National Board of Review winners

Here is the list of awards winners from the National Board of Review. There are some strange picks and omissions indeed. I am very surprised that Dreamgirls and The Queen are not on the list. But this just makes things more interesting. The next group of awards and nominees comes out in a few days and I will list them as they come in. As time goes on I will also post some commentary regarding all of this madness.

Best Film: LETTERS FROM IWO JIMA
Best Director: MARTIN SCORSESE, The Departed
Best Actor: FOREST WHITAKER, The Last King of Scotland
Best Actress: HELEN MIRREN, The Queen
Best Supporting Actor: DJIMON HOUNSOU, Blood Diamond
Best Supporting Actress: CATHERINE O'HARA, For Your Consideration
Best Foreign Film: VOLVER
Best Documentary: AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH
Best Animated Feature: CARS
Best Ensemble Cast: THE DEPARTED
Breakthrough Performance by an Actor: RYAN GOSLING, Half Nelson
Breakthrough Performance by an Actress: (2) JENNIFER HUDSON, Dreamgirls and RINKO KIKUCHI, Babel
Best Directorial Debut: JASON REITMAN, Thank You for Smoking
Best Original Screenplay: ZACH HELM, Stranger Than Fiction
Best Adapted Screenplay: RON NYSWANER, The Painted Veil

Top Ten Films:
LETTERS FROM IWO JIMA(and, in alphabetical order)
BABEL
BLOOD DIAMOND
THE DEPARTED
THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA
FLAGS OF OUR FATHERS
THE HISTORY BOYS
LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE
NOTES ON A SCANDAL
THE PAINTED VEIL

Top Five Foreign Films:
VOLVER(and, in alphabetical order)
CURSE OF THE GOLDEN FLOWER
DAYS OF GLORY
PAN'S LABYRINTH
WATERTop

Five Documentary Films
AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH(and, in alphabetical order)
51 BIRCH STREET
IRAQ IN FRAGMENTS
SHUT UP & SING
WORDPLAY

Top Independent Films (in alphabetical order)
AKEELAH AND THE BEE
BOBBY
CATCH A FIRE
COPYING BEETHOVEN
A GUIDE TO RECOGNIZING YOUR SAINTS
HALF NELSON
THE ILLUSIONIST
LONESOME JIM
SHERRYBABY
10 ITEMS OR LESS
THANK YOU FOR SMOKING

Career Achievement - ELI WALLACH
Billy Wilder Award for Excellence in Directing - JONATHAN DEMME
Career Achievement in Producing - IRWIN WINKLER
William K. Everson Film History Award - DONALD KRIM
The BVLGARI Award for NBR Freedom of Expression - WATER and WORLD TRADE CENTER
__________________