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It’s wild that we don’t have more recognition for the art of casting. Casting directors have a guild with an Academy branch, but not their own Oscar category. While the work can often seem alchemical or opaque to outsiders, casting directors are really in the first line of storytellers who collaborate on a film; they have to see and expand on a director’s vision for the film’s world and find the actors who will embody what the filmmakers aim to create. So IndieWire is bringing back an old pre-pandemic feature to celebrate the storytelling work of casting.

We reached out to a number of the film industry’s top casting directors to ask them to nominate one outstanding work from this year. As it turns out, though, the casting directors we spoke to had lots of films with casting they loved this year. “Being asked to...

Stay in the loop on industry and casting news with our write-up on who’s been slated for recent film and television roles! “Untitled Terminator Reboot”Arnold Schwarzenegger is living up to his “Terminator” motto: “I’ll be back.” It’s been almost 15 years since we last visited the franchise, and more than 30 since the original film was released, but it’s not quite done yet. The new “Untitled Terminator Reboot” is in the works and due for release in 2019. While Schwarzenegger was the first to come on board for the project, the original Sarah Connor, Linda Hamilton, is also slated to return. The story will pick up after “Terminator 2: Judgment Day.” As of now, there is minimal information about the film, but it is said to be the start of a new “Terminator” trilogy series that may or may not be interconnected. Mindy Marin is heading up casting...

Feature film “Chaos Walking,” based on the young adult novel of the same name by Patrick Ness, now has its two leads in place, as well as a production timeline. The sci-fi project is set in a world where all living beings can hear each other's thoughts through a stream of consciousness called Noise. Attached to star is Daisy Ridley, who will be seen in the upcoming “Star Wars: The Last Jedi,” and “Spider-Man: Homecoming” star Tom Holland, as the two adolescents at the dystopic story's center. On the casting front will be Mindy Marin, whose body of work includes serving as casting director on the films “Nightcrawler,” “Crazy, Stupid, Love,” and the currently-in-production “Mission: Impossible 6.” The flick will shoot this August in Montreal, Canada. No additional casting has been announced at this time. Ness will co-author the big screen adaptation, along with John Lee Hancock ("Snow White and...

David Ellison first created Skydance Productions for his own 2005 directorial debut When All Else Fails, but Skydance Media really started making waves in 2010 when it teamed up with Paramount Pictures for the Coen Brothers Western True Grit.

It went on to become the highest grossing Western ever and cemented the relationship between Skydance Media with Paramount who teamed-up for World War Z, G.I. Joe: Retaliation, and other franchises like Star Trek and 2014’s Terminator: Genisys. (Obviously, some of those movies did better than others.)

For his new science fiction movie Life, based on an idea that Ellison came up with, he’s teamed with Sony Pictures, bringing together a cast that includes Jake Gyllenhaal, Ryan Reynolds and Rebecca Ferguson as part of the crew of the International Space Station who must examine a sample of life that’s been brought back from Mars.

Lrm got on the phone with...

Casting directors have a strange distinction in the awards world: Their guild has an Academy branch, but it’s the only one without its own Oscar category. Imagine for a moment that they did. What are the best-cast films of 2016?

IndieWire asked 13 of the top casting directors to nominate films worthy of casting recognition this year. There were a few restrictions worth noting. Although casting directors often get early sneak peeks at films, many noted there are some films they still hadn’t seen. In particular, many are anxious to find out what legendary casting director Ellen Lewis has cooked up for Martin Scorsese’s “Silence.” The other restriction, which was imposed as responses came in: They couldn’t all write about “Moonlight.” (We’ll dig further into the casting of that film in another article.)

Read More: Casting Directors and the Academy: Why Lynn Stalmaster’s Honorary Oscar Matters...

