BEST OF 2009: Overheard at the Gothams

Not half an hour after The Hurt Locker won the Best Feature prize at last night's Gotham Independent Film Awards, hordes of awardgoers trekked from Cipriani Wall Street to the Kodak/indieWIRE afterparty at the Tribeca Cinemas. Free liquor still being one of life's great social lubricants, even those who headed to the party empty-handed were in pleasant spirits when I asked about their favorite films of 2009—Gothams-related or otherwise:

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"Fantastic Mr. Fox was hand-made and the kind of care that goes in with that feels intimate. It's impossible to fake. Wes Anderson always has that ability to bring you into a world that you think you know but don't, and allows you an invitation. I haven't had more fun in the movies in a while."

- Ben Foster, "Breakthrough Actor" nominee for The Messenger

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"I want this to read 'Damien Chazelle, over cocktails, said...' I like Two Lovers because it's unashamed about its romanticism. I loved that. It reminded me of City Lights and Sunrise and Seventh Heaven, movies like that that people don't make anymore. It just felt old-fashioned in the best way."

- Damien Chazelle, director of "Best Film Not Playing at a Theater Near You" nominee Guy and Madeline on a Park Bench

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"Well, Gotham Awards-related and in general, The Hurt Locker. I thought it was amazing. I was floored the entire time."

- Ry-Russo Young, director of "Best Film Not Playing at a Theater Near You" winner You Wont Miss Me

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"I have to say, I liked The Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans. To me, it's inspiring to see what I have to believe is a complete fearlessness to make something that sucks. It's only when you are one with that fear that you can truly make something good. You have to be prepared for it to completely fail before you can get stuff that's as utterly unique and magical as what's in there. I was sitting and watching with my mouth open."

- Alexander Olch, director of The Windmill Movie

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"I typically like one or two movies a year. I'm one of these people who hates a lot of things. I'm not the 'love everything, celebrate independent film' type of guy. I'm more bitchy: 'Everything sucks, that movie's so overrated,' but this year I really liked a lot. I haven't ranked anything yet, but early in the year, I liked In the Loop and The Hurt Locker, and then there was a long stretch where there wasn't much. Then lately, I liked A Serious Man, An Education, Precious, The September Issue and The Messenger. I thought Adventureland was awesome, and I loved Inglourious Basterds—that's probably my number one. I fuckin' loved that."

- Robert Siegel, "Breakthrough Director" winner for Big Fan

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"My two favorite films are the movies I've most recently seen: Fantastic Mr. Fox, which is so unique and strange and mesmerizing, and Ninja Assassin, which is completely psychotic and delicious."

- Jonathan Ames, novelist and creator of HBO's Bored to Death

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[photo by Brian Brooks/indieWIRE.]

Posted by ahillis at December 1, 2009 2:38 PM