For me, the awards season really jump-starts when the National Board of Review releases its list of honorees. Last year they were the first group to single out eventual winners Slumdog Millionaire and Penelope Cruz. Their lead-acting winners almost always go on to earn Oscar nods (I’m thinking it’ll be Colin Firth and Meryl Streep this time), but I’m most curious to see what their top 10 list looks like when their winners are announced tomorrow. Actually, it’s more like a top 11, since they name a Best Picture winner and then a separate top 10. My predictions are below; tell me yours in the comments and we’ll see who gets the most correct.
Best Picture
Up in the Air
Top 10
An Education
The Hurt Locker
Invictus
It’s Complicated
The Lovely Bones
The Messenger
Nine
A Serious Man
A Single Man
Precious
The NBR is an unreliable indicator of Oscars except for this: usually only one of the top five prize winners will go on to get an Academy Award. The question is usually: which one?
I cannot understand the adulation for Precious. Had it been about a white family, with white actors, and a white director, I doubt it would get this kind of recognition. We don’t have high expectations from black actors, so anything that is reasonably acted and ‘real’ manages to get everyone’s attention. But Oscar potential? Seriously?
Come on now, the movie was well made and Gabby and especially Mo’Nique were very effective. Mo’Nique definitely deserves an Oscar. But point taken, it is a WEAK, WEAK year with no real consensus choice, at least from the looks of it and from what little I’ve seen. Precious is obviously no Slumdog in either scope or creativity.
If the collective performances of Viola Davis, Morgan Freeman, Denzel Washington, Will Smith, Sidney Poitier, Angela Basset,Eddie Murphy, Samuel Jackson, Jamie Foxx, Halle Berry, Djimon Hounsou, Taraji Henson, Don Cheadle, Terrence Howard, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Michael Clarke Duncan, and Sophie Okonedo have not smashed any ‘expectations’ of what black actors can do then you are just a racist bigot. All of these actors have proved themselves in one role or in many. I would add Gabby Sidibe and Mo’ Nique to this list after seeing Precious. Both performances were exceptional.
Where is “Up” and “Drag Me To Hell?”
Animated, Foreign and Documentary films each have their own categories and are never included in the NBR top ten list
drag me to hell…what a hoot…bet you are a HORROR movie fan…what a waste of time…like “rassl’n too?
Doesn’t deserve to be on the list, but not a waste of time.
Actually, he must be a MOVIE fan, because Drag Me To Hell was a great movie. What a sweet kid you are.
Yes, horror is on the level of scripted sports, you’re right. I mean seriously, who cares about films like these. No one watches horror, and no one thinks horror movies are worth anything. Look at the names of people who’ve made horror movies, it’s like a list of absolute losers: Tod Browning, Fritz Lang, FW Murnau, Alfred Htichcock, Michael Curtiz, David Cronenberg, Stanley Kubrick, Edgar Wright, Quentin Tarantino, Brian DePalma, Ridley Scott, Dario Argento, Mario Bava, Peter Jackson, you get the idea.
I mean, The Exorcsist? Bah. Silence of the Lambs? Right. Horror is nothing, I spit on it, just like you, friend in naivite. I mean Jaws? Yeah, like anyone watches that. The Academy is against us friend. Kathy Bates for Misery? Pshh! I mean it’s not like a horror film was the last film to sweep the top five Oscars or anything. Oh wait, wasn’t it Silence of the Lambs? Man, I guess I got that wrong. And meybe you don’t know what you’re talking about.
Actually, horror is not my favorite genre but seriously if you consider the 94% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, try coming up with 20 other films with that rating this year. Here is an original piece that actually draws on a wide variety of emotions which include laughter, suspense and fear.
I also have to add oddly enough, “Paranormal Activity.” Here is a movie that had me so spooked I could not sleep the entire night after having seen it. This was an entirely original piece where the actors demonstrated the best kind of acting by actually looking like they are not acting. Find me another movie this year (besides “Up”) where the house stands in as a 3rd major character in a film.
As a lifelong Movie Awards (and simply movie) fan, I’m well aware of the fact that “Up,” “Drag Me To Hell” and “Paranormal Activity” have almost no chance of getting their deserved recognition, I too also feel that if the great Roger Ebert can list “Lethal Weapon” as of one the best films of 1987, then I can carry the torch of going against the grain of the frequent naivete of the Oscars.
