nebraska – We Are Movie Geeks

12 YEARS A SLAVE Big Winner at 29th Film Independent Spirit Awards

Film Independent, the nonprofit arts organization that produces the Spirit Awards and the Los Angeles Film Festival, handed out top honors to 12 Years a Slave, Dallas Buyers Club and Nebraska at this afternoon’s 29th Film Independent Spirit Awards. Blue Jasmine, Fruitvale Station, Blue is the Warmest Color, Short Term 12, This is Martin Bonner and 20 Feet from Stardom also received awards at the ceremony, which is held in a tent on the beach in Santa Monica.

Comedian Patton Oswalt was this year’s host.

Highlights include: The first ever award delivered via Wild Rabbit’s state-of-the-art drone. Mid-show Patton also received multiple motivational messages via Skype from Sarah Silverman, Reggie Watts, Weird Al Yankovic and… his parents. Also showcased during the ceremony, the Indie-izer, Patton’s newly developed app that turns anyHollywood big budget film into an indie film.

The Spirit Awards were the first event to exclusively honor independent film, and over the past 29 years, has become the premier awards show for the independent film community, celebrating films made by filmmakers who embody independence and originality.

This year’s major category winners were 12 Years a Slave, which won Best Feature, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Supporting Female and Best Cinematography and Dallas Buyers Club, which won Best Supporting Male and Best Male Lead; Fruitvale Station which won Best First Feature and Nebraska, which won Best First Screenplay; Blue Jasmine, which won Best Female Lead, Short Term 12 which won Best Editing; This is Martin Bonner, which won the John Cassavetes Award; Blue is the Warmest Color, which won Best International Film and 20 Feet from Stardom which won Best Documentary.

The 7th annual Robert Altman Award was given to one film’s director, casting director, and ensemble cast. Jeff Nichols’ Mud received this award, along with casting director Francine Maisler and ensemble cast members Joe Don Baker, Jacob Lofland,Matthew McConaughey, Ray McKinnon, Sarah Paulson, Michael Shannon, Sam Shepard, Tye Sheridan, Paul Sparks, Bonnie Sturdivant and Reese Witherspoon.

The 2014 Roger and Chaz Ebert Fellowship which includes a cash grant of $10,000 was awarded to Lulu Wang. This annual award is given to a filmmaker currently participating in Film Independent’s signature diversity mentorship program, Project Involve. Wang wrote and directed her first feature film Posthumous set in Berlin, starring Jack Huston and Brit Marling.

The Bright Future Award, sponsored by Unilever Project Sunlight, honors a filmmaker whose work best exemplifies a commitment to telling stories of positive change in the world. The inaugural Bright Future Award recipient is Patrick Creadon, whose film, If You Build It, exemplifies the power of hands-on education and the impact a few budding creative minds can have on the future of a community. The award includes a $25,000 unrestricted grant funded by Unilever Project Sunlight.

The following is a complete list of the winners:
Best Feature: 12 Years a Slave (Fox Searchlight Pictures)
Producers: Dede Gardner, Anthony Katagas, Jeremy Kleiner, Steve McQueen, Arnon Milchan, Brad Pitt, Bill Pohlad
Best Director: Steve McQueen, 12 Years a Slave (Fox Searchlight Pictures)
Best Screenplay: John Ridley, 12 Years a Slave (Fox Searchlight Pictures)
Best First Feature: Fruitvale Station (The Weinstein Company)
Director: Ryan Coogler, Producers: Nina Yang Bongiovi, Forest Whitaker
Best First Screenplay: Bob Nelson, Nebraska (Paramount Pictures)
John Cassavetes Award (For best feature made under $500,000):
This is Martin Bonner (Monterey Media inc)
Writer/Director: Chad Hartigan, Producer: Cherie Saulter
Best Supporting Female: Lupita Nyong’o, 12 Years a Slave (Fox Searchlight Pictures)
Best Supporting Male: Jared Leto, Dallas Buyers Club (Focus Features)
Best Female Lead: Cate Blanchett, Blue Jasmine (Sony Pictures Classics)
Best Male Lead: Matthew McConaughey, Dallas Buyers Club, (Focus Features)
Robert Altman Award: Mud (Roadside Attractions / Lionsgate)
Director: Jeff Nichols, Casting Director: Francine Maisler, Ensemble Cast: Joe Don Baker, Jacob Lofland, Matthew McConaughey, Ray McKinnon, Sarah Paulson, Michael Shannon, Sam Shepard, Tye Sheridan, Paul Sparks, Bonnie Sturdivant, Reese Witherspoon
Best Cinematography: Sean Bobbitt, 12 Years a Slave (Fox Searchlight Pictures)
Best Editing: Nat Sanders, Short Term 12 (Cinedigm)

Best International Film: Blue is the Warmest Color (France- IFC Films)
Director: Abdellatif Kechiche
Best Documentary: 20 Feet From Stardom (Radius-TWC)
Director/Producer: Morgan Neville, Producers: Gil Friesen, Caitrin Rogers

2014 FILM INDEPENDENT SPIRIT AWARD WINNERS
BY DISTRIBUTOR

5 Fox Searchlight
2 Focus Features
1 Cinedigm
1 IFC Films
1 Paramount
1 Monterey Media inc
1 Radius-TWC
1 Roadside Attractions / Lionsgate
1 Sony Pictures Classics
1 The Weinstein Company

AMPAS Members: NEBRASKA’s June Squibb Needs Your Oscar Votes

Every once in a while, a supporting performance comes along that overshadows the lead characters of a film. In the case of filmmaker Alexander Payne’s latest tale, and in once unforgettable scene, this would be the remarkable June Squibb.

