The 2012 Independent Spirit Awards were announced tonight and—you’re not gonna believe this—the voters were smitten with The Artist.  The film won Best Feature, Michel Hazanavicius was awarded Best Director, Jean Dujardin was named Best Male Lead, and they threw in Best Cinematography to Guillaume Schiffman for good measure.  Some of the other winners have a good shot at repeating tomorrow night at the Oscars, like Christopher Plummer for Beginners (Best Supporting Male), Michelle Williams for My Week with Marilyn (Best Female Lead), or the script for The Descendants by Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon, and Jim Rash (Best Screenplay).  The “independent spirit” was seemingly saved for the unique categories: see Will Reiser’s 50/50 script as Best First Screenplay, Pariah for the John Cassavetes Award, Take Shelter for the Piaget Producers Award.  Hit the jump for the full list of winners.

The nominations for the 84th Annual Academy Awards have finally been unveiled. Many of the categories have fallen in line just as most have predicted (I fared alright with my predictions, but not great), with Hugo scoring 11 nods, followed closely by The Artist with 10. The biggest surprises are War Horse and Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close getting in for Best Picture, the exclusion of The Adventures of Tintin from Best Animated Feature, and The Tree of Life nabbing Best Picture and Best Director nods (hooray!). On the snub side of things, despite landing the most precursor critics awards of any other actor in the race thus far, Albert Brooks was denied a Best Supporting Actor nod for his stellar work in Drive (boo). Additionally, Tilda Swinton was overlooked for giving the best performance of the year in We Need to Talk About Kevin, and AMPAS has no love for Michael Fassbender‘s haunting work in Shame.

There’s still plenty to be happy about, as Gary Oldman has his first ever Oscar Nomination (yes, that’s right) and Melissa McCarthy is a Best Supporting Actress nominee. Hit the jump to check out the full list of nominees. The 84th Academy Awards will be presented by Billy Crystal on February 26th.

The National Board of Review has announced their honors for 2011.  As always, the wide selection allows the NBR to technically have a say in directing awards season, and their picks remain solid.  While I didn’t go nuts over Hugo, a lot of people did and so it’s not surprising NBR gave it Best Picture and named Martin Scorsese as Best Director.  For the most part, I like all of NBR’s choices.  I’m glad any time Drive gets attention, the acting picks are all worthy, and I’m happy Crime After Crime and 13 Assassins got some love.  Notable snubs include Young Adult, Moneyball, and Martha Marcy May Marlene.  Of course, anything Clint Eastwood does has to make NBR’s Top 10 so that’s why a spot is wasted on J. Edgar.

Hit the jump for the full list of winners.

Awards season is officially in full-swing, with this morning’s announcements of the Gotham Awards winners and the full list of nominees for the upcoming Independent Spirit Awards. Now it’s the critics’ turn, as the New York Critics Circle have unveiled their list for the best in film of 2011. The Artist took home the top two prizes (Best Picture and Director), solidifying its status as an Oscar frontrunner. Brad Pitt was named Best Actor for his work in Moneyball and The Tree of Life, with the former also taking the Best Screenplay prize for Aaron Sorkin and Steven Zaillian. As for Best Actress, the undeniably talented Meryl Streep took the honor for her portrayal of Margaret Thatcher in The Iron Lady.

In the supporting categories, Albert Brooks was recognized for his dastardly role in Drive, while the prolific Jessica Chastain was named Best Supporting Actress for her work in The Tree of Life, The Help, and Take Shelter. While The Artist was already running into the Oscars with a good deal of steam, Moneyball‘s two wins give the film a much needed boost heading into the thick of awards season. Hit the jump to see the full list of winners.

The nominations for the 27th Annual Independent Spirit Awards were announced this morning with The Artist and Take Shelter each nabbing five nominations. In addition to The Artist and Take Shelter, Drive, 50/50, The Descendants, and Beginners will duke it out for the top prize. Absent from the Best Feature list is Woody Allen’s Midnight in Paris, though the film was recognized in Best Supporting Male (Corey Stoll) and Best Cinematography. Also of note, Elizabeth Olsen and John Hawkes landed nominations for Best Actress and Best Supporting Male for Martha Marcy May Marlene, and Ryan Gosling and Woody Harrelson were both singled out in Best Actor for Drive and Rampart respectively.

