On Seth Rogen’s first trip to TIFF, he supported a pair of films, including one with a challenging goal: cracking jokes about cancer.
In 2011, the Vancouver native made his way to Toronto for the premieres of Sarah Polley’s Take This Waltz — which focused on marital challenges for Rogen and onscreen wife Michelle Williams — and Jonathan Levine’s 50/50. The latter was loosely based on the real-life experiences of screenwriter Will Reiser and followed a radio personality played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt who gets diagnosed with spinal cancer (the film’s title references the survival rate). Rogen was a producer and played Gordon-Levitt’s supportive best friend alongside co-stars Anna Kendrick, Bryce Dallas Howard and Anjelica Huston.
One pivotal scene involved shaving Gordon-Levitt’s head, which the team had one chance to nail. “It was the first day of filming, and we improvised the whole thing, which is not wise when...
In 2011, the Vancouver native made his way to Toronto for the premieres of Sarah Polley’s Take This Waltz — which focused on marital challenges for Rogen and onscreen wife Michelle Williams — and Jonathan Levine’s 50/50. The latter was loosely based on the real-life experiences of screenwriter Will Reiser and followed a radio personality played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt who gets diagnosed with spinal cancer (the film’s title references the survival rate). Rogen was a producer and played Gordon-Levitt’s supportive best friend alongside co-stars Anna Kendrick, Bryce Dallas Howard and Anjelica Huston.
One pivotal scene involved shaving Gordon-Levitt’s head, which the team had one chance to nail. “It was the first day of filming, and we improvised the whole thing, which is not wise when...
- 9/9/2023
- by Ryan Gajewski
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Riot Games has hired veteran executive Mandy Beckner as its global head of live action development, film and TV. She joins the developer and publisher after a stint as director of content for the original indie film group at Netflix. In her new role, Beckner will be in charge of developing live-action film and TV content for all of Riot’s “League of Legends”-related IP.
Beckner will report to Brian Wright, Riot Games’ chief content officer.
“Mandy is a dynamic executive with a successful track record that speaks to the kind of entertaining and engaging IP that Riot is known for,” Wright said in a statement. “We are thrilled to welcome her to the Riot family.”
In addition to creating such games as “League of Legends” and “Valorant,” Riot has also produced the Emmy-winning animated series “Arcane.”
While at Netflix, Beckner worked on Prentice Penny’s feature directorial debut “Uncorked,...
Beckner will report to Brian Wright, Riot Games’ chief content officer.
“Mandy is a dynamic executive with a successful track record that speaks to the kind of entertaining and engaging IP that Riot is known for,” Wright said in a statement. “We are thrilled to welcome her to the Riot family.”
In addition to creating such games as “League of Legends” and “Valorant,” Riot has also produced the Emmy-winning animated series “Arcane.”
While at Netflix, Beckner worked on Prentice Penny’s feature directorial debut “Uncorked,...
- 9/29/2022
- by Brent Lang
- Variety Film + TV
The Big Sick and more true stories written by the subject for the big screenThe Big Sick and more true stories written by the subject for the big screenAdriana Floridia5/15/2017 10:35:00 Am
Films based on a true story tend to hit a little harder.
Watching a story unfold and knowing that it's not a work of fiction, but the real life experience of an actual human being, makes everything that occurs that much more impactful. It's incredibly common for films to be based on true life for that reason; it is an instant emotional investment beyond what most fiction can provide. It doesn't happen incredibly often, but sometimes we get the treat of not just watching a work of art, but someone's personal life story being displayed in their own words.
This summer, we are seeing one of these instances with The Big Sick, a film co-written by Kumail Nanjiani and Emily V. Gordon,...
Films based on a true story tend to hit a little harder.
Watching a story unfold and knowing that it's not a work of fiction, but the real life experience of an actual human being, makes everything that occurs that much more impactful. It's incredibly common for films to be based on true life for that reason; it is an instant emotional investment beyond what most fiction can provide. It doesn't happen incredibly often, but sometimes we get the treat of not just watching a work of art, but someone's personal life story being displayed in their own words.
This summer, we are seeing one of these instances with The Big Sick, a film co-written by Kumail Nanjiani and Emily V. Gordon,...
- 5/15/2017
- by Adriana Floridia
- Cineplex
The true story of a man and his family dealing with their parents’ serious illnesses might not sound like feel-good entertainment. But Dan Marshall’s upcoming memoir Home Is Burning is drawing favourable comparisons to Dave Eggers and David Sedaris, so it makes sense that New Line would snap up the rights, and snag Jonathan Levine to direct and Miles Teller as a potential star. Home Is Burning recounts how Marshall and his four siblings joined forces to help their mother deal with a cancer relapse as their father struggled with Als. Marshall, a recent college graduate at the time, even moved back into their basement from Los Angeles to provide care, setting up Team Terminal to battle the illnesses while still occasionally warring with his siblings.It feels like natural territory for Levine in particular, who brought Will Reiser’s fight with cancer to life to great comic effect in 50/50. Like Reiser,...
- 4/14/2015
- EmpireOnline
We at Indiewire are hearing rumors that audiences are leaving "The Fault in Our Stars" full-out, ugly sob crying. Made for $12 million and focusing more on characters than on the usual summer explosions, "Fault" sure feels like an independent film. So if it's put you in the mood to shed even more tears, check our our list of favorite sob-inducing indies below. [List is in alphabetical order.] "50/ 50" Dir. Jonathan Levine (2011) Jonathan Levine's dramedy "50/50" draws heavily from screenwriter Will Reiser's personal experience facing a potentially fatal diagnosis. It examines the struggles of a 27-year-old public radio journalist named Adam Lerner (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) who is diagnosed with cancer. To pull at your heartstrings, the film cleverly focuses more on his daily experiences and social dramas (like his sweet Bromance with Seth Rogan's character Kyle) rather than being too headily concentrated on the darker elements of...
- 6/6/2014
- by Indiewire
- Indiewire
In today.s edition of "New Hollywood Besties," we.ll be discussing the recent business ventures of mega-producer Scott Rudin and Seth Rogen, whose production companies . Scott Rudin Productions and Point Grey, respectively . are set up for three films to be co-produced and distributed by Sony Pictures and Eli Bush. That.s quite the lucrative partnership. One of the projects they.ll be focusing on is a feature adaptation of the acclaimed 2012 chess-centered documentary Brooklyn Castle, for which 50/50 director Jonathan Levine will be reteaming with that film.s screenwriter, Will Reiser. Get ready to experience the feels on an eight-by-eight gameboard. Katie Dellamaggiore directed the documentary, which followed a chess team from the Brooklyn junior high school I.S. 318 that were seemingly unbeatable. While part of the film focuses on the kids. extreme skills in what is commonly thought of as one of the brainiest board games out there, attention...
- 3/1/2014
- cinemablend.com
Seth Rogen is a busy man. When he is not testifying before a Senate Committee to highlight the desperate need for Alzheimer’s research and funding, he is making three-picture deals through his production company, Point Grey, with the prolific Scott Rudin Productions. The commitment will see Point Grey (Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg and James Weaver) team up with Scott Rudin Productions (Scott Rudin and Eli Bush) to create two narrative versions of documentaries for Sony, and a comedy feature with the gang from Workaholics.
Firstly, there’s Brooklyn Castle. Screenwriter Will Reiser and director Jonathan Levine (both from the 2011 Point Grey production 50/50) will make a narrative version of the award-winning 2012 documentary of the same name, which was directed by Katie Dellamagiore. It tells the story of Intermediate School 318 in Brooklyn, New York, and its after-school chess program. Despite deep budget cuts to the inner-city public school – where 65% students live...
