2010 Film Independent Spirit Award Nominations

The Nominees for this year's Film Independent Spirit Awards are:

2010 Gotham Independent Film Awards Winners

Best Feature & Best Ensemble: "Winter's Bone"

Best Documentary: "The Oath"


Breakout Actor: Ronald Bronstein "Daddy Longlegs"

Breakout Director: Kevin Asch "Holy Rollers"

Best Film Not Playing Near You: "Littlerock"

Genius Festival Audience Award: "Waiting for 'Superman'"


Make sure to keep an eye on the Award Season Calendar for upcoming award ceremonies and nomination announcements.

Also see how these winners affect the Award Season Leader Board.

10 Animated Shorts & 10 Live Action Shorts Move Ahead in 2010 Oscar® Race

Beverly Hills, CA (November 30, 2010) – The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences today announced that 10 animated short films will advance in the voting process for the 83rd Academy Awards^®. Thirty-three pictures had originally qualified in the category.

The 10 films are listed below in alphabetical order by title, with their production company:

Franco, Hathaway to Host Oscar® Show

Beverly Hills, CA (November 29, 2010) – James Franco and Anne Hathaway will serve as co-hosts of the 83rd Academy Awards^®, Oscar telecast producers Bruce Cohen and Don Mischer announced today. Both have previously appeared on the telecast but not in hosting capacities.

"James Franco and Anne Hathaway personify the next generation of Hollywood icons— fresh, exciting and multi-talented. We hope to create an Oscar broadcast that will both showcase their incredible talents and entertain the world on February 27," said Cohen and Mischer. "We are completely thrilled that James and Anne will be joining forces with our brilliant creative team to do just that."

Franco, who currently can be seen in "127 Hours," will be making his second appearance on an Oscar telecast. His other film credits include "Eat, Pray, Love," "Date Night," "Milk" and "Pineapple Express." Franco is also known for his portrayals of Harry Osborn in the "Spider-Man" trilogy.

Hathaway will be making her fifth appearance on an Academy Awards telecast. She was recently seen in "Alice in Wonderland" and currently can be seen in "Love and Other Drugs." Hathaway's other film credits include "Bride Wars," "Becoming Jane," "The Devil Wears Prada" and "The Princess Diaries." She was nominated for an Oscar in 2008 for her lead performance in "Rachel Getting Married."

Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2010 will be presented on Sunday, February 27, 2011, at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center, and televised live on the ABC Television Network. The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 200 countries worldwide.

Thanksgiving Themed Movies

If your looking for something to watch after dinner this Thanksgiving evening, check out some of our favorite Thanksgiving related films.

Casting News

This past week there were a couple of notable casting developments for a couple of films that have been in the making for a few years. 

Review: 127 Hours - ****

Danny Boyle won the Best Director OSCAR® two years ago for the Best Picture winning “Slumdog Millionaire.”  Now he follows that film with the incredible and engaging “127 Hours” starring James Franco (“Spider-Man”) as real-life adventurer Aron Ralston.  Amantha and I saw the film this past weekend at the AMC 30 at The Block at Orange and were very impressed with the way Boyle was able to so successfully make you feel what Ralston went through during this five day period.

15 Documentary Features Advance in OSCAR® Race

Beverly Hills, CA – The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences today announced that 15 films in the Documentary Feature category will advance in the voting process for the 83rd Academy Awards®. One hundred-one pictures had originally qualified in the category.

The 15 films are listed below in alphabetical order by title, with their production company:

Joel McHale to host the Spirit Awards



(AP Photo/Charles Sykes, file)



LOS ANGELES – TV sitcom star Joel McHale is joining the independent-film community.

McHale, who stars in NBC's "Community," is scheduled to host the Spirit Awards that honor indie films on Feb. 26, the day before the ACADEMY AWARDS®.

A relaxed and freewheeling party compared to many Hollywood black-tie gatherings, the Spirit Awards will be presented in an afternoon ceremony in a tent along the beach in Santa Monica, just west of Los Angeles. Nominations are due out Nov. 30.

Dawn Hudson is the executive director of Film Independent, which puts on the Spirit Awards. Hudson says McHale's "quick wit, talent and charm makes him a perfect fit" for the awards show's audience.