Get to know the Best Supporting Actress Oscar Nominee in a funny video from Jimmy Kimmel Live.

NEBRASKA received six Oscar nominations including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor (Bruce Dern), Best Supporting Actress, Best Cinematography (brilliantly shot in B&W by Phedon Papamicheal) and Best Original Screenplay (Bob Nelson).

“I don’t doubt myself when it comes to work,” said Squibb during her pre-Golden Globe interview on CBS Sunday Morning.

NEBRASKA makes its Blu-ray, DVD and VOD debut on February 25, 2014 from Paramount Home Media Distribution. The film is available now on Digital and Digital HD.

Hailed as “an American masterpiece” (Richard Roeper, Chicago Sun-Times), the film was also named one of the best movies of the year by the AFI, Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Vanity Fair, Rolling Stone, New York Times, The New Yorker, Los Angeles Times, Variety, Huffington Post, Slate, the National Board of Review and numerous critics associations.

From Academy Award-winner Alexander Payne, the director of Sideways and The Descendants, comes the captivating story of a father (Bruce Dern) and his adult son (Will Forte) who embark on a journey to claim a million-dollar prize; what begins as a fool’s errand becomes a search for the road to redemption.

Screen legend Bruce Dern gives “a career crowning performance” (Scott Foundas, Variety) that has earned him widespread critical praise, as well as the Best Actor award from the Cannes Film Festival, the National Board of Review and the Los Angeles Film Critics and Oscar, Golden Globe, SAG, Spirit and Satellite award nominations. NEBRASKA also features an outstanding supporting cast including Stacy Keach, Oscar nominee June Squibb and a “revelatory” (Peter Travers, Rolling Stone) Will Forte.

Cinematographer Phedon Papamichael Talks About His Work On NEBRASKA

On Thursday, NEBRASKA received six Oscar nominations including Best Cinematography. Up until the 30th Academy Awards (1958), Best Cinematography was divided into two categories – Color and Black & White. According to AMPAS, the last entirely black-and-white film to win Best Picture was THE ARTIST (2011). Prior to that, The Apartment (1960) held this distinction; Schindler’s List (1993) had some color elements.

One of the first decisions director Alexander Payne took in making NEBRASKA was to shoot the film in black and white.

He knew it would be a risk, but it was central to his vision of the story. “Visual style was my window into the picture,” he notes.

“Black and white just felt like the right choice for this film, because that’s always how I read it and saw it,” explains Payne. “I’ve also always wanted to make a film in black and white. It’s such a beautiful format. And this modest, austere story lends itself to a visual style as stark, plain and direct as the lives of the people in the film.”

Director of Photography, Phedon Papamichael, who also shot “Sideways” and “The Descendants” with Payne, says that Payne talked about black and white from moment one. “That’s how he saw it in his head,” he says, “so even though there was a series of struggles about how to make it happen, that was always the plan.”

The specifics of tone and texture emerged from a series of tests. “We did lots and lots of testing,” Papamichael recalls, “to find the particular look of black and white that was right for the film. There’s nothing stylized about it, though. It’s a high-contrast look that supports the human comedy and really sets that mood.”

Have a look at Phedon Papamichael’s evocative images from the film.

Papamichael notes that they all wanted to make the most of the opportunity creatively. “We definitely knew this might be the only time in our lives we’d have a chance to make a black and white film, which I think is a dream of a lot of filmmakers, so we really enjoyed it. At the end, there was the feeling of ‘how can we ever go back to making color films again?’ It’s like a whole new reality.”

To fully explore that reality, he and Payne perused film noirs, Italian Neo-Realism and contemporary American film such as “The Last Picture Show” (notably, Papapmichael’s father shot the sequel to “The Last Picture Show,” “Texasville”), but the biggest driving factor was the characters.

“The way that the black and white works with the texture in Bruce Dern’s face alone, with all of the subtleties of his performance, is so powerful,” he notes. “Equally important was the decision to shoot with anamorphic lenses, which really lend themselves to these landscapes — the vastness of them, the power of the sky, the texture of the fields, the feeling of Midwestern communities.”

The decision to shoot with Arri Alexa cameras came after extensively testing color and black and white stock, and realizing digital would offer the most range and flexibility. In post-production, a layer of authentic film grain was then added to the digital print to echo the warp and weave of celluloid.

This was the first time Papamichael had shot in the Midwest, and he found himself charmed by the locales and more so the people. “You have wonderful, archetypal landscapes, but some of my favorite scenes to shoot came in these little, powerful moments that are so human,” he says.

After receiving a sweepstakes letter in the mail, a cantankerous father (Bruce Dern) thinks he’s struck it rich, and wrangles his son (Will Forte) into taking a road trip to claim the fortune.

Shot in a black and white Cinemascope that mirrors the dusky beauty of small-town USA and the film’s high contrasts of humor and heartbreak, the film gives comic consideration to questions of family roots and family riddles, delusion and dignity, self-worth and the quiet yearning for a dash of salvation.