Firstly, there’s Brooklyn Castle. Screenwriter Will Reiser and director Jonathan Levine (both from the 2011 Point Grey production 50/50) will make a narrative version of the award-winning 2012 documentary of the same name, which was directed by Katie Dellamagiore. It tells the story of Intermediate School 318 in Brooklyn, New York, and its after-school chess program. Despite deep budget cuts to the inner-city public school – where 65% students live...
- 2/28/2014
- by Sarah Myles
- We Got This Covered
Filmmakers Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg have joined forces to produce an adaptation of the 2012 documentary "Brooklyn Castle" which Jonathan Levine is attached to direct.
The story centers on a team of dominant chess champions who hail from the inner-city Brooklyn school I.S. 318, as budget cuts threaten to take the team away from these students.
Will Reiser ("50/50") is writing the script based on Katie Dellamaggiore's doco. James Weaver, Scott Rudin and Eli Bush will also produce.
Source: Deadline...
The story centers on a team of dominant chess champions who hail from the inner-city Brooklyn school I.S. 318, as budget cuts threaten to take the team away from these students.
Will Reiser ("50/50") is writing the script based on Katie Dellamaggiore's doco. James Weaver, Scott Rudin and Eli Bush will also produce.
Source: Deadline...
- 2/28/2014
- by Garth Franklin
- Dark Horizons
Brooklyn Castle is being turned into a narrative feature, courtesy of Seth Rogen and his 50/50 team. His Point Grey has set up an adaptation of the junior high chess documentary at Sony, with 50/50 helmer Jonathan Levine and 50/50 scribe Will Reiser on board. Directed by Katie Dellamaggiore, the original film centered on the […]
The post ‘Brooklyn Castle’ Adaptation Coming From Seth Rogen appeared first on /Film.
The post ‘Brooklyn Castle’ Adaptation Coming From Seth Rogen appeared first on /Film.
- 2/27/2014
- by Angie Han
- Slash Film
In 2012, after its SXSW Film Festival premiere, Sony Pictures and producer Scott Rudin purchased remake rights to Brooklyn Castle, director Katie Dallamaggiore's feature-length documentary about I.S. 318, an inner-city public school that's home to the most winning junior high school chess team in the country. But a series of deep public school budget cuts threaten to undermine its hard-won success. It's been announced today that Sony Pictures has set Will Reiser and Jonathan Levine to pen the feature film adaptation of Brooklyn Castle, which won the Audience Award at SXSW. Reiser and Levine previously worked together on the Joseph...
- 2/27/2014
- by Tambay A. Obenson
- ShadowAndAct
Exclusive: Scott Rudin Productions’ Scott Rudin and Eli Bush and Point Grey’s Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg and James Weaver have together set up a trio of feature collaborations. Two of the films are based on documentaries and will be made for Sony, where Rudin has his deal. All three will be produced by Rudin and Eli Bush along the the Point Grey trio. Sony Pictures has just set 50/50 writer Will Reiser and that film’s director Jonathan Levine to craft a feature from Brooklyn Castle, based on the Katie Dellamaggiore-directed docu about the trials and tribulations of the junior unbeatable champion chess team at I.S. 318. That’s an inner-city junior high school where more than 65% of students come from homes with incomes below the federal poverty level and where budget cuts threaten to derail its chessboard dominance. The docu won the Audience Award at SXSW, and it...
- 2/27/2014
- by MIKE FLEMING JR
- Deadline
Warm Bodies director Jonathan Levine is looking to team back up with his 50/50 screenwriter Will Reiser for a new film called Brooklyn Castle. The movie will be produced by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg.
It's based on a documentary directed by Katie Dellamaggiore about "the trials and tribulations of the junior unbeatable champion chess team at I.S. 318. That’s an inner-city junior high school where more than 65% of students come from homes with incomes below the federal poverty level and where budget cuts threaten to derail its chessboard dominance."
Levine is a talented young director, and this seems like a great project for him to develop. I enjoy these types of inspiring films. The doc won the Audience Award at SXSW last year, so it must be a great story.
Here's the description of the doc:
This movie tells the stories of five members of the chess team at...
It's based on a documentary directed by Katie Dellamaggiore about "the trials and tribulations of the junior unbeatable champion chess team at I.S. 318. That’s an inner-city junior high school where more than 65% of students come from homes with incomes below the federal poverty level and where budget cuts threaten to derail its chessboard dominance."
Levine is a talented young director, and this seems like a great project for him to develop. I enjoy these types of inspiring films. The doc won the Audience Award at SXSW last year, so it must be a great story.
Here's the description of the doc:
This movie tells the stories of five members of the chess team at...
- 2/27/2014
- by Joey Paur
- GeekTyrant
Team 50/50 clearly cannot get enough of working together. Earlier this month, we learned that director Jonathan Levine and stars Seth Rogen and Joseph Gordon-Levitt were planning a reunion for an untitled Christmas comedy. Levine and Rogen are also involved in another project, an adaptation of chess documentary Brooklyn Castle.The 50/50 connection doesn’t end there. Sony has that film’s writer, Will Reiser, set to write a film based on Katie Dellamaggiore’s documentary. Brooklyn Castle followed the trials and triumphs of the students from I.S. 318, an inner city junior high school in New York where more than 65 percent of the students comes from homes living below the U.S. government poverty level. Budget cuts constantly threaten the school’s chess programme and the kids must battle their own personal issues while perfecting their game.It’s all part of a trio of film collaborations between Rogen and Evan Goldberg...
- 2/27/2014
- EmpireOnline
Sony Pictures is developing a narrative take on director Katie Dellamaggiore's recent documentary Brooklyn Castle . Jonathan Levine ( Warm Bodies ) is planning to direct, re-teaming with 50/50 scribe Will Reiser and producers Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg and James Weaver. The original film, released in 2012, is officially described as follows: Brooklyn Castle tells the stories of five members of the chess team at a below-the-poverty-line inner city junior high school that has won more national championships than any other in the country. The film follows the challenges these kids face in their personal lives as well as on the chessboard, and is as much about the sting of their losses as it is about the anticipation of their victories. Scott Rudin and Eli Bush are also...
- 2/27/2014
- Comingsoon.net
Scarlett Johansson, who lent her voice talent to Spike Jonze's "Her," has contributed a voiceover to "Two Player Game," a script co-written by Joseph Gordon-Levitt and "50/50" screenwriter and director Will Reiser and Jonathan Levine.Now the script is being turned into an animated short film (or "a cool little cartoon for grownups," as Gordon-Levitt calls), on hitRECord.org that will air on a “HitRECord On TV!” episode in January.Gordon-Levitt is putting a casting call out for male artists who want to contribute their voiceover talents to the voice of Bill, opposite Johansson's Olivia.The script and Johansson's voiceover are on the site and you can check out the video of Gordon-Levitt explaining the collaboration below:...
- 10/25/2013
- by Paula Bernstein
- Indiewire
Ladies, gents, sentient people of earth: do you want to be in a movie with Scarlett Johansson?
Sorry, silly question. Of course you do. The surprise is that Johansson’s Don Jon director and co-star Joseph Gordon-Levitt wants to help make that happen through a hitRECord project.
Temper those hopes a little bit, though — this collaboration will be less Don Jon and more Her. In other words, Johansson has already recorded her voice part. It’s also animated. But the “cool little cartoon for grownups” looks pretty fun. Titled “Two Player Game,” it was co-written by Gordon-Levitt and his 50/50 screenwriter...
