The Independent Spirit Awards never fail to entertain us, here are the best moments from last night’s show.

#1. Fred Armisen and Kirsten Bell wrote a song making fun of themselves for being a little studio and a little indie.

#2. Nightcrawler picked up two awards! During his acceptance speech, Dan Gilroy calls for more indie movies, less superhero remakes.

Full quote: “Independent film, the foundation and everybody here today, I think are holdouts against a tsunami of superhero movies that have swept over this industry. We have survived and we have thrived and I think that’s true spirit.”

#3. Paul Thomas Anderson slams American Airlines for losing his luggage. Note: The airline is a major sponsor of the awards show.

Full quote: “Don’t fly American Airlines, man. They will f—ing lose your luggage.”

#4. Bennett Miller tried covering it up later, insisting it was United Airlines. Good save.

#5. Jared Leto’s err.. fashionable outfit?

#6. Justin Simien pleads for more diversity in acceptance speech for Dear White People.

Full quote: “I started writing this movie some 10 years ago as an impulse because I didn’t really see my story out there in the culture. I didn’t see myself reflected back at me in the films I love or the stories that resonated for me. I tried to put myself in the culture. That can be difficult when, along the way, there’s really nothing there to tell you that you belong there. I’m very grateful. If you don’t see yourself in the culture, please put yourself there, because we need you. We need to see the world from your eyes.”

#7. Birdman wins Best Picture over Boyhood. Nobody saw that coming. Oscar race heats up.

Director Bennet Miller gets that the complexity of true events and historical people make for the most engaging onscreen experiences. In Moneyball he managed to make the men behind baseball statistics be as compelling as the sport itself. And in Capote he showed that the ongoing relationship of a pair of murderers with the man who wanted to tell their story is every bit as complex and fascinating as the murders they committed. In Foxcatcher Miller melds the strengths of both these films by capturing the intrigue of competitive sportsmanship and the psychological study of one of the most disturbing men to have been in a place of a wealth and power in America. While the film has one of the year’s best performances (by Steve Carell) there isn’t a single person in this bleak but gripping film who doesn’t enthrall with their historical portrayal — shedding light on one of those strange stories that seem too impossible to be true, and showcasing the sort of rare personality that incites fear in all of us.

After having won Olympic gold in wrestling Mark Schultz (Channing Tatum) is at a low point in his career, delivering speeches to restless kids at elementary schools. His elder brother David Schultz (Mark Ruffalo) has also won gold and continues to work as a coach, working with his brother to train for the world championships. Mark seems to have lived in the shadow of his brother’s accomplishments and good nature for much of his career, and having been mostly raised by his brother he is at odds with his desire to impress his father-figure and excel on his own. The spotlight seems to have finally made its way to him when he gets an unexpected phone call from John du Pont, heir to the du Pont fortune (the same family who hands out the prestigious science award) and a self-proclaimed sports-enthusiast and benefactor.

Du Pont flies Mark to his sprawling Pennsylvania estate, Foxcatcher Farms, and presents an irresistible offer: to come train at his facilities and help him build an award-winning wrestling team. From there Mark finds his motivation once again, training for the world championships and recruiting a team of wrestlers, always with encouragement from John to try to get his brother Dave to come be on the team. From their first encounter, John du Pont is painted as an awkward man, secure in his wealth and eccentric in his passion for ornithology (the study of birds) and philately (stamp collecting). His fascination for wrestling seems as much about raw — somewhat erotic — sportsmanship as it is a yearning for team brotherhood and the parent-like relationship of coach and player. Steve Carell’s every interaction on-screen is nail-biting. His prosthetic nose is at first a distraction and then becomes yet another way that Carell and du Pont seem to merge completely. He speaks with a slowness that at first seems to hint at his dim-wittedness but over time makes apparent his calculated way of getting what he wants. He’s the fascinating product of wealth, a single-child upbringing, and hard to please parents. His mental instability is so subtle it’s hard to tell if it’s always there, or if it wavers in and out.

