Spirit Awards (formerly known as the Independent Spirit Awards) were founded in 1984 and are awards dedicated to independent filmmakers.  Film Independent is the non-profit arts organization that produces the Spirit Awards and also the Los Angeles Film Festival.

The 29th Annual Film Independent Spirit Awards winners will be announced at the Spirit Awards on Saturday, March 1, 2014. The 2014 awards ceremony will be held as a daytime luncheon in a tent on the beach in Santa Monica, and the premiere broadcast will air later that evening at 10:00 pm ET/PT on IFC.

The Nominees for the 2014 Film Independent Spirit Awards:

BEST FEATURE (Award given to the Producer, Executive Producers are not awarded):

12 Years a Slave
PRODUCERS: Dede Gardner, Anthony Katagas, Jeremy Kleiner, Steve McQueen, Arnon Milchan, Brad Pitt, Bill Pohlad

All Is Lost
PRODUCERS: Neal Dodson, Anna Gerb

Frances Ha
PRODUCERS: Noah Baumbach, Scott Rudin, Rodrigo Teixeira, Lila Yacoub

Inside Llewyn Davis
PRODUCERS: Ethan Coen, Joel Coen, Scott Rudin

Nebraska
PRODUCERS: Albert Berger, Ron Yerxa

BEST DIRECTOR:
Shane Carruth - Upstream Color
J.C. Chandor - All Is Lost
Steve McQueen - 12 Years a Slave
Jeff Nichols - Mud
Alexander Payne - Nebraska

BEST SCREENPLAY:
Woody Allen - Blue Jasmine
Julie Delpy, Ethan Hawke & Richard Linklater - Before Midnight
Nicole Holofcener - Enough Said
Scott Neustadter & Michael H. Weber - The Spectacular Now
John Ridley - 12 Years a Slave

BEST FIRST FEATURE (Award given to the director and producer):
Blue Caprice
DIRECTOR/PRODUCER: Alexandre Moors
PRODUCERS: Kim Jackson, Brian O'Carroll, Isen Robbins, Will Rowbotham, Ron Simons, Aimee Schoof, Stephen Tedeschi

Concussion
DIRECTOR: Stacie Passon
PRODUCER: Rose Troche

Fruitvale Station
DIRECTOR: Ryan Coogler
PRODUCERS: Nina Yang Bongiovi, Forest Whitaker

Una Noche
DIRECTOR/PRODUCER: Lucy Mulloy
PRODUCERS: Sandy Pérez Aguila, Maite Artieda, Daniel Mulloy, Yunior Santiago

Wadjda
DIRECTOR: Haifaa Al Mansour
PRODUCERS: Gerhard Meixner, Roman Paul

TWC BEST FIRST SCREENPLAY:
Lake Bell - In A World
Joseph Gordon-Levitt - Don Jon
Bob Nelson - Nebraska
Jill Soloway - Afternoon Delight
Michael Starrbury - The Inevitable Defeat of Mister and Pete

JOHN CASSAVETES AWARD – (Given to the best feature made for under $500,000.  Award given to the writer, director, and producer.  Executive Producers are not awarded.):

Computer Chess
WRITER/DIRECTOR: Andrew Bujalski
PRODUCERS: Houston King & Alex Lipschultz

Crystal Fairy
WRITER/DIRECTOR: Sebastiàn Silva
PRODUCERS: Juan de Dios Larraín & Pablo Larraín

Museum Hours
WRITER/DIRECTOR: Jem Cohen
PRODUCERS: Paolo Calamita & Gabriele Kranzelbinder

Pit Stop
WRITER/DIRECTOR: Yen Tan
WRITER: David Lowery
PRODUCERS: Jonathan Duffy, James M. Johnston, Eric Steele, Kelly Williams

This is Martin Bonner
WRITER/DIRECTOR: Chad Hartigan
PRODUCER: Cherie Saulter

BEST FEMALE LEAD:
Cate Blanchett - Blue Jasmine
Julie Delpy - Before Midnight
Gaby Hoffmann - Crystal Fairy
Brie Larson - Short Term 12
Shailene Woodley - The Spectacular Now