Sorry, silly question. Of course you do. The surprise is that Johansson’s Don Jon director and co-star Joseph Gordon-Levitt wants to help make that happen through a hitRECord project.
Temper those hopes a little bit, though — this collaboration will be less Don Jon and more Her. In other words, Johansson has already recorded her voice part. It’s also animated. But the “cool little cartoon for grownups” looks pretty fun. Titled “Two Player Game,” it was co-written by Gordon-Levitt and his 50/50 screenwriter...
- 10/25/2013
- by Lindsey Bahr
- EW.com - PopWatch
Exclusive: Director Evan Goldberg tells Screen he is up for a sequel - but Seth Rogen might need some convincing.
Evan Goldberg and Seth Rogen, the duo behind Superbad and Pineapple Express, were in London this week to promote their new comedy, which is released in the UK by Sony this weekend.
With the $31m-budgeted spoof about six friends facing the apocalypse having grossed $57.8m after two weeks in the Us, Screen asked Goldberg about the prospect of a sequel.
“If you ask me, I’d say there’s a good chance of sequel,” said Goldberg, who co-directed the comedy with Rogan. “If you ask Seth, he’d say no. So, we’ll see.”
Real-life friends James Franco, Jonah Hill, Seth Rogen, Jay Baruchel, Danny McBride and Craig Robinson star as the six friends fending off the apocalypse, while there are cameos from the likes of Rihanna, Emma Watson, the Backstreet Boys, Channing Tatum and [link...
Evan Goldberg and Seth Rogen, the duo behind Superbad and Pineapple Express, were in London this week to promote their new comedy, which is released in the UK by Sony this weekend.
With the $31m-budgeted spoof about six friends facing the apocalypse having grossed $57.8m after two weeks in the Us, Screen asked Goldberg about the prospect of a sequel.
“If you ask me, I’d say there’s a good chance of sequel,” said Goldberg, who co-directed the comedy with Rogan. “If you ask Seth, he’d say no. So, we’ll see.”
Real-life friends James Franco, Jonah Hill, Seth Rogen, Jay Baruchel, Danny McBride and Craig Robinson star as the six friends fending off the apocalypse, while there are cameos from the likes of Rihanna, Emma Watson, the Backstreet Boys, Channing Tatum and [link...
- 6/25/2013
- by andreas.wiseman@screendaily.com (Andreas Wiseman)
- ScreenDaily
There are too few Hollywood endings when it comes to the depiction of cancer in movies, doctors say.
Last fall, Italian researchers analyzed 82 cancer-themed movies, including "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" and "Gran Torino." They found that rarer cancers are most often featured and that characters were more likely to die than real-life patients.
"Very often the ill person doesn't get over the disease, and his death is somehow useful to the plot's outcome," Dr. Luciano De Fiore said in a statement. "This pattern is so strongly standardized that it persists in spite of real progress of treatments."
Cancer is the second most common cause of the death in the U.S., second only to heart disease. Yet as diagnosis has improved and treatments have advanced, there are an estimated 13.7 million survivors, according to the National Cancer Institute.
In the movies analyzed, 40 characters with cancer were women, and 35 were men,...
Last fall, Italian researchers analyzed 82 cancer-themed movies, including "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" and "Gran Torino." They found that rarer cancers are most often featured and that characters were more likely to die than real-life patients.
"Very often the ill person doesn't get over the disease, and his death is somehow useful to the plot's outcome," Dr. Luciano De Fiore said in a statement. "This pattern is so strongly standardized that it persists in spite of real progress of treatments."
Cancer is the second most common cause of the death in the U.S., second only to heart disease. Yet as diagnosis has improved and treatments have advanced, there are an estimated 13.7 million survivors, according to the National Cancer Institute.
In the movies analyzed, 40 characters with cancer were women, and 35 were men,...
- 2/25/2013
- by Orange County Register
- Huffington Post
Exclusive: New Girl star Zooey Deschanel is expanding her relationship with the series’ network, Fox, and producing entities, 20th Century Fox TV and Chernin Entertainment. Deschanel is executive producing Must Be Nice, a comedy written by New Girl consulting producer J.J. Philbin, which has sold to Fox with a script commitment. 20th TV and studio-based Chernin Entertainment are producing along with Deschanel’s Hello Giggles. Must Be Nice explores the generation gap between two women who are only 7 years apart when a single, chaotic, 27 year-old moves in with her more responsible, 34-year-old, married sister. Philbin and Deschanel will executive produce with Peter Chernin, Katherine Pope and Deschanel’s Hello Giggles partners Sophia Rossi and Molly McAleer (2 Broke Girls). Deschanel, Rossi and McAleer last year launched female-centric Web site Hello Giggles, and are now expanding their brand to television. This marks the second comedy project for Philbin this season. She also is executive producing High Life,...
- 9/22/2012
- by NELLIE ANDREEVA
- Deadline TV
Having nabbed a Spirit Award for best first screenplay earlier this year for his semi-autobiographical "50/50," Will Reiser is making what's come to be a common next step into television. According to Entertainment Weekly, Reiser and his sister Robin have sold a half-hour comedy pilot to NBC. The sitcom, titled "The High Life," sounds like it will follow in the same vein of tragicomedy as his film. Per EW, it "centers on a newly sober mother and wife who must deal with life’s many stresses — without drinking." The Reisers, who are cousins to comedian Paul Reiser, will serve as writers and executive producers of the pilot. Jake Kasdan, Jj Philbin and Willie Mercer will also executive produce. Read More: Futures | "50/50" Screenwriter Will Reiser on Making Cancer Funny Like the protagonist of "50/50" played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Will Reiser was diagnosed with cancer in his mid-twenties. Co-star...
- 8/22/2012
- by Alison Willmore
- Indiewire
Will Reiser has sold a comedy pilot to NBC. The 50/50 writer-producer has teamed up with his sister Robin Reiser for the project, currently titled The High Life. The sitcom centres on a troubled young woman who has recently got sober after struggling with motherhood, marriage and work. New Girl's Jj Philbin and Jake Kasdan have joined the comedy as executive producers, along with Will Reiser's manager Willie Mercer. Will's critically-acclaimed cancer-themed (more)...
- 8/22/2012
- by By Tom Eames
- Digital Spy
NBC has given a put pilot commitment to The High Life, a single-camera comedy from the brother-and-sister writing duo Will Reiser (50/50) and comedian Robin Reiser. The project, from 20th Century Fox TV, is about the trials and tribulations of a misguided young woman, who’s newly sober and trying to navigate motherhood, work and marriage – all of which makes her want to drink. The Reisers are executive producing with Jj Philbin, Jake Kasdan and Thruline’s Willie Mercer, with Melvin Mar producing. Most of the auspices on the project have strong Hollywood lineage. Will and Robin Reiser are cousins to comedian Paul Reiser, Philbin is the daughter of Regis Philbin, while Kasdan’s father is writer-director Lawrence Kasdan. This is the second comedy project at NBC this development season that is being written by siblings. Saturday Night Live‘s Seth Meyers and his younger brother, Josh Meyers (Mad TV), are...
- 8/22/2012
- by NELLIE ANDREEVA
- Deadline TV
The Office is on its way out, but NBC is not wasting any time looking for fresh meat.
50/50 writer Will Reiser and sister Robin Reiser have sold a half-hour comedy pilot to NBC, titled The High Life. The show centers on a newly sober mother and wife who must deal with life’s many stresses — without drinking. The pair will serve as writers and executive producers.
Emmy-nominated director Jake Kasdan and writer Jj Philbin, both of whom work on Fox’s New Girl, will also executive produce along with Willie Mercer (Ep on The Burn with Jeff Ross).