Hit the jump to check out the full list of nominations. Recognizing the best in independent film, the awards will be handed out on February 25th, the day before the Oscars.

The 2008 economic collapse is one of the major events of our lifetimes and some filmmakers have rushed to turn the events into A Very Serious and Important Movie.  J.C. Chandor’s Margin Call would like to be that movie.  It dresses up its respected cast in fine suits, puts them in the financial world, and then has them look at computer monitors and say “Fuck me…” in astonishment about 80-90 times throughout the course of the film.  Chandor wants to bury the audience in the world of financial intrigue and corruption without doing the hard work of explaining the machinations of that world in any kind of detail.  He gets away with it for the first half-hour as the audience becomes wrapped in a propulsive, plot-driven drama, but by the end the only saving grace is Kevin Spacey playing against type.

Opening this weekend, in limited release, is writer/director J.C. Chandor’s Margin Call. Starring Kevin Spacey, Demi Moore, Paul Bettany, Zachary Quinto, Penn Badgley and Simon Baker, Margin Call is a very smart economic thriller that revolves around the key people at an investment bank during the 24-hour period before the 2008 financial crisis. As the film unfolds, we learn who knew what and when, and what lines people are willing to cross to stay ahead.  While Hollywood often glamorizes or exaggerates real events, Margin Call makes you feel like a fly on the wall and it never feels forced.  Definitely recommended.  For more on the film, watch the trailer here.

A few days ago I did a phone interview with Simon Baker.  During our extended conversation, Baker talked about making Margin Call, his thoughts on Occupy Wall Street, and what’s coming up on his very popular CBS show The Mentalist.  In addition, he talked about his favorite actors and his favorite films, if more people know him from The Mentalist or The Devil Wears Prada, and I asked him his thoughts on comic book movies as I’ve seen some online folks saying he’d be a good Doctor Strange.  Hit the jump for more.

We have a trio of new posters to bring your way this morning. First up, we have the one sheet from writer/director Bruce Robinson’s The Rum Diary. Starring Johnny Depp, Amber Heard, Richard Jenkins, Giovanni Ribisi and Aaron Eckhart, the film sees Depp return to the world of Hunter S. Thompson and tells the story of a journalist who finds his writing voice and integrity while working in Puerto Rico. Up next is a poster for the comedy I Don’t Know How She Does It starring Sarah Jessica Parker and Pierce Brosnan. I can’t say the poster does much for me but, to be fair, it would have to be pretty stellar for my interest to rise above sea level.

Finally, we also have a new poster for the financial thriller Margin Call starring Kevin Spacey, Stanley Tucci and Zachary Quinto. While the promo is kind of bland, I’m definitely looking forward to seeing the film. For those who haven’t already, I recommend clicking here and here to read Steve’s exclusive interviews with the cast and writer/director J.C. Chandor at Sundance. Check out each of the new posters after the jump. The Rum Diary opens on October 28th. I Don’t Know How She Does It opens on September 16th and Margin Call hits theaters on October 21st.

The first trailer for the financial thriller Margin Call has been released. The film debuted at Sundance, and judging from the trailer it looks to be a fairly intense morality piece. The cast is great, and Steve caught the film at the festival and said it was really good. I like the tone here, and the idea of the film’s events playing out over a single day and night is definitely intriguing.

The story centers on the key people at an investment bank during the 24-hour period before the recent financial crisis. The cast includes Demi Moore, Simon Baker, Penn Badgley, Zachary Quinto, Paul Bettany, Jeremy Irons, Stanley Tucci and Kevin Spacey. You can check out Steve’s interview with all of the above here and here. Margin Call opens October 21^st. Hit the jump to watch the trailer.

We’ve got some release date news for you this afternoon. First up, a couple of movies that premiered at this year’s Sundance Film Festival have been slated. The financial crisis-centered drama Margin Call is now set for an October 21^st, 2011 release (via Box Office Mojo). The film stars Kevin Spacey, Paul Bettany, Jeremy Irons, Zachary Quinto, Penn Badgley, Simon Baker, Mary McDonnell, Demi Moore and Stanley Tucci. Additionally, Jeff Nichols’ intense psychological drama Take Shelter is set for a limited release on September 30^th (via The Playlist) before going wide on October 7^th. Starring Michael Shannon, the film generated a good amount of buzz at Sundance.

