The 2009 Awards Season Has Started!

Started by MacGuffin, December 02, 2008, 01:46:15 PM

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MacGuffin

`Wrestler' wins top indie honors at Spirit Awards

SANTA MONICA, Calif. – The sports comeback tale "The Wrestler" was picked as best picture Saturday at the Spirit Awards honoring independent film and won two other prizes, including best actor for Mickey Rourke.

A tuneup for the Academy Awards on Sunday, the Spirit Awards featured several winners also up for Oscars, including three of the four acting choices — Rourke, best-actress recipient Melissa Leo for "Frozen River" and supporting-actress pick Penelope Cruz for "Vicky Cristina Barcelona."

Rourke gave a prolonged, hilarious, expletive-laden acceptance speech, dedicating the award to Loki, his beloved Chihuahua that died six days earlier, and thanking everyone from his director, Darren Aronofsky, to the wrestling community. He mentioned that he had just talked with the Santa Monica police department, which "gave me a bed to sleep in 10 years ago," when Rourke was in the midst of the bad-boy behavior that made him a Hollywood has-been until his comeback in recent years with films such as "Sin City" and "The Wrestler."

The film stars Rourke as a washed-up former star with a last shot at glory in the ring. It also took the cinematography award for Maryse Alberti. The crowd gave Rourke a standing ovation and he received hugs and backslaps from audience members as he headed to the stage.

"I didn't realize how many closet Mickey Rourke fans there were," Aronofsky said backstage. "That's been the biggest surprise of the whole trip."

Momentarily forgetting co-star Marisa Tomei's name, Rourke later complimented her for her role as a stripper in "The Wrestler," which earned her a supporting-actress Oscar nomination.

"Not many girls can climb the pole," Rourke said. "She climbed the pole, and she did it well."

Right after Rourke's speech, Tom McCarthy won the best-director award for the immigrant drama "The Visitor."

"I feel like we should just stop the show after Mickey, because who could follow that, really?" McCarthy said.

Leo gave a whoop as she took the stage to collect her prize for "Frozen River," which got its start a year ago at the Sundance Film Festival, where it won the top dramatic honor. She stars as a destitute mother who stumbles into the immigrant-smuggling business with a Mohawk Indian woman along the U.S.-Canada border.

"You are my people. You know you are my people," Leo told the independent-cinema crowd at the awards luncheon in a tent along the Santa Monica beach. "`Frozen River' is a truly independent film."

The supporting honors went to Cruz as a combustible artist in a three-way relationship with her ex-husband and an American woman in Woody Allen's "Vicky Cristina Barcelona" and James Franco as a lover of slain gay-rights pioneer Harvey Milk in Gus Van Sant's "Milk."

Allen won the screenplay honor for "Vicky Cristina Barcelona," his romance that follows the affairs of two American women in Spain.

Cruz thanked Allen "just for letting me be around him. ... He's really the symbol of independence in our industry."

True to his neurotic nature, Allen abruptly departed the set on a pivotal day, when Cruz was to shoot a steamy kissing scene with Scarlett Johansson, Cruz said. Allen had found a freckle on his hand and wanted a dermatologist to examine it, she said.

"He just left, and I love him for that," Cruz said.

Franco said he was a longtime fan of Van Sant's films and signed on because of the talent involved with "Milk."

"When I heard this thing was happening with probably my favorite actor, Sean Penn, and it was such an important story, that was enough for me," said Franco, who added thanks to "everyone that was part of Harvey's life."

"Milk" also received the award for best first screenplay for Dustin Lance Black. The best first feature prize went to "Synecdoche, New York," the directing debut of Charlie Kaufman, who won a screenwriting Oscar for "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind."

"Synecdoche," a sprawling story of a theater director's attempt to re-create New York City on massive stages, also received the Robert Altman Award, given to a film's director, casting director and ensemble cast for following in the spirit of the late maverick filmmaker.

