National Board of Review's Best of the Year

News

Source: Variety

Variety is reporting that the National Board of Review has selected Clint Eastwood’s Letters From Iwo Jima as the Best Picture of 2006.

Iwo Jima was slated to hit theaters in the Spring of ’07, but with Flags of our Fathers flatlining at the domestic box office, Warner Bros. has speeded up its arrival to theaters.

The film details the Battle of Iwo Jima, but unlike Flags this Eastwood picture is told from the perspective of the Japanese.

Besides selecting the Best Picture of 2006, the NBR has also recognized other remarkable films, as well as dish out directing and acting honors.

Best Director – MARTIN SCORSESE (The Departed)

Best Actor – FOREST WHITAKER (The Last King of Scotland)

Best Actress – HELEN MIRREN (The Queen)

Best Supporting Actor – DJIMON HOUNSOU (Blood Diamond)

Best Supporting Actress – CATHERINE O’HARA (For Your Consideration)

Best Foreign Film – VOLVER

Best Documentary – AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH

Best Animated Feature – CARS

Best Ensemble Cast – THE DEPARTED

Breakthrough Performance by an Actor – RYAN GOSLING (Half Nelson)

Breakthrough Performance by an Actress – (tie)
JENNIFER HUDSON (Dreamgirls) and RINKO KIKUCHI (Babel)

Best Directorial Debut – JASON REITMAN (Thank You for Smoking)

Best Original Screenplay – ZACH HELM (Stranger Than Fiction)

Best Adapted Screenplay – RON NYSWANER (The Painted Veil)

The top 10 from the National Board of Review:

“Letters From Iwo Jima”

“Babel”

“Blood Diamond”

“The Departed”

“The Devil Wears Prada”

“Flags Of Our Fathers”

“The History Boys”

“Little Miss Sunshine”

“Notes on a Scandal”

“The Painted Veil”

Top Five Foreign Films:

“Volver”

“Curse of the Golden Flower”

“Days of Glory”

“Pan’s Labyrinth”

“Water”

Top Five Documentary Films:

“An Inconvenient Truth”

“51 Birch Street”

“Iraq in Fragments”

“Shut Up & Sing”

“Wordplay”

Top Independent Films (in alphabetical order):

“Akeelah and the Bee”

“Bobby”

“Catch a Fire”

“Copying Beethoven”

“A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints”

“Half Nelson”

“The Illusionist”

“Lonesome Jim”

“Sherrybaby”

“10 Items or Less”

“Thank You for Smoking”

Career Achievement – ELI WALLACH

Billy Wilder Award for Excellence in Directing – JONATHAN DEMME

Career Achievement in Producing – IRWIN WINKLER

William K. Everson Film History Award – DONALD KRIM

The BVLGARI Award for NBR Freedom of Expression – WATER and WORLD TRADE CENTER

Travis Leamons is one of the Inside Pulse Originals and currently holds the position of Managing Editor at Inside Pulse Movies. He's told that the position is his until he's dead or if "The Boss" can find somebody better. I expect the best and I give the best. Here's the beer. Here's the entertainment. Now have fun. That's an order!