Independent Spirit Award Winners 2011 "BLACK SWAN" Tops!

I am a FILM INDEPENDENT member and I pride myself on being able to vote on some of the best independent films of the year.  This year is no exception.  

the Independent Spirit Award Winners Are:

Best Feature: Black Swan

Black Swan wins big

Best Director: Darren Aronofsky, Black Swan
Best Screenplay: Stuart Blumberg, Lisa Cholodenko, The Kids Are All Right
Best Male Lead: James Franco, 127 Hours
Best Supporting Male: John Hawkes, Winter’s Bone
Best Female Lead: Natalie Portman, Black Swan

Best Supporting Female: Dale Dickey, Winter’s Bone
Best Cinematography: Matthew Libatique, Black Swan
Robert Altman Award: Please Give (given to director Nicole Holofcener, casting director Jeanne McCarthy and the ensemble cast)
Best First Screenplay: Lena Dunham, Tiny Furniture
Best First Feature: Get Low (award given to the director, Aaron Schneider, and producers David Gundlach and Dean Zanuck)
Best Documentary: Exit Through The Gift Shop (the award goes to the director, but reclusive street artist Banksy reportedly sent “Mr. Brainwash” to accept the honor in his stead)
Best Foreign Film: The King’s Speech (award given to the director, Tom Hooper)
John Cassavetes Award (best feature made for under $500,000): Daddy Longlegs (written and directed by Benny Safdie and Josh Safdie and produced by Casey Neistat and Tom Scott)
Piaget Producers Award: Anish Savjani, Meek’s Cutoff

Winter's Bone supporting winners Dale Dicky and John Hawkes

Someone To Watch Award: Mike Ott, Littlerock
Truer Than Fiction Award: Jeff Maimberg, Marwencol

What Happened To The Bullies From The Neverending Story?

Thanks to CinemaBlend for posting this:

What if you were haunted by a flying Dog Faced creature?  You lived through the 80's but could you dare live with what you saw?  What would you be like today?

Comedy troupe Rue Brutalia asks that question and finds the answer.

Actress Danielle Harris on Directing?

I came across an interview Danielle Harris (Halloween 4 & 5, Rob Zombie's Halloween, Hatchet II) did with MTV GEEK and I found this quote quite interesting.

Danielle Harris
(Halloween, Hatchet 2)

"...I know that it’s short-lived. That’s actually why I applied to the AFI to the Women’s Directing Program because that’s the next step for me. There’s no female directors in the genre, but all these leads and it’s mostly written by men, so what the f***? Why are there not more women doing this?
That’s kind of where I want to start in sort of making that transition. I’ll always be an actor and I will always do these movies, but they may just be few and far between. But like I said in the beginning, I only like taking things that I’m excited about, and even if some people don’t understand why I do it, a lot of stuff I do, I do for no money because I just want to be a part of it. ... "

 Could this be the next step for many female leads in the horror genre?  I think it's interesting.  I am a huge supporter of more female directors.  As you've seen, I have worked with Actress/Director Sage Hall twice this year.  And both short films have turned out to be great successes.
  Tara Cardinal had a big hand in making her film The Legend of the Red Reaper look the way it does,  then there is the new short film from Devanny Pinn titled CatARTic and Shannon Lark has directed the short Lip Stick and many others.

Tara Cardinal
(Legend of the Red Reaper)

 I think that Harris has the right idea.  Make your own films women.  You know what you want to see, you know what you want to play.  If you're not seeing it on screen, then step behind the camera and make it happen.  There are tons of industry people that will help and want this shift!

Sage Hall
(Director: Candy., The Couch)

 It does seem like the Independent, outside the studio system actress' are the ones doing this though.  It's very rare to see a female horror genre A-lister get behind the camera.

I welcome more of it!

Devanny Pinn
(Director: CatARTic)

Shannon Lark
(Director: Lip Stick)

Read the entire Danielle Harris Interview on MTV GEEK

'KABOOM' a Gregg Araki Film

I have enjoyed every film Gregg Araki has released.  If you're unfamiliar with his work order them on NetFlix or just buy them.  If you enjoy dark indie cinema, then you will love his work.

His latest is titled "KABOOM" and stars Thomas Dekker (TV's Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles) and Juno Temple (Greenberg) and is a sexually charged college coming of age film.

Check out the Film Independent Interview with Gregg Araki to learn more about the film.




















Check out the Teasers:

'ABSENTIA' Review

Synopsis:
Tricia's husband has been missing for seven years. Her younger sister, Callie, comes to live with her as the pressure mounts to finally declare him 'dead in absentia.' Tricia is reluctant, always holding out hope, but Callie is practical and wants her to move on. As Tricia sifts through the wreckage and tries to move on with her life, Callie finds herself drawn to an ominous tunnel near the house. As she begins to link it to other mysterious disappearances, it becomes clear that his presumed death might be anything but 'natural.' It seems that the ancient force at work in the tunnel might have set its sights on Callie and Tricia ... and Tricia's husband might be suffering a fate far worse than death in its grasp.

Cast: Katie Parker, Courtney Bell, David Levine, Morgan Brown, Justin Gordon, James Flanagan and Doug Jones

Absentia takes you on a creeptasic journey.  This is not your average indie horror movie by any means.  This is a horror film.  Director Mike Flanagan crafted an amazing story that raises questions and goose bumps while watching.  Absentia is dark and at times witty with elements of the great suspense which leave you in a state of "what will happen next".  The tension and disbelief that occurs for actors Courtney Bell and Katie Parker is thrilling to watch unfold. 

 Everything about Absentia can be summed up in one word "BRILLIANT".

 Any person out there wanting to make a horror film should take notes when watching Absentia.  This is how you sculpt an indie film.  Find great actors, shoot the film in such a way that your audience is lost in the world you've created and above all, find a brand new story.   Absentia is not a remake of a sequel of a Japanese film, it's original.  That's what this genre is in need of.  New life behind and in front of the camera.

 There is not one fault with Absentia and I hope that this film sores to the top of every Best of List at the end of 2011.  That is the only place this film belongs.

 http://www.AbsentiaMovie.com
 Keep an eye on the website to find out when the film will be available in your area.