NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN
NAMED 2007 BEST FILM OF THE YEAR BY THE
NATIONAL BOARD OF REVIEW
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George Clooney and Julie Christie Named Best Actor and Best Actress

Michael Douglas is honored with the Career Achievement Award

THE GREAT DEBATERS and PERSEPOLIS win the
The BVLGARI Award for NBR Freedom of Expression

***

New York, NY – December 5th, 2007 – The National Board of Review of Motion Pictures named NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN the 2007 Best Film of the Year. Directed by Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, released by Miramax and Paramount Vantage on November 21st, the film is based on Cormac McCarthy’s novel. It simultaneously strips down the American crime drama and broadens its concerns to encompass themes as ancient as the Bible, and as bloodily contemporary as this morning’s headlines.

For Best Actor and Actress of 2007, the NBR honors two artists whose performances were truly outstanding. The 2007 Best Actor, GEORGE CLOONEY, was selected for his performance in the title role of Michael Clayton. For the 2007 Best Actress honor, the NBR has selected JULIE CHRISTIE for her performance in Away From Her.

Below is a full list of the awards given by the National Board of Review:

Best Film: NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN
Best Director: TIM BURTON, Sweeney Todd
Best Actor: GEORGE CLOONEY, Michael Clayton
Best Actress: JULIE CHRISTIE, Away From Her
Best Supporting Actor: CASEY AFFLECK, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
Best Supporting Actress: AMY RYAN, Gone Baby Gone
Best Foreign Film: THE DIVING BELL AND THE BUTTERFLY
Best Documentary: BODY OF WAR
Best Animated Feature: RATATOUILLE
Best Ensemble Cast: NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN
Breakthrough Performance by an Actor: EMILE HIRSCH, Into The Wild
Breakthrough Performance by an Actress: ELLEN PAGE, Juno
Best Directorial Debut: BEN AFFLECK, Gone Baby Gone
Best Original Screenplay (tie):
DIABLO CODY, Juno and NANCY OLIVER, Lars and the Real Girl
Best Adapted Screenplay: JOEL COEN and ETHAN COEN, No Country For Old Men

Top Ten Films:
(In alphabetical order)
THE ASSASSINATION OF JESSE JAMES BY THE COWARD ROBERT FORD
ATONEMENT
THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM
THE BUCKET LIST
INTO THE WILD
JUNO
THE KITE RUNNER
LARS AND THE REAL GIRL
MICHAEL CLAYTON
SWEENEY TODD

Top Five Foreign Films:
(In alphabetical order)
4 MONTHS, 3 WEEKS, 2 DAYS
THE BAND’S VISIT
THE COUNTERFEITERS
LA VIE EN ROSE
LUST, CAUTION


Top Five Documentary Films
(In alphabetical order)
DARFUR NOW
IN THE SHADOW OF THE MOON
NANKING
TAXI TO THE DARKSIDE
TOOTS

Top Independent Films
(In alphabetical order)
AWAY FROM HER
GREAT WORLD OF SOUND
HONEYDRIPPER
IN THE VALLEY OF ELAH
A MIGHT HEART
THE NAMESAKE
ONCE
THE SAVAGES
STARTING OUT IN THE EVENING
WAITRESS

Career Achievement – MICHAEL DOUGLAS
William K. Everson Film History Award – ROBERT OSBORNE
Career Achievement in Cinematography – ROGER DEAKINS
The BVLGARI Award for NBR Freedom of Expression – THE GREAT DEBATERS and PERSEPOLIS

No Country, no surprise.

Burton!

Clooney ... huh. Very good performance, but over Depp and Lewis?

Lars and Bucket List are definitley the huh? choices this year. Could Reiner have made a good movie again? Wtf!

Hooray for Burton!

Wow at all the acting wins. Clooney, Amy Ryans, and Casey Affleck. Wasn't expecting those.

Peace,
Mike

Expected win for NCFOM, but that win for Burton is good for its odds.

Clooney winning Actor is BIG, especially since the Actor winner the last four years went on to WIN the Oscar. Clooney won't since he won two years ago, but I think he's now up there with Day-Lewis and Depp.

Christie is also a good win for her, solidifying her stance in the race.

Affleck's win is also big, as it shows there's passion for the film which has sorely underperformed.

Ryan is in a tough spot, as NBR is 3 for 7 this decade for S. Actress, but it sure as hell doesn't hurt.

Atonement didn't get much, but it still made the Top Ten, unlike There Will Be Blood, which was completely snubbed. Damn.

As for the rest of the Top Ten, THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM! There really is a lot of random there though. THE BUCKET LIST? LARS AND THE REAL GIRL? And of course The Kite Runner. Whack. And no Hairspray, damn,

All Once gets is a mention as one of the Top Ten Independent films. Not cool.

