We Care This Much: NBR Honors No Country

By S.T. VanAirsdale

Hats off to the National Board of Review for launching another anticlimactic three-month awards slog: The institution just announced it gave its 2007 Best Film hardware to No Country for Old Men, while Tim Burton claimed Best Director for Sweeney Todd, and George Clooney and Julie Christie won acting prizes for Michael Clayton and Away From Her, respectively. I guess I'm happy to see the miserably underappreciated The Assassination of Jesse James receive some love, particularly for Casey Affleck as Best Supporting Actor, but its Top 10 is getting me all hyped up for my own favorite ritual of the year. The Bucket List? Into the Wild? The Bourne Ultimatum? Like Paul Greengrass is coming to dinner after last year's NBR/United 93 stiff job. Please.

But there are bright sides, I suppose -- maybe even surprises: I'm happily stunned to see Kristi Jacobson's wonderful Toots on the list of the year's best documentaries, and while every mainstream film released in the last 90 days seems to be represented here somewhere, it's great to note Great World of Sound and Starting Out in the Evening's recognition among the year's top independent releases. Which is as condescending as it sounds, but it's the National Board of Review. There's even wine at the kids' table. Enjoy.

Follow the jump for the complete list of winners...

Best Film:
NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN

Best Director
TIM BURTON, Sweeney Todd

Best Actor
GEORGE CLOONEY, Michael Clayton

Best Actress
JULIE CHRISTIE, Away From Her

Best Supporting Actor
CASEY AFFLECK, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford

Best Supporting Actress
AMY RYAN, Gone Baby Gone

Best Foreign Film
THE DIVING BELL AND THE BUTTERFLY

Best Documentary
BODY OF WAR

Best Animated Feature
RATATOUILLE

Best Ensemble Cast
NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN

Breakthrough Performance by an Actor
EMILE HIRSCH, Into The Wild

Breakthrough Performance by an Actress
ELLEN PAGE, Juno

Best Directorial Debut
BEN AFFLECK, Gone Baby Gone

Best Original Screenplay (tie)
DIABLO CODY, Juno and NANCY OLIVER, Lars and the Real Girl

Best Adapted Screenplay
JOEL COEN and ETHAN COEN, No Country For Old Men

Top Ten Films
(In alphabetical order)
THE ASSASSINATION OF JESSE JAMES BY THE COWARD ROBERT FORD
ATONEMENT
THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM
THE BUCKET LIST
INTO THE WILD
JUNO
THE KITE RUNNER
LARS AND THE REAL GIRL
MICHAEL CLAYTON
SWEENEY TODD

Top Five Foreign Films:
(In alphabetical order)
4 MONTHS, 3 WEEKS, 2 DAYS
THE BAND’S VISIT
THE COUNTERFEITERS
LA VIE EN ROSE
LUST, CAUTION

Top Five Documentary Films
(In alphabetical order)
DARFUR NOW
IN THE SHADOW OF THE MOON
NANKING
TAXI TO THE DARKSIDE
TOOTS

Top Independent Films
(In alphabetical order)
AWAY FROM HER
GREAT WORLD OF SOUND
HONEYDRIPPER
IN THE VALLEY OF ELAH
A MIGHT HEART
THE NAMESAKE
ONCE
THE SAVAGES
STARTING OUT IN THE EVENING
WAITRESS

Career Achievement
MICHAEL DOUGLAS

William K. Everson Film History Award
ROBERT OSBORNE

Career Achievement in Cinematography
ROGER DEAKINS

The BVLGARI Award for NBR Freedom of Expression
THE GREAT DEBATERS and PERSEPOLIS

Posted at December 5, 2007 3:38 PM