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  • by Jeff Beck

National Board of Review Names The Post the Best Film of 2017


The National Board of Review has officially kicked off awards season by naming "The Post," Steven Spielberg's journalist drama, the best film of 2017. The film also received Best Actor (Tom Hanks) and Best Actress (Meryl Streep).

Looking down the rest of the awards, there isn't too much here that was outside the realm of possibility, though it was rather unexpected to see Greta Gerwig beat out several other major names to take Best Director for her critically-acclaimed "Lady Bird." The only real shocker in this batch was seeing "Get Out" take Best Ensemble over other presumed frontrunners.

Other than that, I suppose the only surprise is seeing what was left out. There were no mentions of Martin McDonagh's "Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri" (a favorite to win Best Picture), Guillermo del Toro's "The Shape of Water," "Darkest Hour," "I, Tonya," or "Mudbound." But this is just the beginning, so be sure to stay tuned as more critics groups announce their winners.

In the meantime, please see below for a complete list of today's winners:

Best Film: The Post

Best Director: Greta Gerwig, Lady Bird

Best Actor: Tom Hanks, The Post

Best Actress: Meryl Streep, The Post

Best Supporting Actor: Willem Dafoe, The Florida Project

Best Supporting Actress: Laurie Metcalf, Lady Bird

Best Original Screenplay: Paul Thomas Anderson, Phantom Thread

Best Adapted Screenplay: Scott Neustadter & Michael H. Weber, The Disaster Artist

Best Ensemble: Get Out

Best Animated Feature: Coco

Best Documentary: Jane

Best Foreign Language Film: Foxtrot

Best Directorial Debut: Jordan Peele, Get Out

Breakthrough Performance: Timothee Chalamet, Call Me By Your Name

NBR Spotlight Award: Patty Jenkns and Gal Gadot, Wonder Woman

NBR Freedom of Expression Awards: First They Killed My Father and Let It Fall: Los Angeles 1982-1992

Top Ten Films of 2017 (in alphabetical order): BABY DRIVER, CALL ME BY YOUR NAME, THE DISASTER ARTIST, DOWNSIZING, DUNKIRK, THE FLORIDA PROJECT, GET OUT, LADY BIRD, LOGAN, PHANTOM THREAD

Top Five Foreign Language Film of 2017 (in alphabetical order): A FANTASTIC WOMAN, FRANTZ, LOVELESS, SUMMER 1993, THE SQUARE

Top Ten Independent Films of 2017 (in alphabetical order): BEATRIZ AT DINNER, BRIGSBY BEAR, A GHOST STORY, LADY MACBETH, LOGAN LUCKY, LOVING VINCENT, MENASHE, NORMAN: THE MODERATE RISE AND TRAGIC FALL OF A NEW YORK FIXER, PATTI CAKE$, WIND RIVER

Top Five Documentaries of 2017 (in alphabetical order): ABACUS: SMALL ENOUGH TO JAIL, BRIMSTONE & GLORY, ERIC CLAPTON: LIFE IN 12 BARS, FACES PLACES, HELL ON EARTH: THE FALL OF SYRIA AND THE RISE OF ISIS

Follow me on Twitter @BeckFilmCritic.

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