If you've noticed that my output has been a little erratic over the last few months, allow me to explain a little. I try not to talk about myself or my personal life too much on here, but it's worth noting that I started college back in August. So with new surroundings and lots of school work, there have been times where my blog production has slowed to a near standstill. I've managed to keep up with most of the major releases, but since September, I've all but abandoned news reports and Oscar predictions. Considering my fairly consistent coverage of the awards race in the past, the noticeable lack of articles on that subject has probably been my biggest blind spot. And to be honest, the Oscar race as a whole has found a way to sneak up on me this year- while I've been keeping up with the films, I've found it hard to get too invested in the competition.
That being said, I'm going to try to get back into the swing of things as the end of the semester approaches and Oscar night draws near. Today was the starting gun for Hollywood's favorite horse race- the National Board of Review's announcement of their picks for the best of the year. While the NBR results aren't great at predicting the Oscars, they're interesting nonetheless. Check out the winners below!
Best Film: THE POST
Best Director: Greta Gerwig, Lady Bird
Best Actor: Tom Hanks, The Post
Best Actress: Meryl Streep, The Post
Best Supporting Actor: Willem Dafoe, The Florida Project
Best Supporting Actress: Laurie Metcalf, Lady Bird
Best Original Screenplay: Paul Thomas Anderson, Phantom Thread
Best Adapted Screenplay: Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber, The Disaster Artist
Best Animated Feature: COCO
Breakthrough Performance: Timothee Chalamet, Call Me By Your Name
Best Directorial Debut: Jordan Peele, Get Out
Best Foreign Language Film: FOXTROT
Best Documentary: JANE
Best Ensemble: GET OUT
Spotlight Award: WONDER WOMAN, Patty Jenkins and Gal Gadot
NBR Freedom of Expression Award: FIRST THEY KILLED MY FATHER
NBR Freedom of Expression Award: LET IT FALL: LOS ANGELES 1982-1992
Top Films
BABY DRIVER
CALL ME BY YOUR NAME
THE DISASTER ARTIST
DOWNSIZING
DUNKIRK
THE FLORIDA PROJECT
GET OUT
LADY BIRD
LOGAN
PHANTOM THREAD
Top Foreign Language Films
A FANTASTIC WOMAN
FRANTZ
LOVELESS
SUMMER 1993
THE SQUARE
Top Documentaries
ABACUS: SMALL ENOUGH TO JAIL
BRIMSTONE & GLORY
ERIC CLAPTON: LIFE IN 12 BARS
FACES PLACES
HELL ON EARTH: THE FALL OF SYRIA AND THE RISE OF ISIS
Top Independent Films
BEATRIZ AT DINNER
BRIGSBY BEAR
A GHOST STORY
LADY MACBETH
LOGAN LUCKY
LOVING VINCENT
MENASHE
NORMAN: THE MODERATE RISE AND TRAGIC FALL OF A NEW YORK FIXER
PATTI CAKE$
WIND RIVER
There's a lot to unpack here, but let's start at the top. The "social sentiment" embargo for The Post broke last night, and early word was highly encouraging. Critics seem to be really enjoying Steven Spielberg's latest, praising Meryl Streep and Tom Hanks while also commending the economical production that quickly got this topical story into theaters. However, NBR and Oscar have not agreed on Best Picture since Slumdog Millionaire, making this a very interesting choice. Pundits seem fairly confident of the film's Oscar chances- will The Post break the NBR streak? Who knows. I found it more fascinating that Hanks and Streep both won, as popular favorites like Gary Oldman and Margot Robbie were pushed to the side. The veteran actors are supposedly great in The Post, but these are certainly an attention-grabbing wins. Dafoe and Metcalf could very well be your Oscar winners, so I wasn't all that surprised by their victories here. Greta Gerwig's triumph in Best Director is slightly more surprising (I would have guessed Nolan, but I'm a tad biased there), although I think it solidifies that she's in the race for good.