Official Site: NebraskaMovie.com
Facebook: Facebook.com/NebraskaMovie
Twitter: Twitter.com/ParamountPics

NEBRASKA is in theaters now.

American Society of Cinematographers Nominees Announced – 7 Films On The List

The American Society of Cinematographers (ASC) has announced nominations in the theatrical motion picture category of the 28th Annual ASC Awards for Outstanding Achievement.

The nominees for Outstanding Achievement in Feature-Film Cinematography:

Barry Ackroyd (Capt. Phillips)

Sean Bobbitt (12 Yrs a Slave)

Roger Deakins (Prisoners)

Bruno Delbonnel (Inside Llewyn Davis)

Philippe Le Sourd (The Grandmaster)

Emmanuel Lubezki (Gravity)

Phedon Papamichael (Nebraska)

The winner will be revealed at the awards ceremony on February 1, at the Hollywood & Highland Ray Dolby Ballroom.

“Our members believe these cinematographers have set the contemporary standard for artful, theatrical motion picture cinematography,” says ASC President Richard Crudo. “They have mastered a complex craft which contributes vitally to the storytelling process, and augments the intentions of everyone involved with the production.”

Traditionally, the organization selects five nominees, but a three-way tie this year boosts that number to seven.

This year’s nomination brings Deakins’ total to 12. He won last year for Skyfall, and previously for The Shawshank Redemption (1995) and The Man Who Wasn’t There (2002). His other nominations were for Fargo (1997), Kundun (1998), O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2001), No Country for Old Men (2008), The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (2008), Revolutionary Road (2009), The Reader (2009) and True Grit (2011). He was also the recipient of the organization’s Lifetime Achievement Award in 2011.

Lubezki has won ASC Awards for The Tree of Life (2012) and Children of Men (2007), and was also nominated in 2000 for Sleepy Hollow.

Delbonnel earned top honors for A Very Long Engagement (2005), as well as a nomination for Amélie (2002).

Ackroyd was previously nominated for The Hurt Locker (2010).

Papamichael earned previous nominations in the television movie and miniseries category for White Dwarf (1996) and Wild Palms (1994), respectively.

This is the first ASC nomination for Bobbitt and Le Sourd.

15 Best Film Scores of 2013

Contributed by Melissa Thompson and Michelle McCue

The sets. The hair and makeup. The cinematography. The story. The sound. All of the work of talented crafts people are pulled together under the very heart of any good movie – the score.

With the Academy Award nominations on Thursday, January 16, looming like the drumline at the head of a marching band, we thought we’d have a look back at some of the finer scores of 2013.

Listen and watch a handful of Hollywood’s leading composers discuss the art of scoring a film in The Hollywood Reporter’s round table discussion. With one hundred fourteen scores from 2013 vying for nominations in the Original Score category for the 86th Oscars, we suspect some of these names will be announced .

(THR)

Honorable Mention: INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS from T Bone Burnett.

The soundtrack for INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS transported us to another time and place. The documentary feeling of the film stems from the Coens Brothers decision to shoot and record the music live with no playback and we joined right in the folk-song revival.

For more on the music, read a Q&A with T Bone Burnett HERE.

1. GRAVITY – Steven Price

For Alfonso Cuarón’s thriller, Price created a groundbreaking score, blurring the lines between electronic and organic sounds, incorporating a wide range of elements, from glass harmonicas to string and brass sections. The score captures the on-screen emotion and vacuum of space as another character in the film and left our hearts pounding.

Read our interview here: https://www.wearemoviegeeks.com/2013/10/interview-wamg-checks-in-with-gravity-composer-steven-price/

2. THE PLACE BEYOND THE PINES – Mike Patton

American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Mike Patton, best known as the lead singer of the alternative metal/experimental rock bands Mr. Bungle and Faith No More, has composed a brooding and emotionally charged original score. Patton’s music guides the viewer through this multi-generational drama, linking characters, time periods, and locations with a harmonic convergence of jazz, folk, rock, blues and classical.

Patton’s score features an eclectic selection of music including selections by Arvo Part and Ennio Morricone.

3. ALL IS LOST – Alex Ebert

In a film so devoid of dialogue, this great musical score assumed special importance. Director J.C. Chandor turned to acclaimed singer-songwriter Alex Ebert, leader of the band Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, to compose the film’s score—his first such project.

“It was sort of a shocker in some ways,” says Ebert. “It’s amazing that J.C. would have that kind of faith in someone who hadn’t scored a film.”

Ebert says Chandor initially asked him to deliver very subdued materials, drones and low notes that sustained over scenes. He also specifically requested that the instrumentation avoid piano. That was challenging for the composer, who had already written some pieces on piano, but he understood Chandor’s reasoning.

“The piano has this inherent emotion to it,” he says. “We didn’t want anything that was ’emotion in a can’ or ‘tension in a can.’ But eventually I started taking more chances, and after some back and forth with J.C., we landed in this middle spot that I think was perfect.”

