National Board of Review: 2010 Winners

The National Board of Review announced their awards for the 2010 film season today. These are the unofficial kick off to the awards season and are the first real predictors of the potential Oscar nominees and winners. In 2008, Slumdog Millionaire was named the Best Film.

But the NBR awards also show that the Oscar race is still young. Last year, Jason Reitman’s Up in the Air was named Best Film and seemed like an early front runner. Until a film called The Hurt Locker caught momentum and Up in the Air was ultimately shut out at the Oscars.

David Fincher’s The Social Network has swept the awards, receiving four awards: Best Film, Best Director, Best Actor, and Best Adapted Screenplay. Without awards for the much-buzzed about 127 Hours, Black Swan and The Kids Are All Right, The Social Network has emerged as the early Oscars front runner.

Other winners I am excited about: Jennifer Lawrence winning breakthrough performance for Winter’s Bone, Fish Tank being named among the best independent films and best ensemble for The Town.

And as always with the NBR, there is one film named among the best of the year that makes me scratch my head. I’m looking at you, Hereafter.

Here are the winners:

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

Spotlight Award for Best Directorial Debut
Sebastian Junger and Tim Hetherington, Restrepo

Best Original Screenplay
Chris Sparling, Buried

Best Adapted Screenplay
Aaron Sorkin, The Social Network

Special Filmmaking Achievement Award
Sofia Coppola, for for writing, directing, and producing Somewhere

William K. Everson Film History Award: Leonard Maltin

NBR Freedom of Expression
Fair Game, Conviction, Howl

Top Eleven Films:
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:
Animal Kingdom
Buried
Fish Tank
The Ghost Writer
Greenberg
Let Me In
Monsters
Please Give
Somewhere
Youth in Revolt