Morning News Bulletin

Good morning all.

The Morning News Bulletin is a daily roundup of film news that happened over the last couple of hours while we were fast asleep here in SA. Check the news headlines after the jump.

 
First up Disney has released a batch of new images featuring the characters from the upcoming Cars 2 film. Check them out below thanks to Collider:

Finn McMissile - Michael Caine

Professor Z - Thomas Kretschmann

Grem and Acer - Joe Mantegna and Peter Jacobson

Siddeley - Jason Isaacs

Holly Shiftwell - Emily Mortimer

Looks cool doesn't it? My anticipation for this movie is building up slowly but surely and though it is unlikely to be as big or as critically acclaimed as Toy Story 3, I think it's safe to say DisneyPixar have got another winner on their hands.

Right now it's the beginning of awards season in Hollywood and while the big guns like the Oscars, BAFTA's and the Golden Globes are still some way away, the nominees for the 2011 Independent Spirit Awards have recently been announced. These awards are specifically designed to show recognition to the best independently produced films of the past year and at the very least allow us to see which independent films to look out for later in the awards season e.g. The Hurt Locker last year. Here are the nominees for the major awards as per the official press release by Film Independent:

BEST FEATURE (Award given to the Producer, Executive Producers are not listed)
127 Hours
Producers: Danny Boyle, Christian Colson, John Smithson
Black Swan
Producers: Scott Franklin, Mike Medavoy, Arnold W. Messer, Brian Oliver
Greenberg
Producers: Jennifer Jason Leigh, Scott Rudin
The Kids Are All Right
Producers: Gary Gilbert, Philippe Hellmann, Jordan Horowitz, Jeffrey Levy-Hinte, Celine Rattray, Daniela Taplin Lundberg
Winter’s Bone
Producers: Alix Madigan-Yorkin, Anne Rosellini

BEST DIRECTOR
Darren Aronofsky - Black Swan
Danny Boyle - 127 Hours
Lisa Cholodenko - The Kids Are All Right
Debra Granik - Winter’s Bone
John Cameron Mitchell - Rabbit Hole

BEST SCREENPLAY
Stuart Blumberg, Lisa Cholodenko - The Kids Are All Right
Debra Granik, Anne Rosellini - Winter’s Bone
Nicole Holofcener - Please Give
David Lindsay-Abaire - Rabbit Hole
Todd Solondz - Life During Wartime

BEST FIRST FEATURE (Award given to the director and producer)
Everything Strange and New - Director: Frazer Bradshaw, Producers: A.D. Liano, Laura Techera Francia
Get Low - Director: Aaron Schneider
, Producers: David Gundlach, Dean Zanuck
Night Catches Us - Director: Tanya Hamilton
, Producers: Sean Costello, Jason Orans, Ronald Simons
The Last Exorcism - Director: Daniel Stamm
, Producers: Marc Abraham, Tom Bliss, Eric Newman, Eli Roth
Tiny Furniture - Director: Lena Dunham
, Producers: Kyle Martin, Alicia Van Couvering

BEST FIRST SCREENPLAY
Diane Bell - Obselidia
Lena Dunham - Tiny Furniture
Nik Fackler - Lovely, Still
Bob Glaudini - Jack Goes Boating
Dana Adam Shapiro, Evan M. Wiener - Monogamy

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 listed
Daddy Longlegs
Writer/Directors: Benny Safdie, Josh Safdie
Producers: Casey Neistat, Tom Scott
Lbs.
Director: Matthew Bonifacio
Writer/Producers: Matthew Bonifacio, Carmine Famiglietti
Lovers of Hate
Writer/Director: Bryan Poyser
Producer: Megan Gilbride
Obselidia
Writer/Director: Diane Bell
Producers: Chris Byrne, Mathew Medlin
The Exploding Girl
Writer/Director: Bradley Rust Gray
Producers: Karin Chien, Ben Howe, So Yong Kim

BEST FEMALE LEAD
Annette Bening - The Kids Are All Right
Greta Gerwig - Greenberg
Nicole Kidman - Rabbit Hole
Jennifer Lawrence - Winter’s Bone
Natalie Portman - Black Swan
Michelle Williams - Blue Valentine


BEST MALE LEAD
Ronald Bronstein - Daddy Longlegs
Aaron Eckhart - Rabbit Hole
James Franco - 127 Hours
John C. Reilly - Cyrus
Ben Stiller - Greenberg

BEST SUPPORTING FEMALE
Ashley Bell - The Last Exorcism
Dale Dickey - Winter’s Bone
Allison Janney - Life During Wartime
Daphne Rubin-Vega - Jack Goes Boating
Naomi Watts - Mother and Child

BEST SUPPORTING MALE
John Hawkes - Winter’s Bone
Samuel L. Jackson - Mother and Child
Bill Murray - Get Low
John Ortiz - Jack Goes Boating
Mark Ruffalo - The Kids Are All Right

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Adam Kimmel - Never Let Me Go
Matthew Libatique - Black Swan
Jody Lee Lipes - Tiny Furniture
Michael McDonough - Winter’s Bone
Harris Savides - Greenberg

BEST DOCUMENTARY (Award given to the director)
Exit Through the Gift Shop
Director: Banksy
Marwencol
Director: Jeff Malmberg
Restrepo
Directors: Tim Hetherington, Sebastian Junger
Sweetgrass
Directors: Ilisa Barbash, Lucien Castaing-Taylor
Thunder Soul
Director: Mark Landsman

BEST FOREIGN FILM (Award given to the director)
Kisses
(Ireland)
Director: Lance Daly
Mademoiselle Chambon
(France)
Director: Stéphane Brizé
Of Gods and Men
(France)
Director: Xavier Beauvois
The King’s Speech
(United Kingdom)
Director: Tom Hooper
Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives
(Thailand)
Director: Apichatpong Weerasethakul

Most of these films haven't been released yet in South Africa but from what I can tell from these nominations it seems like Winter's Bone is going to be the indie film to look out for this year. Don't say I didn't warn you...

On that note we've come to the end of today's news bulletin. Today I will leave with the trailer for Winter's Bone which is a movie we'll hear alot more of in the near future as the awards season heats up.



See you again tomorrow same time, same place.