“It’s about beauty,” he says. “It’s emotional and everything that comes along with life and death, and nothing less. I think that’s the primary subject of humanity—and it’s something that you might want to stay away from because it would be overdramatic. But this dude’s in the middle of the ocean on a raft. Let the music be emotional because it is emotional. We followed the movie’s lead.”

http://alexanderebert.com/

4. PHILOMENA – Alexandre Desplat

The very emotional score from Alexandre Desplat’s PHILOMENA broke our hearts. We laughed and cried from beginning to end with Philomena Lee’s heart-wrenching story.

5. OBLIVION – Anthony Gonzalez, M83, Joseph Trapanese

The score was one of the best of 2013 and an intregral part of OBLIVION’s sci-fi landscape.

6. CAPTAIN PHILLIPS – Henry Jackman

Jackman displays versatility in capturing both the intense, desperation and terror in the story of Captain Richard Phillips’ hostage situation with Somali pirates as well as the humanity of the circumstances. Hitting the right musical balance of drama and intensity was a challenge in minimalism for Jackman, so as not to manipulate the audience.

7. NEBRASKA – Mark Orton

A member of the bluegrass folk collective Tin Hat, Orton’s vibe for Americana music was sought out by director Alexander Payne. Horns, acoustic strings and organ are some of the primary elemental instruments fueling the musical emotion to this story, capturing both the vast landscape and people of the flyover states. Orton, a graduate of the Sundance Filmmaker Institute, also scored the music to the 2014 Sundance premiere Drunktown’s Finest.

Click here to listen: http://markortonmusic.com/nebraska/

8. DESPICABLE ME 2 – Heitor Pereira

A celebrated musician and former member of the platinum-selling group Simply Red, Pereira sings to the hearts of children through his scores for Despicable Me 2. The sequel, which follows the further adventures of the notorious spy Gru, Pereira created specific themes for the new characters, specifically 1960s romantic comedy tones for his love interest Lucy and Latin-mariachi rhythms for the evil El Macho.

9. SAVING MR. BANKS – Thomas Newman

Newman has composed music for nearly 100 motion pictures and television series and has earned 11 Academy Award® nominations and six Grammy® Awards. His score goes hand-in-hand with the back story of Walt Disney and PJ Travers making of MARY POPPINS and left us looking for tissues by the film’s end.

10. FROZEN – Christophe Beck

The second of Disney’s movies that showed young girls it was okay to be their very own heroes!

11. RUSH – Hans Zimmer

With their collaborations on blockbusters from The Da Vinci Code and Angels & Demons to more intimate projects such as Frost/Nixon, director Ron Howard and Hans Zimmer, a Grammy, Golden Globe and Academy Award® winner, once again joined forces for the sounds of RUSH.

Balancing the racers’ simple desires with their frenetic-yet-controlled behavior on the track was a challenge for Howard and Zimmer as they created the soundtrack to the film. The composer captured the spirit of the Formula 1 world.

12. EPIC – Danny Elfman

The rousing score for The Leaf-Men. Enough said.

13. PACIFIC RIM – Ramin Djawadi

Okay, so maybe it didn’t live up to everyone’s expectations, but hot damn if the score to PACIFIC RIM wasn’t one of the coolest of 2013. Made us want to suit up as Jaeger pilots and make a last stand in our ‘Gipsy Danger’.

14. WORLD WAR Z – Marco Beltrami

Animal skulls and teeth combined with percussion add to the tension of utter panic and anxiety in a world being overrun by a Zombie pandemic.

Listen here: http://www.marcobeltrami.com/world-war-z

Read our interview here: https://www.wearemoviegeeks.com/2013/06/interview-wamg-talks-to-world-war-z-composer-marco-beltrami/

15. PRISONERS – Jóhann Jóhannsson

Giving you the sense of dread and desperation, Jóhann Jóhannsson’s score for PRISONERS left us with aches and chills over a parent’s worst nightmare.

We couldn’t end our list without a quick mention for composer Alan Silvestri’s music for THE CROODS. While the film score conveyed beautiful themes and resonated on a deeper level than words could ever say, we were fans of how Silvestri combined the Abbey Road Orchestra and the USC Trojan Marching Band… especially the percussion section!

Win Run-Of-Engagement Passes To See Alexander Payne’s NEBRASKA In St. Louis

In Alexander Payne’s NEBRASKA a father and son steer the American road comedy into a vanishing Midwest on the trail of a dubious fortune – and in search of an understanding of each other that once seemed impossible.

This is the story of the Grant family of Hawthorne, Nebraska. Now transplanted to Billings, Montana, stubborn, taciturn Woody (Bruce Dern in a role that won Best Actor at the Cannes Film Festival) is well past his prime — such as it ever was — and possibly his usefulness, but he believes he’s got one last shot at mattering: a notice that he’s the lucky winner of a million-dollar sweepstakes.

To claim his fortune, Woody insists he must quickly get to the sweepstakes company’s office in Lincoln, Nebraska – a 750-mile journey that seems unlikely given that he can barely shuffle down the road a few blocks, at least not without stopping for a drink. Worried for his father’s state of mind, it falls to Woody’s reluctant, baffled son David (Will Forte) to accompany him on a trip that seems hilariously futile on the surface.

Yet, their odd journey becomes a kind of modern family odyssey. When Woody and David make a pit-stop in their hometown of Hawthorne – with the Grant’s tart-tongued matriarch (June Squibb, “About Schmidt”) and anchor-man son (Bob Odenkirk, “Breaking Bad”) joining them – word of Woody’s fortune makes him, momentarily, a returning hero. Then it brings out the vultures. But it also opens a view into the unseen lives of David’s parents and a past more alive than he ever imagined.