The documentary winner was James Marsh's "Man on Wire," about tightrope walker Philippe Petit and his 1974 mission to walk a rope between the World Trade Center towers. "Man on Wire" is favored to win the documentary Oscar, as well.

Another Oscar contender, the French school drama "The Class," took the foreign film honor.

Presented by the cinema group Film Independent, the Spirit Awards honor movies that cost less than $20 million to make, with a significant part of their budget originating from outside the Hollywood studio system. Other criteria for nominations include films' originality and provocative subject matter.



Best Feature

The Wrestler
Producers: Darren Aronofsky, Scott Franklin

Best Director

Thomas McCarthy, The Visitor

Best First Feature

Synecdoche, New York
Director: Charlie Kaufman
Producers: Anthony Bregman, Spike Jonze, Charlie Kaufman, Sidney Kimmel

John Cassavetes Award (Given to the best feature made for under $500,000)

In Search of a Midnight Kiss
Writer/Director: Alex Holdridge
Producers: Seth Caplan and Scoot McNairy

Best First Screenplay

Dustin Lance Black, Milk

Best Screenplay

Woody Allen, Vicky Cristina Barcelona

Best Female Lead

Melissa Leo, Frozen River

Best Male Lead

Mickey Rourke, The Wrestler

Best Supporting Female

Penelope Cruz, Vicky Cristina Barcelona

Best Supporting Male

James Franco, Milk

Best Cinematography

Maryse Alberti, The Wrestler

Best Documentary

Man on Wire
Director: James Marsh

Best Foreign Film

The Class (France)
Director: Laurent Cantet

Robert Altman Award (Given to one film's director, casting director and ensemble cast)

Synecdoche, New York
Director: Charlie Kaufman
Casting Director: Jeanne McCarthy
Ensemble Cast: Hope Davis, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Catherine Keener, Samantha Morton, Tom Noonan, Dianne Wiest, Michelle Williams

Someone to Watch Award

Lynn Shelton, My Effortless Brilliance

Truer Than Fiction Award

Margaret Brown, The Order of Myths

Producers Award

Heather Rae, Frozen River and Ibid
"Don't think about making art, just get it done. Let everyone else decide if it's good or bad, whether they love it or hate it. While they are deciding, make even more art." - Andy Warhol


Skeleton FilmWorks

Kal

Well deserved, most of them.

Also Mike Myers won worst actor and worst movie at the Razzies. Very well deserved.

Alexandro

I'm surprised there hasn't been a bigger uproar around here because Kung Fu Panda beat Walle at the annies...


polkablues

My house, my rules, my coffee

MacGuffin

2009 MTV Movie Awards Nominations Announced

MTV announced the nominees for the 2009 MTV Movie Awards this morning. The full announcement follows:

The hit films "Twilight" and "Slumdog Millionaire" get ready to battle it out as MTV: Music Television announces this year's final nominees for the "2009 MTV MOVIE AWARDS." Pitting Hollywood vampires against the Mumbai slums, the movies' rabid fans proved their loyalty as they sent both flicks to the head of the cinematic pack with each film receiving nominations in six award categories including "BEST MOVIE," "BEST KISS" and "BREAKTHROUGH PERFORMANCE MALE."

MTV will up the cinematic fun quotient this year by debuting the two new categories "BEST SONG FROM A MOVIE" and "BEST WTF MOMENT." Fans will get the chance to vote on such movie soundtrack hits as "The Climb" from "Hannah Montana: The Movie" as well as pick this year's most jaw-dropping "WTF" movie moment that left audiences speechless such as the naked break-up scene in "Forgetting Sarah Marshall." The 18th annual awards show will be executive produced by Emmy Award® winning producer Mark Burnett. Hosted by Andy Samberg, the "2009 MTV MOVIE AWARDS" will be broadcast LIVE from the Gibson Amphitheatre in Universal City, CA on Sunday, May 31st at 9p.m./8p.m. C.

