Here are your National Board of Review Awards for 2006, generally considered the first big Oscar bellwether of the year. Couple of shockers — Letters From Iwo Jima, anyone? Must we nominate Clint Eastwood every year? — but I’m psyched to see Jason Reitman get a shout-out for the excellent Thank You For Smoking, and hey, who doesn’t love talking cars? Anyway, it’s a pretty mixed bag. God knows what it means going forward — I’ll leave that up to EW Oscar prognosticator-in-chief Dave Karger — but I think it’s safe to say that the NBR voters won’t be traveling abroad any time soon. Other countries are scary!
(See the winners’ list after the jump.)
Best Film
Letters From Iwo Jima
Best Foreign Film
Volver
Best Actor
Forest Whitaker, The Last King Of Scotland
Best Actress
Helen Mirren, The Queen
Best Supporting Actor
Djimon Hounsou, Blood Diamond
Best Supporting Actress
Catherine O’Hara, For Your Consideration
Best Acting By An Ensemble
The Departed
Best Director
Martin Scorsese (pictured, with The Departed stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Matt Damon), The Departed
Best Directorial Debut
Jason Reitman, Thank You For Smoking
Best Adapted Screenplay
Ron Nyswaner, The Painted Veil
Best Original Screenplay
Zach Helm, Stranger Than Fiction
Best Documentary
An Inconvenient Truth
Best Animated Feature
Cars
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From now until oscar night, every single award given out is going to be called the “bellwether”, when did the national board of review become a “bellwether”—
I can’t even remember who was last years best picture in the National Board of Review, but I can guarantee you this, IT DID NOT WIN best Picture at the oscars. Nominated, maybe, but not the winner… why, because the National Board of Review, wouldn’t dare to pick the film they know will win the Oscar for best picture, they want to seem significant by picking something insignificant.
i couldnt agree more Mozz… you’re absolutely right.
Snakes on the Plane will sweep!
The Departed, Thank You For Smoking and the Prestige are really the only movies that entertained me this year.
I couldn’t agree more. I’m sure Letters from Iwo Jima is a fine film (HAS to be better than Flags), but I’m very tired of honoring Clint for everything he does. Was his direction of M$B really all that great? I mean, it wasn’t beyond the reach of Curtis Hanson or someone of that caliber. Congrats to Marty, though. Maybe this is the year. No shock about Dreamgirls – the front-runner in 2003 was Return of the King and it wasn’t even nominated for best of the year by the NBR. History Boys in the top ten??? Devil Wears Prada?????
Does the NBR even matter when it comes to “pre-oscar” awards? They don’t ever get it right in the end and the ones that they do give it to don’t really deserve it unless it Martin Scorsese who deserves an awards for just breathing. And Jason Reitmen for writing the most laugh out loud film of the year. But it just seems like they just passed out each award equally to the films the was already receiving Oscar hear like “Letters” (please Clint go away! You have done enough) and “Blood Diamond”. I just can’t the real “pre-Oscasr” ones to pop up: Critics’ Choice, Golden Globes, and SAGs.
I’m just really glad Catherine O’Hara won for Best Supporting Actress. She should have at least been nominated for an Oscar for her “A Mighty Wind” performance, and though I didn’t think “For Your Consideration” was as good a film as that one, she was certainly as great as ever.
Also, I wasn’t really interested in “Dreamgirls” at all, but I’ve been hearing so much about Jennifer Hudson’s performance I’ll probably see it just for that, even though I never saw her on American Idol. It’s not listed on this blog, but she tied for “Breakthrough Performance for an Actress” with Rinko Kikuchi (“Babel”).
I really liked The Departed but I don’t think that it will win best movie. The ending was kind of silly. It was as if Scorsese was thinking: “oh well I can’t think of a decent ending so I am going to have this person shoot and kill this person, and this person is going to shoot and kill this person, and so on- the end”. However, I predict that Nicholson will take the best supporting actor award, though I was really routing for Steve Carrell or Alan Arkin for Little Miss Sunshine.
I think this is the same group that gave that Tom Cruies movie about the samurais an award, I think for best director or something like that. Either way, i agree with Mozz, NBR not a bellwether, not even at all significant as a prediction tool… they’re picks always seem pretty mediocre. ha ha ha, The Devil Wears Prada is one of the top ten over how many other movies came out this year. OH MY!!! that’s a slim pickins list at best.
NBR is in the clutches of Warner Bros. and with Eastwood, does he deserve to be nominated EVERY SINGLE year? NBR means nothing at this stage, they’re just the first out of the box.
As for Jennifer Hudson winning an Oscar she will be nominated. Glad to see Forest Whitaker take an award, but when you see Leonardo Dicaprio in Blood Diamond – which was a mangled movie – he will blow everybody away. A great performance by Dicaprio.
One last thing, is anybody hyped-up about how this year Oscar might be the best racially diverse in history? Look you have about 10 or more potential nominess–Forest Whitaker, Djimon Hounsou, Jamie Foxx, Penelope Cruz, Anika Noni Rose, Jennifer Hundson, Eddie Murphy, Rinko Kikuchi, Adam Beach, Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, Perdo Almodovar, Keke Palmer, Sheekra Epps and if I’m forgetting anbody please help. Now this is something that a lot of people never dream of happening including me.