50/50, which starred Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Seth Rogan,...
50/50 writer Will Reiser and sister Robin Reiser have sold a half-hour comedy pilot to NBC, titled The High Life. The show centers on a newly sober mother and wife who must deal with life’s many stresses — without drinking. The pair will serve as writers and executive producers.
Emmy-nominated director Jake Kasdan and writer Jj Philbin, both of whom work on Fox’s New Girl, will also executive produce along with Willie Mercer (Ep on The Burn with Jeff Ross).
50/50, which starred Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Seth Rogan,...
- 8/22/2012
- by Sandra Gonzalez
- EW - Inside TV
Big-screen heartthrobs Ryan Gosling, Josh Hutcherson and Joseph Gordon-Levitt also in the ring for tonight's coveted Golden Popcorn.
By Ryan J. Downey
Daniel Radcliffe in "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2"
Photo: Warner Bros.
Universal City, California — There are five men in the Best Male Performance category tonight (June 3) at the 2012 MTV Movie Awards but, of course, only one of them will go home with a Golden Popcorn.
The competition is fierce in every category, but Best Male Performance? This is a category that has been conquered by no less than the likes of Arnold Schwarzenegger, Denzel Washington, Brad Pitt, Tom Cruise and Leonardo DiCaprio in MTV Movie Awards of yore. In a word: Argh!
What kind of contest are we in for tonight at 9 p.m. Et/Pt? Well, Channing Tatum knows a lot about hand-to-hand combat as proven in movies like ""G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra" and "Haywire.
By Ryan J. Downey
Daniel Radcliffe in "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2"
Photo: Warner Bros.
Universal City, California — There are five men in the Best Male Performance category tonight (June 3) at the 2012 MTV Movie Awards but, of course, only one of them will go home with a Golden Popcorn.
The competition is fierce in every category, but Best Male Performance? This is a category that has been conquered by no less than the likes of Arnold Schwarzenegger, Denzel Washington, Brad Pitt, Tom Cruise and Leonardo DiCaprio in MTV Movie Awards of yore. In a word: Argh!
What kind of contest are we in for tonight at 9 p.m. Et/Pt? Well, Channing Tatum knows a lot about hand-to-hand combat as proven in movies like ""G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra" and "Haywire.
- 6/3/2012
- MTV Movie News
Big-screen heartthrobs Ryan Gosling, Josh Hutcherson and Joseph Gordon-Levitt also in the ring for tonight's coveted Golden Popcorn.
By Ryan J. Downey
Daniel Radcliffe in "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2"
Photo: Warner Bros.
Universal City, California — There are five men in the Best Male Performance category tonight (June 3) at the 2012 MTV Movie Awards but, of course, only one of them will go home with a Golden Popcorn.
The competition is fierce in every category, but Best Male Performance? This is a category that has been conquered by no less than the likes of Arnold Schwarzenegger, Denzel Washington, Brad Pitt, Tom Cruise and Leonardo DiCaprio in MTV Movie Awards of yore. In a word: Argh!
What kind of contest are we in for tonight at 9 p.m. Et/Pt? Well, Channing Tatum knows a lot about hand-to-hand combat as proven in movies like ""G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra" and "Haywire.
By Ryan J. Downey
Daniel Radcliffe in "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2"
Photo: Warner Bros.
Universal City, California — There are five men in the Best Male Performance category tonight (June 3) at the 2012 MTV Movie Awards but, of course, only one of them will go home with a Golden Popcorn.
The competition is fierce in every category, but Best Male Performance? This is a category that has been conquered by no less than the likes of Arnold Schwarzenegger, Denzel Washington, Brad Pitt, Tom Cruise and Leonardo DiCaprio in MTV Movie Awards of yore. In a word: Argh!
What kind of contest are we in for tonight at 9 p.m. Et/Pt? Well, Channing Tatum knows a lot about hand-to-hand combat as proven in movies like ""G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra" and "Haywire.
- 6/3/2012
- MTV Music News
Illness is isolating, and even more so when you're young. When Will Reiser had cancer, it meant "going to the basement at Cedar-Sinai with people two to three times my age," and awkward conversations with healthy friends and peers who couldn't grasp his pain or frustration. When he beat the disease, and decided to write a screenplay about the experience, it meant keeping the work secret, out of fear that his personal reflection on his fight as a twenty-something with the life-threatening disease would somehow offend those who had also tangled with the sickness. So it
read more...
read more...
- 3/29/2012
- by Jordan Zakarin
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Film Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Most reviews of 50/50 will start with some sort of debate over the issue of presenting cancer, and the spectre of death in film, and specifically in a comedy film, with some suggesting that the finest examples transcend beyond their subject to make wider assertions about life and human spirit. But 50/50 is unavoidably, unapologetically about cancer, and it is from that difficult subject matter that it draws its greatest strength.
The story, which follows Joesph Gordon-Levitt’s Adam through his journey from diagnosis to treatment and beyond is based on the true life story of its writer, producer Will Reiser, whose excellent script is punctuated by brilliantly raw moments of emotion and human intrigue, and which for the first time offers a stark, unsugared portrait of cancer and its huge cost. Though the film is marketed as a comedy, its belly laughs are few and far between,...
Most reviews of 50/50 will start with some sort of debate over the issue of presenting cancer, and the spectre of death in film, and specifically in a comedy film, with some suggesting that the finest examples transcend beyond their subject to make wider assertions about life and human spirit. But 50/50 is unavoidably, unapologetically about cancer, and it is from that difficult subject matter that it draws its greatest strength.
The story, which follows Joesph Gordon-Levitt’s Adam through his journey from diagnosis to treatment and beyond is based on the true life story of its writer, producer Will Reiser, whose excellent script is punctuated by brilliantly raw moments of emotion and human intrigue, and which for the first time offers a stark, unsugared portrait of cancer and its huge cost. Though the film is marketed as a comedy, its belly laughs are few and far between,...
- 3/26/2012
- by Simon Gallagher
- Obsessed with Film
Another week, another Monday. So it’s time for the rundown of DVDs and Blu-ray’s hitting stores online and offline this week. It’s another packed week, with plenty of movies waiting to take you money, so let us breakdown the new releases and highlight what you should – and shouldn’t – be buying from today, March 26th 2012.
Pick Of The Week
Don’t Go In The House (DVD)
Donny is a disturbed kid… A mother’s boy if you will. That is until mother expires and Donny’s world crumbles in on itself. Now, lonely, adrift and enslaved to dark voices in his head, Donny seeks female companionship but drinks and dancing are the last thing on his mind. Mother’s telling him he’s a bad boy and the voices won’t let him rest. Maybe if he just gets a girl home and into his steel lined burning chamber,...
Pick Of The Week
Don’t Go In The House (DVD)
Donny is a disturbed kid… A mother’s boy if you will. That is until mother expires and Donny’s world crumbles in on itself. Now, lonely, adrift and enslaved to dark voices in his head, Donny seeks female companionship but drinks and dancing are the last thing on his mind. Mother’s telling him he’s a bad boy and the voices won’t let him rest. Maybe if he just gets a girl home and into his steel lined burning chamber,...
- 3/26/2012
- by Phil
- Nerdly
★★★☆☆ Loosely based on the story of Will Reiser (friend of producers Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg), Joseph Gordon-Levitt stars in Jonathon Levine's 50/50 (2011), a tentatively-labelled comedy about cancer. At just 27, Adam (Gordon-Levitt) is diagnosed with a rare form of spinal cancer and is subsequently forced to reassess his entire outlook, including his dysfunctional relationship with self-involved artist Rachael (Bryce Dallas Howard). Seth Rogen treads familiar ground in the role of best friend Kyle; offering a unique brand of emotional support and witty banter as he tries to help Adam through his treatment.