The release date for Pedro Alomodovar’s next film The Skin I Live In has been shifted from October 7^th to October 14^th. Based on Thierry Jonquet’s novel Tarantula, the film stars Antonio Banderas as a plastic surgeron out for revenge on the man who raped his daughter. Finally, IFC Films will release Julia Leigh’s dark psychosexual drama Sleeping Beauty on October 28^th (via The Playlist). The film stars Emily Browning and was an official selection for the Cannes Film Festival.

While at Sundance, I was able to sit down with Jeremy Irons, Stanley Tucci, Kevin Spacey and writer/director J.C. Chandor for a quick interview about Margin Call.  Premiering at this year’s Festival, Margin Call is a really well done economic thriller that revolves around the key people at an investment bank during the 24-hour period before the recent financial crisis. As the film unfolds, we learn who knew what and when, and what lines are you willing to cross to stay ahead.  While it often takes Hollywood years to tell a story about something that just happened, Margin Call has already done it and the results are fantastic.

During the interview, the cast talked about what drew them to the project and what does it mean for each of them to be at Sundance.  As usual, you can either read or listen to the interview after the jump.

It’s hard to land an exclusive interview with big name stars.  After all, when you’re very famous, every reporter wants to talk to you.  So when I was told that I would get some time with Demi Moore, Simon Baker, Penn Badgley, Zachary Quinto and Paul Bettany at Sundance to talk about their excellent movie Margin Call (which premiered last night at Sundance), I made sure my schedule would be clear.  Thankfully, while I didn’t know what to expect when I sat down with this very famous group, everyone couldn’t have been friendlier or more excited to talk about the film.  And after watching it for myself last night, I understand why.  Margin Call, which is written and directed by JC Chandor, is a top notch economic thriller that revolves around the key people at an investment bank during the 24-hour period before the recent financial crisis. As the film unfolds, we learn who knew what and when, and what lines are you willing to cross to stay ahead.  While it often takes Hollywood years to tell a story about something that just happened, Margin Call has already done it and the results are fantastic.

During the interview, the cast talked about what drew them to the project, how did they prepare for the technical jargon, what does it mean for each of them to be at Sundance, and a lot more.  As usual, you can either read or listen to the interview after the jump.

Earlier this week, we brought you the poster for the upcoming drama Margin Call.  Today, we’re bringing you four clips from the film, which will premiere at this year’s Sundance Film Festival.  The film takes place at an investment firm and looks at a 24-hour period during the early stages of the 2008 financial crisis.

Hit the jump to check out the clips and click here to see images from the film.  Written and directed by J.C. Chandor, Margin Call stars Kevin Spacey, Paul Bettany, Jeremy Irons, Zachary Quinto, Penn Badgley, Simon Baker, Mary McDonnell, Demi Moore, and Stanley Tucci.  The 2011 Sundance Film Festival runs from January 20 – 30th.

We’re pleased to bring you an exclusive look at the poster for the upcoming drama Margin Call.  The film takes place at an investment firm during the early stages of the 2008 financial crisis.  Written and directed by J.C. Chandor,  Margin Call has an impressive cast that includes Kevin Spacey, Paul Bettany Jeremy Irons, Zachary Quinto, Penn Badgley, Simon Baker, Mary McDonnell, Demi Moore, and Stanley Tucci.  The film will be playing at this year’s Sundance Film Festival.

Hit the jump to check out the poster and click here to see images from the film.  The 2011 Sundance Film Festival runs from January 20 – 30th.

The 2010 Black List has been announced.  For those who don’t know, the Black List is a list of the best “unproduced” screenplays in Hollywood.  I put “unproduced” in quotations because some of these screenplays are in various stages of production.  For instance, College Republicans (formerly Young Republicans) has Shia LaBeouf and Paul Dano circling the project while Safe House has Denzel Washington and Ryan Reynolds on board.  J.C. Chandor’s script (which he also directed) Margin Call is the furthest along of the Top 10 as it’s already set to premiere at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival.

Hit the jump to check out the 2010 Black List Top Ten.