2012 Indie Spirit Winners

My picks for winners are in bold. The winners say winner. I will update as I watch these.

Best Feature

Nominees:

The Artist (2011)-WINNER

50/50 (2011)

Beginners (2010)

Drive (2011)

Take Shelter (2011)

Best Female Lead

Nominees:

Lauren Ambrose for Think of Me (2011)

Rachael Harris for Natural Selection (2011)

Adepero Oduye for Pariah (2007)

Elizabeth Olsen for Martha Marcy May Marlene (2011)

Michelle Williams for My Week with Marilyn (2011)-WINNER

Best Male Lead

Nominees:

Demián Bichir for A Better Life (2011)

Jean Dujardin for The Artist (2011)-WINNER

Ryan Gosling for Drive (2011)

Woody Harrelson for Rampart (2011)-Why wasn't nominated for an Oscar?

Michael Shannon for Take Shelter (2011)

Best Supporting Female

Nominees:

Jessica Chastain for Take Shelter (2011)

Anjelica Huston for 50/50 (2011)

Janet McTeer for Albert Nobbs (2011)

Harmony Santana for Gun Hill Road (2011)

Shailene Woodley for The Descendants (2011)-WINNER

Best Supporting Male

Nominees:

Albert Brooks for Drive (2011)

John Hawkes for Martha Marcy May Marlene (2011)

Christopher Plummer for Beginners (2010)-WINNER

John C. Reilly for Cedar Rapids (2011)

Corey Stoll for Midnight in Paris (2011)

Best Director

Nominees:

Michel Hazanavicius for The Artist (2011)-WINNER

Mike Mills for Beginners (2010)

Jeff Nichols for Take Shelter (2011)

Alexander Payne for The Descendants (2011)

Nicolas Winding Refn for Drive (2011)

Best Screenplay

Nominees:

The Artist (2011): Michel Hazanavicius

Beginners (2010): Mike Mills

The Descendants (2011): Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon, Jim Rash-WINNER

Footnote (2011): Joseph Cedar

Win Win (2011): Thomas McCarthy

Best First Screenplay

Nominees:

Another Earth (2011): Mike Cahill, Brit Marling

Cedar Rapids (2011): Phil Johnston

50/50 (2011): Will Reiser-WINNER

Margin Call (2011): J.C. Chandor

Terri (2011): Patrick Dewitt

Best Cinematography

Nominees:

The Artist (2011): Guillaume Schiffman-WINNER

Bellflower (2011): Joel Hodge

The Dynamiter (2011): Jeffrey Waldron

Midnight in Paris (2011): Darius Khondji

The Off Hours (2011): Benjamin Kasulke

Best First Feature

Nominees:

Another Earth (2011)

In the Family (2011)

Margin Call (2011)-WINNER

Martha Marcy May Marlene (2011)

Natural Selection (2011)

Best International Film

Nominees:

The Kid with a Bike (2011)

Melancholia (2011)

A Separation (2011)-WINNER

Shame (2011)

Tyrannosaur (2011)

John Cassavetes Award

Nominees:

Bellflower (2011)

Circumstance (2011)

The Dynamiter (2011)

Hello Lonesome (2010)

Pariah (2007)-WINNER

Someone to Watch Award

Nominees:

Simon Arthur for Silver Tongues (2011)

Mark Jackson for Without (2011)-WINNER

Nicholas Ozeki for Mamitas (2007)

Producers Award

Nominees:

Chad Burris for Mosquita y Mari (2011)

Sophia Lin for Take Shelter (2011)-WINNER

Josh Mond for Martha Marcy May Marlene (2011)

Snowed In-New Year's Day 2011 Movie Marathon

In light of the fact that I have not gone anywhere for the holidays, I thought the theme for this years New Year's Day Movie Marathon should be vacations with snow. Plenty of genres for anyone's taste. Let me know if you watched any of these. Happy New Year everyone!

Hot Tub Time Machine- (Comedy)Disappointed at the way their lives have turned out, four longtime friends reunite at the ski resort where they used to party and find themselves transported back to the year 1986 by a magical jacuzzi. A bit raunchy, but very funny despite such a ridiculous set-up.

The Golden Compass- (Fantasy)After overhearing a shocking secret, precocious orphan Lyra Belacqua (Dakota Blue Richards) trades her carefree existence roaming the halls of Jordan College for an otherworldly adventure in the far North, unaware that it's part of her destiny. I've never seen this, but it looks absolutely beautiful.

