And So It Begins...

The National Board of Review named its film awards today, officially kicking off the award season that leads up to the Oscars in February. In the following weeks, the LA Film Critics and NY Film Critics will make their picks and the Globe nominations will be announced. Now, I know you don't know what the National Board of Review is (I don't either). And I know most people could care less about yet another meaningless group of awards. But NBR is, in a way, the Iowa Caucus of Oscar season. Solely by coming first, it can anoint an Obama or distract with a Huckabee. So here's what it came up with this year:

Best Film - Slumdog Millionaire
Best Director - David Fincher, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Best Actor - Clint Eastwood, Gran Torino
Best Actress - Anne Hathaway, Rachel Getting Married
Best Supporting Actor - Josh Brolin, Milk
Best Supporting Actress - Penelope Cruz, Vicky Christina Barcelona
Best Original Screenplay - Gran Torino
Best Adapted Screenplay - Slumdog Millionaire, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Best Foreign Film - Mongol
Best Animated Film - Wall-E
Best Documentary - Man on Wire
Best Ensemble - Doubt

Top 10 movies after the winner:

Burn After Reading
Changeling
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Dark Knight
Defiance
Frost/Nixon
Gran Torino
Milk
Wall-E
The Wrestler

Lessons to take away: Slumdog Millionaire and Benjamin Button are still top contenders. I may have to see Gran Torino after all. Defiance might be decent (but probably isn't). The biggest take-aways are what were left out. Revolutionary Road, The Reader, Doubt, and Australia are all MIA on the top 10 list. There Will Be Blood wasn't on NBR's list last year, so it might not mean anything. But it could signal that these movies aren't so popular with voting groups.

I'm planning to see Frost/Nixon tonight. I'll let you know how it is soon.