BEST MALE LEAD:
Bruce Dern - Nebraska
Chiwetel Ejiofor - 12 Years a Slave
Oscar Isaac - Inside Llewyn Davis
Michael B. Jordan - Fruitvale Station
Matthew McConaughey - Dallas Buyers Club
Robert Redford - All Is Lost

BEST SUPPORTING FEMALE:
Melonie Diaz - Fruitvale Station
Sally Hawkins - Blue Jasmine
Lupita Nyong'o - 12 Years a Slave
Yolonda Ross - Go For Sisters
June Squibb - Nebraska

BEST SUPPORTING MALE:
Michael Fassbender - 12 Years a Slave
Will Forte - Nebraska
James Gandolfini - Enough Said
Jared Leto - Dallas Buyers Club
Keith Stanfield - Short Term 12

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY:
Sean Bobbitt - 12 Years a Slave
Benoit Debie - Spring Breakers
Bruno Delbonnel - Inside Llewyn Davis
Frank G. DeMarco - All Is Lost
Matthias Grunsky - Computer Chess

BEST EDITING
Shane Carruth & David Lowery - Upstream Color
Jem Cohen & Marc Vives - Museum Hours
Jennifer Lame - Frances Ha
Cindy Lee - Una Noche
Nat Sanders - Short Term 12

BEST DOCUMENTARY (Award given to the director and producer):
20 Feet From Stardom
DIRECTOR/PRODUCER: Morgan Neville
PRODUCERS: Gil Friesen & Caitrin Rogers

After Tiller
DIRECTORS/PRODUCERS: Martha Shane & Lana Wilson

Gideon's Army
DIRECTOR/PRODUCER: Dawn Porter
PRODUCER: Julie Goldman

The Act of Killing
DIRECTOR/PRODUCER: Joshua Oppenheimer
PRODUCERS: Joram Ten Brink, Christine Cynn, Anne Köhncke, Signe Byrge Sørensen, Michael Uwemedimo

The Square
DIRECTOR: Jehane Noujaim
PRODUCER: Karim Amer

BEST INTERNATIONAL FILM (Award given to the director):
A Touch of Sin (China)
DIRECTOR: Jia Zhang-Ke

Blue is the Warmest Color (France)
DIRECTOR: Abdellatif Kechiche

Gloria (Chile)
DIRECTOR: Sebastián Lelia

The Great Beauty (Italy)
DIRECTOR: Paolo Sorrentino

The Hunt (Denmark)
DIRECTOR: Thomas Vinterberg

17th ANNUAL PIAGET PRODUCERS AWARD – (The 17th annual Producers Award, sponsored by Piaget, honors emerging producers who, despite highly limited resources demonstrate the creativity, tenacity, and vision required to produce quality, independent films.  The award includes a $25,000 unrestricted grant funded by Piaget.):
• Toby Halbrooks & James M. Johnston
• Jacob Jaffke
• Andrea Roa
• Frederick Thornton

20th ANNUAL SOMEONE TO WATCH AWARD – (The 20th annual Someone to Watch Award recognizes a talented filmmaker of singular vision who has not yet received appropriate recognition.):

My Sister's Quinceañera
DIRECTOR: Aaron Douglas Johnston

Newlyweeds
DIRECTOR: Shaka King

The Foxy Merkins
DIRECTOR: Madeline Olnek

19th ANNUAL STELLA ARTOIS TRUER THAN FICTION AWARD – (The 19th annual Truer Than Fiction Award, sponsored by Stella Artois, is presented to an emerging director of non-fiction features who has not yet received significant recognition.  The award includes a $25,000 unrestricted grant.):
• Kalyanee Mam - A River Changes Course
• Jason Osder - Let the Fire Burn
• Stephanie Spray & Pacho Velez - Manakamana

ROBERT ALTMAN AWARD - (Given to one film’s director, casting director, and its ensemble cast):
Mud
Director: Jeff Nichols
Casting Director: Francine Maisler
Ensemble Cast:  Joe Don Baker, Jacob Lofland, Matthew McConaughey, Ray McKinnon, Sarah Paulson, Michael Shannon, Sam Shepard, Tye Sheridan, Paul Sparks, Bonnie Sturdivant, Reese Witherspoon

Paul Walker Dead at 40

by Leroy Douresseaux

Paul Walker apparently died in a car crash yesterday, Saturday, November 30, 2013 in Southern California.  Walker had been acting since the mid-1980s, but he is best known for starring in five installments of The Fast and The Furious film franchise, beginning with the first film in 2001.

