Truer than fiction: 45365

At tonight's Independent Spirit Awards: The inaugural Chaz & Roger Ebert Truer Than Fiction Award goes to 45365, a quietly mesmerizing documentary that, as I wrote in my original Variety review from last year's SXSW Film Festival, "fashions a seductive, fascinating tapestry of small-town life by interweaving seemingly random glimpses of residents in Sidney, Ohio." Great choice. So now, maybe, it might open in a few theaters, so people who don't go to film festivals can actually see it?

The day before Oscar: Some got Spirited, others got Razzed

Yesterday in L.A., The Wrestler dominated the Independent Spirit Awards -- and Mickey Rourke added another pre-Oscar laurel to his mantelpiece -- while The Love Guru took home top dishonors at the Golden Raspberry Awards. And speaking of Razzies: Uwe Boll may be ready to put on his boxing gloves again after receiving a "Lifetime Achievement" award from the Razzie-Dazzers. But, really, they couldn't have given it to a more deserving filmmaker.

Will the Spirit keep moving Juno?

Congrats to Juno for three big wins -- Best Feature, Best Female Lead (Ellen Page) and Best First Screenplay (Diablo Cody) -- at Saturday's Independent Spirit Awards. But can the Little Indie That Could pull a Barack Obama and keep the winning streak going? Tune in Sunday night and find out.

'Sunshine' Scores Spirits

The Little Movie That Could wins big time at the Spirit Awards. Can an Oscar be next?

How low (budget) can you go?

The love and talented Christy Lemire talks to the makers of five ultra-low-budget movies -- including two of my faves from last year, Mike Akel's Chalk and Arin Crumley and Susan Buice's Four Eyed Monsters -- that are nominated for the John Cassavetes Award at this year's Spirit Awards. Among the revelations: Akel and Crumley, who based their movie on their real-life relationship, admit that blending fact and fiction meant the stress didn't stop when they switched off the vidcam. Says Crumley: "[W]e're in a relationship making a movie about the relationship and living together and using the space where we live as the set, so basically we didn't have a place to live.

"In the scenes where we're bummed out or going crazy or losing our minds, that's us losing our minds."

Speaking of the Spirit Awards -- which will be handed out Feb. 24 -- I've still got my fingers crossed for Michael Kang's The Motel in the Best First Feature category. And no, not just because I'm an old school Marvel Comics fan. On the other hand, yes, getting to title a blog post "Kang the Conqueror" would be pretty neat.

DVD viewing tip: 'The Motel'

Michael Kang's The Motel -- one of my favorite films released in 2006, and a Best First Feature nominee at the Feb. 24 Independent Spirit Awards -- has been released on DVD. Consider yourself tipped: It's well worth your time and money.