When Elektra Luxx premiered last month at SXSW, the projector malfunctioned an hour and ten minutes into the screening, leaving director Sebastian Gutierrez to entertain the audience while staff attempted — unsuccessfully — to resolve the issue.  No such disaster befell Friday’s screening at the Gen Art Film Festival, but after a strong start, this ambitious but ultimately uneven film ran into trouble all on its own.

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Last night’s Gotham Independent Film Awards saluted the best in American independent cinema, with top honors going to Kathryn Bigelow’s gritty war drama The Hurt Locker. Presented by the Independent Feature Project, the often boozy ceremony heralds the start of the film awards season, and in past years has proven a good indicator of which indies will receive Oscar nods.

The crowd at Cipriani Wall Street — which included Willem Dafoe, Meryl Streep, and Alec Baldwin — was eager to express their support for independent filmmaking. Said presenter Ellen Burstyn, “I love independent film because I think that’s where all the people stories are now. The big studio films have gotten to be so much about explosions and special effects.” Richard Kind, a character actor currently in A Serious Man and previously in every movie, sitcom, and animated film ever, added, “The Coen brothers said that when they got a really big budget it wasn’t as much fun as keeping it small, and I think they’re right. I think you’re more focused.”

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This Thanksgiving weekend you’ll probably find yourself in line for The Road, the cinematic adaptation of Cormac McCarthy’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel. In many ways, it’s seemingly everything one could want in a holiday movie. Father-son bonding, check. Epic journey, check. There’s even a scene where the characters have their own post-apocalyptic version of a Thanksgiving feast with canned peaches and Cheetos substituting for turkey and stuffing. But while it’s an excellent film, be warned: The Road will suck all happiness out of your holiday buzz and leave you unsure that you’ll ever be able to smile again.

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