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- 3/26/2012
- by CineVue
- CineVue
50/50
Stars: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Seth Rogen, Anna Kendrick, Bryce Dallas Howard | Written by Will Reiser | Directed by Jonathan Levine
Two years ago we had Funny People, now fast-forward to 2011 and we have 50/50. Being a “cancer-comedy” and also starring Seth Rogen is about where the similarities end though. Unlike the 2009 Sandler film, 50/50 was executed far better. Funny People was marketed as a flat out comedy and was two and a half hours long. I enjoyed the film, but was ultimately a bit disappointed. This time around we get a film marketed as something a bit darker and it’s 99 minutes long. Those two things I think will help how it’s received tremendously.
Gordon-Levitt takes a difficult role and does well with it as expected, being one of the best actors around today. Anna Kendrick has already been nominated for an Oscar, but I’ve wanted to see her expand outside of...
Stars: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Seth Rogen, Anna Kendrick, Bryce Dallas Howard | Written by Will Reiser | Directed by Jonathan Levine
Two years ago we had Funny People, now fast-forward to 2011 and we have 50/50. Being a “cancer-comedy” and also starring Seth Rogen is about where the similarities end though. Unlike the 2009 Sandler film, 50/50 was executed far better. Funny People was marketed as a flat out comedy and was two and a half hours long. I enjoyed the film, but was ultimately a bit disappointed. This time around we get a film marketed as something a bit darker and it’s 99 minutes long. Those two things I think will help how it’s received tremendously.
Gordon-Levitt takes a difficult role and does well with it as expected, being one of the best actors around today. Anna Kendrick has already been nominated for an Oscar, but I’ve wanted to see her expand outside of...
- 3/19/2012
- by Scott Smith
- Nerdly
To celebrate the release of 50/50, which is out on Double Play and DVD on the 26th March from Lionsgate Home Entertainment, we have teamed up with Virgin Experience Days to offer one lucky winner and a friend a Segway Rally Racing Day and a copy of the film.
50/50
A devastating diagnosis provides a young man with a rare opportunity to take control of his life in 50/50, the Golden Globe-nominated comedy available on Double Play and DVD from 26 March, 2012, courtesy of Lionsgate Home Entertainment.
Joseph Gordon-Levitt (Inception, 500 Days Of Summer) stars as Adam, a careful, considered young man in a faltering relationship with a commitment-shy artist, Rachael (Bryce Dallas Howard – The Help, The Twilight Saga: Eclipse). When a recurrent back pain is diagnosed as a rare form of spinal cancer, Adam learns not only to deal with his new-found social status as a ‘cancer sufferer’, but also the unpredictable responses of...
50/50
A devastating diagnosis provides a young man with a rare opportunity to take control of his life in 50/50, the Golden Globe-nominated comedy available on Double Play and DVD from 26 March, 2012, courtesy of Lionsgate Home Entertainment.
Joseph Gordon-Levitt (Inception, 500 Days Of Summer) stars as Adam, a careful, considered young man in a faltering relationship with a commitment-shy artist, Rachael (Bryce Dallas Howard – The Help, The Twilight Saga: Eclipse). When a recurrent back pain is diagnosed as a rare form of spinal cancer, Adam learns not only to deal with his new-found social status as a ‘cancer sufferer’, but also the unpredictable responses of...
- 3/16/2012
- by Competitons
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Just to add even more to the barrage of Best you’ve certainly received already, we have another version for you. Catch my list here, if you haven’t already.
Every year around this time we get the barrage of “top ten” lists, and every year around this time I feel out of the loop. Not having the privilege of living in the vicinity of a major metropolitan area, many of the critics’ favorite films of the “year” do not actually see the light of day in my part of the country until well after the new year, leaving me to play catch up about a month or so later.
Unfortunately, this is yet again the case in 2011, subsequently seriously handicapping my own formation of any “best of” list in a timely manner. Despite this set back, the change over from one year to the next is an irresistibly retrospective wellspring,...
Every year around this time we get the barrage of “top ten” lists, and every year around this time I feel out of the loop. Not having the privilege of living in the vicinity of a major metropolitan area, many of the critics’ favorite films of the “year” do not actually see the light of day in my part of the country until well after the new year, leaving me to play catch up about a month or so later.
Unfortunately, this is yet again the case in 2011, subsequently seriously handicapping my own formation of any “best of” list in a timely manner. Despite this set back, the change over from one year to the next is an irresistibly retrospective wellspring,...
- 3/12/2012
- by Christopher Lominac
- AreYouScreening.com
It’s hard not to be happy if you receive an award, especially one so great as the Independent Spirit Award. Yesterday the annual awards show took place in Santa Monica where a mixture of the mainstream and independent cinema crowd all curled up together under one tent to honor all those movies that were voted the best of the year. After some of the filmmakers and actors received their awards they were brought over to the press room where we talked to them about taking home the wonderfully crafted statue. Easily one of the happiest recipients of them all was screenwriter Will Reiser who won the award for Best First...
- 2/28/2012
- by melissa
- ShockYa
Terrence Howard, Ben Kingsley Terrence Howard and Ben Kingsley visit the Jameson Irish Whiskey tent at the 2012 Film Independent Spirit Awards at Santa Monica Pier on February 25, in Santa Monica, California. Kingsley was the Best Picture presenter. The winner, needless to say, was Michel Hazanavicius' The Artist. (Photo by Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images for Jameson Irish Whiskey) The other Best Film nominees were Jonathan Levine's 50/50, which earned Will Reiser the Best Screenplay Award; Nicolas Winding Refn's Drive; Mike Mills' Beginners, which earned Christopher Plummer the Best Supporting Actor Spirit Award; Jeff Nichols' Take Shelter, which stars Michael Shannon — the butt of host Seth Rogen's jokes; and Alexander Payne's The Descendants, starring George Clooney — who wasn't even nominated for the Best Actor Spirit Award. Ben Kingsley won a Best Actor Academy Award for Richard Attenborough's biopic/epic Gandhi (1982). He was nominated as Best...
- 2/28/2012
- by D. Zhea
- Alt Film Guide
Seth Rogen hosted the 2012 Film Independent Spirit Awards on Saturday evening and the winners are:
Best Feature: The Artist. Also nominated: 50/50, Beginners, Drive, Take Shelter and The Descendants.
Best Director: Michel Hazanavicius (The Artist). Nominated: Mike Mills (Beginners), Nicolas Winding Refn (Drive), Jeff Nichols (Take Shelter), and Alexander Payne (The Descendants).
Best First Feature: Margin Call. Nominated: Another Earth, In The Family, , Martha Marcy May Marlene and Natural Selection.
Best Male Lead Performance: Jean Dujardin (The Artist). Nominated: Demián Bichir (A Better Life), , Ryan Gosling (Drive), Woody Harrelson (Rampart) and Michael Shannon (Take Shelter).
Best Female Lead Performance: Michelle Williams (My Week with Marilyn). Nominated: Lauren Ambrose (Think of Me), Rachel Harris (Natural Selection), Adepero Oduye (Pariah) and Elizabeth Olsen (Martha Marcy May Marlene).
Best Supporting Male Performance: Christopher Plummer (Beginners). Nominated: Albert Brooks (Drive), John Hawkes (Martha Marcy May Marlene), John C Reilly (Cedar Rapids) and Corey Stoll (Midnight in Paris...
