Gotham Award Nominations

The Gotham Film Independent Awards are always the first critical body to announce a "best of" the year.  The awards, "selected by distinguished juries and presented in New York City, the home of independent film."  Suffice it to say, the choices are largely movies few have heard of, and fewer have actually seen.  The outre group can hardly be considered an Oscar bellwether, but are still fun.

BEST FEATURE

• Black Swan
• Blue Valentine
• The Kids Are All Right
• Let Me In
• Winter's Bone

BEST DOCUMENTARY

• 12th & Delaware
• Inside Job
• The Oath
• Public Speaking
• Sweetgrass

BEST ENSEMBLE PERFORMANCE

• The Kids Are All Right-- Annette Bening, Julianne Moore, Mark Ruffalo, Josh Hutcherson, Mia Wasikowski
• Life During Wartime-- Shirley Henderson, Ciran Hinds, Allison Janney, Micheal Lerner, Chris Marquette, Rich Pecci, Charlotte Rampling, Paul Reubens, Ally Sheedy, Dylan Riley Snyder, Renee Taylor, Michael Kenneth Williams
• Please Give-- Catherine Keener, Amanda Peet, Oliver Platt, Rebecca Hall, Ann Guilbert, Lois Smith, Sarah Steele, Thomas Ian Nicholas
• Tiny Furniture-- Lena Dunham, Laurie Simmons, Grace Dunham, Rachel Howe, Merrit Wever, Amy Seimetz, Alex Karpovsky, David Call, Jermina Kirke, Sarah Sophie Flicker, Garland Hunter, Isan Hunter
• Winter's Bone-- Jennifer Lawrence, John Hawkes, Dale Dickey, Lauren Sweetser, Garret Dillahunt, Kevin Breznahan

BREAKTHROUGH DIRECTOR

• John Wells, The Company Men
• Kevin Asch, Holy Rollers
• Glenn Ficarra & John Requa, I Love You Phillip Morris
• Tanya Hamilton, Night Catches Us
• Lena Dunham, Tiny Furniture

BREAKTHROUGH PERFORMANCE

• Prince Adu, Prince of Broadway
• Ronald Bronstein, Daddy Longlegs
• Greta Gerwig, Greenberg
• Jennifer Lawrence, Winter's Bone
• John Ortiz, Jack Goes Boating

BEST FILM NOT PLAYING IN A THEATER NEAR YOU

• Kati and an I
• Littlerock
• On Coal River
• Summer Pasture
• The Wolf Night

 The group did well this year I'd say, adding credence with the coolest guild ever, with The Kids Are All Right, Blue Valentine, Black Swan and Winter's Bone all best picture-y.  I'd toss Let Me In, but whatever.  Last year, the best feature category had a 2 in 5 ratio with Oscar, with honors to The Hurt Locker and A Serious Man.  This year, I'd suggest The Kids Are All Right has the best bet, and potentially Winter's Bone as well.  Blue Valentine (especially if it does indeed keep its NC-17 rating) and Black Swan might be too cool for Oscar.  Very slowly and indeed a bit agonizingly so, the season is coming on full hilt.  Enjoy the games.