The blogger consensus out of last night’s AFIFest screening of David O. Russell‘s The Fighter is that Christian Bale is a lock for Best Supporting Actor, and that the film itself has a fighting chance for a Best Picture nomination. Mark Wahlberg, they’re saying, may not make the cut as a Best Actor contender, but … Read more
Recently whacked Variety film critic Todd McCarthy has officially joined the notoriously dweeby New York Film Festival selection committee. Already in place, of course, are program director Richard Pena, NYFF associate director (and ex-LA Weekly film critic) Scott Foundas, Melissa Anderson and Dennis Lim. McCarthy told me a few days ago he’ll go to Cannes … Read more
And the favored/probable winners at today’s Film Independent Spirit Awards will be….uhm, I had the nominees pasted somewhere, can’t find ’em, whatever. I know this much at least — hooray and hip-pip for Melissa Leo! Okay, the nominees are posted on this IFC.com news page. Get it together already. If I was in Los Angeles … Read more
Lance Hammer‘s Ballast, Jonathan Demme‘s Rachel Getting Married and Courtney Hunt’s Frozen River each scored six nominations among the 2009 Film Independent’s Spirit Award noms, announced this morning. HE winner picks are as follows. HE’s Un-Nominated Best Feature Choice: The Visitor HE Runners-up: Frozen River, Rachel Getting Married, The Wrestler, Wendy and Lucy and Ballast. … Read more
Lance Hammer‘s austere, somber, incontestably over-praised Ballast has snagged four nominations for the upcoming Gotham Independent Film Awards, which will be held 12.2 at Cipriani Wall Street. The snooty elites have embraced this low-key atmospheric mood piece since it played at Sundance ’08. I saw it there (i.e., at the Eccles) and went “uh-huh…okay…fine.” Cipriani … Read more