National Board of Review Awards for 2008

Last week, the National Board of Review announced their awards for 2008. Their result are a bit different that many awards such as naming a top film, the an additional top 10 films. For Foreign and Documentaries it's the same format but an additional 5 films. Indie film get their own top ten but no top film. It's an interesting way to do it and if more great films get celebrated I'm all for it. I'm happy to see Let the Right One In, Man on Wire and The Visitor get some love but am surprized to see all the nods to Gran Torino and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. It's still feels pretty early in the season so we will see how things go.

Although this is an organization that is new to me, they certainly have their history going all the way back to 1908. In terms of determining the films for the awards, the members are comprised of film buffs, academics, young film professional and students who watch around 300 theatrical, independent, major studio, documentary and foreign language films.

National Board of Review Awards for 2008:

Best Film
Slumdog Millionaire

Top Ten Films (alphabetical)
Burn After Reading
Changeling, The
Curious Case of Benjamin Button, The
Dark Knight, The
Defieance
Frost/Nixon
Gran Torio
Milk
Wall-E
Wrestler, The

Best Foreign Language Film
Mongol

Top Five Foreign Films (alphabetical)
Edge of Heaven
Let the Right One In
Roman de Gare
Secret, A
Waltz with Bashir

Best Documentary
Man on Wire

Top Five Documentaries (alphabetical)
American Teen
Betrayal, The / Nerakhoon
Dear Zachary
Encounters at the End of the World
Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired

Top Independent Films (alphabetical)
Frozen River
In Bruges
In Search of a Midnight Kiss
Mr. Foe
Rachel Getting Married
Snow Angels
Son of Rambow
Wendy and Lucky
Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Visitor, The

Best Actor
Clint Eastwood in Gran Torino

Best Actress
Anne Hathaway in Rachel Getting Married

Best Supporting Actor
Josh Brolin in Milk

Best Supporting Actress
Penelope Cruz in Vicky Cristina Barcelona

Best Ensemble Cast
Doubt

Breakthrough Performance by an Actor
Dev Patel in Slumdog Millionaire

Breakthrough Performance by an Actress
Viola Davis in Doubt

Best Director
David Fincher for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Best Directorial Debut
Courtney Hunt for Frozen River

Best Adapted Screenplay (two selections)
Simon Beaufoy for Slumdog Millionaire
Eric Roth for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Spotlight Award (two selections)
Melissa Leo in Frozen River
Richard Jenkins in The Visitor

Best Original Screenplay
Nick Schenk for Gran Torino

Best Animated Feature
Wall-E

William K. Everson Award For Film History
Molly Haskell and Andrew Sarris

The BVLGARI Award for NBR Freedom of Expression
Trumbo

Awards source, NBR Info Source