NEBRASKA is in theatres now.

WAMG is giving away Run-Of-Engagement passes to NEBRASKA. Each pass admits two (2) to the regular run at LANDMARK PLAZA FRONTENAC, Monday through Thursday.

ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTION:

What is your favorite Bruce Dern film and why?

We will contact you if you are a winner.

OFFICIAL RULES:

1. FILL OUT YOUR NAME AND E-MAIL ADDRESS BELOW. REAL FIRST AND LAST NAMES REQUIRED.

2. WINNERS WILL BE CHOSEN THROUGH A RANDOM DRAWING OF QUALIFYING CONTESTANTS. NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. PASSES WILL NOT BE SUBSTITUTED OR EXCHANGED. DUPLICATE RUN-OF-ENGAGEMENT PASSES WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED.

RATED R

http://www.nebraskamovie.com/

2014 Film Independent Spirit Awards Nominations Announced

Film Independent announced nominations for the 2014 Film Independent Spirit Awards this morning.

Film Independent President Josh Welsh presided over the press conference held at the W Hollywood, with actresses Octavia Spencer and Paula Patton presenting the nominations.

Nominees for Best Feature included 12 Years a Slave, All Is Lost, Frances Ha, Inside Llewyn Davis and Nebraska.

Mud was selected to receive the annual Robert Altman Award, which is bestowed upon one film’s director, casting director and ensemble cast.

In its commitment to recognizing the importance of below the line contributions to the art of filmmaking, Film Independent has now introduced, for the first year, the Best Editing category in the Spirit Awards.

Winners will be announced at the Spirit Awards on Saturday, March 1, 2014. The awards ceremony will be held as a daytime luncheon in a tent on the beach in Santa Monica, with the premiere broadcast airing later that evening at 10:00 pm ET/PT exclusively on IFC.

2014 FILM INDEPENDENT SPIRIT AWARD NOMINATIONS

BEST FEATURE (Award given to the Producer, Executive Producers are not awarded)

12 Years a Slave	PRODUCERS: Dede Gardner, Anthony Katagas, Jeremy Kleiner, Steve McQueen, Arnon Milchan, Brad Pitt, Bill Pohlad
All Is Lost	PRODUCERS: Neal Dodson, Anna Gerb
Frances Ha	PRODUCERS: Noah Baumbach, Scott Rudin, Rodrigo Teixeira, Lila Yacoub
Inside Llewyn Davis	PRODUCERS: Ethan Coen, Joel Coen, Scott Rudin
Nebraska	PRODUCERS: Albert Berger, Ron Yerxa

BEST DIRECTOR

Shane Carruth	Upstream Color
J.C. Chandor	All Is Lost
Steve McQueen	12 Years a Slave
Jeff Nichols	Mud
Alexander Payne	Nebraska

BEST SCREENPLAY

Woody Allen	Blue Jasmine
Julie Delpy, Ethan Hawke & Richard Linklater	Before Midnight
Nicole Holofcener	Enough Said
Scott Neustadter &Michael H. Weber	The Spectacular Now
John Ridley	12 Years a Slave

BEST FIRST FEATURE (Award given to the director and producer)

Blue Caprice	DIRECTOR/PRODUCER: Alexandre MoorsPRODUCERS: Kim Jackson, Brian O’Carroll, Isen Robbins, Will Rowbotham, Ron Simons, Aimee Schoof, Stephen Tedeschi
Concussion	DIRECTOR: Stacie PassonPRODUCER: Rose Troche
Fruitvale Station	DIRECTOR: Ryan CooglerPRODUCERS: Nina Yang Bongiovi, Forest Whitaker
Una Noche	DIRECTOR/PRODUCER: Lucy MulloyPRODUCERS: Sandy Perez Aguila, Maite Artieda, Daniel Mulloy, Yunior Santiago
Wadjda	DIRECTOR: Haifaa Al MansourPRODUCERS: Gerhard Meixner, Roman Paul

BEST FIRST SCREENPLAY

Lake Bell	In A World
Joseph Gordon-Levitt	Don Jon
Bob Nelson	Nebraska
Jill Soloway	Afternoon Delight
Michael Starrbury	The Inevitable Defeat of Mister and Pete

JOHN CASSAVETES AWARD – Given to the best feature made for under $500,000. Award given to the writer, director, and producer. Executive Producers are not awarded.

