Mister Tee wrote:You think maybe NBR got the memo from the Academy to push for more mainstream fare this year? Star Trek, Up, Wild Things, (500) Days, maybe even Inglourious make for an unusually light-leaning top ten.
No, I think they just liked these movies. They're all fairly intelligent compared with a lot of what's out there.
As I said in another post, Star Trek is the only one that surpised me, not that it isn't good, but that I thought it had slipped below the radar.
Props to Sabin for foreseeing the Special Achievement to Anderson.
I had a mostly crap year predicting, but did get both breakthroughs.
Magilla, they don't always omit musicals -- Chicago finished third in '02. Suggesting Nine is no Chicago.
And given the omissions of both Nine and Single man, the Weinstein influence over the group appears to be waning. In '02 I believe they had five of the top ten.
You think maybe NBR got the memo from the Academy to push for more mainstream fare this year? Star Trek, Up, Wild Things, (500) Days, maybe even Inglourious make for an unusually light-leaning top ten.
I think they've included independent films on their ten best lists since they started breaking out independent features.
I think the independent list is meant to focus on films that they feel might otherwise slip under the radar whereas those they consider strong enough at least in terms of awareness should be allowed to compete with the big boys.
So, I find it funny. I started my post for the front page of the site early this morning and I needed a picture to set it up, so I thought Up in the Air sounded like their kind of winner, so I put it in there. I wasn't expecting to be right, but it's nice to know I was.
Wesley Lovell
"Any society that would give up a little liberty to gain a little security will deserve neither and lose both." - Benjamin Franklin
Updated, fuller list via Tapley. The Freeman win was actually in a tie with Clooney.
Best Film: “Up In the Air”
Ten Best Films
(in alphabetical order)
“An Education”
“(500) Days of Summer”
“The Hurt Locker”
“Inglourious Basterds”
“Invictus”
“The Messenger”
“A Serious Man”
“Star Trek”
“Up”
“Where the Wild Things Are”
Best Director: Clint Eastwood, “Invictus”
Best Actor: (tie) Morgan Freeman, “Invictus” and George Clooney, “Up In The Air”
Best Actress: Carey Mulligan, “An Education”
Best Supporting Actor: Woody Harrelson, “The Messenger”
Best Supporting Actress: Anna Kendrick, “Up In The Air”
Best Foreign Film: “A Prophet”
Best Documentary: “The Cove”
Best Animated Feature: “Up”
Best Ensemble Cast: “It’s Complicated”
Breakthrough Performance by an Actor: Jeremy Renner, “The Hurt Locker”
Breakthrough Performance by an Actress: Gabourey Sidibe, “Precious”
Spotlight Award for Best Directorial Debut: (tie) Duncan Jones, “Moon,” Oren Moverman, “The Messenger” and Marc Webb, “(500) Days of Summer”
Best Original Screenplay: Joel & Ethan Coen, “A Serious Man”
Best Adapted Screenplay: Jason Reitman and Sheldon Turner, “Up In the Air”
Special Filmmaking Achievement Award: Wes Anderson, “The Fantastic Mr. Fox”
William K. Everson Film History Award: Jean Picker Firstenberg
NBR Freedom of Expression:
“Burma VJ: Reporting from a Closed Country”
“Invictus”
“The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers”
Five Best Foreign-Language Films
(in alphabetical order)
“The Maid”
“Revanche”
“Song of Sparrows”
“Three Monkeys”
“The White Ribbon”
Five Best Documentaries
(in alphabetical order)
“Burma VJ: Reporting from a Closed Country”
“Crude”
“Food, Inc.”
“Good Hair”
“The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers”
Top Ten Independent Films:
(in alphabetical order)
“Amreeka”
“District 9″
“Goodbye Solo”
“Humpday”
“In the Loop”
“Julia”
“Me and Orson Welles”
“Moon”
“Sugar”
“Two Lovers”
Breakthrough Performance by an Actor:
Jeremy Renner, The Hurt Locker
Breakthrough Performance by an Actress:
Gabourey Sidibe, Precious
Spotlight Award for Best Directorial Debut:
Duncan Jones, Moon, Oren Moverman, The Messenger and Marc Webb, 500 Days of Summer (tie)
Best Original Screenplay:
Joel & Ethan Coen, A Serious Man
Best Adapted Screenplay:
Jason Reitman and Sheldon Turner, Up In The Air
Special Filmmaking Achievement Award:
WES ANDERSON, The Fantastic Mr. Fox
William K. Everson Film History Award:
JEAN PICKER FIRSTENBERG
NBR Freedom of Expression:
BURMA VJ: REPORTING FROM A CLOSED COUNTRY
INVICTUS
THE MOST DANGEROUS MAN IN AMERICA: DANIEL ELLSEBERG AND THE PENTAGON PAPERS
Five Best Foreign-Language Films
(in alphabetical order)
THE MAID
REVANCHE
SONG OF SPARROWS
THREE MONKEYS
THE WHITE RIBBON
Five Best Documentaries
(in alphabetical order)
BURMA VJ: REPORTING FROM A CLOSED COUNTRY
CRUDE
FOOD, INC.
GOOD HAIR
THE MOST DANGEROUS MAN IN AMERICA: DANIEL ELLSBERG AND THE PENTAGON PAPERS
Top Ten Independent Films:
(in alphabetical order)
AMREEKA
DISTRICT 9
GOODBYE SOLO
HUMPDAY
IN THE LOOP
JULIA
ME AND ORSON WELLES
MOON
SUGAR
TWO LOVERS
I almost put Where the Wild Things Are on my last minute predictions list and would have included 500 Days of Summer except that I thought it would be on their independent list instead.
I predicted an acting win for The Messenger, just had the wrong category.
I also almost left Precious out of my ten best predictions. My gut told me they weren't going to go for it. The NBR's ties to Warner Bros. continues with the Freeman/Eastwood wins which doesn't negate its Oscar potential but doesn't necessary guarantee it either.
I'm not surprised that Nine and The Lovely Bones failed to make the cut. Their track record with musicals isn't good and they may have liked Peter Jackson's Heavenly Creatures but that was before he became the star of his own movies with Lord of the Rings which they didn't like either.
Best Film: Up in the Air
Best Director: Clint Eastwood, Invictus
Best Actor: Morgan Freeman, Invctus
Best Actress: Carey Mulligan, An Education
Supporting Actor: Woody Harrelson, The Messenger
Supporting Actress: Anna Kendrick, Up in the Air
Foreign Film: A Prophet
Doc: The Cove
Animated: Up
Ensemble: It’s Complicated
Best Ten Pics:
An Education
500 Days of Summer
The Hurt Locker
Inglourious Basterds
Invictus
The Messenger
A Serious Man
Star Trek
Up
Where the Wild Things Are
