Movie Box Review

Vonnie Lui, Irene Chen Chiu-Ping

courtesy of on.cc

courtesy of on.cc

The biggest night in Hollywood has come and gone for another year as the awards were handed out for all 24 categories at the 83rd Academy Awards. The ceremony was hosted by the very charming Anne Hathaway and Oscar-nominee James Franco, and themes of the night were paying homage to Hollywood past, recognition for unlikely and championed films, thanking wives and inspiring words sent to daughters.

This was a very even split year with no films sweeping the awards, although the top two films were split between the high-profile awards and more tech-centric awards. I'm talking about the two films that took home 4 awards each: The King's Speech (Best Film, Director - Tom Hooper, Actor - Colin Firth and Original Screenplay) and Inception (Cinematography, Sound Mixing, Sound Editing and Visual Effects). Then we had The Social Network with Adapted Screenplay, Original Score and Editing. We also has several films take home two awards a piece with The Fighter (Supporting Actress - Melissa Leo, Supporting Actor - Christian Bale), Toy Story 3 (Song and Animated Film) and Alice in Wonderland (Costume Design & Art Direction). The fourth acting award was Best Actress which went to Natalie Portman for Black Swan.

No huge upsets of the evening, and I think I was most surprized by Tom Hooper for The King's Speech - not that I didn't like the film, but I just really expected it to go to either David Fincher or Darren Aronofsky. Perhaps the biggest surprize was True Grit not winning any awards after getting 10 nominations.

That the hard and fast information, but I think a lot of the best moments of the awards are in the speeches and unexpected moments. Here are some of my favourites:

• Dresses: Mila Kunas' Lavender flowy low cut yet creatively covering dress, Sharon Stone's black feathery glam goodness and Nicole Kidman in a white and sparkly number.
• Melissa Leo dropping the F-Bomb during her heartfelt acceptance speech.
• Christian Bale saying "I'm not going to drop the f bomb like she (Melissa) did, I've done that plenty before."
• Justin Timberlake saying he was Banksy.
• Swoon worthy matching outfit presenting duos of both Josh Brolin & Javier Bardem and Robert Downey Jr. & Jude Law.
• The writer’s speech, this is terrifying” and “My father said to me, I would be a late bloomer” - David Seidler accepting for Original screenplay for The King's Speech.
• Original screenplay montage where the words on screen for Inception do not exactly match what Ellen Page says.
• Susanne Bier very sweet, verklempt acceptance speech for Foreign Film for In a Better World – Denmark.
• Cate Blanchett saying “That’s gross” after The Wolfman clips shown for Achievement in makeup. Then The Wolfman won for Achievement in makeup.
• “Oh my gosh, I should have gotten a haircut” - Luke Matheny upon accepting the award for Best live action short film or God of Love.
• Randy Newman’s noting that it was his 20th nomination and just 2nd win plus saying “Couldn’t they find a fifth song?”
• "The moral of the story is, listen to your mother" - Tom Hooper
• “I have a feeling my career just peaked" - Colin Firth in his lovely, humble acceptance speech for Best Actor for The King's Speech
• Anne Hathaway for making the most out of an awesome fringe dress and also looking like she was about to burst with joy when introducing Stephen Spielberg
• The fact that we can now all say: "Academy Award Winner Trent Reznor"

And the sweetest quote of the night goes to Christian Bale "To my little girl, who has taught me so much more than I'll ever be able to teach her". Gotta love him.

83rd Academy Awards Winners
in the order in which they were presented

Art Direction
Alice in Wonderland - Robert Stromberg (Production Design), Karen O'Hara (Set Decoration)

Achievement in Cinematography
Inception - Wally Pfister

Performance by an actress in a supporting role
Melissa Leo in The Fighter

Best animated short film
The Lost Thing – Shaun Tan and Andrew Ruhemann

Best animated feature film of the year
Toy Story 3

Adapted screenplay
The Social Network - Screenplay by Aaron Sorkin

Original screenplay
The King's Speech - Screenplay by David Seidler

Best foreign language film of the year
In a Better World – Denmark – Susanne Bier

Performance by an actor in a supporting role
Christian Bale in The Fighter

Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original Score)
The Social Network - Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross

