Gold Rush: National Board Of Review Winners 2011

More prizes! And the National Board of Review’s choice of Best Film is something of a surprise, too…

Best Film: Hugo

Best Foreign Language Film: A Separation

Best Documentary: Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory

Best Director: Martin Scorsese, Hugo

Best Actor: George Clooney, The Descendants

Best Actress: Tilda Swinton, We Need to Talk About Kevin

Best Supporting Actor: Christopher Plummer, Beginners

Best Supporting Actress: Shailene Woodley, The Descendants

Best Ensemble: The Help

Best Original Screenplay: Will Reiser, 50/50

Best Adapted Screenplay: Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon, Jim Rash, The Descendants

Best Animated Feature: Rango

Breakthrough Performance: Felicity Jones, Like Crazy and Rooney Mara, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

Debut Director: J. C. Chandor, Margin Call

Spotlight Award: Michael Fassbender, A Dangerous Method, Jane Eyre, Shame, X-Men: First Class

NBR Freedom of Expression: Crime After Crime and Pariah

Special Achievement in Filmmaking: The Harry Potter Franchise – A Distinguished Translation from Book to Film

Top Films
(in alphabetical order)
The Artist
The Descendants
Drive
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2
The Ides of March
J. Edgar
Tree of Life
War Horse

Top 5 Foreign Language Films
(in Alphabetical Order)
13 Assassins
Elite Squad: The Enemy Within
Footnote
Le Havre
Point Blank

Top 5 Documentaries
(in Alphabetical Order)
Born to be Wild
Buck
George Harrison: Living in the Material World
Project Nim
Senna

Top 10 Independent Films
(in Alphabetical Order)
50/50
Another Earth
Beginners
A Better Life
Cedar Rapids
Margin Call
Shame
Take Shelter
We Need To Talk About Kevin
Win Win

My Take: I’m not super on board with the awards for The Descendants, a good but not standout film. I’m pleased to see Hugo getting some attention, since it didn’t fare so well at the box office. Felicity Jones’ Breakthrough Performance recognition is also pleasing, and I’m glad Christopher Plummer seems to now be a shoo-in for an Oscar nod (as I easily predicted back when Beginners was released).