"This is the first year we've put the nominee decisions in the hands of our audience. From 'Twilight' to 'Slumdog' -- this year's ceremony belongs to our most avid movie fans," said Van Toffler, President, MTV Networks Music, Logo and Films Group. "Our viewers' unending enthusiasm for the movies they love is why we've given them the platform to select the nominees for this year's show."

The "2009 MTV MOVIE AWARDS" marks the first year in which the final nominees were decided on by the fans. From May 4 - May 27, viewers can visit MovieAwards.MTV.com (www.MovieAwards.MTV.com) to vote for their favorite film moments and actors but the category of "BEST MOVIE" will be a fight to the end as voting for favorite film of the year will remain open throughout the LIVE show. MovieAwards.MTV.com is the official site for the "MTV MOVIE AWARDS" where fans can visit to vote and stay to check out show promos starring Andy Samberg and some of today's hottest celebs, get up-to-date info and watch MTV News nominee interviews. During the voting window fans can also head over to facebook.com/mtv, myspace.com/mtv, Flixster and IMDB.com for a special "Movie Awards" social module that will enable them to cast their votes, take polls, watch promo videos, get special news and tweets about the show and special links to "Movie Awards" contests.

Nominees for the "2009 MTV MOVIE AWARDS" are:

BEST MOVIE (voting stays live throughout the 2009 Movie Awards ceremony)

* The Dark Knight
o Director: Christopher Nolan, Producers: Charles Roven and Emma Thomas (Warner Bros. Pictures)
* High School Musical 3: Senior Year
o Director: Kenny Ortega, Producers: Bill Borden and Barry Rosenbush (Walt Disney Pictures)
* Iron Man
o Director: Jon Favreau, Producers: Avi Arad and Kevin Feige (Paramount Pictures)
* Slumdog Millionaire
o Director: Danny Boyle, Producer: Christian Colson (Fox Searchlight)
* Twilight
o Director: Catherine Hardwicke, Producers: Wyck Godfrey, Greg Mooradian and Mark Morgan (Summit Entertainment)

BEST FEMALE PERFORMANCE

* Angelina Jolie - Wanted (Universal Pictures)
* Anne Hathaway - Bride Wars (20th Century Fox)
* Kate Winslet - The Reader (The Weinstein Company)
* Kristen Stewart - Twilight (Summit Entertainment)
* Taraji P. Henson - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (Paramount Pictures)

BEST MALE PERFORMANCE

* Christian Bale - The Dark Knight (Warner Bros. Pictures)
* Robert Downey Jr. - Iron Man (Paramount Pictures)
* Shia LaBeouf - Eagle Eye (DreamWorks SKG/ Paramount Pictures)
* Vin Diesel - Fast & Furious (Universal Pictures)
* Zac Efron - High School Musical 3: Senior Year (Walt Disney Pictures)

BREAKTHROUGH PERFORMANCE FEMALE

* Amanda Seyfried - Mamma Mia! (Universal Pictures)
* Ashley Tisdale - High School Musical 3: Senior Year (Walt Disney Pictures)
* Freida Pinto - Slumdog Millionaire (Fox Searchlight)
* Miley Cyrus - Hannah Montana: The Movie (Walt Disney Pictures)
* Vanessa Hudgens - High School Musical 3: Senior Year (Walt Disney Pictures)
* Kat Dennings - Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist (Columbia Pictures)

BREAKTHROUGH PERFORMANCE MALE

* Robert Pattinson - Twilight (Summit Entertainment)
* Taylor Lautner - Twilight (Summit Entertainment)
* Ben Barnes - The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian (Walt Disney Pictures)
* Dev Patel - Slumdog Millionaire (Fox Searchlight)
* Bobb'e J. Thompson - Role Models (Universal Pictures)