The entertainment industry is constantly changing, and it's important to stay aware of what’s going on. Want to find out who’s casting? What projects are happening? What’s coming up? Call Sheet highlights will help you stay in-the-know: UTA's opening it's doors to the mass exodus of CAA agents including comedy comedy headers Jason Heyman, Martin Lesak, Gregory McKnight, and Greg Cavic. “Heroes Reborn” added more Heroes alum to its roster. The La Padura/Hart cast series just nabbed Jimmy Jean–Louis, to reprise his role as The Haitian. Mindy Marin Casting is taking flight with Tom Cruise’s new project "Mena," which follows the real life story of drug trafficker and pilot Barry Seal. The Shia Labeouf starrer "American Honey," cast by Jennifer Venditti of JV8INC, is gearing up to shoot this June in Texas and West Virgina. Former Steppenwolf associate artistic director and casting director...

Hulu announced a 10-episode order for Jason Reitman’s “Casual” on Thursday. The decision was unveiled two days after the streaming service expanded its partnership with Viacom. Last month, Hulu got into the mini-series business, ordering J.J. Abrams’ adaptation of Stephen King’s “11/22/63.” “We are excited to continue working closely with immensely talented creators to bring compelling and original content to the Hulu audience,” Beatrice Springborn head of originals at Hulu, wrote in a blog post. Reitman’s series, which is a half-hour, single-camera comedy, is set to debut sometime next year. It doesn’t have a casting director attached yet. In the past, Reitman worked with Jessica Kelly and Suzanne Smith on “Young Adult,” Mindy Marin on “Up in the Air” and more recently John Papsidera on this year’s “Men, Women & Children.” Want more L.A. news? Sign up for our Backstage L.A. newsletter!

The Good Lie is titled after the lies in Huckleberry Finn, the type of lie that is a lie for the greater good, even if lying is wrong. The Good Lie, the movie, has a small opening this weekend in under 500 theaters and will hopefully begin to slowly expand to more theaters with it’s poster of smiling Reese Witherspoon’s head miraculously floating over an African desert. The poster for The Good Lie and the trailer for The Good Lie are, themselves, actual good lies because what looks like The Blind Side but with Reese Witherspoon is not, instead it’s one of those movies that will be shown to our children in school.

You remember the type of movie I’m talking about: you have a substitute or your teacher got a little ahead in the lesson plan or you have a half-holiday day so the class gets...

Reese Witherspoon stars in the feel good film on the fall – The Good Lie. Produced by Ron Howard and Brian Grazer, the movie opens in theaters on October 3rd.

They were known simply as “The Lost Boys.”

Orphaned by the brutal Civil war in Sudan that began in 1983, these young victims traveled as many as a thousand miles on foot in search of safety. Fifteen years later, a humanitarian effort would bring 3600 lost boys and girls to America.

In The Good Lie, Philippe Falardeau, (writer and director of the Oscar- nominated Foreign Language film “Monsieur Lazhar”) brings the story of their survival and triumph to life. Academy Award winner Reese Witherspoon (“Walk the Line”) stars alongside Sudanese actors Arnold Oceng, Ger Duany, Emmanuel Jal, and newcomer Nyakuoth Weil, many of whom were also children of war.

Mamere and Theo are sons of the Chief in their village in Southern Sudan.

NBC's new pilot "Feed Me" has a casting director attached, Backstage has learned. The late-order dark comedy centers on Emma, the daughter of a restaurant-owning family, whose husband cheats on her. Mary-Louise Parker is set to star and Dava Waite, of Dava Waite Peaslee Casting, is set to cast. Meanwhile, "Divergent," the first film installment based on the young adult novels by Veronica Roth, won't hit theaters until later this month but casting is already gearing up on the sequel. Mary Vernieu and Venus Kanani of Betty Mae, Inc. will return to cast "Insurgent," the sequel in Roth's trilogy. In the sci-fi romance, Shailene Woodley, who played George Clooney's daughter in "The Descendants," stars as Beatrice "Tris" Prior, a "divergent" young woman living in a futuristic world where society is divided based on individuals' virtues. The fifth installment of "Mission: Impossible," meanwhile, will be cast by Mindy Marin, of Casting Artists,...

