Well, how about that -- the National Board of Review just named "Slumdog Millionaire" the best film of 2008. Maybe this will, in fact, be the little movie that could -- the L.A. Times awards website notes that the NBR was the first major awards group to go for "Chariots of Fire" back in 1981, and that film went all the way to a best picture Oscar.
As, usual, though, many of the choices by the somewhat mysterious organization -- who are these people? what do they do? -- run the gamut from the random to the bizarre to the inspired. The NBR's practice is to name one film "best of the year" -- that would be "Slumdog" -- followed by the "Top Ten Films". This year, those are: "Burn After Reading," "Changeling," "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," "The Dark Knight," "Defiance," "Frost/Nixon," "Gran Torino," "Milk," "WALL-E," and "The Wrestler."
"Burn After Reading"? Are they serious? Both Clint Eastwoods, "Changeling" and "Gran Torino"? Nice to see "WALL-E" and "Wrestler" and "Milk" and even "Dark Knight" there, and surprising to not see such obvious awards-bait as "Revolutionary Road" and "The Reader." And how come "Doubt" and "Frozen River" are so well-represented in other categories but not in the Top Ten? Oh, wait, "Frozen River" is on a separate list of the Top Independent Films, one that also includes such no-star obscurities as "Rachel Getting Married" and "Vicky Cristina Barcelona". Like I said: Weird.
Here are the other awards the NBR handed out. Note that Anne Hathaway, Viola Davis, Penelope Cruz, and Josh Brolin just got a leg up in the Oscar race.
Best Foreign Language Film
"Mongol"
Top Five Foreign Films
(In alphabetical order) "The Edge of Heaven," "Let the Right One In," "Roman de Gare," "A Secret," "Waltz with Bashir"
Best Documentary
"Man on Wire"
Top Five Documentaries
(In alphabetical order) "American Teen," "The Betrayal (Nerakhoon)", "Dear Zachary," "Encounters at the End of the World," "Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired"
Top Independent Films
(In alphabetical order) "Frozen River," "In Bruges," "In Search of a Midnight Kiss," "Mr. Foe," "Rachel Getting Married," "Snow Angels," "Son of Rambow," "Wendy and Lucy," "Vicky Cristina Barcelona," "The Visitor"
Best Actor
CLINT EASTWOOD, "Gran Torino"
Best Actress
ANNE HATHAWAY, "Rachel Getting Married"
Best Supporting Actor
JOSH BROLIN, "Milk"
Best Supporting Actress
PENELOPE CRUZ, "Vicky Cristina Barcelona"
Best Ensemble Cast
"Doubt"
Breakthrough Performance by an Actor
DEV PATEL, "Slumdog Millionaire"
Breakthrough Performance by an Actress
VIOLA DAVIS, "Doubt"
Best Director
DAVID FINCHER, "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"
Best Directorial Debut
COURTNEY HUNT, "Frozen River"
Best Adapted Screenplay
SIMON BEAUFOY, "Slumdog Millionaire" and ERIC ROTH, "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"
Spotlight Award
MELISSA LEO, "Frozen River" and RICHARD JENKINS, "The Visitor"
Best Original Screenplay
NICK SCHENK, "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"
