National Board Of Review Names Hugo Best Film, Martin Scorsese Best Director

Paramount’s Martin Scorsese film Hugo received a major shot in the arm for its Oscar hopes when the National Board of Review named it the 2011 Best Film of The Year and tapped Scorsese as Best Director. Today’s vote comes two days after the NY critics voted the Weinstein Co’s black-and-white silent pic The Artist as its top film and shut out Hugo altogether. Hugo is such a personal film by Martin Scorsese, said National Board president Annie Schulhof in a release announcing the winners. It is a tribute to the early years of cinema that uses today’s cutting-edge technology to bring the audience into a completely unique and magical world. It is visually stunning and emotionally engaging. The National Board also went with George Clooney (The Descendants) as Best Actor and Tilda Swinton (We Need To Talk About Kevin) as Best Actress, also different from the NYFCC, which went with Brad Pitt and Meryl Streep. Here’s the National Board’s full list: Best Film: Hugo Best Director: Martin Scorsese, Hugo Best Actor: George Clooney, The Descendants Best Actress: Tilda Swinton, We Need to Talk About Kevin Best Supporting Actor: Christopher Plummer, Beginners Best Supporting Actress: Shailene Woodley, The Descendants Best Original Screenplay: Will Reiser, 50/50 Best Adapted Screenplay: Alexander Payne and Nat Faxon & Jim Rash, The Descendants Best Animated Feature: Rango Breakthrough Performance: Felicity Jones, Like Crazy Breakthrough Performance: Rooney Mara, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo Debut Director: J.C. Chandor, Margin Call Best Ensemble: The Help Spotlight Award: Michael Fassbender (A Dangerous Method, Jane Eyre, Shame, X-Men: First Class) NBR Freedom of Expression: Crime After Crime NBR Freedom of Expression: Pariah Best Foreign Language Film: A Separation Best Documentary: Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory Special Achievement in Filmmaking: The Harry Potter Franchise – A Distinguished Translation from Book to Film Top Films (in alphabetical order) The Artist The Descendants Drive The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 The Ides of March J. Edgar Tree of Life War Horse Top 5 Foreign Language Films (in Alphabetical Order) 13 Assassins Elite Squad: The Enemy Within Footnote Le Havre Point Blank Top 5 Documentaries (in Alphabetical Order) Born to be Wild Buck George Harrison: Living in the Material World Project Nim Senna Top 10 Independent Films (in Alphabetical Order) 50/50 Another Earth Beginners A Better Life Cedar Rapids Margin Call Shame Take Shelter We Need To Talk About Kevin Win Win