National Board of Review announced their awards yesterday and they were a major yawn. All they did was seemingly look at a list of this year's potential Oscar nominees and play a rousing game of eenie meenie miny moe. Here's what won:
• Best Film: SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE
• Best Director: DAVID FINCHER, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
• Best Actor: CLINT EASTWOOD, Gran Torino
• Best Actress: ANNE HATHAWAY, Rachel Getting Married
• Best Supporting Actor: JOSH BROLIN, Milk
• Best Supporting Actress: PENELOPE CRUZ, Vicky Cristina Barcelona
• Best Foreign Language Film: MONGOL
• Best Documentary: MAN ON WIRE
• Best Animated Feature: WALL-E
• Best Ensemble Cast: DOUBT
• Breakthrough Performance by an Actor: DEV PATEL, Slumdog Millionaire
• Breakthrough Performance by an Actress: VIOLA DAVIS, Doubt
• Best Directorial Debut: COURTNEY HUNT, Frozen River
• Best Original Screenplay: NICK SCHENK, Gran Torino
• Best Adapted Screenplay: SIMON BEAUFOY, Slumdog Millionaire and
ERIC ROTH, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
• Spotlight Award: MELISSA LEO, Frozen River and
RICHARD JENKINS, The Visitor
• The BVLGARI Award for NBR Freedom of Expression: TRUMBO
• Top Ten Films:
(In alphabetical order)
BURN AFTER READING
CHANGELING
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
THE DARK KNIGHT
DEFIANCE
FROST/NIXON
GRAN TORINO
MILK
WALL-E
THE WRESTLER
I would have really liked a left field win like Melissa Leo or Michael Shannon. I totally disagree with all four of their acting winners. Anne Hathaway is lovely. She's beautiful and talented. However, she is meant for romantic comedies and popcorn flicks. An actress she is not! Obviously NBR loves Clint. I haven't seen Gran Torino, and maybe this is unfair, but I can't imagine it being more than an extended two hour "Go Ahead Make My Day." He'll be grumpy, his voice will be gravelly, and his eyebrows will be furrowed. Will it be dynamic? Probably. Will it be something we haven't seen before? No. Josh Brolin is a great actor, but Best Supporting Actor over Heath? No way. Not even questionable. And it must be really difficult for Penelope Cruz to play a sexy, passionate and dramatic spaniard. She's fiery and unstable, but a role like this isn't all that subtle or subdued.
Also what is up with Viola Davis, who's been acting for years, being awarded Best Breakthrough Performance? And what is up with Top Ten inclusions of Defiance, Changeling, and Burn After Reading over Revolutionary Road or Doubt?
LA and NYC awards are next week. Fingers crossed that our East and West coast friends will have some more inspired choices.
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