Tatum continues to prove his range, for while he clearly has a believable body for a wrestler, it’s his portrayal of Mark’s immature devotion to whichever father figure is available to latch on to, and his twisted expectations for his own athletic performances (going so far as physical damage to himself), that show he’s capable of capturing a different sort of mental illness than the one du Pont manifests. Mark Ruffalo as David is the only real outlet for positivity in the film, and his representation of David as an ideal older brother and mentor is almost too sweet, causing confusion as to why Mark could be so easily led astray. But his pedestal-standing character only makes the film’s inevitable historic ending that much more heartbreaking.

For anyone who’s managed to avoid reading about the history of the Schultzes and John du Pont, I won’t spoil the story, but I will say that Miller has done an excellent job of focusing less on the scandal and more on the people involved. It’s a therapist’s psychoanalytical nightmare, having so many neuroses on hand. Miller did right in focusing the story on Mark and John, rather than David and John, despite where history inevitably led. With Mark and John he’s able to explore the bond between two men looking to fulfill impossible needs, each hoping their salvation lies in the other. In one of the film’s most fascinating scenes, Mark and John ride in a helicopter together to a benefit dinner and Mark practices his intro speech for John. John snorts cocaine out of a fancy leather pouch and makes Mark repeat the words “ornithologist, philanthropist, and philatelist” over and over until he can say them with confidence, reiterating his own ideology that given enough time and prodding, he can indoctrinate anyone into showing him respect and possibly love. It’s creepy and compelling all at once.

The true crime nature of the film is a draw, but the performances of the film are what solidify it as one of the year’s best, marking Bennett Miller as a nuanced and capable director. His aesthetic and understated work with cinematographer Grieg Fraser allow the characters to tell their own story and set the sort of realistic tone that adds no note of Hollywood sensationalism. Foxcatcher is chilling, sobering, and the sort of film that will cause audience members to question the people they meet on the street. It’s the sort of cold reminder that within us all lies the capability of strange and frightening behavior. A morbid sick reminder that almost no one can help but be drawn to.

It’s a good time to be a lengthy drama at Cannes. Following last year’s Palme d’Or prize going to the nearly three-hour lesbian relationship drama Blue Is The Warmest Color, the 196-minute Turkish film Winter Sleep has taken Cannes’ top 2014 prize. The film, a favorite of Way Too Indie’s Man In Cannes (read Nikola’s review here), beat out highly anticipated films including Bennett Miller‘s Foxcatcher with Steve Carrell and Channing Tatum, as well as the Dardenne brothers‘ Two Days, One Night starring Marion Cotillard. Foxcatcher and other widely discussed debuts still collected awards at Cannes, although Two Days, One Night did not win any honors.

Full list of 2014 Cannes Film Festival Award Winners:

Palme d’Or
Winter Sleep, (directed by Nuri Bilge Ceylan)

Grand Prix
Le Meraviglie (The Wonders), (directed by Alice Rohrwacher)

Prix de la Mise en Scene (Award for Best Director)
Bennett Miller, Foxcatcher

Prix du Scenario (Award for Best Screenplay)
Andrey Zvyagintsev, Oleg Negin, Leviathan

Camera d’Or (Award for Best First Feature):
Party Girl, (directed by Marie Amachoukeli, Claire Burger and Samuel Theis)

Prix d’interpretation feminine (Award for Best Actress)
Julianne Moore, Maps to the Stars (directed by David Cronenberg)

Prix d’interpretation masculine (Award for Best Actor)
Timothy Spall in Mr. Turner (directed by Mike Leigh)

Prix du Jury (Jury Prize)
Mommy (directed by Xavier Dolan)
Adieu Au Langage (Goodbye To Language) (directed by Jean-Luc Godard)

Palme d’Or – Short Film
Leidi (directed by Simón Mesa Soto)

Short Film Special Distinction
Aïssa, (directed by Clément Trehin-Lalanne)
Ja Vi Elsker (Yes We Love), (directed by Hallvar Witzø)