Getting in the room with top casting directors ranks as an achievement for many actors. Now it's only a mouse click away. As part of its LifeRaft series, the Screen Actors Guild Foundation is livestreaming a panel of four prominent casting directors Tuesday night.  TV and features casting director Ronna Kress ("Without a Trace," "Diary of a Wimpy Kid") and Jeanne McCarthy ("The Mindy Project," "21 Jump Street") and the feature-focused Mindy Marin ("Hangover III") and Victoria Thomas ("Django Unchained") will "share stories and anecdotes as they reflect over their careers and help provide a big picture perspective of what it is like to work with agents, managers, directors, producers, studio executives and actors," according to a release. The event will be livestreamed here starting at 7 p.m. Pacific. Questions can be emailed to livestream@sagfoundation.org or tweeted to #Sagf. The video will be archived immediately after the event at youtube.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has revealed its 276-member-strong class of 2013.

The list, published by The Hollywood Reporter, includes actors, cinematographers, designers, directors, documentarians, executives, film editors, makeup artists and hairstylists, "members-at-large," musicians, producers, PR folks, short filmmakers and animators, sound technicians, visual effects artists, and writers.

Jason Bateman, Rosario Dawson, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Milla Jovovich, Lucy Liu, Jennifer Lopez, Emily Mortimer, Sandra Oh, Jason Schwartzman, and Michael Peña are among the roster of actors, while "The Heat" and "Bridesmaids" helmer Paul Feig made the directors' cut.

"We did not change our criteria at all," says Academy president Hawk Koch of this year's larger-than-usual class. "Yes, this year there is a tremendous amount of women, a tremendous amount of people of color, people from all walks of life. This year, we asked the branches to look at everybody who wasn't in the Academy but who deserved to be.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced today the 276 members of the entertainment industry invited to join organization. The list includes actors, directors, documentarians, executives, film editors, producers and more. Of those listed below, those who accept the invitations will be the only additions to the Academy's membership in 2013. "These individuals are among the best filmmakers working in the industry today," said Academy President Hawk Koch in a press release. "Their talent and creativity have captured the imagination of audiences worldwide, and I am proud to welcome each of them to the Academy." Koch also told Variety, "In the past eight or nine years, each branch could only bring in X amount of members. There were people each branch would have liked to get in but couldn't. We asked them to be more inclusive of the best of the best, and each branch was excited, because they got...

The Academy just added 276 Oscar voters.

That’s 100 more than last year, and part of an easing of a longstanding cap on the number of new members allowed to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences each year.

AMPAS usually adds between 130 and 180 new members, replacing those who have quit or passed away. The membership now stands around 6,000.

Jason Bateman, Jennifer Lopez, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Emmanuelle Riva, and Chris Tucker are among the actors who have been invited to join, the organization announced today.

Other interesting additions: the musician Prince, Girls and Tiny Furniture writer/director/actress Lena Dunham,...

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is extending invitations to join the organization to 276 artists and executives who have distinguished themselves by their contributions to theatrical motion pictures. Those who accept the invitations will be the only additions to the Academy’s membership in 2013.

“These individuals are among the best filmmakers working in the industry today,” said Academy President Hawk Koch. “Their talent and creativity have captured the imagination of audiences worldwide, and I am proud to welcome each of them to the Academy.”

The 2013 invitees are:

Actors

Jason Bateman – “Up in the Air,” “Juno”

Miriam Colon – “City of Hope,” “Scarface”

Rosario Dawson – “Rent,” “Frank Miller’s Sin City”

Kimberly Elise – “For Colored Girls,” “Beloved”

Joseph Gordon-Levitt – “Lincoln,” “The Dark Knight Rises”

Charles Grodin – “Midnight Run,” “The Heartbreak Kid”

Rebecca Hall – “Iron Man 3,” “The Town”

Lance Henriksen – “Aliens,” “The Terminator”

Jack Huston – “Not Fade Away,” “Factory Girl”

Milla Jovovich – “Resident Evil,...

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

In 1995, Christopher McQuarrie gave us a little film called The Usual Suspects which ultimately became his first (and only, to date) Oscar win. Flash-forward to 2012, and the man is now also sitting in the director’s chair with a tensed-up, lightning fast Tom Cruise mechanically taking down the villainous duo of Werner Herzog and Jai Courtney in Jack Reacher.