Best Feature: The Artist. Also nominated: 50/50, Beginners, Drive, Take Shelter and The Descendants.
Best Director: Michel Hazanavicius (The Artist). Nominated: Mike Mills (Beginners), Nicolas Winding Refn (Drive), Jeff Nichols (Take Shelter), and Alexander Payne (The Descendants).
Best First Feature: Margin Call. Nominated: Another Earth, In The Family, , Martha Marcy May Marlene and Natural Selection.
Best Male Lead Performance: Jean Dujardin (The Artist). Nominated: Demián Bichir (A Better Life), , Ryan Gosling (Drive), Woody Harrelson (Rampart) and Michael Shannon (Take Shelter).
Best Female Lead Performance: Michelle Williams (My Week with Marilyn). Nominated: Lauren Ambrose (Think of Me), Rachel Harris (Natural Selection), Adepero Oduye (Pariah) and Elizabeth Olsen (Martha Marcy May Marlene).
Best Supporting Male Performance: Christopher Plummer (Beginners). Nominated: Albert Brooks (Drive), John Hawkes (Martha Marcy May Marlene), John C Reilly (Cedar Rapids) and Corey Stoll (Midnight in Paris...
- 2/27/2012
- MUBI
By Sean O’Connell
hollywoodnews.com: Before we put the Academy Awards to bed, I wanted to repost our interviews with the cast and crew of “The Artist,” last night’s winner for Best Picture.
Over the course of the lengthy (lengthy) awards marathon, I was lucky enough to interview Best Director winner Michel Hazanavicius, Best Actor winner Jean Dujardin, Best Supporting Actress nominee Berenice Bejo, and Oscar czar Harvey Weinstein. All had a very successful evening last night at the Oscars, and most talk about the ceremony during our conversations.
It was a fruitful Oscar season, one with welcome surprises and delightful outcomes. Let’s all take a breather, gather ourselves, and dive right into Cannes … where the next “Artist” could be waiting.
- Here is Harvey Weinstein of The Weinstein Company talking “The Artist” and “My Week With Marilyn.”
- This is my conversation with Jean Dujardin , winner of the Best Actor Oscar.
hollywoodnews.com: Before we put the Academy Awards to bed, I wanted to repost our interviews with the cast and crew of “The Artist,” last night’s winner for Best Picture.
Over the course of the lengthy (lengthy) awards marathon, I was lucky enough to interview Best Director winner Michel Hazanavicius, Best Actor winner Jean Dujardin, Best Supporting Actress nominee Berenice Bejo, and Oscar czar Harvey Weinstein. All had a very successful evening last night at the Oscars, and most talk about the ceremony during our conversations.
It was a fruitful Oscar season, one with welcome surprises and delightful outcomes. Let’s all take a breather, gather ourselves, and dive right into Cannes … where the next “Artist” could be waiting.
- Here is Harvey Weinstein of The Weinstein Company talking “The Artist” and “My Week With Marilyn.”
- This is my conversation with Jean Dujardin , winner of the Best Actor Oscar.
- 2/27/2012
- by Sean O'Connell
- Hollywoodnews.com
By Sean O’Connell
hollywoodnews.com: No, she didn’t win an Oscar Sunday night. Instead, Angelina Jolie won The Entire Oscar telecast.
The big story Monday morning, in wake of a slate of largely predictable winners, is Jolie’s leg. You know, the one she sexily displayed while presenting on stage? It led to Oscar winner Jim Rash’s hysterical pose as he helped Alexander Payne accept the Best Adapted Screenplay awards for “The Descendants.” And then it took on a life of it’s own.
For starters, “Angeline Jolie’ing” is the new “Tebow-ing,” according to this clever meme.
And in case you wanted to follow Angie’s right leg, it also has its own Twitter feed. The feed has more than 10K followers. Man, people move fast.
Awards Alley brings you the best Oscar coverage. Click below to read our exclusive interviews with:
- Harvey Weinstein
- The cast of “The Artist.
hollywoodnews.com: No, she didn’t win an Oscar Sunday night. Instead, Angelina Jolie won The Entire Oscar telecast.
The big story Monday morning, in wake of a slate of largely predictable winners, is Jolie’s leg. You know, the one she sexily displayed while presenting on stage? It led to Oscar winner Jim Rash’s hysterical pose as he helped Alexander Payne accept the Best Adapted Screenplay awards for “The Descendants.” And then it took on a life of it’s own.
For starters, “Angeline Jolie’ing” is the new “Tebow-ing,” according to this clever meme.
And in case you wanted to follow Angie’s right leg, it also has its own Twitter feed. The feed has more than 10K followers. Man, people move fast.
Awards Alley brings you the best Oscar coverage. Click below to read our exclusive interviews with:
- Harvey Weinstein
- The cast of “The Artist.
- 2/27/2012
- by Sean O'Connell
- Hollywoodnews.com
By Sean O’Connell
hollywoodnews.com: Michel Hazanavicius’ “The Artist” lost a number of key technical categories to Martin Scorsese’s “Hugo” but still prevailed in the top Oscar slot on Sunday night, claiming trophies for Best Picture, Director, and Actor (for Jean Dujardin).
It was a great night for Harvey Weinstein, who helped power Meryl Streep to an unexpected win over perceived frontrunner Viola Davis on the Best Actress race. Octavia Spencer (“The Help”) and Christopher Plummer (“Beginners”) rounded out last night’s acting categories.
I went 19 out of 24 in my picks, believing the Academy would spread a lot of its technical love around to films not named “Hugo.” All is all, a successful Oscar season. Here are the winners from the 84th Annual Academy Awards (bolded below):
Best Picture
“The Artist”
“The Descendants”
“Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close”
“Hugo”
“Midnight In Paris”
“The Help”
“Moneyball”
“War Horse...
hollywoodnews.com: Michel Hazanavicius’ “The Artist” lost a number of key technical categories to Martin Scorsese’s “Hugo” but still prevailed in the top Oscar slot on Sunday night, claiming trophies for Best Picture, Director, and Actor (for Jean Dujardin).
It was a great night for Harvey Weinstein, who helped power Meryl Streep to an unexpected win over perceived frontrunner Viola Davis on the Best Actress race. Octavia Spencer (“The Help”) and Christopher Plummer (“Beginners”) rounded out last night’s acting categories.
I went 19 out of 24 in my picks, believing the Academy would spread a lot of its technical love around to films not named “Hugo.” All is all, a successful Oscar season. Here are the winners from the 84th Annual Academy Awards (bolded below):
Best Picture
“The Artist”
“The Descendants”
“Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close”
“Hugo”
“Midnight In Paris”
“The Help”
“Moneyball”
“War Horse...
- 2/27/2012
- by Sean O'Connell
- Hollywoodnews.com
The Independent Spirit Awards are an annual award given in the name of independent film, featuring plenty of those little indies which deserve the honor and recognition that, this year, they might just receive at the Oscars as well. The 2012 winners were announced on Saturday, via Deadline, at a ceremony held at lunch in sunny Santa Monica on the beach. The big winner was, indeed, Michel Hazanavicius' The Artist, which took home wins for Best Film, Director, Actor and Cinematography. But I'm actually happiest to see writer Will Reiser and 50/50 finally get an award. Read on for the complete list of Indie Spirit winners. You'll notice an [IMDb] link next to each film. This is so you can discover great new films, because there is guaranteed to be at least one film you've never heard of in here. Read on for a complete list of nominees and winners from ...
