Sony's big bet this year is Kathryn Bigelow's hunt-for-Osama bin Laden pic "Zero Dark Thirty," which opens Dec. 19 in limited release. Will it be as victorious as the director's Oscar-winning "The Hurt Locker?"
The National Board of Review has named Zero Dark Thirty its best film of 2012.
Kathryn Bigelow and star Jessica Chastain also scored awards for best director and best actress, respectively.
“Zero Dark Thirty is a masterful film,” NBR president Annie Schulhof said Wednesday. “Kathryn Bigelow takes the viewer inside a definitive moment of our time in a visceral and unique way. It is exciting, provocative and deeply emotional.”
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Silver Linings Playbook’s Bradley Cooper was recognized as best actor, with supporting nods going to Django Unchained‘s Leonardo DiCaprio and Compliance‘s Ann Dowd. Looper‘s Rian Johnson scored best original screenplay, with Playbook’s David O. Russell winning best adapted screenplay. Best animated feature went to Wreck-It Ralph, best foreign-language film was Amour, and best documentary went to Searching for Sugar Man.
Ben Affleck will receive the special achievement in filmmaking award for Argo. Breakout performances from The Impossible’s Tom Holland and Beasts of the Southern Wild’s Quvenzhane Wallis also were recognized.
The NBR also released its top films list: Argo, Beasts of the Southern Wild, Django Unchained, Les Miserables, Lincoln, Looper, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Promised Land and Silver Linings Playbook.
Its top 10 indie films are Arbitrage, Bernie, Compliance, End of Watch, Hello I Must Be Going, Little Birds, Moonrise Kingdom, On the Road, Quartet and Sleepwalk With Me.
The National Board of Review’s annual awards gala will be hosted by Meredith Vieira on Jan. 8 at Cipriani 42nd Street in New York City.
Below is the full list of winners:
Best Film: ZERO DARK THIRTY
Best Director: Kathryn Bigelow, ZERO DARK THIRTY
Best Actor: Bradley Cooper, SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK
Best Actress: Jessica Chastain, ZERO DARK THIRTY
Best Supporting Actor: Leonardo DiCaprio, DJANGO UNCHAINED
Best Supporting Actress: Ann Dowd, COMPLIANCE
Best Original Screenplay: Rian Johnson, LOOPER
Best Adapted Screenplay: David O. Russell, SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK
Best Animated Feature: WRECK-IT RALPH
Special Achievement in Filmmaking: Ben Affleck, ARGO
Breakthrough Actor: Tom Holland, THE IMPOSSIBLE
Breakthrough Actress: Quvenzhane Wallis, BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD
Best Directorial Debut: Benh Zeitlin, BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD
Best Foreign Language Film: AMOUR
Best Documentary: SEARCHING FOR SUGARMAN
William K. Everson Film History Award: 50 YEARS OF BOND FILMS
Best Ensemble: LES MISÉRABLES
Spotlight Award: John Goodman (ARGO, FLIGHT, PARANORMAN, TROUBLE WITH THE CURVE)
NBR Freedom of Expression Award: CENTRAL PARK FIVE
NBR Freedom of Expression Award: PROMISED LAND
Top Films (in alphabetical order)
ARGO
BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD
DJANGO UNCHAINED
LES MISÉRABLES
LINCOLN
LOOPER
THE PERKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER
PROMISED LAND
SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK
Top 5 Foreign Language Films (In Alphabetical Order)
BARBARA
THE INTOUCHABLES
THE KID WITH A BIKE
NO
WAR WITCH
Top 5 Documentaries (In Alphabetical Order)
AI WEIWEI: NEVER SORRY
DETROPIA
THE GATEKEEPERS
THE INVISIBLE WAR
ONLY THE YOUNG
Top 10 Independent Films (In Alphabetical Order)
ARBITRAGE
BERNIE
COMPLIANCE
END OF WATCH
HELLO I MUST BE GOING
LITTLE BIRDS
MOONRISE KINGDOM
ON THE ROAD
QUARTET
SLEEPWALK WITH ME