Now, as long as nothing good come those other Oscar-baiting whores (Clooney, Soderbergh, you know the rest), this might be the best Oscar ever!
I’m wierded out that “10 items or less” (which EW gave a D to and which has a 62% TOMATO-meter rating) would be listed as one of the best independent movies of the year. I’m also wierded out at how few of these movies I’ve seen. Time to hit up the old video store it seems
Diversity is something we desperately need more of in the Oscars, but if a plain ol’ white dude puts out a great movie or delivers a phenomenal performance, he shouldn’t be overlooked either. Personally, I’m rooting for The Departed and Scorsese, as that was by far the best movie of the year.
And, to echo your point on diversity, a year after Brokeback’s phenomenal run (and unforgivable Oscar loss) where the heck are the gay characters and gay movies??
I loved Devil Wears Prada-the most entertaining big studio comedy this year.
Well, “Dreamgirls” is was written and directed by Bill Condon who I think is gay. Which is another great thing because it also means that we have very talented people–whether they’re gay, Black or Latin–working behind the scene also. Giving actors, writers, who are of color or is a homomsexual, the chance to prove that will can do more than be Tyra Banks’ friends. Like I said before, I think this year will be the Best Oscar Ever. As long as, “The Good German” and “The Good Sheperd” sucks, and “Letters” is 10x times better the “Flags” is giving Ken Watanabe another chance at Oscar gold.
The Departed is the best movie I’ve seen in two or three years. I’m hoping it wins big. This looks like Marty’s year. He’s got it coming.
Jennifer Hudson’s win was stolen from her (sorry, Fantasia–you good and all, but…) on “Idol”. It’s interesting to see her getting well-deserved props in a different medium (although it’s obviously still music related).
Ryan Gosling was AMAZING in “Half Nelson” (I know, I know–you didn’t see it. Don’t feel bad, no one else did either).
Kudos to both!
Scorsese better win this year, kinda the way he should have won for Goodfellas and Raging Bull. I hope Annette Bening doesn’t win for Actress, it would be a sympathy Oscar for a bad movie (Running With Scissors)
Where is Little Children??? One of the best movies of the year, hands down.
Yeah Helen Mirren. She was amazing in The Queen.
What about United 93? You know, that movie is so much better than World Trade Center. No offense to the family that is portrayed, but United 93 is a trubute to those heroes that knew they were giving up their lives to save us with no chance of survival. It really puts you in the shoes of those heroes.
United 93 is not getting enough kudos because people are scared to see it. Instead, a softer & fluffier version sensationalized by Nicolas Cage and Oliver Stone is getting all the credit.
That looks a lot like what I’m expecting at the Oscars. Especially Best Actor and Actress and Foreign Film.
Where is United 93, the most powerful movie I saw this year. And Jennifer Hudson should have been allowed into the category of best supporting actress. that is more than one breakthrouhg performance, that is an iconic one. As far as the NBR, totally insignificant group of… who are the members of NBR? and does anyone know their track record in picking the best picture… I remember they gave the Hours and Finding Neverland best picture…(don’t know why I know that, just do.) but they tend to give best picture to very safe movies.
So because a guy has been nominated(and one for one) twice in the last 4 years he shouldn’t be nominated again even if the film is worthy. I saw a screening of Letters from Iwa Jima and it is worthy (far better than the good but not oscar worthy Flags of Our Fathers). So please save the Clint bashing until you see movie.
I hated, hated, hated, hated, hated, hated, hated “Flags of Our Fathers.” I hope “Letters From Iwo Jima” is better. Anyway, go Scorsese!
The NBR has a horrible track record, most of the films they give the best picture to hardly go on win best picture.
Since the early 90’s, the only ones to go on to a win are 1991 Silence of the Lambs, 1993 Schindler’s List (which won every award, and should have.) and 1999 – American Beauty (one of the most over rated winners of all time.)
But frankly for the most part they stick to the obscure or the mediocre. What I find appalling is their top ten list, which forewent really amazing films like United 93.
Now, frankly I think if Martin Scorcese doesn’t get director he will be robbed, and Helen Mirren is my pick for actress… but their pick for best films… wow, how did they miss the boat on that list.
How Flags of our father’s ended up in that top ten list is beyond me, the movie was good, but it vastly under represents the best this year had to offer, when it comes to this list, I say it was either paid for by a couple of studios, or they NBR was doing crystal meth when they made it.
Interesting that more people aren’t talking about The History Boys. I saw the play the week it opened at the Royal National Theatre in London (happened to be studying there and it sounded interesting) and have to say that I’m very much looking forward to seeing it on the screen with the same wonderful cast.
It’s a smart look at academia (tell me the critics don’t love that) with not one but two inspirational teachers (Oscar bait), a host of talented young actors and a script by Alan Bennett. The last of his plays to be adapted for the screen – a little piece called “The Madness of King George” – Oscar nominations were all over the place. Watch this film come awards season. Watch it anyway because it’s a good script and the acting should be really first-rate.
I had the great pleasure of seeing The Queen last night. Helen Mirren was fantastic. I can’t imagine a performance that could rival hers for Best Actress.
United 93 should be on the list and I agree, The History Boys should be getting more attention as the film is an absolute delight.