National Board of Review names 'Green Book' best film of 2018
The road-trip drama "Green Book" was named the best film of the year, and its star, Viggo Mortensen, best actor, by the National Board of Review in one of the first in a parade of awards season honors.
The NBR awards, announced Tuesday, gave the Oscar hopes of Universal's "Green Book" a jolt. The film, directed by Peter Farrelly (who typically makes broader comedies like "There's Something About Mary" with his brother, Bobby) was declared an Oscar favorite after taking the audience award at the Toronto International Film Festival, StarTribune informs.
Bradley Cooper's lauded remake "A Star Is Born" also took several top awards, including best director for Cooper, best actress for Lady Gaga and best supporting actor for Sam Elliott.
Barry Jenkins' James Baldwin adaptation "If Beale Street Could Talk" took prizes for Jenkins' screenplay and for Regina King's supporting performance.
Though sometimes called an Oscar harbinger, the National Board of Review, a 109-year-old organization of film enthusiasts, academics and professionals, has typically deviated from eventual best picture winners. It last year chose Steven Spielberg's "The Post." Before that, its top winners were "Manchester By the Sea," ''Mad Max: Fury Road" and "A Most Violent Year."
The awards will be handed out in on January 8 in New York at a gala hosted by Willie Geist.