Achievement in sound mixing
Inception - Lora Hirschberg, Gary A. Rizzo and Ed Novick

Achievement in sound editing
Inception - Richard King

Achievement in makeup
The Wolfman - Rick Baker and Dave Elsey

Achievement in costume design
Alice in Wonderland - Colleen Atwood

Best documentary short subject
Strangers No More – Karen Goodman and Kirk Simon

Best live action short film
God of Love – Luke Matheny

Best Documentary Feature
Inside Job - Charles Ferguson and Audrey Marrs

Achievement in visual effects
Inception - Paul Franklin, Chris Corbould, Andrew Lockley and Peter Bebb

Achievement in film editing
The Social Network - Angus Wall and Kirk Baxter

Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original Song)
We Belong Together from Toy Story 3 - Music and Lyric by Randy Newman

Achievement in directing
Tom Hooper for The King's Speech

Performance by an actress in a leading role
Natalie Portman in Black Swan

Performance by an actor in a leading role
Colin Firth in The King's Speech

Best motion picture of the year
The King's Speech - Iain Canning, Emile Sherman and Gareth Unwin, Producers

The 83rd Academy Awards were hosted by Anne Hathaway and James Franco, and broad casted live Sunday February 27, 2011 starting at 8pm EST on ABC.

The biggest night in Hollywood has come and gone for another year as the awards were handed out for all 24 categories at the 83rd Academy Awards. The ceremony was hosted by the very charming Anne Hathaway and Oscar-nominee James Franco, and themes of the night were paying homage to Hollywood past, recognition for unlikely and championed films, thanking wives and inspiring words sent to daughters.

This was a very even split year with no films sweeping the awards, although the top two films were split between the high-profile awards and more tech-centric awards. I'm talking about the two films that took home 4 awards each: The King's Speech (Best Film, Director - Tom Hooper, Actor - Colin Firth and Original Screenplay) and Inception (Cinematography, Sound Mixing, Sound Editing and Visual Effects). Then we had The Social Network with Adapted Screenplay, Original Score and Editing. We also has several films take home two awards a piece with The Fighter (Supporting Actress - Melissa Leo, Supporting Actor - Christian Bale), Toy Story 3 (Song and Animated Film) and Alice in Wonderland (Costume Design & Art Direction). The fourth acting award was Best Actress which went to Natalie Portman for Black Swan.

No huge upsets of the evening, and I think I was most surprized by Tom Hooper for The King's Speech - not that I didn't like the film, but I just really expected it to go to either David Fincher or Darren Aronofsky. Perhaps the biggest surprize was True Grit not winning any awards after getting 10 nominations.

That the hard and fast information, but I think a lot of the best moments of the awards are in the speeches and unexpected moments. Here are some of my favourites:

• Dresses: Mila Kunas' Lavender flowy low cut yet creatively covering dress, Sharon Stone's black feathery glam goodness and Nicole Kidman in a white and sparkly number.
• Melissa Leo dropping the F-Bomb during her heartfelt acceptance speech.
• Christian Bale saying "I'm not going to drop the f bomb like she (Melissa) did, I've done that plenty before."
• Justin Timberlake saying he was Banksy.
• Swoon worthy matching outfit presenting duos of both Josh Brolin & Javier Bardem and Robert Downey Jr. & Jude Law.
• The writer’s speech, this is terrifying” and “My father said to me, I would be a late bloomer” - David Seidler accepting for Original screenplay for The King's Speech.
• Original screenplay montage where the words on screen for Inception do not exactly match what Ellen Page says.
• Susanne Bier very sweet, verklempt acceptance speech for Foreign Film for In a Better World – Denmark.
• Cate Blanchett saying “That’s gross” after The Wolfman clips shown for Achievement in makeup. Then The Wolfman won for Achievement in makeup.
• “Oh my gosh, I should have gotten a haircut” - Luke Matheny upon accepting the award for Best live action short film or God of Love.
• Randy Newman’s noting that it was his 20th nomination and just 2nd win plus saying “Couldn’t they find a fifth song?”
• "The moral of the story is, listen to your mother" - Tom Hooper
• “I have a feeling my career just peaked" - Colin Firth in his lovely, humble acceptance speech for Best Actor for The King's Speech
• Anne Hathaway for making the most out of an awesome fringe dress and also looking like she was about to burst with joy when introducing Stephen Spielberg
• The fact that we can now all say: "Academy Award Winner Trent Reznor"

And the sweetest quote of the night goes to Christian Bale "To my little girl, who has taught me so much more than I'll ever be able to teach her". Gotta love him.