It’s a tough call with Cruise. He’s an actor who, 99% of the time, is the best thing on screen in his films, even if the picture itself is less than gratuitously good. He’s been both the heavy lead and the small-part scene-stealer (2008’s Tropic Thunder), so it’s really stopped becoming a question of if Cruise is going to be “good” in a film. He’s very much become a presence that embodies a character without fully committing to it; that mix of Robert Downey Jr....

A few days ago we had the chance to attend the press conference for Tom Cruise’s latest action-thriller “Jack Reacher.”

Written and directed by Christopher McQuarrie (Oscar-winning screenwriter of “The Unusual Suspects”), the film is based on Lee Child’s popular novel “One Shot,” which is the ninth book in a 15-volume series featuring the Reacher character.

In an innocent heartland city, five are shot dead by an expert sniper. The police quickly identify and arrest the culprit, and build a slam-dunk case. But the accused man claims he’s innocent and says “Get Jack Reacher.” Reacher himself sees the news report and turns up in the city. The defense is immensely relieved, but Reacher has come to bury the guy. Shocked at the accused’s request, Reacher sets out to confirm for himself the absolute certainty of the man’s guilt, but comes up with more than he bargained for.

While doing press rounds for their film Jack Reacher, some of the cast and crew were nice enough to stop by New York City and present themselves for a press conference. While Tom Cruise and Werner Herzog were no where to be found, we were graced by the presence of actress Rosamund Pike, actor David Oyelowo, director Christopher McQuarrie, and novelist Lee Child. What followed was an interesting half and hour where audience members learned how Tom came to star as lead character Jack Reacher, who thought Werner Herzog was perfect for a silent and intimidating role, and how David Oyelowo almost wasn’t in the film at all.

Writer and creator of the Reacher character Lee Child started off the event, as our moderator asked if he’d written his franchise with a film adaptation in mind. “If you write a book with one eye on its eventual screen adaptation,...

Because of Hurricane Sandy, what was meant to be a bi-coastal event became a West Coast evening, when all of the winners of the 28th Annual Artios Awards were announced Oct. 29 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Los Angeles. Presenters included Atticus Shaffer, Nat Faxon, Anna Kendrick, Armie Hammer, Cedric the Entertainer, and Jean Smart. Jeremy Renner and Michael Hoffman presented the Career Achievement and Hoyt Bowers Awards. The evening began with a video introduction to each of the nominees, finally putting faces to the names of notoriously camera-shy casting directors. Csa President Pam Dixon kicked off the ceremony, noting the Csa would continue to work towards adding casting awards to the Academy, Tony, and BAFTA ceremonies, and the plans to launch a new Csa website. After announcing this will be her final year as Csa President and thanking all her colleagues, she presented Gary Marsh with the first Csa Award of Recognition.

The Casting Society of America tonight announced the winners of the 28th Annual Artios Awards for outstanding achievement in casting. The Big Budget Feature Drama award went to Kerry Barden and Paul Schnee for The Help. Mindy Marin and Kara Lipson (Associate) received the Big Budget Feature Comedy award for Crazy, Stupid Love. There was a tie for Television Series Drama. The honor was shared by Mark Saks and John Andrews (Associate) for The Good Wife and Judy Henderson, Craig Fincannon (Location Casting), Lisa Mae Fincannon (Location Casting) for Homeland. Nicole Sullivan hosted the ceremony at the Beverly Hilton Hotel. The New York ceremony was canceled due to Hurricane Sandy. Here is the complete list of winners: Big Budget Feature – Drama The Help, Kerry Barden, Paul Schnee Big Budget Feature – Comedy Crazy, Stupid, Love, Mindy Marin, Kara Lipson (Associate) Feature – Studio or Independent – Drama My Week With Marilyn, Deborah Aquila,...

Shooting begins in March on Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter , Timur ( Wanted ) Bekmambetov's next film based on Seth Grahame-Smith's novel. Principal photography is set to take place in New Orleans and casting has officially begin. What's Playing scored a character breakdown from casting director Mindy Marin and, contrary to previous reports (seems like we've been saying that a lot lately), the titular role has not been filled, nor is Tom Hardy playing the part (he'll be filming The Dark Knight Rises next year). Here is what they're looking for in Abe Lincoln: Age : Late 20s to late 30s. Please Note The Same Actor Will Play Abraham As He Ages From 20 to 56. At 20, not yet the iconic image we associate with our 16th President, this version of Abe is tall, boyish, and...

