Put on your golden Oscar hat and get ready to complain about snubs and flubs: It’s officially Awards Season, the happiest time of the year—or at least it is for the people who win awards and those of us who care about the outfits that celebrities wear on the various red carpets. The National Board Of Review kicked things off this morning with a fabulous gala event that was actually a thrilling email press release, announcing the winners of its various year-end awards in a very smart and streamlined way that saves us from having to sit through any boring speeches (the Academy Awards ceremony is a fun show, but we’d all be happier if they just sent out an email beforehand that listed all of the winners).
Anyway, the awards themselves will be handed out at an actual gala event in January, but let’s move on to who’s winning those awards. As spoiled by the headline, Martin Scorsese’s The Irishman was named the Best Film of 2019, with NBR President Annie Schulhof referring to the film as a “masterful mob epic” that is a “rich, moving, beautifully textured movie that represents the best in what cinema can be.” Scorsese, Robert De Niro, and Al Pacino also received the organizations first-ever Icon Award, acknowledging both the success of their respective careers and just how good The Irishman was (no love for Joe Pesci, apparently).
Quentin Tarantino was named Best Director for Once Upon A Time…In Hollywood, with brad Pitt also getting Best Supporting Actor for that film. Best Actor went to Adam Sandler for Uncut Gems (he seems like a rising star to keep an eye on) and Renée Zellweger won Best Actress for Judy. Supporting Actress went to Kathy Bates for Richard Jewell.
The full list of awards is below, along with the alphabetized lists of Top Films.
Best Film: The Irishman
Best Director: Quentin Tarantino, Once Upon A Time…in Hollywood
Best Actor: Adam Sandler, Uncut Gems
Best Actress: Renée Zellweger, Judy
Best Supporting Actor: Brad Pitt, Once Upon A Time…in Hollywood
Best Supporting Actress: Kathy Bates, Richard Jewell
Best Original Screenplay: Josh Safdie, Benny Safdie, Ronald Bronstein, Uncut Gems
Best Adapted Screenplay: Steven Zaillian, The Irishman
Breakthrough Performance: Paul Walter Hauser, Richard Jewell
Best Directorial Debut: Melina Matsoukas, Queen & Slim
Best Animated Feature: How To Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World
Best Foreign Language Film: Parasite
Best Documentary: Maiden
Best Ensemble: Knives Out
Outstanding Achievement In Cinematography: Roger Deakins, 1917
NBR Icon Award: Martin Scorsese, Robert De Niro, Al Pacino
NBR Freedom Of Expression Award: For Sama
NBR Freedom Of Expression Award: Just Mercy
Top Films (in alphabetical order):
1917
Dolemite Is My Name
Ford V Ferrari
Jojo Rabbit
Knives Out
Marriage Story
Once Upon A Time…in Hollywood
Richard Jewell
Uncut Gems
Waves
Top 5 Foreign Language Films (in alphabetical order):
Atlantics
Invisible Life
Pain And Glory
Portrait Of A Lady On Fire
Transit
Top 5 Documentaries (in alphabetical order):
American Factory
Apollo 11
The Black Godfather
Rolling Thunder Revue: A Bob Dylan Story By Martin Scorsese
Wrestle
Top 10 Independent Films (in alphabetical order)
The Farewell
Give Me Liberty
A Hidden Life
Judy
The Last Black Man In San Francisco
Midsommar
The Nightingale
The Peanut Butter Falcon
The Souvenir
Wild Rose