Groundhog Day- (Comedy) Phil, a self-centered weatherman & his crew are sent to cover the annual Groundhog Day festivities in Punxsutawney, PA, where the citizens await the appearance of Punxsutawney Phil, the groundhog who will supposedly determine the length of winter by his ability to see his own shadow. Phil is eager to beat a hasty retreat, but when a freak snowstorm strands him in Punxsutawney, he wakes up the next morning with the strangest sense of déjà vu: he seems to be living the same day over again. The next morning it happens again, and then again. Soon, no matter what he does, he's stuck in February 2, 1992. One of my all time favorite movies.

Ice Age- (Animated Family Film) With the impending ice age almost upon them, a mismatched trio of prehistoric critters find an orphaned infant and decide to return it to its human parents. Funny (I love Scrat), but also surprisingly moving.

Winter Passing- (Drama) Upon learning that a New York City publishing agent (Madigan) will pay dearly for the love letters her novelist father (Harris) wrote to her late mother, a desperate Reese Holden (Deschanel) returns to Michigan after seven years away from home. I've never seen this, but I'm a huge Zooey Deschanel fan and am determined to see all of her movies.

The Day After Tomorrow- (Adventure) After years of unabated global warming, the greenhouse effect is wreaking havoc all over the globe in the form of catastrophic hurricanes, tornadoes, tidal waves, floods and, most ominously, the beginning of the next Ice Age. Paleoclimatologist Jack Hall (Dennis Quaid) tries to save the world while also shepherding to safety his son Sam (Jake Gyllenhaal), who was in New York when the city was overwhelmed by the beginnings of the new big freeze. I put this in the so bad it's good category. A lot of fun to watch.

Stephanie Daley- (Suspense) Stephanie Daley (Tamblyn) is a 16-year-old girl who while on a school-sponsored ski trip collapses in a puddle of blood; a medical examination reveals that Stephanie has recently given birth, and in a nearby bathroom a newborn child is found dead. While Stephanie insists the child was stillborn and she had no idea she was pregnant, she is charged with killing the infant, and court-appointed psychologist Lydie Crane (Swinton) is assigned to interview the teenager. This looks to be a very dark film, so I'd stay away if you're in a grumpy mood.

Out Cold- (Comedy) A band of snowboarding dudes live life to the fullest on Alaska's Bull Mountain. But their girl-chasing, party-hearty days will soon end if the new landowner (Lee Majors) follows through with plans to build a chic resort, leaving the boys out in the cold. It's up to the dudes to derail the development! I've heard this movie is funny. I'm a huge Zach Galifianakis fan since the good ole stand up days.

New in Town- (Romantic Comedy) High-paid consultant Lucy Hill (Zellweger) is sent from her home base in South Beach, Fla., to a small Minnesota town to improve the productivity of a local manufacturing plant. The town's residents also take some getting used to, especially the ruggedly handsome union boss (Connick Jr.) who's doing his darnedest to make sure that Lucy doesn't cut any jobs. I needed to add a romance into the mix, and I haven't seen this one yet.

The Donner Party- (Period Piece) When pioneers traveling to California become stranded by a snowstorm in the Sierra Nevada mountains, tensions run high as food supplies dwindle. Soon, they must choose between their principles and survival, as they're forced to resort to cannibalism. Again a very dark film. Tread lightly.

2011 Best to Worst Movies & TV

Movies

Limitless

Rise of the Planet of the Apes

The Adjustment Bureau

In Time

Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol

Battle Los Angeles

The Razzle (Short)

Source Code

Winnie the Pooh

Contagion

Red Riding Hood

The Roommate

Moneyball

Hop

Cedar Rapids

Transformers: Dark of the Moon

Scream 4

No Strings Attached

The Beaver

The Mechanic

Bad Teacher

Unknown

Don't Be Afraid of the Dark

Sherlock Holmes: Game of Shadows

X-Men: First Class

Captain America: The First Avenger

Final Acts (short)

Just Go with It

Super 8

Reel Steel

Superhero (short)

The Speed of Thought

Thor

Fast Five

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2

Sucker Punch

TV

New Girl

Project Accessory

Allen Gregory

Extreme Couponing

The Glee Project

Platinum Hit

Once Upon a Time

Grimm

Love Bites

I Hate My Teenage Daughter

Home Takeover with Simon & Tomas

Dina's Party

Harry's Law

Unforgettable

Hart of Dixie

Mad Love

State of Georgia

Enlightened

Pan Am

Web Therapy

Ringer

Homeland

Coming Home

The Voice

Episodes

Carson Nation

Shameless

The Secret Circle

Breaking In

Ultimate Proposal

Live to Dance

Whitney

Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior

Blood SImple (My 5th short film)

I play Abby.