Coco is a well-deserved win for a brilliant film (review soon), the awards for Phantom Thread are enticing (who knows when I'll see the film, but I'm excited), and I'm glad to see Get Out and Wonder Woman get some love. In addition to that, I was thoroughly pleased to see Baby Driver and Logan make the Top 10 list, as they're both great films that stand little chance throughout the rest of awards season. All in all, this is an interesting start to the race. More in the coming weeks- and more reviews from me very soon.
Images courtesy of 20th Century Fox
That being said, I'm going to try to get back into the swing of things as the end of the semester approaches and Oscar night draws near. Today was the starting gun for Hollywood's favorite horse race- the National Board of Review's announcement of their picks for the best of the year. While the NBR results aren't great at predicting the Oscars, they're interesting nonetheless. Check out the winners below!
Best Film: THE POST
Best Director: Greta Gerwig, Lady Bird
Best Actor: Tom Hanks, The Post
Best Actress: Meryl Streep, The Post
Best Supporting Actor: Willem Dafoe, The Florida Project
Best Supporting Actress: Laurie Metcalf, Lady Bird
Best Original Screenplay: Paul Thomas Anderson, Phantom Thread
Best Adapted Screenplay: Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber, The Disaster Artist
Best Animated Feature: COCO
Breakthrough Performance: Timothee Chalamet, Call Me By Your Name
Best Directorial Debut: Jordan Peele, Get Out
Best Foreign Language Film: FOXTROT
Best Documentary: JANE
Best Ensemble: GET OUT
Spotlight Award: WONDER WOMAN, Patty Jenkins and Gal Gadot
NBR Freedom of Expression Award: FIRST THEY KILLED MY FATHER
NBR Freedom of Expression Award: LET IT FALL: LOS ANGELES 1982-1992
Top Films
BABY DRIVER
CALL ME BY YOUR NAME
THE DISASTER ARTIST
DOWNSIZING
DUNKIRK
THE FLORIDA PROJECT
GET OUT
LADY BIRD
LOGAN
PHANTOM THREAD
Top Foreign Language Films
A FANTASTIC WOMAN
FRANTZ
LOVELESS
SUMMER 1993
THE SQUARE
Top Documentaries
ABACUS: SMALL ENOUGH TO JAIL
BRIMSTONE & GLORY
ERIC CLAPTON: LIFE IN 12 BARS
FACES PLACES
HELL ON EARTH: THE FALL OF SYRIA AND THE RISE OF ISIS
Top Independent Films
BEATRIZ AT DINNER
BRIGSBY BEAR
A GHOST STORY
LADY MACBETH
LOGAN LUCKY
LOVING VINCENT
MENASHE
NORMAN: THE MODERATE RISE AND TRAGIC FALL OF A NEW YORK FIXER
PATTI CAKE$
WIND RIVER
There's a lot to unpack here, but let's start at the top. The "social sentiment" embargo for The Post broke last night, and early word was highly encouraging. Critics seem to be really enjoying Steven Spielberg's latest, praising Meryl Streep and Tom Hanks while also commending the economical production that quickly got this topical story into theaters. However, NBR and Oscar have not agreed on Best Picture since Slumdog Millionaire, making this a very interesting choice. Pundits seem fairly confident of the film's Oscar chances- will The Post break the NBR streak? Who knows. I found it more fascinating that Hanks and Streep both won, as popular favorites like Gary Oldman and Margot Robbie were pushed to the side. The veteran actors are supposedly great in The Post, but these are certainly an attention-grabbing wins. Dafoe and Metcalf could very well be your Oscar winners, so I wasn't all that surprised by their victories here. Greta Gerwig's triumph in Best Director is slightly more surprising (I would have guessed Nolan, but I'm a tad biased there), although I think it solidifies that she's in the race for good.
Coco is a well-deserved win for a brilliant film (review soon), the awards for Phantom Thread are enticing (who knows when I'll see the film, but I'm excited), and I'm glad to see Get Out and Wonder Woman get some love. In addition to that, I was thoroughly pleased to see Baby Driver and Logan make the Top 10 list, as they're both great films that stand little chance throughout the rest of awards season. All in all, this is an interesting start to the race. More in the coming weeks- and more reviews from me very soon.
Images courtesy of 20th Century Fox
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