The Independent Spirit Awards

Saturday afternoon in a big tent on the beach they handed out the Anti-Oscars, the Independent Spirit Awards. I love watching these every year because it seems so much more fun and spontaneous. The people let loose a little and have a good time, making for a fun watch. This year was a bit on the predictable side, with "Sideways" taking home every award it was nominated for (which was a bunch, including: Best Picture, Actor, Sup. Actor, Sup. Actress, Director, and Screenplay), but that didn't make it any less enjoyable to watch. Thomas Haden Church crying in his award speech was nice to see, and Catalina Sandino Moreno winning for her touching performance in "Maria Full of Grace" was also welcome. Joshua Marston took home Best First Screenplay and Zack Braff won the award for Best First Feature, which is a bit odd cause I would have predicted it would be Braff winning for screenplay and Marston winning for first feature. Watching the show tonight reminded me of a few years back, when Derek Luke won Best Actor for "Antoine Fisher" and gave probably the best acceptance speech I have ever seen. It was funny, touching and inspiring all at the same time. He commented that just one year earlier he was a waiter at that very same award show. For the first time in a while, John Waters didn't host the show, opting instead to present an award. Sam Jackson hosted and held his own, but he lacked that perfect flair that Waters always brings. All in all it wasn't as riveting as some of the years past, but it still was a good way to kill 2 hours.