Bennett Miller’s follow up to Moneyball, the Brad Pitt-starring baseball-but-not-really-about-baseball movie, is Foxcatcher, the Channing Tatum-starring wrestling-but-not-really-about-wrestling movie. It’s undoubtedly one of the marquee films competing for the Palme D’Or; featuring an intriguing cast with Tatum in the lead, Mark Ruffalo in supporting, and Steve Carell overshadowing in his first villainous role, directed by one of America’s brightest emerging talents, and with an Oscar buzz that began before cameras rolled. Monday was officially Foxcatcher Day in the French Riviera. We here at Way Too Indie felt the itch with this one too, featuring it in our Top 10 most anticipated Cannes list. After missing the first screening at the ridiculous 8 a.m. time-slot, and reading the (mostly) rave first impressions, I knew there was no way Monday was ending without me catching this one. But, in large part, I am left with regret for not opting for one of my other picks.

The story follows Olympic gold medalist Mark Shultz (Tatum), a very determined young man whose solitary lifestyle revolves around training, eating microwaveable food, talking about wrestling, and… wrestling. It’s beyond passion; it’s his entire livelihood. Influenced, mentored and trained by his older brother Dave (Ruffalo) who is also an Olympic gold medalist, but whose life is much more balanced with a family and a sense for the business of the sport. One day, randomly, Mark gets a call from John Du Pont’s people and is invited for a visit and a chat with John Du Pont (Carell) himself. Du Pont, a billionaire with a family dynasty to preserve and upkeep, is a big wrestling fan and expresses his desire to become Mark’s coach and help him achieve his goal of becoming the best wrestler in the world and win gold at the next Olympics. He wants this for himself, for Mark, but most of all, for America. The characters and events in this film are based on a true story, and it’s a juicy one, but Miller – with everything at his disposal – found a way to make a forgettable film with it.

Let’s get the acting out of the way, because if anything will give this movie the strong legs it needs for Oscar season it’s that. Steve Carell will be hogging all the attention that’s only justifiable for Ruffalo and Tatum. The latter is especially impressive, as he uses his bulky fitness to create a truly sympathetic character, brimming with insecurity yet physically intimidating with every swing and stretch. Ruffalo doesn’t get much to do, but he’s one of the easiest actors to watch thanks to his natural talent to demand attention by never showboating, so he’s consistently great in the film. And Carell does bring the comedy here, the Eagle bit is for the highlight reel and his deliveries of “good” have rightly reminded people of Mr. Burns’ “excellent”. But, the make-up and the larger-than-life character do much to disguise what is ultimately a solid performance and not much else. The reason he will be a major Oscar contender is due to the novelty of having a comedian break bad, and not the actual performance itself; something many others with the same make-up could have pulled off.

The real troubles with Foxcatcher lie in the way the drama unfolds; every beat predicted (ah, he wants to step out of his brothers shadow; of course, he will start taking drugs now; oh right, he’s got mommy issues so now we know why he is the way he is) and when it’s not, like two crucial character shifts of attitude, it feels fumbled and graceless like handing a blade to a wrestler and telling him to fence. You don’t win gold medals like that. The cinematography and the editing are something of unexpected accomplishments here, but still don’t help this major fault in the storytelling.

With all the ingredients at his disposal Miller managed to make a film that’s barely compelling, helped mostly by the performances of Tatum and Ruffalo, and the mere presence of a sickly repugnant creature played with decent amount of slime by Carell. The symbolism of America as wrestling (Miller is becoming a pro in utilizing athletics in very thematically engaging ways at least) and the commentary on the debilitating effects of wealth on human spirit are enough to make good conversation pieces. But the execution is so lacking and the overall experience made so bland, that the subject of conversation will quickly change.

The first clip for Bennett Miller‘s Cannes Drama Foxcatcher has arrived. Based on true events, the film recalls the fascinating story of Olympic Wrestling Champion Mark Schultz (played by Channing Tatum) who befriends an eccentric multi-millionaire (Steve Carell) to train at his new state-of-the-art training facility, but the wealthy man is driven by selfish motives. Foxcatcher is ultimately a story about misguided loyalty and the corruption that comes with great power and wealth. Carell sports a prosthetic nose and tons of aging makeup, making him nearly unrecognizable.

