2009 National Society of Film Critics Award Winners

Here is a list of the 2009 National Society of Film Critics Award Winners...

Best Film: The Hurt Locker

Best Director: Kathryn Bigelow = The Hurt Locker

Best Actor: Jeremy Renner = The Hurt Locker

Best Actress: Yolande Moreau = Seraphine

Best Supporting Actor: (TIE) Christoph Waltz = Inglourious Basterds, Paul Schneider = Bright Star

Best Supporting Actress: Mo'Nique = Precious

Best Screenplay: Joel & Ethan Coen = A Serious Man

Best Foreign Language Film: Summer Hours

Best Non-Fiction Film: The Beaches of Agnes

Best Cinematography: The White Ribbon

WHAT THIS MEANS

The National Society of Film Critics is usually very exclusive in terms of their selections for the best of the year. They usually do not march in accord with other critical organizations and usually do not go hand-in-hand with what the Oscars say are the very best. With all that being said, the National Society of Film Critics chose The Hurt Locker as the best film of 2009, which means they have marched in accord with other critical organizations this awards season. There is no doubt that The Hurt Locker has emerged as the critical darling of the Oscar race and will be one of the ten nominees for Best Picture in March. This calls to mind the Oscar race of 1997, when L.A. Confidential swept all of the critics' prizes and emerged as the odds-on favorite to win the Academy Award for Best Picture. What happened in 1997? Titanic happened. James Cameron's epic film went on to win 11 of 14 Academy Awards and became the highest-grossing movie of all time. And what happened in 2009? James Cameron released Avatar, his first film in twelve years that received mass critical acclaim and a slough of nominations from the Golden Globes and Broadcast Film Critics Association. It is also raking up a tremendous amount of box-office revenue as audiences have flocked to theaters to watch it in 2D, 3D, IMAX 3-D, 4D, whatever kind of D imaginable. Okay so the last two may have been exaggerations. But the point I'm making is that Avatar will make noise in this Oscar race. It has a tremendous amount of support from the people, which is always good to have. It has awed critics to the point where some are predicting it to win the Best Picture Oscar. It is the film of the moment and could very well be the film that defines the year 2009. As a result, Avatar will have a lot to say before this Oscar season is concluded. So take The Hurt Locker and its sweep of the critics' prizes with a grain of salt. Avatar is like a runaway freight train, building momentum on a daily basis in this Oscar race. Do not be surprised if it starts collecting some Best Film prizes in the coming weeks. Also, do not underestimate the power of Quentin Tarantino. Inglourious Basterds has a lot of respect in the industry ranging from the actors all the way to the sound mixers. Tarantino could finally get the recognition he deserves for a film that is arguably his best since Pulp Fiction. Keep a sharp eye on Avatar, but beware the might of Inglourious Basterds.