The National Board of Review has taken a swing and said 2022 was a year for big movies, popular movies — the kinds of movies with big-name stars and things that go zoom in the sky. The voting body of film professionals and enthusiasts has named Top Gun: Maverick Best Film of the year, topping a list that also includes such action-packed features as Avatar: The Way of Water, Everything Everywhere All at Once, RRR, and The Woman King. Clearly it was a year for big exciting action without names like DC or Marvel attached. Other honorees include Steven Spielberg for Best Director, Aftersun’s Charlotte Wells for Best Directorial Debut, and acting awards for Michelle Yeoh, Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson, and Janelle Monáe. NBR president Annie Schulhof credited Top Gun: Maverick for “making an incredibly popular film that brought audiences back to theaters, while at the same time being a full-on cinematic achievement.” The awards gala will take place on January 8 in New York City. Below, the entire list of NBR winners.
Best Film: Top Gun: Maverick
Best Director: Steven Spielberg, The Fabelmans
Best Actor: Colin Farrell, The Banshees of Inisherin
Best Actress: Michelle Yeoh, Everything Everywhere All at Once
Best Supporting Actor: Brendan Gleeson, The Banshees of Inisherin
Best Supporting Actress: Janelle Monáe, Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery
Best Adapted Screenplay: Edward Berger, Lesley Paterson, Ian Stokell, All Quiet on the Western Front
Best Original Screenplay: Martin McDonagh, The Banshees of Inisherin
Breakthrough Performance: Danielle Deadwyler, Till, and Gabriel LaBelle, The Fabelmans
Best Directorial Debut: Charlotte Wells, Aftersun
Best Animated Feature: Marcel the Shell With Shoes On
Best International Film: Close
Best Documentary: Sr.
Best Ensemble: Women Talking
Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography: Claudio Miranda, Top Gun: Maverick
NBR Freedom of Expression Awards:
All the Beauty and the Bloodshed
Argentina, 1985
Top Films (in alphabetical order):
Aftersun
Avatar: The Way of Water
The Banshees of Inisherin
Everything Everywhere All at Once
The Fabelmans
Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery
RRR
Till
The Woman King
Women Talking
Top 5 International Films (in alphabetical order):
All Quiet on the Western Front
Argentina, 1985
Decision to Leave
EO
Saint Omer
Top 5 Documentaries (in alphabetical order):
All the Beauty and the Bloodshed
All That Breathes
Descendant
Turn Every Page: The Adventures of Robert Caro and Robert Gottlieb
Wildcat
Top Ten Independent Films (in alphabetical order):
Armageddon Time
Emily the Criminal
The Eternal Daughter
Funny Pages
The Inspection
Living
A Love Song
Nanny
The Wonder
To Leslie
