Up In The Air named best film of 2009 by NBR
Story by Jack Foley
GEORGE Clooney’s Oscar tipped comedy drama Up In The Air has been named film of the year by America’s National Board of Review.
Adapted from the novel by Walter Kirn, Jason Reitman’s film follows the fortunes of a corporate down-sizer with a penchant for travelling whose own personal life is about to experience some turbulence.
Clooney also shared the best actor prize with Morgan Freeman for Nelson Mandela movie Incivtus, while co-star Anna Kendrick was named best supporting actress and Reitman and Shelton Turner took the best adapted screenplay.
The National Board of Review’s selections are often seen as a good early guide for which films will feature prominently in the awards season.
This bodes well for British actress Carey Mulligan, who was named best actress for her performance in An Education.
The board, whose membership is made up of academics, film professionals and students, named its top 10 films for 2009 as An Education, (500) Days of Summer, The Hurt Locker, Inglourious Basterds, Invictus, The Messenger, A Serious Man, Star Trek, Up and Where the Wild Things Are.
The best indie films were Amreeka, South African sci-fi hit District 9, Goodbye Solo, Humpday, In the Loop, Julia, Me & Orson Welles, Moon, Sugar and Two Lovers.
While Duncan Jones (Moon), Oren Moverman (The Messenger) and Marc Webb ((500) Days) shared the prize for directorial debut.
The NBR winners in full:
Film: Up in the Air
Director: Clint Eastwood, Invictus
Actor: George Clooney, Up in the Air
Morgan Freeman, Invictus
Actress: Carey Mulligan, An Education
Supporting Actor: Woody Harrelson, The Messenger
Supporting Actress: Anna Kendrick, Up in the Air
Foreign Language Film: A Prophet
Documentary: The Cove
Animated Feature: Up
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
Original Screenplay: Joel and Ethan Coen, A Serious Man
Adapted Screenplay: Jason Reitman and Sheldon Turner, Up in the Air
Special Filmmaking Achievement Award: Wes Anderson, Fantastic Mr Fox
NBR Freedom Of Expression: Burma Vj: Reporting From A Closed Country
Invictus
The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellseberg and the Pentagon Papers
Ten Best 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
Five Best Foreign-Language Films (in alphabetical order)
The Maid
Revanche
Song Of Sparrows
Three Monkeys
The White Ribbon
Five Best 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 Ten Independent Films (in alphabetical order)
Amreeka
District 9
Goodbye Solo
Humpday
In the Loop
Julia
Me & Orson Welles
Moon
Sugar
Two Lovers