The National Board of Review Announces Their Best of the Year

Today, the National Board of Review listed their picks for the best of the year. The National Board of Review are always the first major critics group to announce their picks and the National Society of Film Critics are usually the last. The time period in between where all the other groups and cities announce their pics are always enjoyable for me, being an awards nut.

http://www.nbrmp.org/awards/

Here are the winners for those of you who don't want to click on the link:

2004

Best Picture
Finding Neverland

Top Ten Films
Finding Neverland, The Aviator, Closer, Million Dollar Baby, Sideways, Kinsey, Vera Drake, Ray, Collateral, Hotel Rwanda

Best Foreign Language Film
The Sea Inside

Top Five Documentaries
Born into Brothels, Z Channel: A Magnificent Obsession, Paper Clips, Supersize Me, The Story of the Weeping Camel

Top Foreign Films
The Sea Inside, Bad Education, Maria Full of Grace, The Chorus (Les Choristes), The Motorcycle Diaries

Best Actor
Jamie Foxx, Ray

Best Actress
Annette Bening, Being Julia

Best Supporting Actor
Thomas Haden Church, Sideways

Best Supporting Actress
Laura Linney, Kinsey

Best Acting By An Ensemble
Closer

Breakthrough Performance Actor
Topher Grace, In Good Company and P.S.

Breakthrough Performance Actress
Emmy Rossum, The Phantom of the Opera

Best Director
Michael Mann, Collateral

Best Directorial Debut[/b[
Zach Braff, Garden State

Best Adapted Screenplay
Sideways, Alexander Payne and Jim Taylor

Best Original Screenplay
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Charlie Kaufman

Best Documentary
Born Into Brothels

Best Animated Feature
The Incredibles

Ok, there a lot info. that has passed since my first post. I will post the various cities that already announced their picks.

NEW YORK

The New York Film Critics Circle has just announced their picks for the Best of the Year. Keep in mind that the New Yorkers are more out-there with their choices compared to the National Board or Los Angeles. Of course I say that and they went surprisingly mainstream last year with Return of the King as their choice for Best Picture (although losing everything else to Lost in Translation).

http://www.nyfcc.com/awards.html

b][Best Picture[/b]
Sideways

Best Actor
Paul Giamatti
Sideways, Fox Searchlight

Best Actress
Imelda Staunton
Vera Drake, Fine Line Features

Best Supporting Actor
Clive Owen
Closer, Sony Pictures

Best Supporting Actress
Virginia Madsen
Sideways, Fox Searchlight

Best Director
Clint Eastwood
Million Dollar Baby, Warner Bros. Studios

Best Screenplay***
Alexander Payne and Jim Taylor
Sideways, Fox Searchlight *corrected

Best Cinematographer Christopher Doyle
Hero, Miramax

Best Foreign Film
Bad Education
Sony Pictures Classic

Best Non-Fiction Film Fahrenheit 9/11
Lions Gate Films / Fellowship Adventure Group / IFC Films

Best Animated Film
The Incredibles
Disney Enterprises / Pixar Animation Studios

Best First Film
Maria Full of Grace
HBO Films / Fine Line Features

*** The Best Screenplay was originally posted as Charlie Kauffman for Eternal Sunshine for the Spotless Mind, but they made a mistake. So I am assuming that Eternal Sunshine was their second choice, but this is big assumption on my part considering there is no evidence to back it up.

LOS ANGELES

Best Picture:
Sideways

Best Director:
Alexander Payne -"Sideways"

Best Actor:
Liam Neeson, Kinsey

Best Actress:
Imelda Staunton, Vera Drake

Best Supporting Actor:
Thomas Haden Church, "Sideways"
Runner-up: Morgan Freeman,
"Million Dollar Baby"

Best Supporting Actress:
Virginia Madsen,
"Sideways"
Runner-up: Cate Blanchett,
"Coffee & Cigarettes",
& "The Aviator"

Best Screenplay: Alexander Payne &
Jim Taylor, "Sideways"
Runner-up: Charlie Kaufman,
"Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind"

