National Bored of Review
Looks like it's official. The National Board of Review has a gripe against director Peter Jackson. Back in 2003, "The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King" failed to make the list of the board's top 10 best films, which ended up backfiring on NBR when "Lord" reigned undefeated at the Oscars, tying the record for most wins (11). Noticeably missing from the newest NBR roster released today was "King Kong," which was on the top 10 list released yesterday by the American Film Institute.
What's shocking about the NBR ranking is that there's nothing shocking on it. Normally we derby-watchers can count on those rascals to champion underdogs who need a push out of the kudos gate.
Photo: "Good Night, and Good Luck" is a surprisingly safe best-picture choice from the usually adventurous NBR.
(Warner Independent)
In recent years many of its awardees were curiously sexy and, sometimes, delightfully campy. When NBR hailed "Gods and Monsters" as best picture of 1998, it launched the daring gay indie Oscar-bound where it claimed the screenplay award. Mid-year release "Moulin Rouge!" could have been forgotten by December, but it was suddenly kicking up its heels and skirts after being acclaimed best picture of 2001.
Halle Berry can probably thank NBR for her Oscar. That was the only award she won for best actress up until two weeks before the Oscarcast. She didn't get the Golden Globe and had not been cited by any major film critics' award. But her candidacy was revived in the derby home stretch when her role in "Monster's Ball" pulled off a surprising upset at the Screen Actors' Guild Awards.
NBR has made daring choices that mattered as far back as 1934 when it nudged Oscar voters into doing something they rarely do — hail a comedy, and a screwball one at that: "It Happened One Night."
The board's been impacting the acting awards as far back as 1945. When the board named its champs that year, Variety reported on "the eye-opening selection of Joan Crawford as best actress" in "Mildred Pierce." That shrewd Crawford, desperate to make her self-proclaimed "big comeback" official, quickly hired a PR agent to crank up her tub-thumping and she was off to snatch her overdue Oscar.
This year the awardees are all safe — "Good Night, and Good Luck" (best picture), Philip Seymour Hoffman (best actor) and Felicity Huffman (best actress) — and don't need any help getting Globe or Oscar nominations.
What's changed? Recently there was a behind-the-scenes coup at NBR, which affects who sits on the Exceptional Photoplay Committee. This elite politburo decides the winners after considering the input of about 250 members (regular workaday Manhattan film buffs, not critics) who pay about $300 to attend private screenings throughout the year and "vote."
"The old Photoplay Committee had a very gay sensibility," says an insider. "No more."
To check out the NBR website, click here.
It's funny how everyone forgets that almost no one who votes in the NBR or any of the critics circles have anything to do with the Academy, except maybe to influence and inspire them to see the movies before sending in their ballots. You'd be amazed how many working actors and directors I interview who are asked what their favorite movie of the year is, and they've barely seen anything.
Posted by: EDouglas | December 13, 2005 at 07:17 AM
this is the best group of movies to come out in one year that i've seen in a very long time. i suppose the Academy Award is the biggie, but i like the regional awards and the foreign press, cannes, the AFI, SAG, all of them. i'd hate to see Crash overlooked, even though this year is crowded with exquisite film-making. by the way, did Brave Heart win anything anywhere before snagging the oscars?
Posted by: teri | December 13, 2005 at 12:07 AM
HALLE BERRY WIN WAS ONE OF THE BIGGEST RIP OFFS IN ALL AWARDS HISTORY ! REMEMBER THE GREAT ACTRESS SISSY... IN '' IN THE BEDROOM '' ? SHE WON MOST OF THE AWARDS GIVEN THAT YEAR. THIS YEAR WHAT ABOUT RUSSELL, AND PAUL FOR '' CINDERELLA MAN " THE BEST PICTURE OF THE YEAR !
Posted by: ROBERT | December 12, 2005 at 09:20 PM
I don't buy into the whole premise of O'Neil's article: that voters in the National Board of Review are trying to somehow forecast or "nudging" Oscar voters. My sense of NBR is that they view their role as offering a slightly more academic - even lofty - tilt to determining any year's best films. They're a particular voting block of members who are what they are: who says they're trying to act in some other fashion? That's nonsense. Looking back on the long history of any award giving group - NY Film Critics, NBR, Golden Globes - it's possible to pick and chose all sorts of examples where winners where the same as the Academy's picks. Surely that's to be expected since in any given year there are usually only about a dozen movies that even warrant any special recognition for merit.
Posted by: Brendino | December 12, 2005 at 06:39 PM
The "gay sensibility" comment disturbes me. That would be pretty awful if the coup involved sexuality instead of administrative concerns. Anyway, Tom...you do a fantastic job. Don't worry. Although, I do miss the old Gold Derby site.
Give us some updates on Julianne Moore's bid for Oscar nom #5.
Posted by: MidtownATL | December 12, 2005 at 04:33 PM
Halle Berry won the NBR, the Berlin Film Festival, the SAG and the OScar. I think she won because dvds went out to the Academy but mainly because she's hot and showed her breasts, that always helps. Yes, her performance was top notch anyway, but throw in that rare cinematic breed, the topless A-lister and well, tongues went to wagging.
AS for the NBR's current choices, safe, dull but they could have been worse. Munich could have won Best Picture. Or The Producers could have made the cut. Horror!
Posted by: Kahlo | December 12, 2005 at 03:44 PM