‘Green Book’ wins first Best Picture prize from the critics
A bit of a surprise here as the National Board of Review, considered the first critics group out of the gate (though it’s mostly academics and journalists, not critics exactly), gives Best Picture to Green Book and showers A Star is Born with plenty of love elsewhere. Their top ten list leaves out expected favorites and tends to match Oscar about half or less than half, so this will probably not translate through the rest of the season. But they are first, so it tells us this is a wide open race this year. Green Book made a big showing at TIFF and then opened to kinda mixed reviews and lukewarm box office last weekend, so people had wondered if its chances were diminished, but the love for the film is there from those who see it (it still got the rare “A+” Cinemascore from audiences), so I think it’s definitely still in the conversation. This win from NBR confirms it, along with Best Actor for Viggo Mortenson. A Star is Born is expected to be a full on frontrunner, and it’s a long tradition for NBR to throw awards at whatever WB’s movie of the year is, so that one is less surprising to see here, winning Best Director, Actress and Supporting Actor.
NBR 2018 AWARDS
Best Film: GREEN BOOK
Best Director: Bradley Cooper, A STAR IS BORN
Best Actor: Viggo Mortensen, GREEN BOOK
Best Actress: Lady Gaga, A STAR IS BORN
Best Supporting Actor: Sam Elliott, A STAR IS BORN
Best Supporting Actress: Regina King, IF BEALE STREET COULD TALK
Best Original Screenplay: Paul Schrader, FIRST REFORMED
Best Adapted Screenplay: Barry Jenkins, IF BEALE STREET COULD TALK
Best Animated Feature: INCREDIBLES 2
Breakthrough Performance: Thomasin McKenzie, LEAVE NO TRACE
Best Directorial Debut: Bo Burnham, EIGHTH GRADE
Best Foreign Language Film: COLD WAR
Best Documentary: RBG
Best Ensemble: CRAZY RICH ASIANS
William K. Everson Film History Award: THE OTHER SIDE OF THE WIND and THEY’LL LOVE ME WHEN I’M DEAD
NBR Freedom of Expression Award: 22 JULY
NBR Freedom of Expression Award: ON HER SHOULDERS
Top Films (in alphabetical order)
The Ballad of Buster Scruggs
Black Panther
Can You Ever Forgive Me?
Eighth Grade
First Reformed
If Beale Street Could Talk
Mary Poppins Returns
A Quiet Place
Roma
A Star Is Born
Top 5 Foreign Language Films (in alphabetical order)
Burning
Custody
The Guilty
Happy as Lazzaro
Shoplifters
Top 5 Documentaries (in alphabetical order)
Crime + Punishment
Free Solo
Minding the Gap
Three Identical Strangers
Won’t You Be My Neighbor?
Top 10 Independent Films (in alphabetical order)
The Death of Stalin
Lean on Pete
Leave No Trace
Mid90s
The Old Man & the Gun
The Rider
Searching
Sorry to Bother You
We the Animals
You Were Never Really Here
Lady Gaga gets her first Best Actress award on her way to a likely Oscar nomination (maybe win?)