Below is the teaser trailer for Foxcatcher as well as the first clip that shows the two characters meeting for the first time.

Foxcatcher teaser trailer

First Clip – “I Want To Win Gold”

The anticipation was killing us all week but finally it’s here, the official lineup for the 2014 Cannes Film Festival. Grace Of Monaco (which stars Nicole Kidman) had previously been announced as the opening film of the festival. At first glance, the most notable films that were announced today are The Search from Michel Hazavanicus, his follow-up to The Artist, David Cronenberg’s Maps To The Stars, Bennett Miller’s Foxcatcher, Ryan Golsing’s directorial debut Lost River, Xavier Dolan’s Mommy, and Jean-Luc Godard’s Goodbye To Language. More anticipation will build as more information gets released on the rest of the films.

Those paying attention to the rumors may be disappointed to see P.T. Anderson’s Inherent Vice didn’t make the lineup. Also absent on the list was Terrence Malick’s Knight of Cups (which was also mentioned as a rumor for last year’s festival). Still the lineup is a very impressive start. There will be one or two more out-of-competition films, Critics’ Week lineup, and Directors’ Fortnight lineup announcements coming next week.

This year Nik Grozdanovic will be representing Way Too Indie at Cannes, providing daily reports from the festival. So stay tuned for our coverage!

2014 Cannes Lineup

Opening Film:

Grace Of Monaco (director Olivier Dahan)

Competition:

Goodbye To Language (director Jean-Luc Godard)
The Captive (director Atom Egoyan)
Foxcatcher (director Bennett Miller)
The Homesman (director Tommy Lee Jones)
Jimmy’s Hall (director Ken Loach)
La Meraviglie (director Alice Rohrwacher)
Leviathan (director Andrei Zvyagintsev)
Maps To The Stars (director David Cronenberg)
Mommy (director Xavier Dolan)
Mr. Turner (director Mike Leigh)
Saint Laurent (director Bertrand Bonello)
Sils Maria (director Olivier Assayas)
The Search (director Michel Hazanavicius)
Still The Water (director Naomi Kawase)
Timbuktu (director Abderrahmane Sissako)
Two Days, One Night (directors Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne)
Wild Tales (director Damian Szifron)
Winter Sleep (director Nuri Bilge Ceylan)

Out Of Competition:

Coming Home (director Zhang Yimou)
How To Train Your Dragon 2 (director Dean DeBlois)

Un Certain Regard:

Party Girl (directors Marie Amachoukeli-Barsacq, Claire Burger, Samuel Theis)
Amour fou (director Jessica Hausner)
Bird People (director Pascale Ferran)
The Blue Room (director Mathieu Amalric)
Charlie’s Country (director Rolf de Heer)
Dohee-ya (director July Jung)
Eleanor Rigby (director Ned Benson)
Fantasia (director Wang Chao)
Harcheck mi headro (director Keren Yedaya)
Hermosa juventud (director Jaime Rosales)
Incompresa (director Asia Argento)
Jauja (director Lisandro Alonso)
Lost River (director Ryan Gosling)
Run (director Philippe Lacote)
The Salt of the Earth (directors Wim Wenders and Juliano Ribeiro Salgado)
Snow in Paradise (director Andrew Hulme)
Titli (director Kanu Behl)
Tourist (director Ruben Ostlund)
Xenia (director Panos Koutras)

Midnight Screenings:

The Rover (director David Michod)
The Salvation (director Kristian Levring)
The Target (director Yoon Hong-seung)

Special Screenings:

The Bridges of Sarajevo (various directors)
Eau argentee (director Mohammed Ossama)
Maidan (director Sergei Loznitsa)
Red Army (director Polsky Gabe)
Caricaturistes – Fantassins de la democratie (director Stephanie Valloatto)

Moneyball is a film based on the book of the same name that was directed by Bennett Miller about a small market baseball team that found an innovative way of evaluating players. Co-written by the talented Aaron Sorkin (The Social Network), the film is a true story about how Billy Beane used unconventional thinking to focus on buying wins instead players.

