Nat'l Board of Review Picks "Social Network" Best Film
NEW YORK (CBS) "The Social Network" took top honors from the National Board of Review, which named the drama about the founding of Facebook Best Film of 2010.
The film also won for Best Director (David Fincher), Best Actor (Jesse Eisenberg, portraying Mark Zuckerberg), and Best Adapted Screenplay (Aaron Sorkin).
"We believe the film portrays a dramatic story that will stand up over time and appeal to many generations," said NBR President Annie Schulhof.
Lesley Manville was chosen as Best Actress for her performance as a desperate divorcee in Mike Leigh's poignant "Another Year."
Christian Bale won Best Supporting Actor as the brother of a welterweight boxer played by Mark Wahlberg in David O. Russell's "The Fighter."
Jacki Weaver's portrayal of a crime family's matriarch in the Australian drama "Animal Kingdom" earned her Best Supporting Actress.
Jennifer Lawrence, the young star of the Ozark drama "Winter's Bone," won the Breakout Performance Award.
In addition to "Social Network," the NBR named among its Ten Best Films of 2010: "Another Year"; "The Fighter"; Clint Eastwood's "Hereafter"; Christopher Nolan's mindbending spectacular "Inception"; "The King's Speech," about King George VI and his speech therapist; Martin Scorsese's spooky "Shutter Island"; Ben Affleck's heist film "The Town"; the Pixar romp "Toy Story 3"; "True Grit," a western from the Coen Brothers; and "Winter's Bone."
Horror/thrillers did very well this year with the NBR: Original Screenplay went to Chris Sparling for "Buried," in which a kidnapped contractor in Iraq finds himself inside a coffin. The group also cited "Let Me In" and "Monsters" on its list of top independent films, and awarded "Shutter Island" for its production design.
"Toy Story 3" copped Best Animated Feature, while "The Illusionist" director Sylvain Chomet and the film's writer, famed filmmaker Jacques Tati, were honored with their Spotlight Award.
The National Board of Review, founded in 1909, is a NewYork City-based organization comprised of more than 100 filmmakers, academics and film enthusiasts. Their choice of the Ten Best films traditionally kicks off the year-end announcements of films critics' picks.
Last year, the NBR picked "Up in the Air" as Best Film.
The complete list of winners follows:
Best Film: "The Social Network"
Ten Best Films of the Year (in alphabetical order):
"Another Year"
"The Fighter"
"Hereafter"
"Inception"
"The King's Speech"
"Shutter Island"
"The Town"
"Toy Story 3"
"True Grit"
"Winter's Bone"
Best Actor: Jesse Eisenberg, "The Social Network"
Best Actress: Lesley Manville, "Another Year"
Best Supporting Actor: Christian Bale, "The Fighter"
Best Supporting Actress: Jacki Weaver, "Animal Kingdom"
Best Ensemble Cast: "The Town"
Breakthrough Performance: Jennifer Lawrence, "Winter's Bone"
Best Director: David Fincher, "The Social Network"
Debut Directors: Sebastian Junger and Tim Hetherington, "Restrepo"
Best Adapted Screenplay: Aaron Sorkin, "The Social Network"
Spotlight Award: Sylvain Chomet and Jacques Tati, "The Illusionist"
Best Original Screenplay: Chris Sparling, "Buried"
Best Animated Feature: "Toy Story 3"
Best Foreign Language Film: "Of Gods and Men"
Top Five Foreign Films (in alphabetical order):
"I Am Love"
"Incendies"
"Life, Above All"
"Soul Kitchen"
"White Material"
Best Documentary: "Waiting for 'Superman'"
Top Five Documentaries (in alphabetical order):
"A Film Unfinished"
"Inside Job"
"Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work"
"Restrepo"
"The Tillman Story"
Top Independent Films (in alphabetical order):
"Animal Kingdom"
"Buried"
"Fish Tank"
"The Ghost Writer"
"Greenberg"
"Let Me In"
"Monsters"
"Please Give"
"Somewhere"
"Youth in Revolt"
Special Filmmaking Achievement: Sofia Coppola for writing, directing, and producing "Somewhere"
Production Design Award: Dante Ferretti, "Shutter Island"
William K. Everson Award For Film History: Leonard Maltin
Freedom of Expression Award:
"Fair Game"
"Conviction"
"Howl"