The always mercurial New York-based National Board of Review (you too can be a member!) announced their year-end honors as Peter Farrelly’s “Green Book” took the celebrated Best Film honor. The organization also showed its love to “A Star is Born,” however, as Bradley Cooper’s hit took Best Director (Cooper), Best Actress (New York native Lady Gaga) and Best Supporting Actor (Sam Elliot). “If Beale Street Could Talk” was the other notable winner as it won both Best Supporting Actress (Regina King) and Adapted Screenplay (Barry Jenkins).
“Green Book’s” Viggo Mortensen also took the honor for Best Actor while “First Reformed’s” Paul Schrader took Original Screenplay.
READ MORE: Is “Green Book” the not-so-secret Best Picture sleeper?
As always, however, NBR tends to have notable snubs. The organization lists its top 10 films as well as top 10 independent films and notable omissions on both lists include “The Favourite” (they have a longtime issue with Fox Searchlight although “Can You Ever Forgive Me?” and “Old Man and the Gun” made the cut this year), “Widows,” “Vice,” “First Man,” “Private Lives” and “BlacKkKlansman.” The lack of respect for Spike Lee‘s Cannes winner is just as jaw-dropping as the snub for “The Favourite” or its three celebrated performances.
Additionally, NBR turned some heads by choosing “Cold War” as Best Foreign Language Film over “Roma” although Alfonso Cuaron’s passion project did make the top 10 films of the year list.
Some historical context for those who believe “Green Book’s” win might vault it to the top of the Best Picture race. The last NBR winner to win Best Picture was “Slumdog Millionaire” in 2009. Only three NBR winners have won Best Picture since 2000.
Here is a complete list of this year’s winners:
Best Film: GREEN BOOK
Best Director: Bradley Cooper, A STAR IS BORN
Best Actor: Viggo Mortensen, GREEN BOOK
Best Actress: Lady Gaga, A STAR IS BORN
Best Supporting Actor: Sam Elliott, A STAR IS BORN
Best Supporting Actress: Regina King, IF BEALE STREET COULD TALK
Best Original Screenplay: Paul Schrader, FIRST REFORMED
Best Adapted Screenplay: Barry Jenkins, IF BEALE STREET COULD TALK
Best Animated Feature: INCREDIBLES 2
Breakthrough Performance: Thomasin McKenzie, LEAVE NO TRACE
Best Directorial Debut: Bo Burnham, EIGHTH GRADE
Best Foreign Language Film: COLD WAR
Best Documentary: RBG
Best Ensemble: CRAZY RICH ASIANS
William K. Everson Film History Award: THE OTHER SIDE OF THE WIND and THEY’LL LOVE ME WHEN I’M DEAD
NBR Freedom of Expression Award: 22 JULY
NBR Freedom of Expression Award: ON HER SHOULDERS
Top Films (in alphabetical order)
The Ballad of Buster Scruggs
Black Panther
Can You Ever Forgive Me?
Eighth Grade
First Reformed
If Beale Street Could Talk
Mary Poppins Returns
A Quiet Place
Roma
A Star Is Born
Top 5 Foreign Language Films (in alphabetical order)
Burning
Custody
The Guilty
Happy as Lazzaro
Shoplifters
Top 5 Documentaries (in alphabetical order)
Crime + Punishment
Free Solo
Minding the Gap
Three Identical Strangers
Won’t You Be My Neighbor?
Top 10 Independent Films (in alphabetical order)
The Death of Stalin
Lean on Pete
Leave No Trace
Mid90s
The Old Man & the Gun
The Rider
Searching
Sorry to Bother You
We the Animals
You Were Never Really Here
The National Board of Review will celebrate its winners on Jan. 8 in New York City.
