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National Board Of Review Declares SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE Best Film Of 2008!

Beaks here...

I've a feeling you're going to be reading slight variations on that headline over the next few months. Though the politicking has only just begun, SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE seems to be the movie of the moment. It's so undeniable, even the flaky National Board of Review had to bestow their top honor upon it - though it looks like they really wanted to go with Clint Eastwood's curmudgeonly ode to tolerance, GRAN TORINO.

GRAN TORINO is going to be an interesting player in this year's Oscar race if only because reactions are clearly split along generational lines (oldsters love it, youngsters not so much). Obviously, the NBR fell hard for the film, including it in their top ten, while dishing out Best Actor to Clint and Best Original Screenplay to Nick Schenk. I don't know if this run of good fortune is going to continue through the critics' awards (very doubtful), but I can definitely see the Golden Globes nominating the hell out of this thing. As for the Academy... it's Clint. They'd retroactively nominate THE GAUNTLET if they could. He's a cinch for Actor if nothing else.

I'm not going to get too worked up over the rest of the NBR's choices, but it is nice to see geek fave LET THE RIGHT ONE IN shortlisted. Also glad to see SON OF RAMBOW and MISTER FOE getting some love. What do you think?

Awards for 2008:

Best Film

SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE

Top Ten Films
(In alphabetical order)

BURN AFTER READING
CHANGELING
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
THE DARK KNIGHT
DEFIANCE
FROST/NIXON
GRAN TORINO
MILK
WALL-E
THE WRESTLER

Best Foreign Language Film

MONGOL

Top Five Foreign Films

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

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



The New York Film Critics Circle will be announcing their awards soon. With Armond White serving as the chair, you should make like a Gemini and expect the unexpected.

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Reader Talkback

So, this is never coming to theaters, is it?
by SoylentMean
Dec 4th, 2008
04:32:47 PM
Interesting, but it's the 4th day of December
by SoylentMean
Dec 4th, 2008
04:35:54 PM
Dark Knight should have been #1...
by The Dum Guy
Dec 4th, 2008
04:37:14 PM
Were there nominees, or is this more of a statement type thing?
by SoylentMean
Dec 4th, 2008
04:38:04 PM
The thing I hate about this shit...
by The Eskimo
Dec 4th, 2008
04:38:25 PM
No love for Uwe Boll?
by My Mom Is A Whore
Dec 4th, 2008
04:38:28 PM
This years "Little Miss Bullshit"..
by Monkeybrains
Dec 4th, 2008
04:38:47 PM
BURN AFTER READING a TOP 10 MOVIE??!!
by BobParr
Dec 4th, 2008
04:39:24 PM
The Dum Guy
by kwisatzhaderach
Dec 4th, 2008
04:46:05 PM
The National Board of Review liked Clooney's Dildo Chair
by SoylentMean
Dec 4th, 2008
04:46:18 PM
Burn After Reading?!?! Really?
by Thrillho77
Dec 4th, 2008
04:47:04 PM
After all of this year's disappointments...
by Thrillho77
Dec 4th, 2008
04:49:17 PM
Tilda Swinton was miscast in Burn After Reading
by SoylentMean
Dec 4th, 2008
04:50:45 PM
Im dreading the Slumdog backlash...
by Captain Katanga
Dec 4th, 2008
04:53:01 PM
I haven't seen a Danny Boyle movie I haven't liked
by SoylentMean
Dec 4th, 2008
04:54:59 PM
I forgot about The Dildo Chair
by BobParr
Dec 4th, 2008
05:03:09 PM
Love Slumdog
by Leafy McPlantsalot
Dec 4th, 2008
05:04:26 PM
Slumdog
by billypilgrimisunstuck
Dec 4th, 2008
05:09:09 PM
Are we going to have to deal with....
by landrvr1
Dec 4th, 2008
05:13:29 PM
Good movie.. but overhyped
by blindambition238
Dec 4th, 2008
05:19:40 PM
Slumdog Millionaire is fun
by Frisco
Dec 4th, 2008
05:21:12 PM
Slumdog Millionaire
by Mattyboy122
Dec 4th, 2008
05:24:20 PM
Danny Boyle The Oscar Gold Is Calling
by Broseph
Dec 4th, 2008
05:27:12 PM
Slumdog is Great
by Larry of Arabia
Dec 4th, 2008
05:41:37 PM
Truly great film!
by kafka07
Dec 4th, 2008
05:50:47 PM
Slumdog Millionaire
by Sgt.Steiner
Dec 4th, 2008
05:51:20 PM
Slumdog Millionaire
by billypilgrimisunstuck
Dec 4th, 2008
06:22:46 PM
Wait, some candy ass said
by Mattyboy122
Dec 4th, 2008
06:38:09 PM
You DARK KNIGHT freaks need to get real...
by JimCurry
Dec 4th, 2008
06:44:29 PM
Sgt. Steiner
by kaspianwithak
Dec 4th, 2008
06:47:45 PM
billypilgrimisunstuck
by Leafy McPlantsalot
Dec 4th, 2008
06:49:40 PM
Love Danny Boyle cuz...
by kaspianwithak
Dec 4th, 2008
06:50:22 PM
i agree
by ranma627
Dec 4th, 2008
06:51:11 PM
make that double billypilgrim...
by kaspianwithak
Dec 4th, 2008
06:51:24 PM
Dark Knight
by kaspianwithak
Dec 4th, 2008
06:53:31 PM
Slumdog is the "Crash" of 2008.
by Steve Young
Dec 4th, 2008
07:05:11 PM
Has anyone seen VALKYRIE yet?
by No Respectable Gentleman
Dec 4th, 2008
07:15:25 PM
Yawn...
by warghost
Dec 4th, 2008
07:18:49 PM
"pushing decency to the limit in order to get attention"
by jimmay
Dec 4th, 2008
08:34:33 PM
Oh Danny Boyle...
by Citizin_insane
Dec 4th, 2008
08:40:10 PM
ranma627
by JimCurry
Dec 4th, 2008
09:04:30 PM
warghost
by JimCurry
Dec 4th, 2008
09:07:21 PM
BURN AFTER READING was...
by unionJACKass.webs.com
Dec 4th, 2008
09:18:12 PM
Aren't the 'cliches' the point of this movie?
by blindambition238
Dec 4th, 2008
09:58:47 PM
DARK KNIGHT better be nominated!!!
by zooch
Dec 4th, 2008
10:32:35 PM
film awards are so dumb
by robamenta
Dec 4th, 2008
10:51:17 PM
Oh dear god the Coen brothers are now main stream
by MrClark
Dec 5th, 2008
12:18:15 AM
Will Ledger be up for Best Actor or Best Supporting?
by MrClark
Dec 5th, 2008
12:20:39 AM
unionJACKass.webs.com
by Sgt.Steiner
Dec 5th, 2008
01:16:16 AM
Ledger support only...
by jfp2007
Dec 5th, 2008
02:18:45 AM
warghost?
by Sgt.Steiner
Dec 5th, 2008
04:51:28 AM
Tilda Swinton in Burn After Reading
by Vote Fa Stokes Brutha
Dec 5th, 2008
07:30:57 AM
NBR Street Cred?
by Vote Fa Stokes Brutha
Dec 5th, 2008
07:34:35 AM
I aint mad at em this year
by applescruff
Dec 5th, 2008
07:15:55 PM
Oh, and also...
by applescruff
Dec 5th, 2008
07:19:48 PM
In Bruge was fantastic
by MrClark
Dec 6th, 2008
12:19:26 AM

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