- 2/26/2012
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
Getty Will Reiser, screenwriter of “50/50″ at the Independent Spirit Awards
Los Angeles – Screenwriter Will Reiser has already begun drafting his next screenplay, despite the fact that he’s still winning awards for his first one. Saturday at the Independent Spirit Awards in Santa Monica, Reiser won the best first screenplay award for his comedic drama “50/50” starring Seth Rogen (who hosted the awards) and Joseph Gordon-Levitt.
The first time screenwriter said that he “had no idea how much the movie would connect with people.
Los Angeles – Screenwriter Will Reiser has already begun drafting his next screenplay, despite the fact that he’s still winning awards for his first one. Saturday at the Independent Spirit Awards in Santa Monica, Reiser won the best first screenplay award for his comedic drama “50/50” starring Seth Rogen (who hosted the awards) and Joseph Gordon-Levitt.
The first time screenwriter said that he “had no idea how much the movie would connect with people.
- 2/26/2012
- by Alexandra Cheney
- Speakeasy/Wall Street Journal
By Sean O’Connell
hollywoodnews.com: Do or die time. After month and months of tracking the Oscar race, it’s time to put up (and shut up) by posting my official picks for Sunday night’s Academy Awards.
And while I have been saying (Ok, complaining) that too many of tonight’s winners are all but predetermined, there’s still a few mysteries to be solved, primarily in the below-the-line categories, where deserving films could take home Oscar gold.
So, without further ado, here are my selections for tonight’s winners, bolded in each category. I hope they help you win an Oscar pool or two. Enjoy the show!
Best Picture
“The Artist”
“The Descendants”
“Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close”
“Hugo”
“Midnight In Paris”
“The Help”
“Moneyball”
“War Horse”
“The Tree of Life”
Best Actor
Demian Bichir, “A Better Life”
George Clooney, “The Descendants”
Jean Dujardin, “The Artist”
Gary Oldman,...
hollywoodnews.com: Do or die time. After month and months of tracking the Oscar race, it’s time to put up (and shut up) by posting my official picks for Sunday night’s Academy Awards.
And while I have been saying (Ok, complaining) that too many of tonight’s winners are all but predetermined, there’s still a few mysteries to be solved, primarily in the below-the-line categories, where deserving films could take home Oscar gold.
So, without further ado, here are my selections for tonight’s winners, bolded in each category. I hope they help you win an Oscar pool or two. Enjoy the show!
Best Picture
“The Artist”
“The Descendants”
“Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close”
“Hugo”
“Midnight In Paris”
“The Help”
“Moneyball”
“War Horse”
“The Tree of Life”
Best Actor
Demian Bichir, “A Better Life”
George Clooney, “The Descendants”
Jean Dujardin, “The Artist”
Gary Oldman,...
- 2/26/2012
- by Sean O'Connell
- Hollywoodnews.com
The Artist is primed for Oscars glory on Sunday after scooping up a clutch of major prizes at the Film Independent Spirit Awards.
A day after the silent black and white movie picked up six trophies at France's Oscars, the Cesars, on Friday, it claimed the Best Feature honour at the annual Academy Awards eve celebration of indie movies in Santa Monica, California.
Filmmaker Michel Hazanavicius added to his trophy cabinet by picking up another Best Director award, making him the clear favourite to claim gold at the Oscars on Sunday, and his leading man Jean Dujardin was also a winner on Saturday afternoon as he picked up Best Male Lead for his role as silent movie star George Valentin.
The Artists' four-trophy haul was completed by Guillaume Schiffman, who claimed the Best Cinematography prize at the Spirits.
The event's first award went to Christopher Plummer, who was named Best Supporting Actor for his role in Beginners. He too is now a clear favourite to take home an Oscar on Sunday night.
George Clooney's film The Descendants landed his movie daughter Shailene Woodley a Best Supporting Actress honour, while the movie's writer and director Alexander Payne scored the Independent Spirits' Best Screenplay prize.
Other major winners included Michelle Williams, who claimed the Best Female Lead award for her stunning turn as Marilyn Monroe in My Week With Marilyn, A Separation (Best International Film), The Interrupters (Best Documentary) and cancer survivor Will Reiser, whose 50/50 film about his health battle won him the night's Best First Screenplay award.
Reiser's leading man and best friend Seth Rogen hosted the Spirits.
The full list of winners is:
Best Feature - The Artist
Best Director - Michel Hazanavicius (The Artist)
Best Screenplay - Alexander Payne (The Descendants)
Best First Feature - J.C. Chandor (Margin Call)
Best First Screenplay - Will Reiser (50/50)
Best Female Lead - Michelle Williams (My Week With Marilyn)
Best Male Lead - Jean Dujardin (The Artist)
Best Supporting Female - Shailene Woodley (The Descendants)
Best Supporting Male - Christopher Plummer (Beginners)
Best Cinematography - Guillaume Schiffman (The Artist)
Best Documentary - The Interrupters
Best International Film: A Separation
John Cassavetes Award - Dee Rees (writer/director of Pariah)
Producers Award - Sophia Lin (Take Shelter)
Someone to Watch Award - Mark Jackson (Without)
Truer Than Fiction Award - Heather Courtney (Where Soldiers Come From)
Robert Altman Award - cast of Margin Call...
A day after the silent black and white movie picked up six trophies at France's Oscars, the Cesars, on Friday, it claimed the Best Feature honour at the annual Academy Awards eve celebration of indie movies in Santa Monica, California.
Filmmaker Michel Hazanavicius added to his trophy cabinet by picking up another Best Director award, making him the clear favourite to claim gold at the Oscars on Sunday, and his leading man Jean Dujardin was also a winner on Saturday afternoon as he picked up Best Male Lead for his role as silent movie star George Valentin.
The Artists' four-trophy haul was completed by Guillaume Schiffman, who claimed the Best Cinematography prize at the Spirits.
The event's first award went to Christopher Plummer, who was named Best Supporting Actor for his role in Beginners. He too is now a clear favourite to take home an Oscar on Sunday night.
George Clooney's film The Descendants landed his movie daughter Shailene Woodley a Best Supporting Actress honour, while the movie's writer and director Alexander Payne scored the Independent Spirits' Best Screenplay prize.
Other major winners included Michelle Williams, who claimed the Best Female Lead award for her stunning turn as Marilyn Monroe in My Week With Marilyn, A Separation (Best International Film), The Interrupters (Best Documentary) and cancer survivor Will Reiser, whose 50/50 film about his health battle won him the night's Best First Screenplay award.
Reiser's leading man and best friend Seth Rogen hosted the Spirits.
The full list of winners is:
Best Feature - The Artist
Best Director - Michel Hazanavicius (The Artist)
Best Screenplay - Alexander Payne (The Descendants)
Best First Feature - J.C. Chandor (Margin Call)
Best First Screenplay - Will Reiser (50/50)
Best Female Lead - Michelle Williams (My Week With Marilyn)
Best Male Lead - Jean Dujardin (The Artist)
Best Supporting Female - Shailene Woodley (The Descendants)
Best Supporting Male - Christopher Plummer (Beginners)
Best Cinematography - Guillaume Schiffman (The Artist)
Best Documentary - The Interrupters
Best International Film: A Separation
John Cassavetes Award - Dee Rees (writer/director of Pariah)
Producers Award - Sophia Lin (Take Shelter)
Someone to Watch Award - Mark Jackson (Without)
Truer Than Fiction Award - Heather Courtney (Where Soldiers Come From)
Robert Altman Award - cast of Margin Call...
