Here come the precursors...
The National Board of Review announces their annual list of winners tomorrow, kicking off the awards season kudos-coaster in earnest. Year after year this group prides itself on being the first out of the gate, lending serious Oscar consideration to this contender or that by being the first to dish honors. Think "Moulin Rouge!" taking down their Best Picture win in 2001, or Halle Berry winning the Best Actress award the very same year for "Monster's Ball."
This year has boasted a unique mixture of filmmaking efforts, and I for one am excited to see where the kudos will fall. So with that, I'll just toss up some NBR predictions and see how it pans out tomorrow morning.
Best Picture
"The Queen"
Top Ten Films of the Year
"Babel"
"The Departed"
"Dreamgirls"
"Flags of Our Fathers"
"Letters from Iwo Jima"
"Little Miss Sunshine"
"Half Nelson"
"Inside Man"
"The Queen"
"United 93"
(More predictions after the jump.)
Best Actor
Ryan Gosling, "Half Nelson"
Best Actress
Helen Mirren, "The Queen"
Best Supporting Actor
Jack Nicholson, "The Departed"
Best Supporting Actress
Cate Blanchett, "Babel," "The Good German," "Notes on a Scandal"
Best Director
Clint Eastwood, "Flags of Our Fathers" and "Letters from Iwo Jima"
Best Breakthrough Actor
Sacha Baron Cohen, "Borat: Cultural Learnings for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan"
Best Breakthrough Actress
Shareeka Epps, "Half Nelson"
Best Adapted Screenplay
"Little Children," Todd Field, Tom Perotta
Best Original Screenplay
"Babel," Guillermo Arriaga
Best Debut Director
Jason Reitman, "Thank You for Smoking"
Best Documentary
"Deliver Us from Evil"
Best Foreign Language Film
"Volver"
Best Acting by an Ensemble
"United 93"
Best Animated Feature
"Happy Feet"
Comments
Kris,
What about THE PAINTED VEIL?
I think it will make the NBR Top 10.
I'm surprised that you put Inside Man in the top 10.
The NBR is never a good indication of the Oscars. After all, they gave GONG LI the Best Actress award last year.
Posted by: numberina![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.incontention.com/nav-commenters.gif)
| December 5, 2006 12:22 AM
I figure if Emmy Rossum was the Breakthrough Actress of 2004, Jennifer Hudson has it this year easily.
Posted by: RBurton![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.incontention.com/nav-commenters.gif)
| December 5, 2006 05:58 AM
It's telling that the only time in the past thirteen years that the NBR and the Oscars picked the same best picture was for "American Beauty," a dud that no one gives a rip about anymore.
Posted by: Frank Lee![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.incontention.com/nav-commenters.gif)
| December 5, 2006 09:12 AM
Damn, and I thought I was being so unique and clever for predicting United 93 to win Ensemble.
And good call on Cohen for Breakthrough, but I still think they'll push Gosling there and give Actor to someone a little bigger, like Whitaker or Smith or O'Toole. And count me in as another that thinks Hudson will take B. Actress.
Posted by: Positive Jon![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.incontention.com/nav-commenters.gif)
| December 5, 2006 09:28 AM
Iwo Jima is ineligible for Top 10. They don't allow foreign flicks (they list their top 5 instead).
Posted by: bigted![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.incontention.com/nav-commenters.gif)
| December 5, 2006 11:10 AM
If anybody is gonna be clasified as breaking through this year it'll be Hudson and Cohen.
But then again, they did give Charlize Theron and Paul Giamatti the award a few years back, so who the hell knows.
Posted by: KamikazeCamelV2.0![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.incontention.com/nav-commenters.gif)
| December 5, 2006 11:59 PM