by Nathaniel R
The National Board of Review, now in their 94th year (!), have released their annual winners list. They've generally been very beholden to perceived Oscar contenders. Habitually they're obsessed with already canonized American directors and this year is no exception with Martin Scorsese's Killers of the Flower Moon taking their top prize. They also found room for multiple citations for Alexander Payne's dramedy The Holdovers. and Yorgos Lanthimos' Poor Things. Other films only scored one prize. Curiously Hayao Miyazaki's The Boy and the Heron was in their top ten list but it did not win Best Animated Feature. The latter prize went to Spider-Man Across the Spider-Verse (which was not in the top ten films). Such are the mysteries of awards season... and the need to fill lots of banquet tables at events with something for every distributor!
I kid, I kid. But the winners and a few more notes are after the jump...
BEST FILM Killers of the Flower Moon
TOP FILMS (alphabetical)
- Barbie
- The Boy and the Heron
- Ferrari
- The Holdovers
- The Iron Claw
- Maestro
- Oppenheimer
- Past Lives
- Poor Things
Typically the Best Film winner is nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars though every once in awhile the crossover doesn't happen (most recently with Da 5 Bloods, 2020)
BEST DIRECTOR Martin Scorsese - Killers of the Flower Moon
As Variety points out the NBR director prize rarely precedes an Oscar win though the last time it happened was with... you guessed it, Martin Scorsese. Scorsese has now tied David Lean for the most director prizes at the NBRs with four wins. Scorsese previously won for The Age of Innocence (1993), The Departed (2006), and Hugo (2011).
BEST ACTRESS Lily Gladstone - Killers of the Flower Moon
The winner here usually repeats as a nominee at the Oscars though sometimes they miss (Rachel Zegler in West Side Story and Amy Adams in Arrival being recent examples). It's very early in precursor season but Gladstone already has multiple wins as the victimized Osage wife.
BEST ACTOR Paul Giamatti - The Holdovers
...Same deal here with converting the prize to an Oscar nod. (Recent misses include Adam Sandler in Uncut Gems and Tom Hanks in The Post)
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS Da'Vine Joy Randolph - The Holdovers
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR - Mark Ruffalo - Poor Things
The supporting prizes are where the NBR tends to stray more from the perceived Oscar expectations than in the lead categories but this year they're right in line with where traction appears to be happening.
BREAKTHROUGH PERFORMANCE - Teyana Taylor - A Thousand And One
BEST ENSEMBLE - The Iron Claw
This is a major get for The Iron Claw since it hasn't been generating much discussion yet. And it is a good choice for this sort of prize since the collective is the real draw as opposed to any one actor who is supported well by the others.
NBR "ICON" AWARD - Bradley Cooper
They want him in the room!
BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY - The Holdovers by David Hemingson
BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY - Poor Things by Tony McNamara
BEST DIRECTORIAL DEBUT - Celine Song, Past Lives
Yay!
BEST ANIMATED FEATURE - Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
BEST DOCUMENTARY - Still: A Michael J Fox Movie
TOP FIVE DOCUMENTARY (alpha order):
- 20 Days in Mariupol
- 32 Sounds
- The Eternal Memory
- The Pigeon Tunnel
- A Still Small Voice
BEST INTERNATIONAL FILM: Anatomy of a Fall
TOP FIVE INTERNATIONAL (alpha order):
- La Chimera
- Fallen Leaves
- The Teacher's Lounge
- Tótem
- The Zone of Interest
La Chimera and Anatomy of a Fall are not eligible at the Oscars for Best International Feature but they're eligible in other categories.
OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN STUNT ARTISTY: John Wick Chapter 4
OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN CINEMATOGRAPHY: Rodrigo Prieto for Barbie AND Killers of the Flower Moon
TOP 10 INDEPENDENT FILMS (alpha order)
- All Dirt Roads taste Like Salt
- All of Us Strangers
- Blackberry
- Earth Mama
- Flora and Son
- The Persian Version
- Scrapper
- Showing Up
- Theater Camp
- A Thousand and One
A truly eclectic list this time.
What do you make of their choices this year?