The second major critics organization has announced its Best of 2012 winners, and director Kathryn Bigelow’s drama Zero Dark Thirty is once again the victor. The National Board of Review named Zero Dark Thirty the best film of the year, also awarding Kathryn Bigelow with Best Director and Jessica Chastain with Best Actress. Bradley Cooper bested heavyweight Daniel Day-Lewis for the Best Actor trophy for his work in Silver Linings Playbook, while Leonardo DiCaprio and Ann Dowd took home the supporting awards for Django Unchained and Compliance, respectively. Other notable wins include Rian Johnson’s Looper script winning Best Original Screenplay (huzzah!) and Les Miserables being named Best Ensemble, with The Perks of Being a Wallflower (huzzah again!) and Argo making the Top 10 list.
It certainly looks like the critics will be rallying around Zero Dark Thirty this year, but as we’ve seen many times in the past, the critics’ pick doesn’t always match up with Oscar. Since 2000, only two NBR Best Film winners have gone on to win the Oscar: No Country for Old Men and Slumdog Millionaire. Other past NBR Best Film winners include Hugo, The Social Network, and Up in the Air. Hit the jump for the full list of 2012′s honorees.
New York, NY – (December 5, 2012) – The National Board of Review has named ZERO DARK THIRTY the 2012 Best Film of the Year.
Below is a full list of the awards given by the National Board of Review:
Best Film: ZERO DARK THIRTY
Best Director: Kathryn Bigelow, ZERO DARK THIRTY
Best Actor: Bradley Cooper, SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK
Best Actress: Jessica Chastain, ZERO DARK THIRTY
Best Supporting Actor: Leonardo DiCaprio, DJANGO UNCHAINED
Best Supporting Actress: Ann Dowd, COMPLIANCE
Best Original Screenplay: Rian Johnson, LOOPER
Best Adapted Screenplay: David O. Russell, SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK
Best Animated Feature: WRECK-IT RALPH
Special Achievement in Filmmaking: Ben Affleck, ARGO
Breakthrough Actor: Tom Holland, THE IMPOSSIBLE
Breakthrough Actress: Quvenzhané Wallis, BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD
Best Directorial Debut: Benh Zeitlin, BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD
Best Foreign Language Film: AMOUR
Best Documentary: SEARCHING FOR SUGARMAN
William K.Everson Film History Award: 50 YEARS OF BOND FILMS
Best Ensemble: LES MISÉRABLES
Spotlight Award: John Goodman (ARGO, FLIGHT, PARANORMAN, TROUBLE WITH THE CURVE)
NBR Freedom of Expression Award: CENTRAL PARK FIVE
NBR Freedom of Expression Award: PROMISED LAND
Top 10 Films and other lists after the cut.
Top Films
(in alphabetical order)
ARGO
BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD
DJANGO UNCHAINED
LES MISÉRABLES
LINCOLN
LOOPER
THE PERKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER
PROMISED LAND
SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK
Top 5 Foreign Language Films
(In Alphabetical Order)
BARBARA
THE INTOUCHABLES
THE KID WITH A BIKE
NO
WAR WITCH
Top 5 Documentaries
(In Alphabetical Order)
AI WEIWEI: NEVER SORRY
DETROPIA
THE GATEKEEPERS
THE INVISIBLE WAR
ONLY THE YOUNG
Top 10 Independent Films
(In Alphabetical Order)
ARBITRAGE
BERNIE
COMPLIANCE
END OF WATCH
HELLO I MUST BE GOING
LITTLE BIRDS
MOONRISE KINGDOM
ON THE ROAD
QUARTET
SLEEPWALK WITH ME
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Showrunner Kurt Sutter Talks SONS OF ANARCHY Season 5 Finale, Season 6, and Whether Season 7 Will Really Be the Last
But No Country for Old Men actually won the Best Picture Oscar…
Didn’t mean to infer that it hadn’t, though my wording was misleading. I’ve reworked the sentence.
It’s still pretty early, but some are thinking ZDT might follow No Country’s path to Oscar.
Is there any possibility that Django Unchained receive any Oscars?(movie,acting,directing…)
Happy Leo won! But uhhh, why is THE MASTER not getting any love??
I’m happy The Master isn’t getting any love. I hated that movie. Joaquin Phoenix and Philip Seymour Hoffman deserve Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor nominations, but that’s it imo.
IMO it is the best film I have seen all year besides moonrise kingdom and Argo…PTA is a great director and THE MASTER wasn’t his masterpeice (there will be blood was) but it was still a great flick! I can’t wait until its DVD release!…and even though phoneix stated he doesn’t want to be nominated, he better win that award! No other actor’s performance comes close to his Freddie quails character.
I wouldn’t be surpised if The Master got no nominations. Most people seem to hate the film. We’ll see if PTA can recover.
I think The Master still has a chance to sneak in. Sure the buzz has dived off and it’s a pretty polarizing film but the ones who love it really do love it. Remember last year with The Tree of Life? Another movie where many people either loved or hated it.
This isn’t a People Chocie Awards… I really love this movie!!!
really not 1 nomination for the master? putting looper and perks of being a wallflower for best film seems legit.
I think The Master still has a chance to sneak in. Sure the buzz has dived off and it\’s a pretty polarizing film but the ones who love it really do love it. Remember last year with The Tree of Life? Another movie where many people either loved or hated it.
What a crock of shit.
They’re really making an effort to CONVINCE us that they killed Osama Bin Laden.
Very fishy.
fishy? i see what you did there
Very fishy, indeed…. that Osama is sleeping with the fishes!!
Is this the year the stars finally line up for leo to get an oscar for Django? At this time, I think his only big threat , unless someone comes out of left field, would be Seymour Hoffman or Joaquin Phoenix depending on how they divvy up the categories.