Film Independent Spirit Awards nominations, and predictions

Anyone here ever watch the Spirit Awards? If not your missing out on the funniest, laid back, dress casual Movie Award Show on cable! The Spirit Awards are the Anti-Oscars, in that they honor Independent films and Independent film production. “The Independent Film Channel” and the Spirit Awards strive to promote Independent film production all over the world, and in the last 10 years have done a remarkable job supporting the Independent film industry.

Every year the 2 hour live and unrated Spirit Awards are broadcast the day before the Oscars on the IFC channel, and AMC networks. Check your local time zones. (Note: the AMC broadcast is later edited.) All the more reason to record or watch the IFC broadcast. What do I mean by “Live and Unrated?” Free food & booze contribute to the mayhem, as the big stars show up and get drunk. By the second hour most of the celebs are half wasted, that’s when the F bomb & Jew bombs start exploding in acceptance speeches and introductions. Its always fun if Robin Williams gets up on stage, as he’s always good for at least a couple of F-bombs. The Spirit Awards are kinda like the “Mirror Universe” version of the “Golden Globes.” Anything can and almost has happened on the show.

This years Host is Steve Coogan (Tropic Thunder /Hamlet 2), it will be interesting to see where he takes the show. Last years Host Rainn Wilson, had scheduling problems and couldn’t return this year. Rainn’s hosting performance was one of the best (IMO). His opening monologue was a hilarious pre recorded bit where Dennis Hopper bitch slapped and hazed him into becoming an Indie Spirit Award bitch ho ! Eh’cheem, I mean Host, one of the funniest moments in the shows history!!! Other past Hosts have included John Waters, Samuel L. Jackson, and Sarah Silverman.

The show also includes musical numbers that make fun of the nominees for best picture. Those are always pretty funny as they get pretty big stars to make fun of themselves. The Spirit Awards will be broadcast live (February 21st) from the IFC “Tent of Stars”, in Santa Monica California. Its really just a big circus tent in the middle of the beach parking lot, but it sounds better if its called the “Tent of Stars” I’m hoping it will catch on, all kidding aside the show does take itself seriously, just not as much as the Oscars.

Here are the Nominees in broadcast order, (* indicates my winner predictions.)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

• James Franco – Milk*
• Haaz Sleiman – The Visitor
• Jim Myron Ross – Ballast
• Anthony Mackie – The Hurt Locker
• Charlie McDermott – Frozen River

BEST FIRST SCREENPLAY

• Dustin Lance Black – Milk
• Lance Hammer – Ballast
• Courtney Hunt – Frozen River*
• Jonathan Levine – The Wackness
• Jenny Lumet – Rachel Getting Married

BEST FIRST FEATURE

• Antonio Campos, Sean Durkin and Josh Mono – (Afterschool)
• Barry Jenkins and Justin Barber – (Medicine for Melancholy)
• Charlie Kaufman, Anthony Bregman, Spike Jonze and Sidney Kimmel – (Synecdoche, New York)*
• Alex Rivera and Anthony Bregman – (Sleep Dealer)
• Christopher Zalla, Per Mecita and Benjamin Odell – (Sangre De Mi Sangre)

BEST SUPPORTING FEMALE

• Penelope Cruz – Vicky Christina Barcelona*
• Rosie Perez – The Take
• Misty Upham – Frozen River
• Debra Winger – Rachel Getting Married
• Rosemarie DeWitt – Rachel Getting Married

JOHN CASSAVETES AWARD

• The Signal*
• Take Out
• Turn The River
• In Search of a Midnight Kiss
• Prince of Broadway

BEST FOREIGN FILM

• Gomorra
• Hunger
• Silent Light
• Secret of the Grain*
• The Class, Entres Les Murs

BEST MALE LEAD

• Mickey Rourke – The Wrestler*
• Sean Penn – Milk
• Javier Bardem – Vicky Christina Barcelona
• Richard Jenkins – The Visitor
• Jeremy Renner – The Hurt Locker

ACURA SOMEONE TO WATCH AWARD

• Lynn Shelton – My Effortless Brilliance
• Barry Jenkins – Medicine for Melancholy*
• Nina Paley – Sita Sings the Blues

PIAGET PRODUCERS AWARD

• Heather Rae – Frozen River*
• Jason Orans – Goodbye Solo, Year of the Fish
• Lars Knudson and Jay Van Hoy – Treeless Mountain, I’ll Come Running

LACOSTE TRUER THAN FICTION AWARD

• Darius Marder – Loot*
• Sacha Gervasi – Anvil! The story of Anvil
• Margaret Brown – The Order of Myths

BEST SCREENPLAY

• Woody Allen – Vicky Christina Barcelona
• Anne Boden & Ryan Fleck – Sugar
• Charlie Kaufman – Synecdoche, New York*
• Howard A. Rodman – Savage Grace
• Christopher Zalla – Sangre De Mi Sangre

BEST DOCUMENTARY

• The Order of the Myths
• Up the Yangtze
• Man on a Wire*
• The Betrayal
• Encounters at the End of the World

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

• The Wrestler*
• Milk
• Chop Shop
• Ballast
• Medicine for Melancholy

ROBERT ALTMAN AWARD

• Synecdoche, New York.
• Charlie Kaufman (Director)

BEST DIRECTOR

• Courtney Hunt – Frozen River*
• Tom McCarthy – The Visitor
• Lance Hammer – Ballast
• Ramin Bahrani – Chop Shop
• Jonathan Demme – Rachel Getting Married

BEST FEMALE LEAD

• Tarra Riggs – Ballast
• Melissa Leo – Frozen River*
• Michelle Williams – Wendy and Lucy
• Anne Hathaway – Rachel Getting Married
• Summer Bishil – Towelhead / Nothing is Private

BEST FEATURE

• The Wrestler*
• Frozen River
• Ballast
• Wendy and Lucy
• Rachel Getting Married

I think it will be a clean up for Frozen River as well as The Wrestler. I can almost guarantee Mickey Rourke will win for Best Actor. (I can’t wait to hear his speech, as will everyone else in the room.) Man on a Wire will also win easily (IMO). It should be a very fun show!

So NEXT SATURDAY AFTERNOON, (check local listings) crack open a few drinks wherever you may be, and join in on the fun. I will have a follow up report on “Oscar Sunday” to see how close I came with my predictions and also maybe some photos as well, Cheers!