Best Cinematography:
Dion Beebe & Paul Cameron,
"Collateral"
Runner-up: Xiaoding Zhao, "House of Flying Daggers"

Best Production Design
Dante Ferretti, "The Aviator"
Runner-up: Huo Tingxiao,
"House of Flying Daggers"

Best Music Score
Michael Giacchino ,
"The Incredibles"
Runner-up: Alexandre Desplat, "Birth"

Animated Film: Incredibles

Foreign: House of Flying Daggers

I just want to say that the last time that the Los Angeles group agreed with the New York group on the Best Picture was back i n 1997 when both picked L.A. Confidential as the Best Picture.

SAN FRANCISCO

Best Picture
Sideways

Best Director
Alexander Payne for Sideways

Best Actor
Paul Giamatti for Sideways

Best Actress
Julie Delpy for Before Sunset

Best Supporting Actor
Thomas Haden Church for Sideways

Best Supporting Actress
Virginia Madsen for Sideways

Best Foreign Language Film
Maria Full of Grace

Best Documentary
Fahrenheit 9/11

I got these courtesy of oscarwatch.com

BOSTON

Best Film:
Sideways
Runner-up: Before Sunset

Best Foreign Language Film: House of Flying Daggers
Runner-up: Very Long Engagement

Best Director:
Zhang Yimou (House of Flying Daggers) Runner-up: Alexander Payne

Best Documentary:
Control Room.
Runner-up: Touching the Void

Best Actor:
Jamie Foxx- Ray
Runner-up: Paul Giamatti- Sideways

Best Actress: Hilary Swank- Million Dollar Baby
Runner-up: Annette Bening- Being Julia/Kim Basinger-Door on the Floor (tie)

Best Supp. Actor:
Thomas Haden Church-Sideways
Runner-up: Clive Owen-Closer

Best Supp. Actress:
Laura Dern- We Don't Live Here Anymore
Sharon Warren-Ray
(tie)
Runner-up: Cate Blanchett (Aviator)

Best Screenplay:
Sideways
Runner-up: Eternal Sunshine

Best New Filmmaker:
Jonathan Caouette.
Runners-up: the directors of The Woodsman and Maria Full of Grace (tie)

Best Cinematography:
House of Flying Daggers.
Runner-up: Very Long Engagement

Best Ensemble Cast:
Sideways
Runner-up: The Life Aquatic

Also, the Golden Globe nominations have been announced, and for a season with no front-runners, I think we have one now...
Keep in mind that the Globes aren't always the best predictors for the Oscar. Last year, only one nominee for Best Actress- drama and one for Best Actress-comedy made it to the Oscars. Naomi Watts, Samantha Morton, and Keisha Castle-Hughes got nominated by Oscar while being ignored by the Globes.

Sideways leads with 7 nominations. I am thrilled that a small indie film like this can get the most nominations at the Golden Globe Awards. And a real indie too, not a studio indie like American Beauty.

Sideways - 7 noms
Aviator - 6 noms
Finding Neverland, Million Dollar Baby, Closer - 5 noms

Motion Picture, Drama
The Aviator
Closer
Finding Neverland
Hotel Rwanda
Kinsey
Million Dollar Baby

Motion Picture - Musical Comedy:
Eternal Sunshine
The Incredibles
Phantom of the Opera
Ray
Sideways

Actor - Drama
Javier Bardem, The Sea Inside
Don Cheadle, Hotel Rwanda
Johnny Depp, Finding Neverland
Leo Dicaprio, The Aviator
Liam Neeson, Kinsey

Actor - Musical/Comedy
Jim Carrey, Eternal Sunshine
Jamie Foxx, Ray
Paul Giamatti, Sideways
Kevin Kline, De-Lovely
Kevin Spacey, Beyond the Sea

Best Director:
Clint Eastwood, Million Dollar Baby
Marc Forster, Finding Neverland
Mike Nichols, Closer
Alexander Payne, Sideways
Martin Scorsese, The Aviator

