The National Board of Review also liked Zero Dark Thirty, prefers Bradley Cooper
Insofar as the opinions of critical bodies have any bearing on the Oscars—which is to say, just slightly more than they do on the box office—the race may well be Zero Dark Thirty's to lose. The National Board Of Review has made one of its rare agreements with the New York Film Critics Circle and deemed Kathryn Bigelow's movie about the manhunt for Osama Bin Laden the best of the year, awarding it prizes for Best Picture, Best Director, and even Best Actress for Jessica Chastain.
The group also liked some of the other things it saw this year, but it didn't totally love them. For example, Lincoln: While Steven Spielberg's drama was included in the NBR's Top Films list, that honorable mention was its only "win," as even presumed frontrunner Daniel Day-Lewis found himself shut out by Bradley Cooper in Silver Linings Playbook. Sure, the Board asked, Day-Lewis' Lincoln may have looked and sounded impressive, but could he dance?
Other deviations from the NYFCC included recognition for Django Unchained (whose Leonardo DiCaprio earned a Best Supporting Actor nod), Looper, Wreck-It Ralph, and Compliance, all making their first appearances on lists such as these. Also, John Goodman got a special recognition for graciously showing up and being John Goodman all over the place this year. The winners:
Best Film: Zero Dark Thirty
Best Director: Kathryn Bigelow, Zero Dark Thirty
Best Actor: Bradley Cooper, Silver Linings Playbook
Best Actress: Jessica Chastain, Zero Dark Thirty
Best Supporting Actor: Leonardo DiCaprio, Django Unchained
Best Supporting Actress: Ann Dowd, Compliance
Best Original Screenplay: Rian Johnson, Looper
Best Adapted Screenplay: David O. Russell, Silver Linings Playbook Best Animated Feature: Wreck-It Ralph
Special Achievement in Filmmaking: Ben Affleck, Argo
Breakthrough Actor: Tom Holland, The Impossible
Breakthrough Actress: Quvenzhané Wallis, Beasts Of The Southern Wild
Best Directorial Debut: Benh Zeitlin, Beasts Of The Southern Wild
Best Foreign Language Film: Amour
Best Documentary: Searching For Sugarman
William K. Everson Film History Award: 50 Years Of Bond Films
Best Ensemble: Les Misérables
Spotlight Award: John Goodman (Argo, Flight, ParaNorman, Trouble With The Curve)
NBR Freedom of Expression Award: Central Park Five
NBR Freedom of Expression Award: Promised Land
Top Films (in alphabetical order)
Argo
Beasts Of The Southern Wild
Django Unchained
Les Misérables
Lincoln
Looper
The Perks Of Being A Wallflower
Promised Land
Silver Linings Playbook
Top 5 Foreign Language Films (in alphabetical order)
Barbara
The Intouchables
The Kid With A Bike
No
War Witch
Top 5 Documentaries (in alphabetical order)
Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry
Detropia
The Gatekeepers
The Invisible War
Only The Young
Top 10 Independent Films (in alphabetical order)
Arbitrage
Bernie
Compliance
End Of Watch
Hello I Must Be Going
Little Birds
Moonrise Kingdom
On The Road
Quartet
Sleepwalk With Me