McHale's upcoming movie credits include a "Spy Kids" sequel and the comedy "The Big Year."

15 Animated Features Line Up for 2010 Oscar® Race

Beverly Hills, CA – Fifteen features have been accepted for consideration in the Animated Feature Film category for the 83rd Academy Awards®.

The 15 features are:

Coppola, Wallach & Goddard Honored at 2nd Annual Governors Awards

Honorary Award recipient Eli Wallach, Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award recipient Francis Ford Coppola (center) and Honorary Award recipient Kevin Brownlow at the 2010 Governors Awards in the Grand Ballroom at Hollywood & Highland in Hollywood®, CA, Saturday, November 13.

The  OSCARS® now both end and kick of the award season.  Beginning last year the Academy moved the honorary awards from the televised ceremony to a special private event  in November that essentially start the season going.  While the people who found the honorary award presentations slowed down the big night's broadcast are happy with this ocurring in a separate ceremony, others, like us, are sorry to be robbed of watch some of the people get "their big moment" often for the only time in their career.  The only bright spot for us is that most of speeches are captured in video clips on the Academy's website.  Although we still miss out on the video package showing a montage of clips form the honorees' careers.



Movie Club Theme for November: Movies About Hollywood

Each month we will be featuring a movie club theme.  Each theme will include four movie suggestions for the month and a link to the discussion on our facebook page.

This month's theme is:

Movies About Hollywood

The Bad and the Beautiful: Kirk Douglas stars in Vincent Minelli's epic film about a producer who needs an actress, director and writer he wronged in the past to help him revive his fading career.  This classic film won 5 OSCARS® and was added to the National Film Registry in 2002.

Singin' in the Rain: Gene Kelly stars as silent movie star Don Lockwood in Hollywood circa 1927.  He, his longtime friend Cosmo Brown (Donald O'Connor) and a young actress (Debbie Reynolds) save his "talkie" debut from being a disaster by transforming it in to a musical.  The film includes one of Hollywood's most iconic scenes as Gene Kelly sings and dances down a rainy street.

The Player:  Director Robert Altman brings author Michael Tolkin's Griffin Mill to life in the form of Tim Robbins.  Altman's ACADEMY AWARD® nominated satire about Hollywood is notable for it long list of celebrity cameos.

The Lost Shot: Mathew Broderick play a struggling director who finally catches a break.  What he doesn't know is the film will never be made because the producer is actually a FBI agent and the film shoot is really just an elaborate sting operation to get infamous mob boss John Gotti.

Watch these films this month and join our discussion on our facebook page to share your thoughts and some of your other favorite movies about Hollywood.

Click here  to join the discussion.

Review: Morning Glory - *

Friday night, Amantha and I went the UltraLuxe Theater at the Anaheim Garden Walk to see Morning Glory.  I was looking forward to seeing the film because I was in the mood for the comedy the advertising led me to believe I would be seeing.  However what I found was an uneven film that often seemed confused as to if it was the light hearted and somewhat silly comedy I was anticipating or a serious realistic look at the world of TV morning show production.  There were things that occurred in the film that would have suited one of those genres but did not easily straddle both.

Eraserhead, Sunset Blvd and David Lynch

This past Saturday it happened.  Amantha was in the same room as David Lynch.  A mere 8 rows or so seperated us from the man, the myth, the legend.  As he was introduced, Amantha  applauded wildly every credit, sometimes in solo.  She leaned forward and hung on his every word as he answered 5 questions submitted in advance via twitter.  His answers included professing his love for the sound of a Scottish wind he has used in many of his films as well as giving his support for both digital and 3D as technologies that only serve to improve the art of film as whole.  He introduced Sunset Blvd as the film that is not only his favorite but has inspired  his entire career.   As he exited, Amantha had tears in her eyes as her 20 years of waiting has been well worth it.  She had no intention of trying to run over and meet him.  Seeing him was enough because as she said he is the one person who would leave her starstruck.

Welcome to The Roundhay Garden Scene

Welcome to an exciting new experience for us.  Who are us?  Us are Eric & Amantha Ryan as well as our two kids Kyle & Stephanie and a few of our friends.  We are here to present our views and opinions on the world of film both current and classic.   Amantha and I have been lifelong fans of movies and our kids are currently making films as members of their school's film club.