National Board of Review Preview, Predictions, Contest!

The National Board of Review, which traditionally announced first during awards season now announces a day after the New York Film Critics. They have impact because they announce so early. Any bit of prestige early on always helps a contender get recognition. Most people “out there” and in fact, many industry voters, don’t really care whether the NYFCC are “real critics” and the NBR aren’t – they are both considered major critics awards, sorry NYFCC. The day the New York Film Critics pick a film like the Babadook for Best Picture – one that isn’t even eligible for the Oscars? They can say they cut the cord to the awards season for good. But for now, they are right in line with awards season groupthink.

The NBR has less of an Oscartastic track record and often thinks just a little bit outside the box. Last year, they picked Spike Jonze’s Her for Best Picture of the year. They then get ten more choices to name for Best Film of the year, though their picks can sometimes we kind of weird, like The Secret Life of Walter Mitty last year. My predictions for their their top choice, as follows:

Best Picture of the Year: Unbroken
And the top ten of the year:
Boyhood
Birdman
American Sniper
Gone Girl
Into the Woods
The Imitation Game
The Theory of Everything
Whiplash
A Most Violent Year
Selma

Please enter our contest and post your predictions in the comments. They will be announcing on Tuesday morning.