BEST COMEDIC PERFORMANCE

* Amy Poehler - Baby Mama (Universal Pictures)
* Anna Faris - The House Bunny (Columbia Pictures)
* James Franco - Pineapple Express (Columbia Pictures)
* Jim Carrey - Yes Man (Warner Bros. Pictures)
* Steve Carell - Get Smart (Warner Bros. Pictures)

BEST VILLAIN

* Derek Mears - Friday The 13th (Warner Bros. Pictures)
* Dwayne Johnson - Get Smart (Warner Bros. Pictures)
* Heath Ledger - The Dark Knight (Warner Bros. Pictures)
* Johnathon Schaech - Prom Night (Screen Gems)
* Luke Goss - Hellboy II: The Golden Army (Universal Pictures)

BEST FIGHT

* Anne Hathaway vs. Kate Hudson - Bride Wars (20th Century Fox)
* Christian Bale vs. Heath Ledger - The Dark Knight (Warner Bros. Pictures)
* Ron Perlman vs. Luke Goss - Hellboy II: The Golden Army (Universal Pictures)
* Robert Pattinson vs. Cam Gigandet - Twilight (Summit Entertainment)
* Seth Rogen and James Franco vs. Danny McBride - Pineapple Express (Columbia Pictures)

BEST KISS

* Angelina Jolie and James McAvoy - Wanted (Universal Pictures)
* Freida Pinto and Dev Patel - Slumdog Millionaire (Fox Searchlight)
* James Franco and Sean Penn - Milk (Focus Features)
* Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson - Twilight (Summit Entertainment)
* Paul Rudd and Thomas Lennon - I Love You, Man (Paramount Pictures)
* Vanessa Hudgens and Zac Efron - High School Musical 3: Senior Year (Walt Disney Pictures)

BEST WTF MOMENT (New Category)

* Amy Poehler - Baby Mama, Peeing In the Sink (Universal Pictures)
* Angelina Jolie - Wanted, Curved Bullet Kill (Universal Pictures)
* Ayush Mahesh Khedekar - Slumdog Millionaire, Jumping in the Poop Shed (Fox Searchlight)
* Ben Stiller - Tropic Thunder, Tasting the Decapitated Head (DreamWorks SKG/ Paramount Pictures)
* Jason Segel and Kristen Bell - Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Naked Break-Up (Universal Pictures)

BEST SONG FROM A MOVIE (New Category)

* "Jai Ho" - AR Raham, Slumdog Millionaire (Fox Searchlight)
* "The Wrestler" - Bruce Springsteen, The Wrestler (Fox Searchlight)
* "The Climb" - Miley Cyrus, Hannah Montana: The Movie (Walt Disney Pictures)
* "Decode" - Paramore, Twilight (Summit Entertainment)

2009 MTV MOVIE AWARDS: Total Number of Combined Category Nominations

Twilight 7
Slumdog Millionaire 6
High School Musical 3: Senior Year 5
The Dark Knight 4
Wanted 3
Baby Mama 2
Bride Wars 2
Get Smart 2
Hannah Montana: The Movie 2
Hellboy 2: The Golden Army 2
Iron Man 2
Pineapple Express 2
The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian 1
The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button 1
Eagle Eye 1
Fast & Furious 1
Forgetting Sarah Marshall 1
Friday The 13th 1
The House Bunny 1
I Love You, Man 1
Mamma Mia! 1
Milk 1
Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist 1
Prom Night 1
The Reader 1
Role Models 1
Tropic Thunder 1
The Wrestler 1
Yes Man 1
"Don't think about making art, just get it done. Let everyone else decide if it's good or bad, whether they love it or hate it. While they are deciding, make even more art." - Andy Warhol


Skeleton FilmWorks

polkablues

Wow. Cam Gigandet, whom I worked with on a short film back in 2004, is poised to win back-to-back Best Fight awards. Crazy world.
My house, my rules, my coffee

Convael

Springsteen is nominated for an MTV award but not an Oscar......Hmmmmm.......