83rd Academy Awards Winners
in the order in which they were presented

Art Direction
Alice in Wonderland - Robert Stromberg (Production Design), Karen O'Hara (Set Decoration)

Achievement in Cinematography
Inception - Wally Pfister

Performance by an actress in a supporting role
Melissa Leo in The Fighter

Best animated short film
The Lost Thing – Shaun Tan and Andrew Ruhemann

Best animated feature film of the year
Toy Story 3

Adapted screenplay
The Social Network - Screenplay by Aaron Sorkin

Original screenplay
The King's Speech - Screenplay by David Seidler

Best foreign language film of the year
In a Better World – Denmark – Susanne Bier

Performance by an actor in a supporting role
Christian Bale in The Fighter

Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original Score)
The Social Network - Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross

Achievement in sound mixing
Inception - Lora Hirschberg, Gary A. Rizzo and Ed Novick

Achievement in sound editing
Inception - Richard King

Achievement in makeup
The Wolfman - Rick Baker and Dave Elsey

Achievement in costume design
Alice in Wonderland - Colleen Atwood

Best documentary short subject
Strangers No More – Karen Goodman and Kirk Simon

Best live action short film
God of Love – Luke Matheny

Best Documentary Feature
Inside Job - Charles Ferguson and Audrey Marrs

Achievement in visual effects
Inception - Paul Franklin, Chris Corbould, Andrew Lockley and Peter Bebb

Achievement in film editing
The Social Network - Angus Wall and Kirk Baxter

Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original Song)
We Belong Together from Toy Story 3 - Music and Lyric by Randy Newman

Achievement in directing
Tom Hooper for The King's Speech

Performance by an actress in a leading role
Natalie Portman in Black Swan

Performance by an actor in a leading role
Colin Firth in The King's Speech

Best motion picture of the year
The King's Speech - Iain Canning, Emile Sherman and Gareth Unwin, Producers

The 83rd Academy Awards were hosted by Anne Hathaway and James Franco, and broad casted live Sunday February 27, 2011 starting at 8pm EST on ABC.

courtesy of singtao.com

courtesy of mingpao.com

courtesy of singtao.com

Book: Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë

Reason to Read: February book selection for the Book to Film Club and it's 'one of those books you just have to read'.

I normally start a review with a contextual piece, but with Jane Eyre I'm at a bit of a loss. Part of this is because I had almost no points of reference for the book before reading it beyond specific women in my life who had read, and loved, the book. If this book was a film (and yes, it is being adapted which is the reason I read it), I would align it to a genre, but books run a bit different in that contest. Drama would be where I'd place it, or with the feel of a fictional biography that now feels historically set, but was current of the time. Oh - and it was according to Wikipedia, originally noted as a biography under a pen name.

What really struck me about the book was that I never knew where it was going, which is bizarre for such a fame and acclaimed book. But I loved that. I loved it! Afterwards I turned over the book and was really happy that I hadn't read the back, because it would have skewed the focus for me while reading. Not knowing where it was going, meant that as a reader I could decide for myself which of the themes, actions and characters I thought were the most important to the moment, or to the whole. I wasn't always 'right' per se, but it made for a much more engaged reading experience.

It would be simplest to say that it's about the character Jane Eyre, who is intelligent and strong-willed but not a person who has a lot of support. One of the most fascinating things about here character to me was how frank, practical and truthful but not unemotional. That's something I haven't often seen or read. But what I adored about the book was that it really was about her in every facet of her life. Again, that felt very unusual to me, I'm used to things being more hyper focused, but it was a welcome and refreshing change because it really felt like knowing her on such an intricate level.

I'm so happy that this book is one of the Book to Film Club selections, because I don't think I'd have read it otherwise. I got kind of scared off classics books after struggling through Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte last year, but I found Jane Eyre to be a delightful read which I savoured and was happy to read it throughout the entire month. I'd highly & widely recommend the book, and although I think that there will be a particular resonance with girls & women I think it's accessible and interesting for everyone.

