# National Board of Review Movie Awards **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 4, 2003, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/national-board-of-review-movie-awards/216953 "2003-12-04T15:34:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![well\_he\_s\_back](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/3ab097/32.png) [@well\_he\_s\_back](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/well_he_s_back)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2003, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/national-board-of-review-movie-awards/216953/1 "2003-12-04T15:34:06Z")
This organization just named Mystic River best movie of 2003. How can they do this when no one’s even seen ROTK (I know, I know - my fave won’t win any awards), Last Tom Cruise, Cold Mountain, etc.?? ---
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2003, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/national-board-of-review-movie-awards/216953/2 "2003-12-04T16:29:36Z")
Easy. They don’t follow the calendar year. Those titles will be considered for the 2004 awards. ---
**Author:** ![Interrobang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/interrobang/32/17463_2.png) [@Interrobang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Interrobang)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2003, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/national-board-of-review-movie-awards/216953/3 "2003-12-04T17:28:28Z")
Also, some critics _have_ seen ROTK, Last Samurai, and Cold Mountain. Press screenings can take place weeks before general release, especially for nationally based critics who require long lead times. ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2003, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/national-board-of-review-movie-awards/216953/4 "2003-12-04T17:35:21Z")
> [@](#): > > Easy. They don’t follow the calendar year. Those titles will be considered for the 2004 awards. No, they have seen all those films (they get early screening opportunities). _LOTR:ROTK_ did win something from them (see below). NBR lists a top 10 (not just a Best Film). Here they are (in order): **Mystic River The Last Samurai The Station Agent 21 Grams House of Sand and Fog Lost in Translation Cold Mountain In America Seabiscuit Master and Commander** _LOTR_’s omission from this list is a bit eye-opening (especially with the inclusion of the absurd _Seabiscuit_). The rest: Top Five Foreign Films _Barbarian Invasions Best of Youth Monsieur Ibrahim Autumn Spring Man on the Train_ Top Five Documentaries _The Fog of War Capturing the Friedmans My Architect Winged Migration Spellbound_ (these last 2 were nominated for last year’s Oscars) Best Actor Sean Penn, _Mystic River_ and _21 Grams_ Best Actress Diane Keaton, _Something’s Gotta Give_ Best Supporting Actor Alec Baldwin, _The Cooler_ Best Supporting Actress Patricia Clarkson, _Pieces of April_ and _The Station Agent_ Best Acting by an Ensemble _The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King_ Breakthrough Performance Actor Paul Giamatti, _American Splendor_ Breakthrough Performance Actress Charlize Theron, _Monster_ Best Director Edward Zwick, _The Last Samurai_ Best Directorial Debut Vadim Perelman, _House of Sand and Fog_ Best Adapted Screenplay _Cold Mountain_, Anthony Minghella Best Original Screenplay _In America_, Jim Sheridan, Naomi & Kirsten Sheridan Best Animated Feature _Finding Nemo_ The only films they were too late to review for the awards were _Peter Pan, Paycheck, Stuck On You_ and _Cheaper by the Dozen_. ---
**Author:** ![Equipoise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/equipoise/32/151_2.png) [@Equipoise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Equipoise)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2003, 1:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/national-board-of-review-movie-awards/216953/5 "2003-12-05T13:12:01Z")
I like how they spread the awards around, even though they completely ignored **Big Fish** and **Whale Rider** , two of the best films of the year. I’m glad they recognized **Lost In Translation** and **In America**. **Fellowship of the Ring** and **The Two Towers** weren’t on their Top 10 lists the last 2 years either. I don’t know who these people are (does anyone?) and their only claim to fame, as far as I can see, is that they’re the first “group” to announce their awards.