The National Board of Review has announced its winners for the best acting performances and best movies of the year. I realize they want to be the first every awards season, but it’s way too early to be handing-out honors for movies, many that haven’t even opened yet.
Among their Top 10 Films of the Year are both George Clooney movies (“The Descendants” and “The Ides of March”), “The Artist”, “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2” and “War Horse” (opening Christmas Day). But it’s their outrageous selection for “Hugo” as the Best Movie of 2011 that really has me baffled. If “Hugo” is the best movie of the year (I gave it a C) than it’s been a terrible year in movies. Not surprisingly Scorsese also won Best Director.
Clooney wins Best Actor for “The Descendants” (good choice) and Shailene Woodley (who plays his eldest daughter in the film) is their Best Supporting Actress. Christopher Plummer gets the Best Supporting Actor nod for “Beginners”. But the biggest surprise out of the acting group is that Tilda Swinton beat both Meryl Streep (“The Iron Lady”) and Michelle Williams (“My Week with Marilyn”) to win Best Actress for “We Need to Talk About Kevin”.
The Best Ensemble Award went to the cast of “The Help” (another fine decision), and they gave out a special award to the “Harry Potter” franchise. For the Best Animated Feature category they chose “Rango” – not my top pick (or even in my Top 5 this year for that genre), but it looks like the frontrunner for the Globes and the Oscar.
I’m most pleased that both “Buck” and “Born to Be Wild 3D” were chosen as two of the five favorite documentaries of the year. The National Board of Review should honor five animated movies as well instead of just one. I’m hoping “Buck” gets nominated for the Best Documentary Oscar. I guess “Hugo” will get an Academy Award nomination, but I can’t see it winning. Next, we’ve got the Golden Globes nominations, on Dec. 15th, to deal with.