I'm really looking forward to the film adaptation, although I will admit to being hesitantly optimistic for several reasons. First, it's a HUGE book to adapt, so I'm a little worried that many of my favourite moments and themes that are more personal-development focused might be pushed to the wayside. In terms of casting, I'm on board with the boys picked as both Michael Fassbender (Fish Tank) and Jamie Bell (The Eagle, Billy Elliot) are perfect for their respective parts, but it's really all about Jane. In the film Jane will be played by Mia Wasikowska, whom was in Alice in Wonderland, The Kids Are All Right and I was most impressed with as Sophie in Season 1 of "In Treatment", and I'm really hoping she will be great here. I've decided not to watch the trailer for the film but rather wait and be surprized, but from pictures and the poster it looks like the historical period and styling is down pat so I'll be curious to see what they decided to go with in terms of tone and focus.

Jane Eyre is our March Film selection for the Book to Film Club. The film will be released Friday March 18, 2011.

Book: Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë

Reason to Read: February book selection for the Book to Film Club and it's 'one of those books you just have to read'.

I normally start a review with a contextual piece, but with Jane Eyre I'm at a bit of a loss. Part of this is because I had almost no points of reference for the book before reading it beyond specific women in my life who had read, and loved, the book. If this book was a film (and yes, it is being adapted which is the reason I read it), I would align it to a genre, but books run a bit different in that contest. Drama would be where I'd place it, or with the feel of a fictional biography that now feels historically set, but was current of the time. Oh - and it was according to Wikipedia, originally noted as a biography under a pen name.

What really struck me about the book was that I never knew where it was going, which is bizarre for such a fame and acclaimed book. But I loved that. I loved it! Afterwards I turned over the book and was really happy that I hadn't read the back, because it would have skewed the focus for me while reading. Not knowing where it was going, meant that as a reader I could decide for myself which of the themes, actions and characters I thought were the most important to the moment, or to the whole. I wasn't always 'right' per se, but it made for a much more engaged reading experience.

It would be simplest to say that it's about the character Jane Eyre, who is intelligent and strong-willed but not a person who has a lot of support. One of the most fascinating things about here character to me was how frank, practical and truthful but not unemotional. That's something I haven't often seen or read. But what I adored about the book was that it really was about her in every facet of her life. Again, that felt very unusual to me, I'm used to things being more hyper focused, but it was a welcome and refreshing change because it really felt like knowing her on such an intricate level.

I'm so happy that this book is one of the Book to Film Club selections, because I don't think I'd have read it otherwise. I got kind of scared off classics books after struggling through Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte last year, but I found Jane Eyre to be a delightful read which I savoured and was happy to read it throughout the entire month. I'd highly & widely recommend the book, and although I think that there will be a particular resonance with girls & women I think it's accessible and interesting for everyone.

I'm really looking forward to the film adaptation, although I will admit to being hesitantly optimistic for several reasons. First, it's a HUGE book to adapt, so I'm a little worried that many of my favourite moments and themes that are more personal-development focused might be pushed to the wayside. In terms of casting, I'm on board with the boys picked as both Michael Fassbender (Fish Tank) and Jamie Bell (The Eagle, Billy Elliot) are perfect for their respective parts, but it's really all about Jane. In the film Jane will be played by Mia Wasikowska, whom was in Alice in Wonderland, The Kids Are All Right and I was most impressed with as Sophie in Season 1 of "In Treatment", and I'm really hoping she will be great here. I've decided not to watch the trailer for the film but rather wait and be surprized, but from pictures and the poster it looks like the historical period and styling is down pat so I'll be curious to see what they decided to go with in terms of tone and focus.

Jane Eyre is our March Film selection for the Book to Film Club. The film will be released Friday March 18, 2011.

courtesy of singtao.com

courtesy of on.cc

Linah Matsuoka, Kate M.

courtesy of takungpao.com

courtesy of takungpao.com

courtesy of on.cc

courtesy of on.cc

The Book to Film Club book selection for February was the classic novel Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë. I found it thrilling to read as it does live up to all the acclaim and I didn't know literally anything about it other than the acclaim going in, which made all the more for a wonderful reading experience. Have you finished it yet? Did you review it? Here are some questions to ponder when thinking about the book and the upcoming film adaptation. Feel free to review it and if you comment or send me the link I'll add it to the list, or you can always journal your thought as well.

