• Cinephilia

    The Indie’s Oscars

    The day before the Oscars, there’s a party in Santa Monica that’s more “smart chic” than “custom couture,” more “new kid in town” than “living legend,” more “vote of the people” than “who votes for these again?” It’s the Spirit Awards, and over the last several years it’s become the indie Oscars, even as the films recognized are less and less truly independent films (case in point: several films are nominated for both Spirit Awards and Oscars.). Dress code is decidedly relaxed; hosts are the likes of Andy Samberg and, this year, Patton Oswalt; and far as I know, though it is televised, there’s no orchestra kicking winners off stage…

  • Cinephilia

    Coming Soon: November

    One month down, two to go. The end of year movie blitz is in full swing, and so far it’s going swimmingly. My best of the year list has at least a few contenders, and likely many more to come. So what’s on deck for November? Only a big-budget, sci-fi book adaptation, a biopic that hasn’t quite lived up to expectations, the next Love, Actually (potentially) and the next installment in the Jennifer-Lawrence-is-a-badass series, among others. Let’s take a look, shall we?