Go to the ComicBookBin for a small write up about Walker's passing or got to Hitfix, which is giving extensive coverage of the actor's life, work, and death.

The first time I saw Walker, I did not think that he would be an actor I liked, but over the last decade, I have become a big fan of his.  I will miss him.  Negromancer sends condolences to Walker's family, friends, and colleagues.  R.I.P. Paul Walker.

Review: "Hollywood Ending" is Hollow (Happy B'day, Woody Allen)

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 249 (of 2006) by Leroy Douresseaux

Hollywood Ending (2002)
Running time:  112 minutes (1 hour, 52 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for some drug references and sexual material
WRITER/DIRECTOR:  Woody Allen
PRODUCER:  Letty Aronson
CINEMATOGRAPHER:  Wedigo von Schultzendorff
EDITOR:  Alisa Lepselter

COMEDY

Starring:  Woody Allen, Téa Leoni, Treat Williams, George Hamilton, Debra Messing, Mark Rydell, Jodie Markell, Peter Gerety, Barney Cheng, Lu Yu, Isaac Mizrahi, Tiffani Thiessen, and Mark Webber

The subject of this movie review is Hollywood Ending, a 2002 comedy from writer/director Woody Allen.  The film follows a movie director who is forced to work with his ex-wife and is also suffering from a case of psychosomatic blindness.

Val Waxman (Woody Allen) is a once-famous movie director who is so down on his luck that he’s down to his last shot at getting his career back.  Luckily, his former wife, Ellie (Téa Leoni), is a development executive at Galaxie Pictures and is the fiancé of the company’s studio boss, Hal Yeager (Treat Williams), and Ellie talks Hal into letting Val direct their big budget remake of a 1940’s film, “The City that Never Sleeps.”  However, Val’s paranoia and neurotic fears cause him to go psychosomatically blind.  Val’s agent Al Hack (Mark Rydell) and a sympathetic Chinese translator conspire to cover Val’s temporary disability, but with Andrea Ford (Jodie Markell), a nosy Esquire magazine writer, around the set, it’ll be hard to keep Hal from discovering that Val is trying to direct a film when he can’t see.  Will Ellie pitch in to save Val?

Hollywood Ending is not quite the typical Woody Allen flick.  It is indeed a New York-based tale of dysfunctional lovers trying to get back together.  Half the plot, however, involves the politics and struggles of getting a big studio movie made, and pretty much everything in Hollywood Ending related to that is funny.  The romance is nice, but all too familiar for those who’ve seen lots of Woody, and it made me yearn for this movie to get back to the part about movie making.  There aren’t any great performances, although Treat Williams and Mark Rydell as a studio exec and Val’s agent respectively do generate a little heat.  Hollywood Ending is strictly for Woody Allen fans and people who like to watch insider films about movie making.  Even the Hollywood ending seems a bit hollow.

6 of 10
B

Wednesday, December 13, 2006

Updated:  Wednesday, July 24, 2013

The text is copyright © 2013 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this site for syndication rights and fees.

Christmas 2013: The Desolation of Negromancer

It's December 2013.  We welcome you to Negromancer, a side publication of the ComicBookBin (www.comicbookbin.com).  This is the rebirth of the former movie review website as a movie review and movie news website.

All images and text appearing on this blog are © copyright and/or trademark their respective owners.

"The Wolf of Wall Street" Posters Released

Revered filmmaker Martin Scorsese directs the story of New York stockbroker Jordan Belfort (Leonardo DiCaprio).   From the American dream to corporate greed, Belfort goes from penny stocks and righteousness to IPOs and a life of corruption in the late 80s.  Excess success and affluence in his early twenties as founder of the brokerage firm Stratton Oakmont warranted Belfort the title – “The Wolf of Wall Street.”

