Frozen River, Rachel Getting Married and Ballast led the field when the 2009 Spirit Award nominations were announced in Los Angeles Tuesday. The three independent films, along with Wendy and Lucy and The Wrestler, are competing for the best feature prize. The directors of Ballast, Frozen River and Rachel Getting Married -- Lance Hammer, Courtney Hunt and Jonathan Demme respectively -- are up for the best director prize, as well.

The U.S. film Frozen River has earned this year's Bronze Horse award at the Stockholm International Film Festival in Sweden, the festival jury says. The jury awarded the prestigious best film prize to the drama that focuses on border smuggling across the St.

By MAL VINCENT By Mal Vincent The Virginian-Pilot "Frozen River" speaks to the desperation of those American citizens who probably couldn't afford the ticket to go see it. They may be down, but they're not out.

By John Beifuss Something that is real ought to be more familiar than something that is unreal, but at the movies, the opposite is true. A tale about a superbeing from outer space may seem old hat, while a story about working-class Americans may be novel.

By John Beifuss Courtney Hunt used to return to her hometown of Memphis with the typical luggage of someone reuniting for a few days with a host of uncles, cousins and other family members.