Another surprise result! The National Board of Review announces their winners and has feted Spike Jonze's Her as the best film of the year. The rest of their winners, as you can see below, match nothing of what won the NYCC yesterday. Looks like we have a wide open Oscar race, people:
- Best Film: Her
- Best Director: Spike Jonze (Her)
- Best Actor: Bruce Dern (Nebraska)
- Best Actress: Emma Thompson (Saving Mr. Banks)
- Best Supporting Actor: Will Forte (Nebraska)
- Best Supporting Actress: Octavia Spencer (Fruitvale Station)
- Best Original Screenplay: Inside Llewyn Davis
- Best Adapted Screenplay: The Wolf of Wall Street
- Best Animated Feature: The Wind Rises
- Male Breakthrough Performance: Michael B. Jordan (Fruitvale Station)
- Female Breakthrough Performance: Adele Exarchopoulos (Blue is the Warmest Color)
- Best Directorial Debut: Ryan Coogler (Fruitvale Station)
- Best Foreign Language Film: The Past
- Best Documentary: Stories We Tell
- William K. Everson Film History Award: George Stevens, Jr.
- Best Ensemble: Prisoners
- Spotlight Award: Career Collaboration of Martin Scorsese and Leonardo Dicaprio
- NBR Freedom of Expression Award: Wadjda
- Creative Innovation in Filmmaking Award: Gravity
NBR also releases a top ten list of the best films of the year. Here they are, in alphabetical order:
- 12 Years a Slave
- Fruitvale Station
- Gravity
- Inside Llewyn Davis
- Lone Survivor
- Nebraska
- Prisoners
- Saving Mr. Banks
- The Secret Life of Walter Mitty
- The Wolf of Wall Street
As you can see, no trace of American Hustle anywhere, and this group seemed to appreciate The Wolf of Wall Street more than the NY critics did. Others snubbed are Captain Phillips, All is Lost, Blue Jasmine and The Butler. Gotta say though, I'm loving how much the critics are coming through for Fruitvale Station so far. Here are the rest of NBR's top film lists, also in alphabetical order:
Top 5 Foreign Language Films:
- Beyond the Hills
- Gloria
- The Grandmaster
- A Hijacking
- The Hunt
Top 5 Documentaries:
- 20 Feet From Stardom
- The Act of Killing
- After Tiller
- Casting By
- The Square
Top 10 Independent Films:
- Ain't Them Bodies Saints
- Dallas Buyers Club
- In a World...
- Mother of George
- Much Ado About Nothing
- Mud
- The Place Beyond the Pines
- Short Term 12
- Sightseers
- The Spectacular Now