Billy Beane (Brad Pitt) was a whole package as a baseball player. He could hit, field, throw and run; a rare package to find. The New York Mets gave him an offer right out of high school. Billy already had a full ride to Stanford but a tough decision that the Beane Family would have to make is go to college or go to the pros.

There are some players that just do not pan out in baseball. They have the ability on paper but for one reason or another just do not perform in the major league. Billy Beane was one of those players. After 6 years he comes to grips that he is not a baseball player but he would like to stay in baseball as a scout. He eventually became the General Manger for the Oakland Athletics.

Set in the 2002, the team with the lowest budget aims to get back to the postseason again but will have to do so without 3 major players. They lost first baseman Jason Giambi, outfielder Johnny Damon and closer Jason Isringhausen to teams that could offer a higher salary. “There are rich teams and there are poor teams. Then there is 50 feet of crap. And then there is us, says Billy.” Their budget limitations make it an unfair game but it is his problem to fix. Billy realizes that they need to think differently with their existing recruitment process.

On a trip to the Cleveland Indians management office, Billy is talking to their GM about possible trade acquisitions. As they throw some possible trade ideas around he notices a man in the corner who whispers advice into the ears of the other guys in the room. The negotiations are going nowhere but the man in the corner intrigues him.

After the failed negotiation meeting is over Billy walks right out of the office to the desk of the man in the corner to find out more about him. His name is Peter Brand (Jonah Hill), a shy young player analyst who has never had a job in baseball before this. Not only that, but this is his first job in any profession. This baffles Billy but he is more concerned on what exactly he told the guy in the meeting.

The two step out of the building to talk more privately about what Peter Brand is all about. Peter explains that baseball teams are misjudging their players and more importantly mismanage their teams. He explains that instead thinking in terms of buying players they should think in terms of buying wins.

Soon after the two first met, Billy hires Peter to his team as the assistant GM. Peter uses Bill James’s formulas to come up with the true values in each player. He believes that there are 25 undervalued players out there that the team can buy on the cheap. Billy refers to their new strategy as counting cards at the blackjack table, trying to beat the odds. He calls this new strategy Moneyball.

The team’s scouts were very skeptical about this new strategy. They believe that there is more to baseball than just numbers and stats, it is about people and chemistry. There are fundamental elements where stats do not apply. Billy knows that the only way he can prove that the system works is by winning games.

The team starts the season off cold (losing 14 of the last 17 games). The seriousness of their poor record is starting to be brought to Billy’s attention. Even by his daughter. She asks him if he will be losing his job. He tells her not to worry about the fact his team is in last place and the things on the internet about him potentially losing his job. He tells her not to worry for her comfort but you can tell he is worried. Still, deep down he believes in his strategy.

The film portrays the hero to be Billy Beane but when you really think about it, it was only his acceptance of Peter Brand’s (in real life his name was Paul DePodesta) strategy and philosophy really changed the game. Every decision that he makes is because Peter said to do it. At least that is what I got out of the film, though props to Billy for looking for progressive ways to win and giving Peter a chance.

It is a movie about sports but it is not a sports movie. In fact, you do not even need to be a baseball fan to enjoy Moneyball, but it does not hurt either. The point of the film is not about an underdog sports team winning games but rather the way they went against the traditional way of evaluating players.

Brad Pitt does a fine job playing Billy Beane but I think the top performance goes to Jonah Hill. He played the number-crunching nerdy Yale graduate wonderfully. Philip Seymour Hoffman comes in with the small role of the team manager named Art Howe but takes a backseat to the main roles of Pitt and Hill.

Moneyball is an entertaining and soulful crowd pleaser with great acting and terrific writing. The only thing preventing this home-run film from being a grand-slam is the lack of risk taking. In the film’s defense, it is hard to take too many risks when it is based on true life events because staying true to the story is best. I do not know much about Billy Beane but perhaps they could have developed more from his ex-wife, the high billed Robin Wright, who only is seen in one scene. Still, you will likely not walk out of this film disappointed.