National Board of Review Winners

So Hugo gets a huge publicity boost, as it has been a while that a NBR winner did not go on to get a Best Picture nomination. The Descendants also got a boost after its NYFCC shut out winning Actor, Supporting Actress, and Adapted Screenplay. Tilda Swinton also got a huge boost, and she needs it in the crowded Best Actress race. There were some snubs, The Help managing an ensemble nod, but not top 10, and Moneyball completely left out. This does not mean they are out of the race. I also think that the NBR shows the weakness of The Artist. Hugo is similar to it as a love letter to cinema, and with both vying the may cancel each other out. It also means that there will probably not be one critics winner this season, but maybe split up among a few films. I know that some see the NBR as worthless, but they still manage to be included in the conversation and serve as a boost for its honorees. So it's worth taking note. Also, the 50/50 screenplay win means in that category it could be a surprise dark horse contender.

Best Film - Hugo

Best Director: Martin Scorsese, "Hugo"

Best Actor: George Clooney, "The Descendants"

Best Actress: Tilda Swinton, "We Need to Talk About Kevin"

Best Supporting Actor: Christopher Plummer, "Beginners"

Best Supporting Actress: Shailene Woodley, "The Descendants"

Best Original Screenplay: Will Reiser, "50/50"

Best Adapted Screenplay: Alexander Payne and Nat Faxon & Jim Rash, "The Descendants"

Best Animated Feature: "Rango"

Breakthrough Performance: Felicity Jones, "Like Crazy"

Breakthrough Performance: Rooney Mara, "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo"

Debut Director: J.C. Chandor, "Margin Call"

Best Ensemble: "The Help"

Spotlight Award: Michael Fassbender ("A Dangerous Method," "Jane Eyre," "Shame," "X-Men: First Class")

NBR Freedom of Expression: "Crime After Crime"

NBR Freedom of Expression: "Pariah"

Best Foreign Language Film: "A Separation"

Best Documentary: "Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory"

Special Achievement in Filmmaking: The Harry Potter Franchise - A Distinguished Translation from Book to Film

Top Films (in alphabetical order)
"The Artist"
"The Descendants"
"Drive"
"The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo"
"Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2"
"The Ides of March"
"J. Edgar"
"The Tree of Life"
"War Horse"

Top 5 Foreign Language Films (in alphabetical order)
"13 Assassins"
"Elite Squad: The Enemy Within"
"Footnote"
"Le Havre"
"Point Blank"

Top 5 Documentaries (in alphabetical order)
"Born to be Wild"
"Buck"
"George Harrison: Living in the Material World"
"Project Nim"
"Senna"

Top 10 Independent Films (in alphabetical order)
"50/50"
"Another Earth"
"Beginners"
"A Better Life"
"Cedar Rapids"
"Margin Call"
"Shame"
"Take Shelter"
"We Need To Talk About Kevin"
"Win Win"