National Board of Review

[OscarGuy]

Let us also realize Italiano's bias against all things Bill Condon. He's said on numerous occasions that he dislikes Condon as a director and doesn't care much for his films. Thus, Italiano may be a shade biased....just like Damien's a shade bias TOWARDS Condon since they are friends.

So far the only negative review that has come out was from Kirk Honeycutt. There's no rating listed, so I don't know what to say about what he said but other major critics have been rapturous.

David Ansen of Newsweek loved it.
Jack Mathews of the Daily News gave it 4 stars.
David Rooney of Variety loved it.

And according to Metacritic, it's currently the highest rated film of the year...though many reviews are still to come.

And, Magilla, on your comment about the NBR, let us not forget that they neglected all three Lord of the Rings films presumably on the same basis despite all three being crowned as one of the five best films of the year by the Academy and by many critics.



Edited By OscarGuy on 1165442773

[Mister Tee]

Yes Uri, it may not be intentional but I think it betrays an ignorance of the world which I honestly always find a bit scary. It explains lots of things though.

Were you born condescending, or did you go to school for it?

Uri I take seriously. You can stick it.

[ITALIANO]

Yes Uri, it may not be intentional but I think it betrays an ignorance of the world which I honestly always find a bit scary. It explains lots of things though.

Ok Big Magilla, it may have great music and great voices, but a movie is something else, and more, and I'd wait to see it before expecting a new "Cabaret"...

[Big Magilla]

But nice to see you're still revved-up to take offense whenever you can.

It just that when that very internally American terminology is applied to people and cultures who are so remote from its, well, restrictedness, it looks a little puzzling. It’s like keeping counting Sophie Okonedo or Marianne Jean Baptiste as African-American when people are making all those race oriented lists.

Not all Americans. Some of us know the difference between Spanish and Hispanic and between Africans, African-Americans and blacks of other cultures.

I was under the impression that "brown" referred to Hispanics from countries where they could be of mixed races - part Spanish (Caucasion), part black and/or part American Indian or Native American. Salma Hayek would qualify, Pedro Almodovar would not.

Djimon Hounsou holds the distinction of being the first black South African to be nominated for an Oscar. I believe Cecil Kellaway was the first white South African.

[Big Magilla]

It's true, of course, that "Dreamgirls"' absence from the NBR's list probably won't prevent it to get the Best Picture Oscar or at least a nomination. But this board lately has become so boringly, unsurprisingly pro-"Dreamgirls" (though I guess most of us haven't even seen it yet) that I'm glad that at least the not-very-reliable NBR reminds us that there can be people who don't really like that movie so much. A crime, I'm afraid, that I could be guilty of when I happen to see it.

Not just this board, Italiano, but virtually every movie site.

I haven't seen it, but I did listen to the soundtrack twice. Hudson's singing, even more of I Am Changing than I Tell You I'm Not Going, sent shivers up and down my spine. I can't recall a singing performance doing that to me since Irene Dunne sang Yesterdays and Smoke Gets in Your Eyes in the 1935 version of Roberta which I first saw in a theatre in the mid-70s.

I also enjoyed Eddie Murphy's channeling of James Brown, even though I've never been a fan of the original. Beyonce and Anika Noni Rose are also quite good. Trust me, musically at least, this one does live up to the hype.

[Uri]

But nice to see you're still revved-up to take offense whenever you can.

It just that when that very internally American terminology is applied to people and cultures who are so remote from its, well, restrictedness, it looks a little puzzling. It’s like keeping counting Sophie Okonedo or Marianne Jean Baptiste as African-American when people are making all those race oriented lists.

[Big Magilla]

I read on one of the other sites that the NBR folks were turned off by all the publicity Dreamgirls has been getting so its exclusion, while surprising, isn't shocking, but I am very surprised that The Queen didn't make their top ten.

As noted, they are not generally a good barometer for best picture so we'll have to wait and see if L.A., N.Y. and/or the National Society annoint Iwo Jima to know if it can seriously compete against Dreamgirls for the best picture Oscar. Could end up being another 1972 where the musical (Dreamgirls a la Cabaret) wins the preponderance of the awards and the critically acclaimed non-musical (Iwo Jima a la Godfather) wins the top prize.

The NBR's acting winners often fail to win Oscar nods, especially their supporting choices, so I don't think Hounsou or O'Hara are especially helped by their wins here, but they certainly aren't harmed.

The only film included in the top ten that really surprises me is The Devil Wears Prada. Teh NBR is generally not known to have a sense of humor. :O



Edited By Big Magilla on 1165440958

[Eric]

If it turns out I like Dreamgirls, it'll probably be because of the centrality of brown women in it, not because I think it reinvents the art of cinema.

[The Original BJ]

Also, the Animated prize to Cars confirms my suspicions that Happy Feet does not have that Oscar sewn up, and that this will be a real race.

[Mister Tee]

Question. Is the studio (whatever it is) campaigning Hounsou for lead or supporting actor?

As far as I know, it's Leo lead/Hounsou supporting.

[ITALIANO]

Yes but Almodovar is not Hispanic - he's Spanish... but ok, I realize that we should get into a bit of history and geography now and it would get too complicated to explain.

It's true, of course, that "Dreamgirls"' absence from the NBR's list probably won't prevent it to get the Best Picture Oscar or at least a nomination. But this board lately has become so boringly, unsurprisingly pro-"Dreamgirls" (though I guess most of us haven't even seen it yet) that I'm glad that at least the not-very-reliable NBR reminds us that there can be people who don't really like that movie so much. A crime, I'm afraid, that I could be guilty of when I happen to see it.

[Sonic Youth]

Question. Is the studio (whatever it is) campaigning Hounsou for lead or supporting actor?

[Mister Tee]

Is Pedro Almodovar "brown"? Am I?

Oh, Christ, Italiano -- it's a term American Hispanics use all the time. When Pedro and Salma Hayek were both nominated in '02, after the Denzel/Halle tandem of '01, Hayek was quoted saying "Brown is the new black".

But nice to see you're still revved-up to take offense whenever you can.

[ITALIANO]

Is Pedro Almodovar "brown"? Am I?

[Sonic Youth]

One more prize not noted on OGs page, and that's the Freedom of Expression Award. This went to two films, Deepa Metha's "Water" and Oliver Stone's "World Trade Center."

But not to "United 93."