The Independent Spirit Awards announced their nominees today, and films like Precious and The Last Station were showered with attention. Still, I couldn't help but notice which surefire contenders were not nominated. Here's 5 of the most notable snubs, along with the full list of nominees:
1) The Spirit Awards showed A Serious Man a lot of love, but didn't extend that to a best feature nomination or anything for lead actor Michael Stuhlbarg. Stuhlbarg's been talked up for an Oscar nomination, but it's gotta hurt that he couldn't even land in the top five for the Spirits.
2) Hands down, the most gorgeous independent film of the year is Tom Ford's A Single Man, yet cinematographer Eduard Grau was left off the list while the middlingly shot Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans made the grade.
3) For that matter, where's A Single Man's Julianne Moore in the supporting category?
4) The IFPs were aware enough of That Evening Sun to nominate two of its actors, and neither of them was Hal Holbrook?
5) Hey guys, there's this documentary called The Cove. Everyone's talkin' about it.
The full list of nominees:
BEST FEATURE
"(500) Days Of Summer"
"Amreeka"
"Precious"
"Sin Nombre"
"The Last Station"
BEST DIRECTOR
Ethan Coen, Joel Coen, "A Serious Man"
Lee Daniels, "Precious"
Cary Joji Fukunaga, "Sin Nombre"
James Gray, "Two Lovers"
Michael Hoffman, "The Last Station"
BEST SCREENPLAY
Alessandro Camon, Oren Moverman, "The Messenger"
Michael Hoffman, "The Last Station"
Lee Toland Krieger, "The Vicious Kind"
Greg Mottola, "Adventureland"
Scott Neustadter, Michael H. Weber, "(500) Days Of Summer"
BEST FIRST FEATURE
"A Single Man"
"Crazy Heart"
"Easier With Practice"
"Paranormal Activity"
"The Messenger"
BEST FIRST SCREENPLAY
Sophie Barthes, "Cold Souls"
Scott Cooper, "Crazy Heart"
Cherien Dabis, "Amreeka"
Geoffrey Fletcher, "Precious"
Tom Ford, David Scearce, "A Single Man"
JOHN CASSAVETES AWARD - Given to the best feature made for under $500,000
"Big Fan"
"Humpday"
"The New Year Parade"
"Treeless Mountain"
"Zero Bridge"
BEST FEMALE LEAD
Maria Bello, "Downloading Nancy"
Nisreen Faour, "Amreeka"
Helen Mirren, "The Last Station"
Gwyneth Paltrow, "Two Lovers"
Gabourey Sidibe, "Precious"
BEST MALE LEAD
Jeff Bridges, "Crazy Heart"
Colin Firth, "A Single Man"
Joseph Gordon-Levitt, "(500) Days Of Summer"
Souléymane Sy Savané, "Goodbye Solo"
Adam Scott, "The Vicious Kind"
BEST SUPPORTING FEMALE
Dina Korzun, "Cold Souls"
Mo'Nique, "Precious"
Samantha Morton, "The Messenger"
Natalie Press, "Fifty Dead Men Walking"
Mia Wasikowska, "That Evening Sun"
BEST SUPPORTING MALE
Jemaine Clement, "Gentlemen Broncos"
Woody Harrelson, "The Messenger"
Christian McKay, "Me and Orson Welles"
Raymond McKinnon "That Evening Sun"
Christopher Plummer, "The Last Station"
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Roger Deakins, "A Serious Man"
Adriano Goldman, "Sin Nombre"
Anne Misawa, "Treeless Mountain"
Andrij Parekh, "Cold Souls"
Peter Zeitlinger, "Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans"
BEST DOCUMENTARY
"Anvil! The Story of Anvil"
"Food, Inc."
"More Than A Game"
"October Country"
"Which Way Home"
BEST FOREIGN FILM
"A Prophet"
"An Education"
"Everlasting Moments"
"Mother"
"The Maid"
ACURA SOMEONE TO WATCH AWARD
Kyle Patrick Alvarez, "Easier With Practice"
Asiel Norton, "Redland"
Tariq Tapa, "Zero Bridge"
TRUER THAN FICTION AWARD
Natalia Almada, "El General"
Jessica Oreck, "Beetle Queen Conquers Tokyo"
Bill Ross, Turner Ross, "45365"
PIAGET PRODUCERS AWARD
Karin Chien, "The Exploding Girl, Santa Mesa"
Larry Fessenden, "I Sell the Dead, The House of the Devil"
Dia Sokol, "Beeswax, Nights & Weekends"
ROBERT ALTMAN AWARD
"A Serious Man"