Actress - Drama:
Scarlett Johansson, The Love Song for Bobby Long
Nicole Kidman, Birth
Imelda Staunton, Vera Drake
Hilary Swank, Million Dollar Baby
Uma Thurman, Kill Bill Vol. 2

Actress - Musical/Comedy:
Annette Bening, Being Julia
Ashley Judd, De-Lovely
Emmy Rossum, Phantom of the Opera
Kate Winslet, Eternal Sunshine
Renee Zellweger, Bridget Jones II and the Edge of Reason

Actress - Supporting role:
Cate Blanchett, The Aviator
Laura Linney, Kinsey
Virginia Madsen, Sideways
Natalie Portman, Closer
Meryl Streep, Manchurian Candidate

Actor - Supporting Role
David Carradine, Kill Bill Vol. 2
Thomas Haden Church, Sideways
Jamie Foxx, Collateral
Morgan Freeman, Million Dollar Baby
Clive Owen, Closer

Screenplay:
Eternal Sunshine
The Aviator
Finding Neverland
Closer
Sideways

Song:
Shrek 2
Polar Express
The Phantom of the Opera
Hotel Rwanda
Alfie

Foreign:
The Chorus
The House of Flying Daggers
The Motorcycle Diaries
The Sea Inside
A Very Long Engagement

Score:
Million Dollar Baby
Finding Neverland
Sideways
The Aviator
Spanglish

Also, here are the nominees for the IFP Independent Spirit Awards...now these are really off-beat comparitively to the Golden Globes.

The IFP Independent Spirit Awards

BEST FEATURE
(Award given to the producer)

Baadasssss!
Producer: Mario Van Peebles

Kinsey
Producer: Gail Mutrux

Maria Full of Grace
Producer: Paul Mezey

Primer
Producer: Shane Carruth

Sideways
Producer: Michael London


BEST FIRST FEATURE
(Award given to the director and producer)

Brother to Brother
Director: Rodney Evans
Producers: Rodney Evans, Jim McKay, Isen Robbins, Aimee Schoof

Garden State
Director: Zach Braff
Producers: Pamela Abdy, Gary Gilbert, Dan Halsted, Richard Klubeck

Napoleon Dynamite
Director: Jared Hess
Producers: Jeremy Coon, Sean C. Covel, Chris Wyatt

Saints and Soldiers
Director: Ryan Little
Producers: Adam Abel, Ryan Little

The Woodsman
Director: Nicole Kassell
Producer: Lee Daniels


JOHN CASSAVETES AWARD
(Given to the best feature made for under $500,000; Award given to the writer, director, and producer)

Down to the Bone
Director: Debra Granik
Writers: Debra Granik, Richard Lieske
Producers: Susan Leber, Anne Rosellini

Mean Creek
Writer/Director: Jacob Aaron Estes
Producers: Susan Johnson, Rick Rosenthal, Hagai Shaham

On the Outs
Directors: Lori Silverbush, Michael Skolnik
Writer: Lori Silverbush
Producers: Lori Silverbush, Michael Skolnik

Robbing Peter
Writer/Director: Mario F. de la Vega
Producers: T. Todd Flinchum, Lisa Y. Garibay, Mario F. de la Vega

Unknown Soldier
Writer/Director: Ferenc Toth
Producers: Sean Bachrodt, Seth Eisman, Chachi Senior, Ferenc Toth

BEST DIRECTOR
Shane Carruth, Primer
Joshua Marston, Maria Full of Grace
Alexander Payne, Sideways
Walter Salles, The Motorcycle Diaries
Mario Van Peebles, Baadasssss!