Computer Chess	WRITER/DIRECTOR: Andrew BujalskiPRODUCERS: Houston King & Alex Lipschultz
Crystal Fairy	WRITER/DIRECTOR: Sebastian SilvaPRODUCERS: Juan de Dios Larrain & Pablo Larrain
Museum Hours	WRITER/DIRECTOR: Jem CohenPRODUCERS: Paolo Calamita & Gabriele Kranzelbinder
Pit Stop	WRITER/DIRECTOR: Yen TanWRITER: David LoweryPRODUCERS: Jonathan Duffy, James M. Johnston,Eric Steele, Kelly Williams
This is Martin Bonner	WRITER/DIRECTOR: Chad HartiganPRODUCER: Cherie Saulter

BEST FEMALE LEAD

Cate Blanchett	Blue Jasmine
Julie Delpy	Before Midnight
Gaby Hoffmann	Crystal Fairy
Brie Larson	Short Term 12
Shailene Woodley	The Spectacular Now

BEST MALE LEAD

Bruce Dern	Nebraska
Chiwetel Ejiofor	12 Years a Slave
Oscar Isaac	Inside Llewyn Davis
Michael B. Jordan	Fruitvale Station
Matthew McConaughey	Dallas Buyers Club
Robert Redford	All Is Lost

BEST SUPPORTING FEMALE

Melonie Diaz	Fruitvale Station
Sally Hawkins	Blue Jasmine
Lupita Nyong’o	12 Years a Slave
Yolonda Ross	Go For Sisters
June Squibb	Nebraska

BEST SUPPORTING MALE

Michael Fassbender	12 Years a Slave
Will Forte	Nebraska
James Gandolfini	Enough Said
Jared Leto	Dallas Buyers Club
Keith Stanfield	Short Term 12

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

Sean Bobbitt	12 Years a Slave
Benoit Debie	Spring Breakers
Bruno Delbonnel	Inside Llewyn Davis
Frank G. DeMarco	All Is Lost
Matthias Grunsky	Computer Chess

BEST EDITING

Shane Carruth & David Lowery	Upstream Color
Jem Cohen & Marc Vives	Museum Hours
Jennifer Lame	Frances Ha
Cindy Lee	Una Noche
Nat Sanders	Short Term 12

BEST DOCUMENTARY (Award given to the director and producer)

20 Feet From Stardom	DIRECTOR/PRODUCER: Morgan NevillePRODUCERS: Gil Friesen & Caitrin Rogers
After Tiller	DIRECTORS/PRODUCERS: Martha Shane & Lana Wilson
Gideon’s Army	DIRECTOR/PRODUCER: Dawn PorterPRODUCER: Julie Goldman
The Act of Killing	DIRECTOR/PRODUCER: Joshua OppenheimerPRODUCERS: Joram Ten Brink, Christine Cynn, Anne Kohncke, Signe Byrge Sorensen,Michael Uwemedimo
The Square	DIRECTOR: Jehane NoujaimPRODUCER: Karim Amer

BEST INTERNATIONAL FILM (Award given to the director)

A Touch of Sin(China)	DIRECTOR: Jia Zhang-Ke
Blue is the Warmest Color(France)	DIRECTOR: Abdellatif Kechiche
Gloria(Chile)	DIRECTOR: Sebastian Lelio
The Great Beauty(Italy)	DIRECTOR: Paolo Sorrentino
The Hunt (Denmark)	DIRECTOR: Thomas Vinterberg

ROBERT ALTMAN AWARD – (Given to one film’s director, casting director, and its ensemble cast)

Mud	Director: Jeff Nichols
	Casting Director: Francine Maisler
	Ensemble Cast: Joe Don Baker, Jacob Lofland, Matthew McConaughey, Ray McKinnon, Sarah Paulson, Michael Shannon, Sam Shepard, Tye Sheridan, Paul Sparks, Bonnie Sturdivant, Reese Witherspoon

17^th ANNUAL PIAGET PRODUCERS AWARD – The 17^th annual Producers Award, sponsored by Piaget, honors emerging producers who, despite highly limited resources demonstrate the creativity, tenacity, and vision required to produce quality, independent films. The award includes a $25,000 unrestricted grant funded by Piaget.

Toby Halbrooks & James M. Johnston

Jacob Jaffke

Andrea Roa

Frederick Thornton

20^th ANNUAL SOMEONE TO WATCH AWARD – The 20^th annual Someone to Watch Award recognizes a talented filmmaker of singular vision who has not yet received appropriate recognition.

My Sister’s Quinceanera	DIRECTOR: Aaron Douglas Johnston
Newlyweeds	DIRECTOR: Shaka King
The Foxy Merkins	DIRECTOR: Madeline Olnek

19^th ANNUAL STELLA ARTOIS TRUER THAN FICTION AWARD – The 19^th annual Truer Than Fiction Award, sponsored by Stella Artois, is presented to an emerging director of non-fiction features who has not yet received significant recognition. The award includes a $25,000 unrestricted grant.

Kalyanee Mam	A River Changes Course
Jason Osder	Let the Fire Burn
Stephanie Spray & Pacho Velez	Manakamana