Playwright Tony Kushner, producer Marcy Carsey, and casting director Ellen Chenoweth will be honored by the Casting Society of America at this year's Artios Awards. The nominees for this year's awards—to be presented Nov. 1 in dual ceremonies at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza Hotel in Los Angeles and the American Airlines Theatre in New York—were announced today. Kushner, Carsey, and Chenoweth will be presented with special awards. The complete list of nominees follows.Big budget feature, drama"Avatar," Margery Simkin and Mali Finn (initial casting)"Inglourious Basterds," Johanna Ray and Jenny Jue"Nine," Francine Maisler"Sherlock Holmes," Reg Poerscout-Edgerton"Shutter Island," Ellen Lewis and Carolyn Pickman (location casting)Big budget feature, comedy"Couples Retreat," Sarah Halley Finn and Randi Hiller"Date Night," Donna Isaacson"Julie and Julia," Francine Maisler"The Proposal," Amanda Mackey Johnson, Cathy Sandrich Gelfond, and Angela Peri (location casting)"Valentine's Day," Deborah Aquila and Tricia WoodFeature,...

What happens when actors fall ill the day of their audition? Should they call their agents or the casting office and try to reschedule or just put on their best healthy face and go anyway? Actor Todd Ryan Jones has gone to several auditions sick and says he will do so again. "Whenever you are sick and don't feel like going to the audition, just remember that there are about 5,000 other actors in this town who would make it there regardless of being sick or not. I mean, if you can't stop throwing up, that's one thing. But you are not going to stay ahead of the crowd if you need to stay home every time you get the sniffles." Casting director Mindy Marin ("Repo Men") says actors come in sick to her office all the time. "That is a very selfish thing to do. No one should come in when they are sick,...

The rumor has been made official. Michael Fassbender is on board to star as Erik Lensherr aka Magneto in "X-Men: First Class". The actor, who had been reported being offered the lead role in the film, entered talks with 20th Century Fox two weeks ago and now the deal is done, The Hollywood Reporter states.

Fassbender will star opposite James McAvoy who has previously signed to play Charles Xavier aka Professor X. The studio is currently looking for actors to play other mutant characters as they are prepping to start shooting this August in London, England. Earlier this week casting director Mindy Marin left the project but she has been replaced by Joseph Middleton.

Matthew Vaughn is set to direct the film, which will chart the epic beginning of the "X-Men" saga and follow Xavier and Lensherr when they were still close friends who worked together with other Mutants to...

Earlier this month, it was also reported that Matthew Vaughn wanted Michael Fassbender of Inglourious Basterds and Hunger for the role of Magneto in X-Men: First Class. At the time it was sais that the actor was also being pursued to play the bad guy in Sony's Spider-Man reboot, but the actor can only do one or the other. We now have an answer -- Fassbender has signed on to play Erik Lensherr, who later becomes Magneto. I've also been told that casting director Mindy Marin is no longer on the project, and that she has been replaced by Joseph Middleton (New Moon, Old School, Go, Donnie Darko). Previously: Earlier this week it was rumored that Amber Heard (The Informers, Zombieland) is in talks to play a young Mystique, and Pride & Prejudice/Surrogates star Rosamund Pike is in talks to play Moira McTaggert. Mystique was played by Rebecca Romijn-Stamos in...

Sorry Heidi — but your 10 plastic surgery procedures in a day have become a “jump the shark” moment for all of Hollywood!

Heidi Montag: your new triple D implant fembot look and immovable collagen and botox filled face, have so horrified top casting, TV and film directors, that a backlash against too much fakery has begun!

“If your face is unproportionately filled with plastic, no one wants to hire a Mr. Potato Head,” says one film casting director.

“All the women look the same: the little noses, the big eyes, the lipo-sucked bodies, the huge breasts. Everyone is looking the same,” adds award winning casting director and independent producer Lauren Lloyd.

