Oscar-nomics: Indie Awards

I decided to begin a new segment for my movie blog. Now, I will be giving you updates on the awards circles as well as some statistics I will discuss throughout the rest of the awards season. I shall start with the Indie Spirit Awards (The pictures were kind of a pain uploading this time around, so sorry for such front-loaded pictures on this blog):

Hey all, its that’s time of year again. We are now delving into the awards season and today come the nominations of the Independent Spirit Awards as well as the Winners of the New York Film Critics Circle awards. Now, I will discuss the NYFCC awards a little later, as they are slowly coming out, I will say I’m rather content with what I am seeing. For now, let us take a look at the nominations for the Spirit Awards:

Best Feature 
(Award given to the Producer)
"50/50"
"Beginners"
"Drive"
"Take Shelter"
"The Artist"
"The Descendants"

Best Director
Michel Hazanavicius, "The Artist"
Mike Mills, "Beginners"

  Jeff Nichols, "Take Shelter"
Alexander Payne, "The Descendants"
Nicolas Winding Refn, "Drive"

Best First Feature 
(Award given to the director and producer)
"Another Earth"
"In The Family"
"Margin Call"
"Martha Marcy May Marlene"
"Natural Selection"

Best Screenplay
"Beginners"
"The Descendants"
"Footnote"
"The Artist"
"Win Win"

Best First Screenplay
"Another Earth"
"Terri"
"Cedar Rapids"
"50/50"
"Margin Call"

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

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

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

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

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

Best Documentary 
(Award given to the director)
"An African Election"
"Bill Cunningham New York"
"The Interrupters"
"We Were Here"
"The Redemption of General Butt Naked"

Best Foreign Film 
(Award given to the director)
"A Separation"
"Melancholia"
"Shame"
"The Kid With a Bike"
"Tyrannosaur"

Piaget Producers Award
Chad Burris ("Mosquito y Mari")
Sophia Lynn ("Take Shelter")
Josh Bond ("Martha Marcy May Marlene")

Now, there are a couple of other awards worth noting, but I thought I would keep it slightly more narrow so as to not to make this too lengthy. Critical Darling “The Artist” tied with “Take Shelter” with 5 nominations. The big surprises came with the snub of festival favorite “Like Crazy” is all categories and Clooney’s supposed (I haven’t seen it yet) superb performance in “The Descendants.” I am particularly surprised Win Win didn’t get much love (only for its superb screenplay). Also, such little love for Midnight in Paris, at least Christopher Stahl got a nomination in what appears to be a stacked Supporting Actor category (I'm happy with any of them winning).  Drive got 4 nominations, my gut is telling me it will have a big night (look out for Al Brooks in supporting), and even directing (in my opinion). Awards contender Jessica Chastain had only one film she could contend with here (all of her other films were budgeted over 25 mil.), so her chances may not be as hot (I would pick “Tree of Life” for her awards run), her performance in the film has gotten steam, but again I haven’t had the chance to catch it so I can’t place a for sure win in her corner just yet. Beginners is getting a lot of love after the surprise win at the Gotham Awards, so it may continue into this Indie Awards, time will tell. I think as much as “The Artist” and “The Descendants,” are being touted for Oscars, I think “Drive” and “Beginners” will give them a run for there money. Still, its early, and we will just have to wait and see how the awards season plays out. For now, we will just have to keep our fingers crossed. Now, on to the NYFCC!!!

Review: Drive

Ok, I have to mention that I actually saw this last week, meant to post this last Monday, but a case of the laziness got the better of me. That being said, here is my review of Drive (gee, I wonder what it is about)...

It's nighttime in L.A., the games about over, everyone's ready to turn in, time to do the heist. The thing is, though, we are not interested in the heist, we are here for the escape, which in its own merit is half the thrill of it all too (whether or not you complete your job is one thing, how your getting out of there is another). It is through this, and a previous conversation over the phone, that we meet our Driver (Ryan Gosling). Apart from being called kid by others, we never truly get his name. Already we are thinking "The Man with No Name," he's cool, slick, and knows what he's doing. He's the man who gets you to where you need to be, or better yet, how you want to get away. It is through this finely directed/edited first section of the film that we get the gist of the kind of person Ryan Gosling's character is like.

This isn't the only job he has, he actually has three when you mention it. He works as a stunt driver as well as a mechanic working for Shannon (Bryan Cranston, whose character has much more depth than one would think). Shannon is the kind of man who tries his best for the kid, even if it doesn't work out, and he definitely has a past of his own where mistakes have riddled it time and time again. It is through Shannon that the driver meets Bernie Rose (Albert "Hank Scorpio" Brooks, in quite a departure for his sort of film/tv background). They start a deal that could be huge for everyone involved.

We are also introduced to a young mother, Irene (Carey Mulligan), who lives in the same apartment as the driver. We definitely see a connection between the two, but things get a little complicated. Her husband is getting released early, so we already believe something will come of the relationship between the driver and Irene, like it always does. The shocker, however, is that they are actually cool with each other. In fact, the man asks for the driver's assistance in a job that seems simple, but through some double crossing, the stories of all those involved will become connected in ways nobody wanted to, and no one is safe.

Drive isn't the independent film I was expecting, its rather graphic. There are scenes where I was a little shaken even, for surprise reasons and because its quite intense. For an independent film to achieve this is no small feet, so its got that going for it. The acting, however, carries the film in a way that its hard not to reccomend this film. Everyone brings there A-game, particularly Bryan Cranston and Albert Brooks (I have my fingers crossed for an Oscar nomination for the latter). The story is simple enough for anyone to follow, giving the actors room to bring their A-game to the material, which they do in spades. Director Nicholas Winding Refn has gained acclaim in his native Denmark for the acclaimed Pusher trilogy (I haven't seen them yet, but they are on my list), and this film brings him to the international spotlight and I think he is a name we won't soon forget. Drive isn't quite the awards film many, including myself, should be, mostly due to the graphic violence. Needless to say, this is quite an accomplishment for an independent film, so I am not complaining.

(Note: I have slowly grown tired of the letter rating, cause I've come to think of it as a bad medium of rating between those I like and those I don't, so I am going to follow in the footsteps of the great Roger Ebert and do the four star meter)

Rating: *** 1/2