Equipoise
12-06-2006, 03:51 PM
This will be a non-story to most people, but to anyone who follows Awards Season and/or are Clint Eastwood fans, they'll be interested. The NBR is usually the first "real" kickoff to the Awards Season. At the very least, its list of the Top 10 often indicates several titles that you'll be hearing often in the next few months.
Letters From Iwo Jima is Clint Eastwood's answer to his own (excellent though little-seen) Flags of Our Fathers, only this time from the Japanese point of view. In recent years Eastwood has released other movies at the end of the year that had gotten little prior publicity, but then went on to be nominated (and win) lots of awards. A few years ago his Million Dollar Baby came out of nowhere and ended up winning Best Picture. Mystic River didn't win Best Picture, but it came out of nowhere and did very well. Now we have Iwo Jima suddenly exploding with buzz. (oh god that sounded terrible, but I don't know how to fix it)
I don't even know what the NBR is, but I have a soft spot for them because in 2001 they had the cheek to name Moulin Rouge as Best Picture, which put it on enough people's radars that it eventually ended up getting an Academy Award nomination. It had been released earlier in the year (it kicked off Cannes) and was pretty much forgotten by all except ardent fans. The NBR award suddenly brought it back into people's minds and they took another look at it. Since it and Fellowship of the Ring were my two favorite films that year, I was delighted.
National Board of Review names 'Iwo Jima' best film
First award in kudos race goes to Eastwood epic
By VARIETY STAFF
'Letters from Iwo Jima'
Clint Eastwood's 'Letters from Iwo Jima' has topped the National Board of Review's list of films
for 2006.
Clint Eastwood's "Letters From Iwo Jima" has won the National Board of Review's top prize, taking
home the first award in the kudos race for 2006.
The top 10 from the National Board of Review:
"Letters From Iwo Jima"
"Babel"
"Blood Diamond"
"The Departed"
"The Devil Wears Prada"
"Flags Of Our Fathers"
"The History Boys"
"Little Miss Sunshine"
"Notes on a Scandal"
"The Painted Veil"
I'm thrilled to see Blood Diamond and Little Miss Sunshine on that list. So far I've seen 6 of the 10, but the other 4, Iwo Jima, History Boys, Notes on a Scandal and The Painted Veil, haven't opened yet.
More NBR awards are here (http://www.nbrmp.org/awards/). Among other things, they named Cars as the Best Animated Film, An Inconvenient Truth as Best Documentary, Martin Scorsese as best director, and Volver (yay!) as Best Foregn Film. And check out those Acting awards! Hooray for Catherine O'Hara!
Letters From Iwo Jima is Clint Eastwood's answer to his own (excellent though little-seen) Flags of Our Fathers, only this time from the Japanese point of view. In recent years Eastwood has released other movies at the end of the year that had gotten little prior publicity, but then went on to be nominated (and win) lots of awards. A few years ago his Million Dollar Baby came out of nowhere and ended up winning Best Picture. Mystic River didn't win Best Picture, but it came out of nowhere and did very well. Now we have Iwo Jima suddenly exploding with buzz. (oh god that sounded terrible, but I don't know how to fix it)
I don't even know what the NBR is, but I have a soft spot for them because in 2001 they had the cheek to name Moulin Rouge as Best Picture, which put it on enough people's radars that it eventually ended up getting an Academy Award nomination. It had been released earlier in the year (it kicked off Cannes) and was pretty much forgotten by all except ardent fans. The NBR award suddenly brought it back into people's minds and they took another look at it. Since it and Fellowship of the Ring were my two favorite films that year, I was delighted.
National Board of Review names 'Iwo Jima' best film
First award in kudos race goes to Eastwood epic
By VARIETY STAFF
'Letters from Iwo Jima'
Clint Eastwood's 'Letters from Iwo Jima' has topped the National Board of Review's list of films
for 2006.
Clint Eastwood's "Letters From Iwo Jima" has won the National Board of Review's top prize, taking
home the first award in the kudos race for 2006.
The top 10 from the National Board of Review:
"Letters From Iwo Jima"
"Babel"
"Blood Diamond"
"The Departed"
"The Devil Wears Prada"
"Flags Of Our Fathers"
"The History Boys"
"Little Miss Sunshine"
"Notes on a Scandal"
"The Painted Veil"
I'm thrilled to see Blood Diamond and Little Miss Sunshine on that list. So far I've seen 6 of the 10, but the other 4, Iwo Jima, History Boys, Notes on a Scandal and The Painted Veil, haven't opened yet.
More NBR awards are here (http://www.nbrmp.org/awards/). Among other things, they named Cars as the Best Animated Film, An Inconvenient Truth as Best Documentary, Martin Scorsese as best director, and Volver (yay!) as Best Foregn Film. And check out those Acting awards! Hooray for Catherine O'Hara!