TOTALS PER FILM

FILM TITLE	CATEGORIES	# OF NOMINATIONS
12 Years a Slave	Best CinematographyBest DirectorBest FeatureBest Male Lead Best Screenplay Best Supporting Female Best Supporting Male	7
20 Feet From Stardom	Best Documentary	1
A River Changes Course	Stella Artois Truer Than Fiction Award	1
A Touch of Sin	Best International Film	1
After Tiller	Best Documentary	1
Afternoon Delight	Best First Screenplay	1
All Is Lost	Best CinematographyBest DirectorBest FeatureBest Male Lead	4
Before Midnight	Best Female LeadBest Screenplay	2
Blue Caprice	Best First Feature	1
Blue is the Warmest Color	Best International Film	1
Blue Jasmine	Best Female LeadBest ScreenplayBest Supporting Female	3
Computer Chess	Best CinematographyJohn Cassavetes Award	2
Concussion	Best First Feature	1
Crystal Fairy	Best Female LeadJohn Cassavetes Award	2
Dallas Buyers Club	Best Male LeadBest Supporting Male	2
Don Jon	Best First Screenplay	1
Enough Said	Best ScreenplayBest Supporting Male	2
Frances Ha	Best EditingBest Feature	2
Fruitvale Station	Best First FeatureBest Male LeadBest Supporting Female	3
Gideon’s Army	Best Documentary	1
Gloria	Best International Film	1
Go For Sisters	Best Supporting Female	1
In A World	Best First Screenplay	1
Inside Llewyn Davis	Best CinematographyBest FeatureBest Male Lead	3
Let the Fire Burn	Stella Artois Truer Than Fiction Award	1
Manakamana	Stella Artois Truer Than Fiction Award	1
Mud	Best DirectorRobert Altman Award	2
Museum Hours	Best EditingJohn Cassavetes Award	2
My Sister’s Quinceanera	Someone to Watch Award	1
Nebraska	Best DirectorBest FeatureBest First ScreenplayBest Male Lead Best Supporting Female Best Supporting Male	6
Newlyweeds	Someone to Watch Award	1
Pit Stop	John Cassavetes Award	1
Short Term 12	Best EditingBest Female LeadBest Supporting Male	3
Spring Breakers	Best Cinematography	1
The Act of Killing	Best Documentary	1
The Foxy Merkins	Someone to Watch Award	1
The Great Beauty	Best International Film	1
The Hunt	Best International Film	1
The Inevitable Defeat of Mister and Pete	Best First Screenplay	1
The Spectacular Now	Best Female LeadBest Screenplay	2
The Square	Best Documentary	1
This is Martin Bonner	John Cassavetes Award	1
Una Noche	Best EditingBest First Feature	2
Upstream Color	Best DirectorBest Editing	2
Wadjda	Best First Feature	1

SOURCE The Film Independent Spirit Awards

NEBRASKA – The Review

With NEBRASKA, director Alexander Payne returns to his home state of Nebraska to gracefully examine the lives of aging Midwesterners. Lensed in nostalgic black-and-white, Payne’s new film is anchored by an epic, awards-worthy performance by 7-year old Bruce Dern (crowned Best Actor at Cannes), but it’s not the unstable crazed Dern that made the actor a star in the ‘70s with films like BLACK SUNDAY, TATTOO and COMING HOME. Dern’s Woody Grant (a role offered to Gene Hackman to unsuccessfully lure him out of retirement) doesn’t say a lot in NEBRASKA nor does his expression change much. It’s a role that forces him to skate by on a Hollywood veteran’s charisma and gravity and presence, something tough for any actor to do, but Dern pulls it off in spectacular form, turning this deceptively slight film into one of the year’s best.

Alcoholic Woody Grant is convinced he’s won a million dollars in a Publisher’s Clearing House sweepstakes. Woody’s chirpy wife Kate (June Squibb – Jack Nicholson’s wife in Payne’s ABOUT SCHMIDT) threatens to use the money to put the old crank in a retirement home. Woody’s younger son David (SNL alum Will Forte – an unusual but rewarding casting choice), a passive electronics salesman, recognizes a fool’s errand but, seeing an opportunity to finally get to know his dad, indulges him. Father and son take a 800+ mile trek from Billings Montana to Lincoln Nebraska to collect the winnings. David’s wish to bond with his father is dashed early on as Woody gets drunk at the earliest possible convenience, suffers a nasty cut on his head, and loses his teeth on some railroad tracks. The pair eventually to take a detour and stay with long-unseen relatives in Hawthorne, Nebraska, the town where Woody grew up and where what’s left of his kin still reside. This is where most of the story takes place and where Woody’s family and old friends (and a couple of enemies) initially buy into to his claim of great upcoming wealth. Their ugly and greedy sides are exposed as confrontations, jealousies, and long pent-up revelations arise, making Woody’s homecoming more than a bit knotty.

A father/son bonding road trip isn’t exactly the most original idea and Payne and screenwriter Bob Nelson’s themes of aging parents, small town squalor, and middle-age children struggling with identity issues may seem like tiresome indie-film tropes, but the screenplay is wise and often funny. Payne’s skillful, subtle direction combined with Phedon Papamichael’s camerawork, with its dazzling Midwestern landscapes, well captures the story’s melancholy impression. But it’s mostly Payne’s skill as an actor’s director that are on display. Dern has a great scene where he tours his dilapidated boyhood home and another visiting a graveyard where his friends and family are all buried. These scenes are moving but the actor is equally powerful in humorous moments like his unimpressed assessment of Mount Rushmore. Forte underplays his sad sack part as well, coming off as a genuinely nice guy exasperated by his inability to keep his father sober and out of trouble. More colorful are the supporting players. Stacy Keach shines as the film’s villain, a jerk who feels he’s owed something from his old business associate Woody and uses threats to get it. June Squibb has several scene-stealing moments as Woody’s jaunty, vulgar wife. Shot throughout the Midwest, NEBRASKA is a well-pitched character study/road film that artfully mixes home-spun humor with haunting visuals and is highly recommended.

