In the First Awards of the Season, The National Board of Review Does A Little Social Networking

As far as my predictions went (posted on Facebook, ironically enough considering the sweep that has occurred) I correctly picked Best Film and Best Supporting Actor only (predicting just the "top 6" categories).  I am really glad to see Fincher and Eisenberg in there (though I still think Colin Firth will take home the Oscar, considering Oscar's track record with awarding actors a year or two late, for considerably lesser performances - think A Single Man from last year).  Manville and Weaver are somewhat surprises in their wins, but the NBR being the first of the critics groups (before all the ducks are lined up so to speak) tend to do that.  

Other things I am happy with (as happy as one can be with such things) are the special award for Sofia Coppola, the very very very underrated Shutter Island in the top 11, Howl's mention in the Freedom of Expression category and Buried's screenplay win.  The one thing I am unhappy with is the complete shutting out of Blue Valentine.  The unwarranted NC-17 rating is already killing its Oscar chances and a nod for Michelle Williams and/or Ryan Gosling (the two best single performances of the year!) would have helped them.  Black Swan I expected no love for (though I still plan on putting it relatively high up in my top ten come year's end - which is damn soon) but at least an inclusion in the top 11 would have been nice (I mean c'mon, Toy Story 3?!?).  

Anyway, enough rambling, here are the winners and such.

Best Film: The Social Network

Best Director:  David Fincher, The Social Network

Best Actor:  Jesse Eisenberg, The Social Network

Best Actress:  Lesley Manville, Another Year

Best Supporting Actor:  Christian Bale, The Fighter

Best Supporting Actress:  Jacki Weaver, Animal Kingdom

Best Foreign Film:  Of Gods and Men

Best Documentary:  Waiting For “Superman”

Best Animated Feature: Toy Story 3

Best Ensemble Cast:  The Town

Breakthrough Performance: Jennifer Lawrence, Winter’s Bone

Best Original Screenplay:  Chris Sparling, Buried

Best Adapted Screenplay:  Aaron Sorkin, The Social Network 

William K. Everson Film History Award: Leonard Maltin

 

Spotlight Award for Best Directorial Debut:  

Sebastian Junger and Tim Hetherington, Restrepo

Special Filmmaking Achievement Award: 

Sofia Coppola, for for writing, directing, and producing Somewhere

NBR Freedom of Expression: Fair Game, Conviction, Howl

Top Eleven Films (In alphabetical order):
Another Year
The Fighter
Hereafter
Inception
The King’s Speech
Shutter Island
The Social Network
The Town
Toy Story 3
True Grit
Winter’s Bone

Top Ten Independent Films (In alphabetical order):
Animal Kingdom
Buried
Fish Tank
The Ghost Writer
Greenberg
Let Me In
Monsters
Please Give
Somewhere
Youth in Revolt

Top Six Foreign Films (In alphabetical order):
I Am Love
Incendies
Life, Above All
Of Gods And Men
Soul Kitchen
White Material

Top Six Documentary Films (In alphabetical order):
A Film Unfinished
Inside Job
Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work
Restrepo
The Tillman Story
Waiting For “Superman”