This race got all kinds of interesting. And this is a pretty major boost for NCFOM. How many BP winners here are also won two other awards?

I really like these winners. A bunch of surprises. And a much-deserved win for No Country.

That top ten is bizarre, though.

Well, if the past 6 years of NBR recent history mean anything, the win for No Country means a guaranteed nom at the Oscars for Best Picture, but a lack of a win. Then again, No Country cleaned up well with Adapted Screenplay and Ensemble wins too.

It wasn't able to snab Best Director though. Yay Burton!

Peace,
Mike

Seriously. Before an hour ago I would've said only 5, maybe 6 of these films had legit BP contenders. 3 of them struck me as having no chance in hell.

Still, that Bourne mention is so many kinds of awesome, especially since it has a great chance at a BFCA nom in a couple weeks. It still has the best score of the year from them.

And this is REALLY bad for TWBB. Not even mustering a Top Ten mention?

I think Blood might be in trouble for a nom. The reviews are great so far, but it feels like it's a movie that will alienate the academy and a couple of them mention that. And No Country and Sweeney seemingly have emerged as the stronger of the "daring" choices. Plus it could end up grossing something like 15 mil total.

Where is there 11 films in the top 10?

THE ASSASSINATION OF JESSE JAMES BY THE COWARD ROBERT FORD
ATONEMENT
THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM
THE BUCKET LIST
INTO THE WILD
JUNO
THE KITE RUNNER
LARS AND THE REAL GIRL
MICHAEL CLAYTON
SWEENEY TODD

Those are listed in the top 10, but NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN is listed as the top film. Did NBR change their rules?

Peace,
Mike

Top 10 runner-up list is kind of weird. Lars and the Real Girl?

Clooney is locked in as a nomination. Michael Clayton also has a decent shot at a Picture nomination, imo.

Go Amy Ryan!

The love they showed toward one film is kind of unprecedented. They truly love NCFOM.

I have been somewhat suspecting The Bucket List could show up. Jack's performance is being mentioned by at least one article I read as one of the best of the year. But he never disappoints anyway.

Big wins for Clooney, Affleck, and Ryan.

No Charlie Wilson's War and TWBB. Look like NCFOM and Sweeney Todd could be the two bloody films getting in, and there may not be a place for the third.

Look like it; I noticed the same thing on foreign film and documentary first (didn't count the best film list).

No American Gangster, thank god!!!!

I'm happy for Lars and the Real Girl

That seems so weird to me. If there are 11 films, it's not a Top 10 list. Heh. And this is the first year they've done that.

Peace,
Mike

He got snubbed last year for Marky freaking Mark, so he's not a shoo-in anymore. He does have a shot though, which might not be saying much the way that category is crowded.

And I completely forgot about CCW. That's also DOA.

I'm shocked it's emerging as any kind of Oscar film, but yeah, I agree. It seems to have more momentum than Charlie, Gangster, Hairspray.

I wouldn't be shocked if it ended up No Country/Sweeney Todd/Atonement/Michael Clayton/Into the Wild or something wild like that.

Yeah, I believe American Gangster will start fading from this point on, if it hasn't already. I don't see where it could pop up. BFCA's score is only average, and the competition for GG Drama is still strong even with all the films categorized as comedy.

So, Once, The Savages and In the Valley of Elah were never really possibilities for the Best Film list then, since they've all been classified as "Independent".

Peace,
Mike

After this I feel pretty good about NCFOM, Sweeney Todd, Atonement, and Juno, with the fifth spot being contended by various films like Into the Wild, The Kite Runner, CWW, TWBB, etc., although if I remember right, rarely all five nominees show up on NBR's list.

I agree with all that except for the Juno bit. I'm still iffy on that film.

Peace,
Mike

I think they're all eligible for the best film list, and the ones that didn't get in and still fit the description would get pushed to the indie list.

Kinda surprised that Julie Christie won over Marion Cotillard (even though she was the runner up in my predictions)!

Happy nonetheless!!

And Away from Her made the top 10 Independent films as well!

Don't forget Lars and the Real Girl. Seriously, that's just a whack mention.

Ten again, they also mentioned eventual snubees History Boys and Painted Veil last year along with Devil Wears Prada, Flags of Our Fathers and Blood Diamond, so we shouldn't read TOO much into these random mentions.

And I too remain iffy on Juno. Not just that it's small, it's just so...young. What was the last film as teen-centric to gain traction?

Yeah, that top ten list is made even more bizarre with the fact that there's eleven films.

Seriously, The Bucket List? Lars and the Real Girl? Bourne? I love Bourne, but it's not the type of film that usually wins these things. Maybe it's a sign of (good) things to come.