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Rainn Wilson Gets Schooled in Indie Film

BuzzSugar — Sat, 23 Feb 2008 17:35:16 -0800

At Saturday's Independent Spirit Awards, host Rainn Wilson joked that with his background as a TV star, he couldn't possibly understand the intense, edgy world of indie film. The solution: Hook him up with indie mentor Dennis Hopper, who schooled him in the ways of knuckle tattoos, drug smuggling, and getting pummeled on the street. Between all those sucker punches and kicks to the head, our little Rainn may never be the same. To check out the clip of Rainn's indie hazing, just

Announcing the Winners: The 2008 Independent Spirit Awards

BuzzSugar — Sat, 23 Feb 2008 17:02:53 -0800

Juno, I'm Not There, and The Diving Bell and the Butterfly were big winners at Saturday's beachy, laid-back Independent Spirit Awards, which recognized the year's best independent films. Juno won awards for Best Feature, Best Actress, and Best First Screenplay, while Diving Bell won awards for Best Director and Best Cinematography — a precursor to tomorrow's Oscars?

Meanwhile, Cate Blanchett won an acting award for I'm Not There, and the film also received the Robert Altman Award, which recognizes an outstanding ensemble cast. That award led to a touching tribute to Heath Ledger from director Todd Haynes, who said he still has a hard time imagining the film world without Ledger in it.

To see the full list of winners, just

Rainn Wilson's Spirit Awards Monologue: Love It or Leave It?

BuzzSugar — Sat, 23 Feb 2008 16:07:38 -0800

Rainn Wilson definitely brought the funny to his Independent Spirit Awards hosting gig this afternoon, nicknaming Philip Seymour Hoffman "The Hoff," poking fun at indie film stereotypes, and even calling Sienna Miller a drunk. What do you think of his opening monologue? Source

Rainn Wilson's Spirit Awards Monologue: Love It or Leave It?

Love it! He should get more hosting gigs.

Leave it! It didn't work for me.

Other (tell me below)

Movie Preview: Gus Van Sant's Paranoid Park

BuzzSugar — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 11:29:40 -0800

There's something about the tone of director Gus Van Sant's work that gives me a deep uneasiness in the belly. His previous indie movie dealing with teens and violence, Elephant, won a bunch of awards at Cannes (including the Palm d'Or) in 2003 and it was certainly effective in delivering this dark queasiness I now feel again having watched the trailer for his newest film Paranoid Park.

Nominated for Best Feature and Best Director at this year's Independent Spirit Awards, Paranoid Park again focuses on troubled teenagers. This time there's a mystery involving a kid who dies on train tracks and another kid, a skater boy, who seems to be struggling with his role in the death. Also, Jenny from Gossip Girl is in it in what looks like a decidedly un-Jenny-ish role.

The movie has already screened at a variety of film festivals, and will open in limited release March 7. To check out the creepy trailer,

Announcing the 2008 Independent Spirit Awards Nominees

BuzzSugar — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 11:31:02 -0800

Last year it was all Sunshine all the time when Little Miss Sunshine took home the majority of the Independent Spirit Awards, given out yearly by Film Independent. This year, the nominations are dominated by Juno, the teen pregnancy dramedy opening December 14, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, and to a lesser degree I'm Not There.

Some of the nominations have me squealing with delight: Chiwetel Ejiofor nominated for Best Supporting Male for his outstanding performance in Talk to Me, Julie Delpy's 2 Days in Paris nominated for Best First Feature, and the Irish musical Once nominated for Best Foreign Film. Yet then there's the heartbreaking nomination of Waitress for Best Screenplay, which (if it wins) would have been given to Adrienne Shelly had she not tragically died last year.

For the full list of nominees — and there are some greats on there —