National Board Of Review Names Up In The Air Best Picture Of 2009

The first big award every year that is often interpreted as a bellwether of Oscar gold is the National Board of Review's award for Best Film. The board named its entire award slate today, and Jason Reitman's Up in the Air took Best Film. That's not a lock for the film as a guaranteed Best Picture contender, but it's a pretty good indication that we'll see Reitman's film in the final list of ten next year. Granted, that was already more or less a lock, so read what you will into this award. The full list of NBR awards is after the jump.

More than anything else, this is a really safe set of nods. I'm slightly surprised that Invictus didn't take Best Film, but Clint Eastwood did get Best Director. The split for Best Actor between George Clooney and Morgan Freeman only underlines that the NBR wants to honor both Up in the Air and Invictus.

All the other awards are relatively safe and predictable. Nothing wrong with that, really. But there's no surprise at all in the list, whether it's The Cove as best doc, Carey Mulligan taking Best Actress for An Education or Joel and Ethan Coen taking Best Original Screenplay for A Serious Man. (Best Original Screenplay in many awards slates always seems to be the refuge for 'interesting' or 'challenging' films.) Up won the animated film category and Woody Harrelson and Anna Kendrick got supporting actor and actress nods.

The full list of awards:

Best Film

UP IN THE AIR

Top Ten 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

Best Foreign Language Film

A PROPHET

Top Five Foreign Films

(In alphabetical order) THE MAID, REVANCHE, SONG OF SPARROWS, THREE MONKEYS, THE WHITE RIBBON

Best Documentary

THE COVE

Top Five 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 Independent Films

(In alphabetical order) AMREEKA, DISTRICT 9, GOODBYE SOLO, HUMPDAY, IN THE LOOP, JULIA, ME AND ORSON WELLES, MOON, SUGAR, TWO LOVERS

Best Actor

GEORGE CLOONEY, Up In The Air; MORGAN FREEMAN, Invictus

Best Actress

CAREY MULLIGAN, An Education

Best Supporting Actor

WOODY HARRELSON, The Messenger

Best Supporting Actress

ANNA KENDRICK, Up In The Air

Best 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

Best Director

CLINT EASTWOOD, Invictus

Best Adapted Screenplay

JASON REITMAN and SHELDON TURNER, Up In The Air

Best Original Screenplay

JOEL AND ETHAN COEN, A Serious Man

Best Animated Feature

UP

Special Filmmaking Achievement

WES ANDERSON, The Fantastic Mr. Fox

William K. Everson Award For Film History

JEAN PICKER FIRSTENBERG

Freedom Of Expression

BURMA VJ: REPORTING FROM A CLOSED COUNTRY; INVICTUS; THE MOST DANGEROUS MAN IN AMERICA: DANIEL ELLSEBERG AND THE PENTAGON PAPERS