HOME Thursday, December 04, 2003 National Board of Review Names Mystic River Best Film of 2003 Tis the season that film critics and associations begin crowning the best films of the year. The National Board of Review starts us off by awarding Clint Eastwood's film Mystic River, adapted from the book written by Dennis Lehane. It's all-star cast includes Sean Penn, who received the Best Actor award for his performance in this film and 21 Grams, Tim Robbins, Kevin Bacon, Laurence Fishburne, Marcia Gay Harden, and Laura Linney. The other films honored by the National Board of Review are as follows: 10. Master and Commander 9. Seabiscuit 8. In America 7. Cold Mountain 6. Lost In Translation 5. House of Sand and Fog 4. 21 Grams 3. The Station Agent 2. The Last Samurai 1. Mystic River Best Foreign Films: The Barbarian Invasions, Best of Youth, Monsieur Ibrahim, Autumn Spring, and The Man on the Train. Best Documentaries: The Fog of War, Capturing the Friedmans, My Architect, Winged Migration, and Spellbound. Honored for Exellence in Filmmaking:  American Splendor, Bend It Like Beckham, The Cooler, Dirty Pretty Things, Girl With A Pearl Earring, Pieces of April, The Secret Lives of Dentists, Shattered Glass, The Statement, Thirteen, and Whale Rider. Freedom of Expression Recognition: Capturing the Friedmans, Dirty Pretty Things, The Magdalene Sisters, and September 11. Best Performance Awards Best Actress: Diane Keaton for Something's Gotta Give Best Supporting Actor: Alec Balwin for The Cooler Best Supporting Actress: Patricia Clarkson for Pieces of April and The Station Agent Ensemble Cast: The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King Best Director: Edward Zwick for The Last Samurai Best Directorial Debut: Vladim Perelman for House of Sand and Fog Best Screenplay: Jim, Naomi, and Kirsten Sheridan for In America Best Adapted Screenplay: Anthony Minghella for Cold Mountain The National Board of Review honored The Hours as the best film of 2002. In 2001, Moulin Rouge won their honor. Both films went on to receive Oscar nominations for Best Picture and Best Director.      8:54:08 PM   | COMMENT [] | TRACKBACK [] Blog banner taken from the oil painting "The Departure" (40"x 30") by Michael Parker, 1999. December 2003 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat   1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31       Nov   Jan Click on one of the calendar days to read my journal posting for that day. E-MAIL ME Film Page PREVIOUS POSTS Woman Gives Birth While Driving Van to Hospital Young Adam (2003) Concert Review: Duran Duran, Astronaut 1. The Aviator 2. (tie) House of Flying Daggers 2. (tie) Hero 3. Million Dollar Baby 4. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind 5. Sideways 6. Hotel Rwanda 7. Finding Neverland 8. A very Long Engagement (France) 9. Before Sunset 10. Ray Honorable Mentions 2004 Duran Duran Concert On Bullying in Schools The Head Bonker 77th Annual Academy Awards Shine on Baby Oscar Predictions Sidetracked Oscar Watch: Best Short Live Action Film, Little Terrorist (India) Writer's Guild Awards for 2004 The Notebook (2004) Where to Find Screenplays Less Relevant? FAVORITE BLOGS    Archives [Macro error: Can't call the script because the name "monthlyArchiveLinks" hasn't been defined.] MUSIC REVIEWS Mario Frangoulis Sarah Brightman's 'Harem' Spectacular Switchfoot: The Beautiful Letdown The Reinvention of Madonna NEWS   Salon   LiberalOasis   New York Times   Slate   Tom Paine   Mother Jones   The Guardian   CNN   The Washington Post   - Start your own blog   Subscribe to this blog in   Radio: Updated Salon Blogs Salon Rankings