Things to ponder on the book:
Did you enjoy reading it?
Was it what you were expecting?
What did you know about the book before reading it?
What did you take away from reading the book?
Why do you think this book has stayed with us for over 150 years?
Who would you recommend the book to?

If this was a re-read:
How did reading it this time compare with your previous time reading it?
Did you notice anything different this time round?
Did your interest and focus stay on the same characters and moments, or shift?

About the upcoming film adaptations:
How do you feel about the casting of the film?
What do you hope to be the focus of the film?
What do you think is essential to keep from the book in the film?
What do you think they can trim away from the book to the film?
What do you think the challenges of the adaptation may be?
Do you have any hesitations on the adaptation?
What are you most looking forward to about the film adaptation?

Jane Eyre Book Reviews by Book to Film Clubbers:

• Shannon
• Norlinda

Jane Eyre will be our March Film selection. The film stars Mia Wasikowska, Michael Fassbender, Jamie Bell & Judi Dench and is directed by Cary Fukunaga (Sin Nombre). The film comes out March 18, 2011 and you can see the trailer below I'm going to hold off on watching it myself, even though I've read the book I don't want any spoilers in terms of the focus and feel. I'm looking forward to being surprized when seeing it in the theatre.

The Book to Film Club book selection for February was the classic novel Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë. I found it thrilling to read as it does live up to all the acclaim and I didn't know literally anything about it other than the acclaim going in, which made all the more for a wonderful reading experience. Have you finished it yet? Did you review it? Here are some questions to ponder when thinking about the book and the upcoming film adaptation. Feel free to review it and if you comment or send me the link I'll add it to the list, or you can always journal your thought as well.

Things to ponder on the book:
Did you enjoy reading it?
Was it what you were expecting?
What did you know about the book before reading it?
What did you take away from reading the book?
Why do you think this book has stayed with us for over 150 years?
Who would you recommend the book to?

If this was a re-read:
How did reading it this time compare with your previous time reading it?
Did you notice anything different this time round?
Did your interest and focus stay on the same characters and moments, or shift?

About the upcoming film adaptations:
How do you feel about the casting of the film?
What do you hope to be the focus of the film?
What do you think is essential to keep from the book in the film?
What do you think they can trim away from the book to the film?
What do you think the challenges of the adaptation may be?
Do you have any hesitations on the adaptation?
What are you most looking forward to about the film adaptation?

Jane Eyre Book Reviews by Book to Film Clubbers:

• Shannon
• Norlinda

Jane Eyre will be our March Film selection. The film stars Mia Wasikowska, Michael Fassbender, Jamie Bell & Judi Dench and is directed by Cary Fukunaga (Sin Nombre). The film comes out March 18, 2011 and you can see the trailer below I'm going to hold off on watching it myself, even though I've read the book I don't want any spoilers in terms of the focus and feel. I'm looking forward to being surprized when seeing it in the theatre.

Dir: Alister Grierson (Kokoda)
Cast: Richard Roxburgh, Rhys Wakefield, Ioan Gruffudd, Alice Parkinson, Dan Wyllie
USA/Australia, 2011

Seen: February 5, 2011 in 3D!

Reason to see: Water films are a must-see for me

I'm being totally honest when I say I saw Sanctum because it's a water film. Any film with a lot of blue in it, be it a water films or a submarines film or a space film or some kind of arty film, I will see it. I had an oddly aligned love for blue-centric films.

Blue-ness aside, Sanctum is an adventure/thriller that pairs cave diving with disaster. I liked how it has an adventurous spirit but also heart of realness to extreme adventuring, and that it brings a range of characters from business to worker folk, family to friends. It's not hard to keep people straight at all, as the film does tend to over-broadcast the characters at times which is a little too bad as although it is an adventure, connecting with the characters here is key. I did find that connection still came pretty easily though, and our protagonist is Josh (Rhys Wakefield), the skilled but not-interested son of Frank (Richard Roxburgh) the man running the show of finding a path through the underwater caverns. But, the money man here is actually Carl (Ioan Gruffudd) who brings along his girlfriend Victoria (Alice Parkinson) for the water ride. This sets up lots of dynamics that work well in to drive the suspense and story of the film.

