Top Movies of 2007

My favorite films of the year thus far:





























And there are still many more I have to see... Things may change after voting for this year's Independent Spirit Awards begins.

Here's this year's NYC Screening Room dates

Watch Four Eye Monsters for Free!

Four Eyed Monsters was one of last year's best and most innovative films, and now you can watch the whole thing for FREE on Youtube! I highly suggest checking it out, it's only 71 minutes and well worth the time and admission. But catch it soon, it's only gonna be available for one week. Also, be a good sport and sign up for Spout.com. It's free and for each person who signs up, Arin and Susan each get $1 towards paying off their debt. So help these guys out!

Revisit: Dark Days

A Picture Farm film 2000

Written and Directed by Marc Singer

Near Penn Station, next to the Amtrak tracks, squatters have been living for years.



This Sundance and Indie Spirit award-winning documentary follows the lives of several squatters as they deal with life in the New York subways. Shot in stunning 16mm black and white, director Marc Singer actually lived with these people for a short time, using them as his crew and his subject matter. The result is an amazing, honest portrait of the hardships homeless people face, a strong representation their tenacity and stubbornness. My only problem with the film is that it ends on such an overtly positive note - each of the characters recieves an apartment through a NYC works programs, but what happens next? I find it hard to believe that each person in the film managed to maintain a working lifestyle. This is one film that is begging for a sequel.

2007 Indie Spirit Awards Winners

Well the Spirit Awards aired tonight on IFC and the results are in.

Best Feature: Little Miss Sunshine
Best Female Lead: Shareeka Epps (Half Nelson)
Best Male Lead: Ryan Gosling (Half Nelson)
Best Female Supporting: Frances McDormand (Friends with Money)
Best Male Supporting: Alan Arkin (Little Miss Sunshine)
Best Director: Jonathan Dayton, Valerie Faris (Little Miss Sunshine)
Best Screenplay: Jason Reitman (Thank You For Smoking)
Best First Screenplay: Michael Arndt (Little Miss Sunshine)
Best Cinematography: Guillermo Navarro (Pans Labyrinth)
Best First Feature: Sweet Land
Best Documentary: The Road to Guantanamo
Best Foriegn Film: The Lives of Others
John Cassavettes Award: Quinceañera
Truer Than Fiction Award: P.O.V.: The Tailenders (#19.5)

I'm glad to see that many of the films I voted for won awards, although I am disappointed at Little Miss Sunshine's semi-sweep. Sarah Silverman hosted again this year, and the vibe was pretty much the same - a bit dirty, a bit sexy, and a lot more informal than most other award shows. Here's a clip from last year, to give you an idea.

2007 Indepedent Spirit Awards

As a volunteer at IFP (Indepedent Feature Project, a non-profit org that helps struggling filmmakers), I get the privilege of voting for this years Independent Spirit Awards. For those of you have never heard of the Spirit Awards, it was the first awards event to exclusively honor independent film. Trophies are presented for the years' best achievements in independent film, with statues awarded for Best Feature, Best First Feature, Best Feature Made for Under $500,000 (the John Cassavetes Award), and many more. It's a celebration of the spirited pioneers who bring a unique vision to filmmaking - says the Film Independent website.

I think I've already made my stance on award season pretty clear - it's bullshit - and the Spirit Awards aren't much different. However, they do feature films that often fall under the radar of major audiences or simply don't get proper release, and, as a supporter of indie filmmaking, this is something that I approve.

This is my first year as a voter, and it's come with a lot of benefits, including free netflix and free screenings of all the nominated films, many with Q&A's. I'm going to try to chronicle the experience here as much as I can, but for those of you in New York who are interested in catching some free flicks, the screenings dates are posted below. They haven't been checking for membership cards, so basically anyone can just walk in and enjoy the films. I'm trying to attend as many as I can (I've been to about 5 or 6 so far), so if anyone would like to join me, feel free!


Tribeca Cinemas
54 Varick Street @ Laight Street
New York, NY 10013

Tuesday, January 16
7:00 pm, Steel City, running time: 1 hr 35 m
9:00 pm, Thank You For Smoking, running time: 1 hr 32 m

Thursday, January 18
7:00 pm, Stephanie Daley, running time: 1 hr 31 m
9:00 pm, Day Night Day Night, running time: 1 hr 34 m

Friday, January 26
7:00 pm, Sweet Land, running time: 1 hr 50 m; Q&A to follow with director Ali Selim
9:30 pm, Pan's Labyrinth, running time: 1 hr 52 m

Saturday, January 27
4:00 pm, A Lion in the House (with intermission), running time: 3 hr 50 m
8:30 pm, Chalk, running time: 1 hr 24 m

Monday, January 29
7:00 pm, The Painted Veil, running time: 2 hr 5 m
9:30 pm, Half Nelson, running time: 1 hr 47 m

Tuesday, January 30
6:30 pm, The Illusionist, running time: 1 hr 48 m
9:00 pm, Brothers of the Head, running time: 1 hr 30 m

Wednesday, January 31
7:00 pm, Wristcutters: A Love Story, running time: 1 hr 31 m
9:00 pm, Chronicle of an Escape, running time: 1 hr 46 m

Thursday, February 1
6:30 pm, The Lives of Others, running time: 2 hr 17 m
9:15 pm, Quinceañera, running time: 1 hr 30 m

Friday, February 2
7:00 pm, The Dead Girl, running time: 1 hr 33 m
9:00 pm, Infamous, running time: 1 hr 58 m

Saturday, February 3
2:00 pm, Man Push Cart, running time: 1 hr 27 m; Q&A to follow with director Ramin Bahrani
4:00 pm, Friends With Money, running time: 1 hr 28 m
6:00 pm, American Gun, running time: 1 hr 35 m

Monday, February 5
7:00 pm, Twelve and Holding, running time: 1 hr 30 m
9:00 pm, For Your Consideration, running time: 1 hr 26 m

Tuesday, February 6
7:00 pm, The Motel, running time: 1 hr 16 m; Q&A to follow with producer Karin Chien
8:45 pm, A Prairie Home Companion, running time: 1 hr 45 m

Wednesday, February 7
6:30 pm, Days of Glory, running time: 1 hr 59 m
9:00 pm, Conversations With Other Women, running time: 1 hr 24 m

Friday, February 9
7:00 pm, Sorry, Haters, running time: 1 hr 23 m; Q&A with cinematographer Mauricio Rubenstein
and producer Karen Jaroneski to follow
9:00 pm, Little Miss Sunshine, running time: 1 hr 42 m