And as for Heidi and her ambitions to further her career by “perfecting” herself: “Heidi’s implants won’t help her become an actress — you still have to have talent and drive,” says Lloyd, the founder of Big TV.

Whether it's for a play, a commercial, episodic television, or a feature film, how you approach a role is the most essential decision you can make as an actor. Teaching students how to prepare is paramount in most actor training programs, and the goal is always the same: to insure that the actor is in the optimum state of creativity when the moment of truth arrives. To accomplish this, most schools advocate similar techniques. The words "break down the scene," "find your objective," "find the beats," "find something in your own life that correlates with the character" can be heard in drama departments and acting schools across the country. Many emphasize the importance of extensive rehearsal and homework on the character, including a bio and a backstory.I have been fortunate enough to appear in more than 200 television shows and feature films, including such major ones as "Field of Dreams,...

Jason Reitman, the Oscar-nominated director of "Juno," says he is not interested in an actor's range, much preferring honesty. "I suppose I don't really enjoy acting," he admits frankly. "I find the most memorable and impressive roles are the ones in which actors magnify elements of their own personality and are forced into a kind of self-examination." Indeed, he says he writes screenplays with specific actors in mind, writing the part tailored not only to a voice but also a similarity with the performer or his persona.Based on the novel by Walter Kim, "Up in the Air" was no exception. For Reitman, George Clooney was the obvious choice for Ryan Bingham, a corporate downsizer and relentless business traveler who, after years of an unattached life, suddenly finds himself ready to make a romantic connection. Well, sort of. As with the protagonists in other Reitman films, Ryan's life choices and...

It's all about stitching at the box-office this weekend. One, is an animated adventure called "9" about the "stitchpunk" creations by director Shane Acker featuring the voices of Elijah Wood, Christopher Plummer, Martin Landau, John C. Reilly, Crispin Glover, and Jennifer Connelly.

(For my written review of "9" click here)

The other's such a stitch of a fashion documentary. It's called "The September Issue" and it's from filmmaker R.J. Cutler. He does for fashion what he did for politics in the brilliant "The War Room."

"The September Issue" focuses on Vogue's editor-in-chief Anna Wintour during the production of the magazine's 2007 September Issue -- the holy grail of fashion. Egos clashing, tempers flaring, strike a pose there's nothing to it :happy

Here are my movie reviews of both "9" and "The September Issue."

"9" -- A Focus Features presentation in association with Relativity Media of a Jim Lemley/Tim Burton/Timur Bekmambetov production. 9. Elijah Wood,...

The following is a list of the top 25 Power Casting Directors in film and television (including Casting Director of the Year, Debra Zane; see page 9). We began with more than 100 candidates. In some cases, collaborations were so closely tied that we considered multiple people as one entity. Several drafts later, all 25 spots were cast.Notably omitted from the list are in-house casting executives at studios and networks, the inclusion of whom would have ballooned our list to 50 or more. But read about them online at www.backstage.com/spotlight. Focusing on independent casting directors leveled the playing field and highlighted people whose puissance is not affected by one scale-tipping affiliation. Now, on to the top 25!Kerry BardenCan you imagine Monster's Ball starring Erykah Badu, or American Psycho starring Leonardo DiCaprio? Kerry Barden can, because he saw them read the parts. "There are so many great actors that sometimes it's a...

Like many of today's top casting directors, Victoria Burrows got her start when personal computers were nonexistent, FedEx was in its infancy, faxes and videotape machines were rare, and black-and-white glossies were everywhere. "It used to be hard-copy pictures, then sit down and meet an actor," says Burrows with little nostalgia. "Often, you wouldn't tape them; you would just read them and do callbacks. That's all gone because of computers."Now, working on such motion-capture films as Disney's A Christmas Carol and Mars Needs Moms!, she spends her days in casting sessions with partner Scot Boland, calculating how actors' performances will translate in neoprene wetsuits covered with white dots and subsequently rendered by 3-D animation software. The auditions are uploaded to a computer and stored with other information on the servers of Cast It, a popular database management system that allows them to be viewed instantly by anyone with a password to the company account,...

