TFF #36/Oscar Clearinghouse and The National Board of Review

Invictus had a good day from the National Board of Review...Up in the Air's day was better...

The first real bell rang yesterday with the announcement from the National Board of Review of their choices for film excellence for 2009...good day for "Up in the Air"...

Here's their complete list:

Awards for 2009:
Best Film UP IN THE AIR

Top Ten Films(In alphabetical order) AN EDUCATION, (500) DAYS OF SUMMER, THE HURT LOCKER, INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS, INVICTUS, THE MESSENGER, A SERIOUS MAN, STAR TREK, UP, WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE

Best Foreign Language Film A PROPHET

Top Five Foreign Films(In alphabetical order) THE MAID, REVANCHE, SONG OF SPARROWS, THREE MONKEYS, THE WHITE RIBBON

Best Documentary THE COVE

Top Five Documentaries(In alphabetical order) BURMA VJ: REPORTING FROM A CLOSED COUNTRY, CRUDE, FOOD, INC., GOOD HAIR, THE MOST DANGEROUS MAN IN AMERICA: DANIEL ELLSBERG AND THE PENTAGON PAPERS

Top Independent Films(In alphabetical order) AMREEKA, DISTRICT 9, GOODBYE SOLO, HUMPDAY, IN THE LOOP, JULIA, ME AND ORSON WELLES, MOON, SUGAR, TWO LOVERS

Best ActorGEORGE CLOONEY, Up In The Air; MORGAN FREEMAN, Invictus

Best Actress CAREY MULLIGAN, An Education

Best Supporting Actor WOODY HARRELSON, The Messenger

Best Supporting Actress ANNA KENDRICK, Up In The Air

Best Ensemble Cast IT'S COMPLICATED

Breakthrough Performance by an Actor JEREMY RENNER, The Hurt Locker

Breakthrough Performance by an Actress GABOUREY SIDIBE, Precious

Spotlight Award for Best Directorial Debut DUNCAN JONES, Moon; OREN MOVERMAN, The Messenger; MARC WEBB, (500) Days of Summer

Best Director CLINT EASTWOOD, Invictus

Best Adapted Screenplay JASON REITMAN and SHELDON TURNER, Up In The Air

Best Original Screenplay JOEL AND ETHAN COEN, A Serious Man

Best Animated Feature UP

Special Filmmaking Achievement WES ANDERSON, The Fantastic Mr. Fox

William K. Everson Award For Film History JEAN PICKER FIRSTENBERG

Freedom Of Expression BURMA VJ: REPORTING FROM A CLOSED COUNTRY; INVICTUS; THE MOST DANGEROUS MAN IN AMERICA: DANIEL ELLSBERG AND THE PENTAGON PAPERS

TFF #36 players on NBR's awards list are: UITA gets Picture, Actor, Supporting Actress and Screenplay. AN EDUCATION gets Actress and Top Ten. Zip for The Road, Bright Star and The Last Station...

The only film playing in UITA's league on the NBR list was Clint Eastwood's Invictus...which got the directing nod for him plus a Best Actor tie with Clooney for Morgan Freeman and Top Ten as well as a nod on their "Freedom of Expression" list...

Other TFF films making noise on NBR's lists...A Prophet (Best Foreign), The White Ribbon (Top Five Foreign)...and Revanche from TFF #35 (Top Five Foreign).

MIA...Precious got one notice for Gabby Sidibe's "Breakthrough Female Performance". So is the "Precious" boom over??? Backlash anyone?

...and nothing yet from Avatar, Nine, or The Lovely Bones (purportedly Nine and Bones have been "seen" by the NBR folks and Avatar still not so much).

New York and LA film critics choices are just around the corner...what will they tell us?