The visuals are an huge highlight of the film, with gorgeous underwater and cave shots that we wonderous and awe inspiring. I get such a thrill seeing films that are actually shot on location! I did find that at certain moment we were building up to a big beautiful reveal shot... and then didn't get it, which was a slight disappointment. What wasn't a disappointment was that I was actually able to see a fair amount of the 3D, which is something I usually only get mere glimpses of in films but for some reason this time I saw lots which was so unexpected and exciting, even if it was just someone walking in front of the camera. Yes, it's a little silly - but it's also the truth!

Overall, it's an adventure film at heart that pulls together suspense and survival instinct. It's thrill range from pure adrenaline to hard choices. I appreciated that that if posed some serious questions but wasn't preachy. I enjoyed the characters and it was often gorgeous to look at. Although I could easily list off some things that weren't quite perfect about the film, I'd much rather just sit back and watch it again for the enjoyable entertainment value it delivers.

Shannon's Overall View:
I enjoyed it a lot
I'll buy it
I recommend it to fans of adventure films and survival films

Also see: All 2011 Films Reviewed and All Film Reviews

© Shannon Ridler, 2011

Dir: Alister Grierson (Kokoda)
Cast: Richard Roxburgh, Rhys Wakefield, Ioan Gruffudd, Alice Parkinson, Dan Wyllie
USA/Australia, 2011

Seen: February 5, 2011 in 3D!

Reason to see: Water films are a must-see for me

I'm being totally honest when I say I saw Sanctum because it's a water film. Any film with a lot of blue in it, be it a water films or a submarines film or a space film or some kind of arty film, I will see it. I had an oddly aligned love for blue-centric films.

Blue-ness aside, Sanctum is an adventure/thriller that pairs cave diving with disaster. I liked how it has an adventurous spirit but also heart of realness to extreme adventuring, and that it brings a range of characters from business to worker folk, family to friends. It's not hard to keep people straight at all, as the film does tend to over-broadcast the characters at times which is a little too bad as although it is an adventure, connecting with the characters here is key. I did find that connection still came pretty easily though, and our protagonist is Josh (Rhys Wakefield), the skilled but not-interested son of Frank (Richard Roxburgh) the man running the show of finding a path through the underwater caverns. But, the money man here is actually Carl (Ioan Gruffudd) who brings along his girlfriend Victoria (Alice Parkinson) for the water ride. This sets up lots of dynamics that work well in to drive the suspense and story of the film.

The visuals are an huge highlight of the film, with gorgeous underwater and cave shots that we wonderous and awe inspiring. I get such a thrill seeing films that are actually shot on location! I did find that at certain moment we were building up to a big beautiful reveal shot... and then didn't get it, which was a slight disappointment. What wasn't a disappointment was that I was actually able to see a fair amount of the 3D, which is something I usually only get mere glimpses of in films but for some reason this time I saw lots which was so unexpected and exciting, even if it was just someone walking in front of the camera. Yes, it's a little silly - but it's also the truth!

Overall, it's an adventure film at heart that pulls together suspense and survival instinct. It's thrill range from pure adrenaline to hard choices. I appreciated that that if posed some serious questions but wasn't preachy. I enjoyed the characters and it was often gorgeous to look at. Although I could easily list off some things that weren't quite perfect about the film, I'd much rather just sit back and watch it again for the enjoyable entertainment value it delivers.

Shannon's Overall View:
I enjoyed it a lot
I'll buy it
I recommend it to fans of adventure films and survival films

Also see: All 2011 Films Reviewed and All Film Reviews

© Shannon Ridler, 2011

Spirit Awards were held last night and it looks like Black Swan is no dark horse as it picked up several of the big awards of the night including Best Feature, Best Director, Best Cinematography and Best Female Lead (Natalie Portman). Best Actor when to James Franco for 127 Hours and both supporting acting awards went to Winter's Bone for John Hawkes and Dale Dickey.