"No Country for Old Men" and "Juno," two of the most honored films of 2007, made one more appearance on the awards circuit Monday night as they took home top prizes at the Casting Society of America's 24th Artios Awards.

Recognizing outstanding achievement in casting, the awards, hosted by Neil Patrick Harris at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza Hotel in Century City, singled out Oscar winner "No Country" in the studio feature-drama category, with the trophy going to Ellen Chenoweth and Jo Edna Boldin (location casting). In the studio feature-comedy category, the winners were Mindy Marin, Coreen Mayres (location) and Heike Brandstatter (location) for "Juno."

The group gave its Career Achievement Award to producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron. Thomas Schumacher received the New York Apple Award at a simultaneous event in New York hosted by Julie Halston, and the Hoyt Bowers Award was presented to the late Mali Finn.

Donna Morong...

A swan dive into the dangerous human flotsam of an L.A. skid row hotel, with an ensemble cast of non-stars playing losers and psychos, the indie production "Night at the Golden Eagle" is both admirable -- for attempting to show everyday violence (usually against women) in all its sickening unavoidableness -- and a trial to sit through because of its unevenness and half-realized literary ambitions. Produced and released by Shangri-La Entertainment, "Night" is strictly art house fare, with potential post-theatrical buzz coming from critics and enthusiastic fans.

Writer-director Adam Rifkin ("The Chase", "Detroit Rock City") was inspired by the two most memorable male characters, who are played by newcomer (and real-life ex-mafioso) Donnie Montemarano and Vinny Argiro ("Molly"). Longtime friends in real life, the former is an oppressively menacing presence as just-out-of-prison Tommy, while Argiro, as longtime best friend Mic, deftly handles all the shifts of his character. One is reminded at times of Orson Welles and Joseph Calleia in "Touch of Evil", and it's natural to predict that bad things will happen in the end.

But for all the authentic-sounding patter and dingy atmosphere, "Night" veers into territory that Rifkin and crew struggle to make completely convincing. There's also not much of a theme or sense of justice. This amoral, cold universe can have its brief moments of warmth between characters, but through the impatient filmmaking and stark tone in general, one just waits grimly for the next shock without developing much attachment to the characters.

Natasha Lyonne and Ann Magnuson are thoroughly immersed in their roles as hard-living hookers who make use of the Golden Eagle Hotel, where aging small-time criminals Tommy and Vinny agree to stay one night and then leave on the bus for legitimate jobs and normal lives in Las Vegas. Dream on, boys. They'll get away only if Tommy can control his urges to be bad and the environment doesn't get them first.

Rifkin's take on human nature is bleaker than the surroundings, while fate is cruel to just about everyone. Condensed into a single day, the omnitragic story includes two cold-blooded murders and a fatal heart attack. There's also the brutal introduction to prostitution of a young runaway (Nicole Jacobs), with the help of Magnuson and Lyonne's abusive pimp (Vinnie Jones). James Caan appears for mere seconds at the beginning as a prison warden, while other auspicious supporting actors include singer Sam Moore, tap dancer Fayard Nicholas (of The Nicholas Brothers) and Kitten Natividad.

After her solid work as a working girl, Lyonne makes the most out of impersonating a corpse through half the film. Likewise, there's much to praise in the performances of Magnuson, Jacobs and secondary players like Miles Dougal, as the sleazy desk clerk. Nonetheless, too much rides on one embracing the performance of Montemarano, whose Tommy is pathologically unthinking in his struggle to survive. And overall "Night" can seem endless, while it's trying to give one nightmares.

NIGHT AT THE GOLDEN EAGLE

Shangri-La Entertainment

Credits:

Writer-director: Adam Rifkin

Producer: Steve Bing

Executive producers: Mindy Marin, Morgan Sackett

Director of photography: Francesco Varese

Editor: Peter Schink

Music: Tyler Bates

Casting: Mindy Marin

Cast:

Tommy: Donnie Montemarano

Mic: Vinny Argiro

Amber: Natasha Lyonne

Sally: Ann Magnuson

Loriann: Nicole Jacobs

Rodan: Vinnie Jones

Mr. Maynard: Fayard Nicholas.

Running time -- 91 minutes

MPAA rating R...