5 of 5 Stars

NEBRASKA opens in St. Louis Wednesday, November 27th at Landmark’s Plaza Frontenac Theater

Win A Pass To The Advance Screening Of NEBRASKA In St. Louis

“We are now authorized to pay one million dollars to

Mr. Woodrow T. Grant of Billings, Montana.”

— Notice from Mega Sweepstakes Marketing mailed to Woody Grant

This is the story of the Grant family of Hawthorne, Nebraska. Now transplanted to Billings, Montana, stubborn, taciturn Woody (Bruce Dern in a role that won Best Actor at the Cannes Film Festival) is well past his prime — such as it ever was — and possibly his usefulness, but he believes he’s got one last shot at mattering: a notice that he’s the lucky winner of a million-dollar sweepstakes.

Yet, their odd journey becomes a kind of modern family odyssey. When Woody and David make a pit-stop in their hometown of Hawthorne – with the Grant’s tart-tongued matriarch (June Squibb, “About Schmidt”) and anchor-man son (Bob Odenkirk, “Breaking Bad”) joining them – word of Woody’s fortune makes him, momentarily, a returning hero. Then it brings out the vultures. But it also opens a view into the unseen lives of David’s parents and a past more alive than he ever imagined.

Paramount Vantage presents in association with FilmNation Entertainment, Blue Lake Media Fund and Echo Lake Entertainment, a Bona Fide production of NEBRASKA, directed by Alexander Payne from a screenplay written by Bob Nelson. The producers are Albert Berger & Ron Yerxa; and the executive producers are George Parra, Julie M. Thompson, Doug Mankoff and Neil Tabatznik.

WAMG invites you to enter to win a pass (Good for 2) to the advance screening of NEBRASKA on Monday, November 25th.

Answer the following:

Bruce Dern starred alongside three little drones in the brilliant sci-fi movie SILENT RUNNING (1972).

What were their names?

OFFICIAL RULES:

1. YOU MUST BE IN THE ST. LOUIS AREA THE DAY OF THE SCREENING.

2. ENTER YOUR NAME AND ANSWER IN OUR COMMENTS SECTION BELOW.

3. NO PURCHASE NECESSARY.

The film is rated R for SOME LANGUAGE,

http://www.nebraskamovie.com/
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https://www.facebook.com/NebraskaMovie

NEBRASKA’s Will Forte To Appear At St. Louis International Film Festival

Will Forte will attend the 22nd Annual Whitaker St. Louis International Film Festival to participate in a Q&A following the fest’s opening-weekend screening of NEBRASKA at 7 p.m. Friday.

In NEBRASKA, a road comedy from acclaimed director Alexander Payne (“The Descendants,” “Sideways”), a father and son travel through the Midwest on the trail of a dubious fortune. The stubborn, taciturn Woody (Bruce Dern) is well past his prime, but he believes he’s got one last shot at mattering: a notice that he’s the lucky winner of a $1 million sweepstakes prize. To claim his fortune, Woody insists he must quickly get to the sweepstakes company’s office in Lincoln, Neb. – a 750-mile journey that he seems unlikely to finish. Worried for his father’s state of mind, it falls to Woody’s reluctant, baffled son (played by Forte) to accompany him on the trip.

Forte has established himself as one of the most versatile actors in film and television. He spent eight seasons making audiences laugh on “Saturday Night Live” and has been extremely busy with projects in film and television ever since he wrapped his final season in 2010. In addition to “Nebraska,” he also stars in “Run and Jump,” which debuted at this year’s Tribeca Film Festival, and has completed an untitled Elmore Leonard film, in which he stars opposite Jennifer Aniston, Isla Fisher, and Tim Robbins.

Last summer, Forte was seen in a trio of studio films — “That’s My Boy,” “Rock of Ages,” and “The Watch.” Forte was previously seen in the feature-film adaptation of “MacGruber,” both starring in the title role and co-writing the script. Forte also wrote and starred in the feature “The Brothers Solomon,” opposite Will Arnett and “SNL” cast mate Kristen Wiig. Other film credits include “A Good Old Fashioned Orgy,” “Tim and Eric’s Billion Dollar Movie,” and “Brief Interviews with Hideous Men.”

Tickets for NEBRASKA with Will Forte are $12 general admission, $10 for students and CSL members. They are available in advance at the Tivoli box office and online through Landmark Theatres’ Web site: tickets.landmarktheatres.com.

For more information visit www.cinemastlouis.org

http://www.nebraskamovie.com/

https://www.facebook.com/NebraskaMovie

#NebraskaMovie

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1. GRAVITY – Steven Price

2. THE PLACE BEYOND THE PINES – Mike Patton

3. ALL IS LOST – Alex Ebert

4. PHILOMENA – Alexandre Desplat

5. OBLIVION – Anthony Gonzalez, M83, Joseph Trapanese

6. CAPTAIN PHILLIPS – Henry Jackman

7. NEBRASKA – Mark Orton

8. DESPICABLE ME 2 – Heitor Pereira

9. SAVING MR. BANKS – Thomas Newman

10. FROZEN – Christophe Beck

11. RUSH – Hans Zimmer

12. EPIC – Danny Elfman

13. PACIFIC RIM – Ramin Djawadi

14. WORLD WAR Z – Marco Beltrami

15. PRISONERS – Jóhann Jóhannsson

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