Gotham Winners: Color us "Tangerine"

The most exciting wild card at both the East Coast Gotham Awards and the West Coast Spirit Awards is Sean Baker's raucous and hugely entertaining comedy Tangerine (my favorite film from Sundance this year) about two trans hookers sharing a wild 24 hours in Los Angeles at Christmas time. Though most of the big movie awards prefer studio filmmaking or "prestige" indies, we can all cross our fingers that Tangerine, which is truly independent in spirit and filmmaking, has one mainstream nomination in its future: Best Picture, Comedy or Musical at the Golden Globes. It would be richly deserved.

But if that doesn't come to pass at least it was well loved at the Gothams (two awards, bested only by Spotlight) and with Spirit Nominations. Though Carol was shut out, Gotham Awards don't have that many categories to begin with and Todd Haynes was honored so we'll forgive them.

Feature Spotlight
Audience Award Tangerine
Actress Bel Powley in Diary of a Teenage Girl
Actor Paul Dano in Love and Mercy
Documentary The Look of Silence
Screenplay Spotlight written by Tom McCarthy & Josh Singer

Breakthrough Awards
Breakthrough Actor Mya Taylor in Tangerine
Breakthrough Director Jonas Carpigano for Mediterranea
Breakthrough Series - Long Form Mr Robot
Breakthrough Series - Short Form Shugs & Fats

Special Prizes
The First Gotham Appreciation Award Ellen Cotter - Angelika Film Center Theaters
Special Jury Award – Ensemble Spotlight's Mark Ruffalo, Michael Keaton, Rachel McAdams, John Slattery, Stanley Tucci, Brian d’Arcy James, Liev Schreiber, and Billy Crudup
Tributes to: Helen Mirren, Todd Haynes, Robert Redford

Peter Sarsgaard's Stellar 2015

Murtada here. Peter Sarsgaard was lost for a few years either in films that no one saw (Green Lantern, The Mysteries of Pittsburgh), that no one noticed him in (Blue Jasmine, An Education) or that were instantly forgotten (Knight and Day, Lovelace). Some feared he would never deliver on the searing promise he showed in 2003’s Shattered Glass. But 2015 is shaping up to be a fantastic year for him, with not one, not two but three incredible performances in Pawn Sacrifice, Black Mass and Experimenter.

More on the performances........

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Gotham Nominees: Teenage Girls, Lesbian Romances,Trans Women

You might think that October is too early to get nominations for Best of the Year but you'd be wrong. 

Diary of a Teenage Girl scored big leading the Gotham nominations

At least according to the IFP Gotham Independent Film Awards. They're the East Coast answer to the Indie Spirit Awards and perhaps we're imagining it but it's almost as if they announce earlier every year.  They're also juried which is why their nominations are sometimes really cool / odd. Like most of the Oscar precursors worth loving, Gotham marches to their own drum. So what's the takeaway and reward for these films? A fresh flag planted down that you really should watch them and for indie films, that's a big deal.

The biggest winners this morning are surely Tangerine (3 nominations) and The Diary of a Teenage Girl (4 nominations). Both were hits at Sundance and well reviewed when they arrived but both are small enough to slip through "Best of" cracks on critics list and with awardage. But both are strong enough filmmaking visions and entertaining and even accessible enough that with enough concentrated attention it will be possible to imagine them cracking a surprise big nomination somewhere... like, say, The Golden Globes. 

The other big winner is everyone -- we finally have an awards lineup that in interested in female voices.  Full list follows 

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Red Carpet Lineup: Gotham's Revenge of the Nineties

NATHANIEL: Hello dear readers. I'm pleased to announce the return of the Red Carpet Lineup series for awards season kicking off with The Gotham Awards. It's the fashion series for people who don't care who people are wearing so much as who be doing the wearing. This season I'm happy to say that two ladies who could walk the red carpet themselves are joining me: TFE's Los Angeles Branch divas Anne Marie & Margaret.

I'm calling this post "Revenge of the Nineties" because look at all these Nineties A-Listers? or at least B+ Listers (hi Heather Graham!) lighting up the room again.

UMA, ROLLERGIRL, RENE, FAMKE, and KEENER

MARGARET: I love the variety. Whatever else you can say about these outfits, they all should have felt pretty confident they weren't going to see anyone else showing up in the same thing.

NATHANIEL: I have a 100% certainty about which of these outfits Anne Marie would wear (The Russo - ding ding ding) but Margaret? If you were a 90s superstar trying to get your groove back what would we see you in?

ANNE MARIE:  I'm actually wearing Rene Russo's jacket right now. How awkward...

NATHANIEL: ...But Margaret? If you were a 90s superstar trying to get your groove back what would we see you in?

MARGARET: I think I'd go with Ms. Janssen's ensemble. All of these outfits are A Lot of Look, but that kicky little mini-dress looks easiest to pull off without mega-star-wattage, plus it provides a welcome dash of color in a neutral-heavy lineup.

NATHANIEL: Awww, "kicky" is my favorite underused adjective and Famke is one of my favorite underused stars

ANNE MARIE: Speaking of A Lot Of Look, what exactly is going on with Catherine Keener? Is that a dress? A coat? I like it in concept, but in execution it looks like a boxy reject from AHS: Coven

Broken toes, Alien haircuts, and secrets to luscious movie star hair after the jump... 

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Gotham Awards 2014. The Winners...

Will it be Birdman, Boyhood, Love is Strange, Grand Budapest Hotel, or Under the Skin tonight? Read on for the winners and commentary.   

8:01 Uma Thurman the awards host is even more mannered than Uma Thurman the actress. Who knew? (I love Uma so I can say that. If you're no Umaphile you'd best shut it! 

8:14 IFP is bragging about IFP. Which is okay. This is the raison d'etre of Awards Bodies essentially.

8:18 First Uma, now Heather Graham? It's getting very 90s up in herrre.

8:20 I've been pronouncing "Riz" wrong in "Riz Ahmed" as it turns out. Breakthrough Actor goes to Tessa Thompson in Dear White People. P.S. She's also really good in Selma. I love that they announce the juries. This prize was given by Shane Carruth, Michael B Jordan, Ron Simons and two actresses we love up in herre Famke Janssen & Brie Larson

8:25 Ana Lily Amirpour wins Breakthrough Director for A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night. The other much-raved debut horror film from a woman this year (The Babadook wasn't nominated). Her acceptance speech is awesome. 

Tilda Swinton here and I'm like... GODDESS! Maybe if I can meet her and take a photo with her...

8:30 Meryl Streep is here to talk up Foxcatcher and give it a special prize for ensemble. She seems to really love it. Calls Channing Tatum a...

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