Still, more often than not I agree with Oscar’s nominations. Only a few times have they erred royally like with 10 nominations for “The Thin Red Line” (one of the worst movie going experiences of all time). Wins are another story (such as “Shakespeare In Love” over “Saving Private Ryan” and a terrific Sean Penn in “Milk” beating out the utterly convincing and truly one of the greatest performances ever given by Mickey Rourke in “The Wrestler.” In another year I would have given the Oscar to Sean Penn, but last year really belonged Mickey Rourke. Unfortunatly, Oscar succumbs to politics sometimes.)
…and where is “Inglorious Basterds?” Arguably one of the best movies of the decade.
Up was amazing. Drag me to Hell was one of the dumbest most predictable movies I have ever seen. The ending was telegraphed so badly I can’t even think of words to describe it.
The Maid
You have A Serious Man listed twice
A Serious Man and A Single Man are two seperate films. A Serious Man is by the Coen Brothers; A Single Man is by Tom Ford w/ Colin Firth!
I wonder if the names being so close will hurt their Oscar chances or ever cancel each other out this season. Same thing with “Up” and “Up in the Air.” Has Hollywood lost all creativity such that they can’t even come up with unique film titles anymore?
Where’s New Moon??? Mmmuahahahahaha
Okay, that made me giggle.
Well obviously the NBR is NOT a clear predictor of the MTV Movie Awards considering that New Moon is not on that list.
See, when I want a clear indicator of what is the best of the year I turn to the MTV Movie Awards.
Could there be a better movie than Twilight???
Can anyone spell the word SARCASM????
whoops, It’s A Single Man sorry
haha, I keep telling my mom to see A Single Man, and she says she’s already seen it, thinking of A Serious Man. you’re definitely not the only one!
I agree that UP! is hands-down one of the most beautiful cinematic experiences this year! Not putting it in the Top 10 would really be a shame.
Meh. Up was just okay.
Best Picture: Up
1. Up in the Air
2. Precious
3. The Lovely Bones
4. A Single Man
5. Star Trek
6. The Hurt Locker
7. Invictus
8. An Education
9. Nine
10. District 9
Up cannot win best picture. It is animated, and there is now an animated category.
Actually I’m pretty sure that animated films are still eligible for a Best Picture nomination, even though they have their own category now.
Agree with Jason. Likewise, foreign films often make it onto both the Best Foreign Film list and the Best Picture list.
A Serious Man? Really? I’ll admit to not being a huge Coen Brothers fan, but I heard that film was a big old mess. Not everything they produce is awesome – did you see Burn After Reading? TERRIBLE
Burn after reading was in the NBR top ten last year so it is not a stretch to imagine a serious man getting a top ten spot.
have u seen the movie? I’ll agree that Burn After Reading was pretty stupid, but if u haven’t seen A Serious Man, then it seems irresponsible to say the NBR made a mistake.
Burn After Reading was BRILLIANTLY stupid. I dunno. Didn’t seem like a huge mass appeal movie, but for the 12 of us with that specific sense of humor, it was great.
A Serious Man is actually my favorite Coen Bros. movie of all time! It may not be for everyone, but I thought it was their most controlled, thoughtful, funny, philosophically rich movie to date. And the performances (by non A-list celebrities, thank goodness) were aces across the board.
I think Burn After Reading is one that people have to be in the right mood to enjoy. I was thrown, after reading the reviews, by how much it made me laugh… And a below average Coen movie usually has more to offer than most films.
I know its “just” an animated movie, but I think with a list of 11 films it may be hard to ignore Up, but the question is what film would it usurp?
Fantastic Mr. Fox!
cuss-you for not including it!
I totally agree with this
Agreed, and while I loved Up, Fantastic Mr. Fox was well just so much more fantastic.
A lot of animated movies this year have been great! Many deserve Best PIcture. Too bad the Best Animated Feature category made putting an animated movie in the Best pic zone close to impossible. Up, Coraline, AND Fantastic Mr. Fox were all Oscar-worthy! They were the most fun I have ever had in a movie theater!!!!
I am going with Invictus for Best Picture. They love Eastwood.
Top 10
Up in the Air
Up
An Education
The Hurt Locker
The Lovely Bones
Nine
A Serious Man
Inglourious Basterds
Precious
500 days of summer
Best Picture: Up in the Air
Top 10:
Nine
The Hurt Locker
A Serious Man
An Education
Precious
Up
Inglorious Bastards
The Lovely Bones
The Last Station
Public Enemies
UP was easily one of the best pictures of the year and deserves to be on this list.
Best Picture: Nine
Top 10:
The Hurt Locker
A Single Man
It’s Complicated
An Education
Precious
Up in the Air
The Lovely Bones
Up
The Princess and the Frog
The Last Station