Best Feature
Black Swan - Mike Medavoy, Arnold Messer, Brian Oliver, Scott Franklin

Best Director
Darren Aronosfky for Black Swan

Best First Feature
Get Low - Aaron Schneider, Dean Zanuck, David Gundlach

John Cassavetes Award
for best feature made under $500,000, awarded to the writer, director and producer
Daddy Longlegs - Josh Safdie, Benny Safdie, Casey Neistat, Tom Scott

Best Screenplay
Lisa Cholodenko, Stuart Blumberg for The Kids Are All Right

Best First Screenplay
Lena Dunham for Tiny Furniture

Best Female Lead
Natalie Portman in Black Swan

Best Male Lead
James Franco in 127 Hours

Best Supporting Female
Dale Dickey in Winter’s Bone

Best Supporting Male
John Hawkes in Winter’s Bone

Best Foreign Film
The King's Speech - Tom Hooper

Best Documentary
Exit Through The Gift Shop - Banksy

Best Cinematography
Matthew Libatique for Black Swan

Piaget Producers Award
honouring emerging producers who despite highly limited resources, demonstrate the creativity, tenacity and vision required to produce quality, independent films
Anish Savjani for Meek's Cutoff

Acura Someone to Watch Award
to a filmmaker of singular vision who has not yet received appropriate recognition
Mike Ott - Littlerock

AVEENO Truer than Fiction Award
to an emerging director or non-fiction features who has not yet received significant recognition
Jeff Malmberg for Marwencol

Robert Altman Award
given to one films director, casting director and ensemble cast
Nicole Holofcener, Jeanne McCarthy, Ann Guilbert, Rebecca Hall, Catherine Keener, Amanda Peet, Oliver Platt, Lois Smith, Sarah Steele for Please Give

Jameson Find Your Audience Awards
Marwencol

The Spirit Awards wer presented on Saturday February 26, 2011.

See more at the Spirit Awards Website

Spirit Awards were held last night and it looks like Black Swan is no dark horse as it picked up several of the big awards of the night including Best Feature, Best Director, Best Cinematography and Best Female Lead (Natalie Portman). Best Actor when to James Franco for 127 Hours and both supporting acting awards went to Winter's Bone for John Hawkes and Dale Dickey.

Best Feature
Black Swan - Mike Medavoy, Arnold Messer, Brian Oliver, Scott Franklin

Best Director
Darren Aronosfky for Black Swan

Best First Feature
Get Low - Aaron Schneider, Dean Zanuck, David Gundlach

John Cassavetes Award
for best feature made under $500,000, awarded to the writer, director and producer
Daddy Longlegs - Josh Safdie, Benny Safdie, Casey Neistat, Tom Scott

Best Screenplay
Lisa Cholodenko, Stuart Blumberg for The Kids Are All Right

Best First Screenplay
Lena Dunham for Tiny Furniture

Best Female Lead
Natalie Portman in Black Swan

Best Male Lead
James Franco in 127 Hours

Best Supporting Female
Dale Dickey in Winter’s Bone

Best Supporting Male
John Hawkes in Winter’s Bone

Best Foreign Film
The King's Speech - Tom Hooper

Best Documentary
Exit Through The Gift Shop - Banksy

Best Cinematography
Matthew Libatique for Black Swan

Piaget Producers Award
honouring emerging producers who despite highly limited resources, demonstrate the creativity, tenacity and vision required to produce quality, independent films
Anish Savjani for Meek's Cutoff

Acura Someone to Watch Award
to a filmmaker of singular vision who has not yet received appropriate recognition
Mike Ott - Littlerock

AVEENO Truer than Fiction Award
to an emerging director or non-fiction features who has not yet received significant recognition
Jeff Malmberg for Marwencol

Robert Altman Award
given to one films director, casting director and ensemble cast
Nicole Holofcener, Jeanne McCarthy, Ann Guilbert, Rebecca Hall, Catherine Keener, Amanda Peet, Oliver Platt, Lois Smith, Sarah Steele for Please Give

Jameson Find Your Audience Awards
Marwencol

The Spirit Awards wer presented on Saturday February 26, 2011.

See more at the Spirit Awards Website

courtesy of singtao.com

Chen Bo-Lin, Fan Bingbing

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courtesy of takungpao.com

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courtesy of on.cc