NBR SELECTS A MOST VIOLENT YEAR AS BOYHOOD SHUT OUT

Once again, the National Board of Review has selected a curious choice of films in its annual list of the best of the year. J. C. Chandor's A Most Violent Year surprises by taking three top awards; NBR favourite Clint Eastwood wins in an unpopular choice for Best Director for American Sniper. NYFCC winner and current Oscar frontrunner Boyhood fails to pick up a single award; faring even worse, unfortunately, is Ava DuVernay's Selma - the well-reviewed historical drama doesn't even appear on any of the group's Top 10 lists, although it does pick up a Freedom of Expression award. An encouraging point: between today's awards and yesterday's NYFCC, 2/2 winners for First Film / Directorial Debut are female, and I'm delighted to see the new feminist classic, Gett: The Trial of Viviane Amsalem in the Best Foreign Language Film mix. Full details below:

Best Film

• A Most Violent Year
  
• American Sniper
• Birdman
• Boyhood
• Fury
• Gone Girl
• The Imitation Game
• Inherent Vice
• The LEGO Movie
• Nightcrawler
• Unbroken

Best Director

Clint Eastwood (American Sniper)

Best Actor

Oscar Isaac (A Most Violent Year)

Michael Keaton (Birdman)

Best Actress

Julianne Moore (Still Alice)

Best Supporting Actor

Edward Norton (Birdman)

Best Supporting Actress

Jessica Chastain (A Most Violent Year)

Best Original Screenplay

Phil Lord and Christopher Miller (The LEGO Movie)

Best Adapted Screenplay

Paul Thomas Anderson (Inherent Vice)

Best Ensemble

Fury

Best Animated Feature

How to Train Your Dragon 2

Best Documentary

• Life Itself
  
• Art and Craft
• Jodorowsky's Dune
• Keep On Keepin' On
• The Kill Team
• Last Days in Vietnam

Best Foreign Language Film

• Wild Tales
  
• Force Majeure
• Gett: The Trial of Viviane Amsalem
• Leviathan
• Two Days, One Night
• We Are the Best!

Best Independent Film

• Blue Ruin
  
• Locke
• A Most Wanted Man
• Mr. Turner
• Obvious Child
• The Skeleton Twins
• Snowpiercer
• Stand Clear of the Closing Doors
• Starred Up
• Still Alice

Best Directorial Debut

Gillian Robespierre (Obvious Child)

Best Breakthrough Performance

Jack O'Connell (Starred Up / Unbroken)

Freedom of Expression Award

Rosewater

Selma

Spotlight Award

Chris Rock for writing, directing and starring (Top Five)

William K. Everson Film History Award

Scott Eyman