Money.  Power.  Women.  Drugs.  Temptations were for the taking and the threat of authority was irrelevant.  For Jordan and his wolf pack, modesty was quickly deemed overrated and more was never enough.

Visit the official site and make your own The Wolf Of Wall Street GIFS: http://TheWolfofWallStreet.com

In theaters December 25th

Official Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheWolfOfWallStreet
Official Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheWolfofWallSt

View one of the trailers here.

Comic That Inspired New Chris Evans' Flick "Snowpiercer" Coming to America

TITAN COMICS RELEASES SNOWPIERCER – THE GRAPHIC NOVEL THAT INSPIRED THE NEW CHRIS EVANS FILM!

Translated from the highly acclaimed French classic, soon to be a major motion picture starring Captain America star Chris Evans!

Titan Comics is proud to announce a world-first English translation of the acclaimed French comic, in a pair of graphic novels hitting stores in early 2014 ahead of the US release of the film! Volume 1: The Escape is released January 29, 2014, with Volume 2: The Explorers following February 25, 2014

Coursing through an eternal winter, on an icy track wrapped around the frozen planet Earth, there travels Snowpiercer, a train one thousand and one carriages long. From fearsome engine to final car, all surviving human life is here: a complete hierarchy of the society we lost…

The elite, as ever, travel in luxury at the front of the train – but for those in the rear coaches, life is squalid, miserable and short.

Proloff is a refugee from the tail, determined never to go back. In his journey forward through the train, he hopes to reach the mythical engine and, perhaps, find some hope for the future…

The thrilling original graphic novels have been adapted into an astounding new film directed by Joon-ho Bong (The Host), starring Chris Evans (Captain America), Alison Pill (Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World), Tilda Swinton (The Chronicles of Narnia, We Need To Talk About Kevin), Jamie Bell (Billy Elliott, The Adventures of Tintin), Ed Harris (A History of Violence, The Abyss, Apollo 13) and John Hurt (Hellboy, V For Vendetta, Alien, Doctor Who), and distributed in the U.S. by The Weinstein Company, and due for release in Q1 2014

Check out the trailer here.

Written by the late Jacques Lob, winner of the Grand Prix de la ville d'Angoulême, and Benjamin Legrand, the author of numerous thriller novels, screenplays, and comic scripts, Snowpiercer is illustrated by Jean-Marc Rochette, who has worked across a variety of projects and genres, from science fiction comics to children’s cartoons – including adaptations of Voltaire’s Candide and Homer’s Odyssey.

Retailers can order Snowpiercer vol. 1: The Escape from November PREVIEWS (order code: NOV131240). Snowpiercer vol. 2: The Explorers will be available to order from December PREVIEWS.

To keep up-to-date with news about Snowpiercer join Titan Comics on Facebook or follow @comicstitan on Twitter.

For more information about Titan Comics, visit www.titan-comics.com

About Snowpiercer Vol.1 The Escape
From fearsome engine to final car, all surviving human life is here: a complete hierarchy of the society we lost.

The elite, as ever, travel in luxury at the front of the train – but for those in the rear coaches, life is squalid, miserable and short.

Proloff is a refugee from the tail, determined never to go back. In his journey forward through the train, he hopes to reach the mythical engine and, perhaps, find some hope for the future…

Translated from the highly acclaimed French classic, soon to be a major motion picture starring megastar Chris Evans.

Jacques Lob/Benjamin Legrand/Jean-Marc Rochette
Details: HC, 8x11, 112pgs, B/W, $19.99/£14.99
Released: January 29, 2014
Diamond PREVIEWS order code: NOV131240

About Snowpiercer Vol.2 The Explorers
A second train also travels through the snow on the same track, its inhabitants living in constant fear of crashing into the first Snowpiercer.

And from this second train, a small group of scavenging explorers emerges, risking their lives in the deadly cold...

Benjamin Legrand/Jean-Marc Rochette
Details: HC, 8x11, 144 pgs, B/W, $24.99/£19.99
Released: February 25, 2014

About Titan Comics
Titan Comics, a new venture from publishing giant, Titan, offers the best in original creator-owned comics alongside new and classic graphic novels.

