Frozen River

CHICAGO – “The Wrestler” was the big winner at the Film Independent Spirit Awards in Los Angeles, as Darren Aronofsky’s film took home the prize for Best Picture and Mickey Rourke won for Best Actor. Other big winners included Melissa Leo for Best Actress for “Frozen River,” James Franco for Best Supporting Actor for “Milk,” and Penelope Cruz for “Vicky Cristina Barcelona”.

Blu-Ray Rating: 3.5/5.0

CHICAGO – Courtney Hunt’s “Frozen River” is easily the most unlikely double Oscar nominee of 2008, scoring nods for Best Actress and Best Original Screenplay and now available on Blu-Ray from Sony Home Entertainment.

CHICAGO – In 2008, HollywoodChicago.com was lucky enough to speak to several of of this year’s lucky Oscar nominees, including Melissa Leo of “Frozen River,” Richard Jenkins of “The Visitor,” Taraji P. Henson of “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” and Darren Aronofsky of “The Wrestler,” who may have missed out Best Director but saw his two stars, Marisa Tomei and Mickey Rourke, land major nominations.

CHICAGO – After participating in close to 25 interviews in 2008 for HollywoodChicago.com, the mechanics of each sit down are interestingly similar. The reporters gather at a pre-determined spot (usually a Chicago downtown hotel).

CHICAGO – Melissa Leo is a familiar face to admirers of the TV show “Homicide: Life on the Street”.