BEST SCREENPLAY
Mario Van Peebles & Dennis Haggerty, Baadasssss!
Richard Linklater & Julie Delpy & Ethan Hawke, Before Sunset
Tod Williams, The Door in the Floor
Bill Condon, Kinsey
Alexander Payne & Jim Taylor, Sideways

BEST FIRST SCREENPLAY
Rodney Evans, Brother to Brother
Zach Braff, Garden State
Joshua Marston, Maria Full of Grace
Shane Carruth, Primer
Mario F. De La Vega, Robbing Peter

BEST FEMALE LEAD
Kimberly Elise, Woman Thou Art Loosed
Vera Farmiga, Down to the Bone
Judy Marte, On the Outs
Catalina Sandino Moreno, Maria Full of Grace
Kyra Sedgwick, Cavedweller

BEST MALE LEAD
Kevin Bacon, The Woodsman
Jeff Bridges, The Door in the Floor
Jamie Foxx, Redemption
Paul Giamatti, Sideways
Liam Neeson, Kinsey

BEST SUPPORTING FEMALE
Cate Blanchett, Coffee and Cigarettes
Loretta Devine, Woman Thou Art Loosed
Virginia Madsen, Sideways
Robin Simmons, Robbing Peter
Yenny Paola Vega, Maria Full of Grace

BEST SUPPORTING MALE
Thomas Haden Church, Sideways
Jon Gries, Napoleon Dynamite
Aidan Quinn, Cavedweller
Roger Robinson, Brother to Brother
Peter Sarsgaard, Kinsey

BEST DEBUT PERFORMANCE
(Actors in their first significant role in a feature film)
Anthony Mackie, Brother to Brother
Louie Olivos, Jr., Robbing Peter
Hannah Pilkes, The Woodsman
Rodrigo de la Serna, The Motorcycle Diaries
David Sullivan, Primer


BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Tim Orr, Dandelion
Eric Gautier, The Motorcycle Diaries
David Greene, Redemption
Ryan Little, Saints and Soldiers
Maryse Alberti, We Don't Live Here Anymore

BEST DOCUMENTARY
(Award given to the director)

Bright Leaves
Director: Ross McElwee

Chisholm '72: Unbought & Unbossed
Director: Shola Lynch

Hiding and Seeking: Faith and Tolerance After the Holocaust
Directors: Menachem Daum, Oren Rudavsky

Metallica: Some Kind of Monster
Directors: Joe Berlinger, Bruce Sinofsky

Tarnation
Director: Jonathan Caouette


BEST FOREIGN FILM
(Award given to the director)

Bad Education (Spain)
Director: Pedro Almodóvar

Oasis (South Korea)
Director: Lee Chang-Dong

Red Lights (France)
Director: Cédric Kahn

The Sea Inside (Spain)
Director: Alejandro Amenábar

Yesterday (South Africa)
Director: Darrell James Roodt


SPECIAL DISTINCTION
Ensemble Cast: Mean Creek
Rory Culkin
Ryan Kelley
Scott Mechlowicz
Trevor Morgan
Josh Peck
Carly Schroeder

TURNING LEAF SOMEONE TO WATCH AWARD
Jem Cohen, director of Chain
Bryan Poyser, director of Dear Pillow
Jennifer Reeves, director of The Time We Killed

DIRECTV/IFC TRUER THAN FICTION AWARD
Zana Briski and Ross Kauffman for Born Into Brothels
Shola Lynch for Chisholm '72: Unbought & Unbossed
Jehane Noujaim for Control Room
Sandoval and Catherine Tambini for Farmingville

Thanks, Vietgirl. I now have to go see all of these films! "Sideways" looks especially interesting. I'm sort of disappointed that "Dogville" wasn't nominated. Technically, I believe it should have been included in the 2004 category because of its U.S. release. I think it is Nicole Kidman's best performance by far. Paul Bettany and Lauren Bacall were also brilliant. I suppose some perceived it as being too anti-American. Oh well, I guess I'll root for my favorite nominees-that-have-yet-to-earn-the-golden-guy: Winslet and Blanchett.

Just the fact that there is such a disparity of opinion in all these awards goes to show you that winning the Oscar is just the opinion of yet one more group of people!

RealtorGal said:

Just the fact that there is such a disparity of opinion in all these awards goes to show you that winning the Oscar is just the opinion of yet one more group of people!

Click to expand...

How true!

Joe