Launching in July 2013, Titan Comics has already captured the imaginations of readers, reviewers and retailers with its strong focus on quality, creativity and diversity of genre!

Each new release will also be available on the iPhone, iPad, Web, Android and Kindle Fire.

To keep up-to-date with news on all these new series and future releases from Titan Comics, visit www.titan-comics.com

Connect with Titan Comics:
www.facebook.com/comicstitan
www.twitter.com/comicstitan

"Pokemon: Genesect" Arrives on DVD and Manga on December 3 2013

VIZ MEDIA ANNOUNCES THE RELEASE OF POKéMON THE MOVIE: GENESECT AND THE LEGEND AWAKENED DVD AND MANGA EDITIONS

The Mysterious Genesect Pokémon Return After 300 Million Years And Trouble Brews After They Attract The Attention Of The Legendary Mewtwo In The Latest Pokémon Feature Film Adventure

VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), the largest distributor and licensor of anime and manga in North America, gives POKÉMON fans something brand new in time for the holidays as it announces the release of the DVD and manga editions of POKÉMOn THE MOVIE: GENESECT AND THE LEGEND AWAKENED on December 3rd.

The single-disc DVD release of the feature film is rated ‘TV-Y7’ and will carry an MSRP of $19.97 U.S. / $24.98 CAN. While supplies last, copies of the DVD will include a POKÉMON trading card as a special bonus for collectors. The manga adaptation of POKÉMOn THE MOVIE: GENESECT AND THE LEGEND AWAKENED will be published by VIZ Media’s Perfect Square imprint, rated ‘A’ for All Ages, and will carry an MSRP of $9.99 U.S. / $12.99 CAN.  

When big trouble threatens the big city, it’s up to Ash, Pikachu, and their friends to stop it! A vast Pokémon habitat amid the hustle and bustle of the big city seems like the perfect new home for a group of five Genesect. The arrival of these Mythical Pokémon quickly becomes a problem, though: their nest threatens the city’s power supply, and they keep attacking anyone who approaches it. On top of that, they’ve attracted the attention of the legendary Pokémon Mewtwo, who sympathizes with them because its own origins also involve human tampering. Their leader, a red Genesect, doesn’t trust Mewtwo, and their confrontation quickly rages out of control! Can Ash and friends stop these two powerful Pokémon before they destroy the city?

“When a group of mythical and powerful Genesect Pokémon suddenly reappear in the world and threatens the city, it will be up to Ash and Pikachu to save the day!” says Charlene Ingram, Senior Manager, Animation Marketing. “GENESECT AND THE LEGEND AWAKENED is the latest film in the legendary POKÉMON movie storyline, and fans will want to be sure to join the fun with Ash, Pikachu and other favorite characters in these fun new DVD and manga editions that will be available to fans in time for the holidays!”

POKÉMON is one of the most successful entertainment franchises of all time with over 241 million video games sold worldwide in addition to extraordinary publishing and merchandise sales. The next generation of Pokémon video games, Pokémon X and Pokémon Y, launched worldwide in October exclusively for the Nintendo 3DS system. VIZ Media distributes a wide array of POKÉMON animated titles and also is the exclusive North American publisher of POKÉMON manga.

For more information on VIZ Media’s POKÉMON manga and anime collections, please visit www.VIZ.com/Pokemon/.

About VIZ Media, LLC
Headquartered in San Francisco, California, VIZ Media distributes, markets and licenses the best anime and manga titles direct from Japan.  Owned by three of Japan's largest manga and animation companies, Shueisha Inc., Shogakukan Inc., and Shogakukan-Shueisha Productions, Co., Ltd., VIZ Media has the most extensive library of anime and manga for English speaking audiences in North America, the United Kingdom, Ireland and South Africa. With its popular digital manga anthology WEEKLY SHONEN JUMP and blockbuster properties like NARUTO, BLEACH and INUYASHA, VIZ Media offers cutting-edge action, romance and family friendly properties for anime, manga, science fiction and fantasy fans of all ages.  VIZ Media properties are available as graphic novels, DVDs, animated television series, feature films, downloadable and streaming video and a variety of consumer products.  Learn more about VIZ Media, anime and manga at www.VIZ.com.