- 2/26/2012
- WENN
As I predicted, The Artist was the big winner at last night Spirit Awards ceremony, taking home 4 out of 5 honors. It’s only loss came in the Best Screenplay category, where it was the dark horse–being without dialogue and all. Yet it managed the mean feat of scoring Best Director, Best Cinematography, Best Actor and Best Feature. Last year Black Swan made a similar sweep at the Spirits (except Best Female Lead instead of Best Male), but only Natalie Portman garnered an Oscar the following night. However, it’s likely The Artist’s luck will carry through the Academy Awards. Aside from nods in its Spirit-nominated categories, the silent stunner is also up for five others, including Best Supporting Actress for Bérénice Bejo. Basically, it’s seems impossible tonight will be a one-win event for The Artist.
A shock to some, Take Shelter, which had also been nominated for five Spirit awards,...
A shock to some, Take Shelter, which had also been nominated for five Spirit awards,...
- 2/26/2012
- by jpraup@gmail.com (thefilmstage.com)
- The Film Stage
While at the 2012 Film Independent Spirit Awards, screenwriter Will Reiser took a small amount of time in front of the press to discuss what his latest project “Jamaica” would be about. It’s already been revealed that this would be his next script writing project which Jonathan Levine (“50/50,” “The Wackness”) would be directing once more. He goes a little more in-depth with what the story is about: “I’m currently writing a movie, it’s inspired by a vacation that I took with my grandmother when I was thirteen. She and I, we went to Jamaica and somehow ended up at a couples resort. She was also in the early stages...
- 2/26/2012
- by melissa
- ShockYa
For the past twelve years, the Independent Spirit Awards have been held the night before the Oscars, and although the two sets of nominees sometimes overlap, traditionally the Spirit Awards end up honouring most of the films that the Academy ignores. This year things might be a little bit different, however, as Michel Hazanavicius' The Artist ended up taking home a handful of the major Spirit Awards including Best Feature, Best Director and Best Male Lead. As far as I know, the Spirit Awards and the Academy Awards have only picked the same Best Picture once before: Oliver Stone's Platoon in 1986. Christopher Plummer also won for Best Supporting Male, while Michelle Williams (My Week with Marilyn) won for Best Female Lead. Is this all a sign of what's to come tomorrow night? There are at least a few Spirit Award winners who won't be repeating at the Academy...
- 2/26/2012
- by Sean
- FilmJunk
Getty Michel Hazanavicius, director of “The Artist,” won Best Feature at the Independent Spirit Awards
Los Angeles — Michelle Williams, Zac Efron, Penelope Ann Miller and Zachary Quinto were among the guests who came out to celebrate the 27th annual Independent Spirit Awards Saturday afternoon in a tent on the beach in Santa Monica.
Seth Rogen hosted the event, with the first award going to Christopher Plummer for best supporting actor for his role in “The Beginners.” “Winning here, I hope...
Los Angeles — Michelle Williams, Zac Efron, Penelope Ann Miller and Zachary Quinto were among the guests who came out to celebrate the 27th annual Independent Spirit Awards Saturday afternoon in a tent on the beach in Santa Monica.
Seth Rogen hosted the event, with the first award going to Christopher Plummer for best supporting actor for his role in “The Beginners.” “Winning here, I hope...
- 2/26/2012
- by Alexandra Cheney
- Speakeasy/Wall Street Journal
A day before the Oscars are to be announced, Michel Hazanavicius’s The Artist swept the Independent Spirit Awards 2012 in four categories including Best Film. Hazanavicius won the Best Director, Jean Dujardin won the Best Actor and Guillame Schiffman won the award for cinematography.
The Independent Spirit Awards are one of the top awards for films that are made independently outside the Hollywood studio system.
Michelle Williams was declared Best Actress for My Week With Marilyn, while Christopher Plummer (Beginners) and Shailene Woodley (The Descendants) won Best Supporting Actress.
Best Screenplay went to Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon and Jim Rash for The Descendants.
Asghar Farhadi’s A Separation was named best international film. Steve James’ The Interrupters was declared the Best Documentary.
Will Reiser won best screenplay for 50/50. The John Cassavetes Award for best feature under $500,000 went to director Dee Rees and producer Nekisa Cooper for Pariah.
The Independent Spirit Awards are one of the top awards for films that are made independently outside the Hollywood studio system.
Michelle Williams was declared Best Actress for My Week With Marilyn, while Christopher Plummer (Beginners) and Shailene Woodley (The Descendants) won Best Supporting Actress.
Best Screenplay went to Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon and Jim Rash for The Descendants.
Asghar Farhadi’s A Separation was named best international film. Steve James’ The Interrupters was declared the Best Documentary.
Will Reiser won best screenplay for 50/50. The John Cassavetes Award for best feature under $500,000 went to director Dee Rees and producer Nekisa Cooper for Pariah.
- 2/26/2012
- by NewsDesk
- DearCinema.com
Film Independent, the non-profit arts organization that produces the Spirit Awards and the Los Angeles Film Festival, handed out top honors to The Artist, The Descendants and Margin Call at this afternoon’s 27th Film Independent Spirit Awards. My Week With Marilyn, Beginners, 50/50, A Separation and The Interrupters also received awards at the ceremony, held in a tent on the beach in Santa Monica.
Tune in to IFC tonight at 10:00 pm Et/Pt to catch all the action at the 2012 Film Independent Spirit Awards, with actor, writer and producer Seth Rogen hosting. Highlights include: John Waters as the Voice of God, musical performances by My Morning Jacket and K’Naan.
The Spirit Awards was the first event to exclusively honor independent film, and over the past 27 years, has become the premier awards show for the independent film community, celebrating films made by filmmakers who embody independence and originality. Artists...
Tune in to IFC tonight at 10:00 pm Et/Pt to catch all the action at the 2012 Film Independent Spirit Awards, with actor, writer and producer Seth Rogen hosting. Highlights include: John Waters as the Voice of God, musical performances by My Morning Jacket and K’Naan.
The Spirit Awards was the first event to exclusively honor independent film, and over the past 27 years, has become the premier awards show for the independent film community, celebrating films made by filmmakers who embody independence and originality. Artists...
- 2/26/2012
- by Michelle McCue
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
The show -- which took place the day before the Oscars -- gave huge honors to the critical darling. Check out all of the award winners! The 27th annual Independent Spirit Awards took place on Feb. 25 in Santa Monica, and Oscar favorite The Artist took the prestigious Best Feature honor! Check out all of the winners from the Seth Rogen-hosted ceremony and tell us, HollywoodLifers -- do You agree with all of the picks? Best Feature: The Artist Best Director: Michel Hazanavicius for The Artist Best Male Lead: Jean Dujardin in The Artist Best Female Lead: Michelle Williams in My Week with Marilyn Best Supporting Male: Christopher Plummer in Beginners Best Supporting Female: Shailene Woodley in The Descendants Best First Feature: Margin Call Best Screenplay: Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon & Jim Rash for The Descendants Best First Screenplay: Will Reiser for 50/50 Best Cinematography: Guillaume Schiffman for The Artist Robert Altman...
- 2/26/2012
- by William Earl
- HollywoodLife
I was really irritated sitting there in the tent on the beach in Santa Monica this year watching the Independent Spirit Awards unfold. Things started out great, though. Seth Rogen's opening monologue killed, even though a number of the people in there apparently weren't equipped to grasp the humor. I was happy to see Christopher Plummer, however expected, take yet another supporting actor trophy for his performance in "Beginners." Even though I called it, I was nevertheless stoked for Will Reiser surprising with a win in the Best First Screenplay category for "50/50." And even though I'd have much preferred seeing...
- 2/26/2012
- by Kristopher Tapley
- Hitfix
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