The has chosen J.C. Chandor’s A Most Violent Year, a crime drama about thuggish New Jersey-New York oil cartels, as the Best film of 2014 and Clint Eastwood as Best Director for American Sniper, his biopic of Navy SEAL Chris Kyle. A Most Violent Year grabbed three awards — the most of any title today — including Best Actor for Oscar Isaac (who tied with Michael Keaton for Birdman) and Best Supporting Actress Jessica Chastain. A Most Violent Year and American Sniper are real outside baseball selections: To date, Boyhood and Birdman have been all the rage in the kudos announcements among the Indie Spirit nominations, New York Film Critics Circle Awards and the Gotham nods. Here, the two titles were relegated to the org’s top 10 list. This is a first where we are seeing love for A Most Violent Year, American Sniper as well as Paul Thomas Anderson’s Inherent Vice in the Best Adapted Screenplay category and Brad Pitt World War II tank pic Fury in the Best Ensemble slot.
Birdman got one other nod from the awards org, in addition to Keaton’s honor: Edward Norton was recognized as Best Supporting Actor. Julianne Moore followed up her Gotham Awards win last night with a Best Actress nod for Still Alice. The Lego Movie, which was recognized yesterday as Best Animated Film by the New York Film Critics Circle, not only received a similar kiss today from the NBR, it also got a hug with best original screenplay. “A Most Violent Year is an exhilarating crime drama with a compelling story, outstanding performances and an elegant cinematic style,” National Board of Review President Annie Schulhof said in a statement. “J.C. Chandor has given us a new and provocative perspective on the American Dream.” Again, like the New York Film Critics Circle, National Board of Review vies to be ahead of the curve with its film choices but often goes quite outside when it comes to prognosticating ultimate Oscar choices. Pete Hammond pointed out last year that NBR hasn’t synced with AMPAS on best picture since 2008’s Slumdog Millionaire, and the last time it matched the Oscar win for best director was Martin Scorsese for The Departed in 2005.
Last year, the NBR lauded Her with best film as well as Spike Jonze, and the way it went down with Oscar was that Her was nominated for best pic, while Jonze won for best screenplay (NBR gave screenplay kudos to Joel and Ethan Coen’s original script Inside Llewyn Davis and Terence Winter’s adaptation of The Wolf Of Wall Street). What the National Board of Review does differently from its kudos peers is that it honors burgeoning talent with a breakthrough award. This year, Jack O’Connell, who plays Olympic runner and WWII POW Louis Zamperini in Angelina Jolie’s sophomore directorial feature Unbroken, was lauded with the Breakthrough Performance award. After receiving an Indie Spirit nom for Best First Feature, helmer Gillian Robespierre — who directed SNL alum Jenny Slate as an unexpectedly pregnant twentysomething comic in Obvious Child — took Best Directorial Debut from the National Board of Review. Last year, Fruitvale Station‘s Michael B. Jordan and Blue Is the Warmest Color‘s Adele Exarchopoulos won the Breakthrough Performance awards.
Ryan Coogler nabbed Best Directorial Debut for Fruitvale as well. Established in 1909, the National Board of Review is a nonprofit organization comprising knowledgeable film enthusiasts, professionals, academics, young filmmakers and students. The group’s awards will be handed out January 6 at Cipriani 42nd Street in New York City. Lara Spencer will host the event. Here is the complete list of winners: Best Film: A Most Violent Year Best Director: Clint Eastwood, American Sniper Best Actor (TIE): Oscar Isaac, A Most Violent Year; Best Actress: Julianne Moore, Still Alice Best Supporting Actor: Edward Norton, Birdman Best Supporting Actress: Jessica Chastain, A Most Violent Year Best Original Screenplay: Phil Lord & Christopher Miller, The Lego Movie Best Adapted Screenplay: Paul Thomas Anderson, Inherent Vice Best Animated Feature: How to Train Your Dragon 2 Breakthrough Performance: Jack O’Connell, Starred Up & Unbroken
Best Directorial Debut: Gillian Robespierre, Obvious Child Best Foreign Language Film: Wild Tales William K. Everson Film History Award: Scott Eyman Spotlight Award: Chris Rock for writing, directing and starring in Top Five NBR Freedom of Expression Award: Rosewater NBR Freedom of Expression Award: Selma American SniperBirdmanBoyhoodFuryGone GirlThe Imitation GameInherent ViceThe Lego MovieNightcrawlerUnbroken Force MajeureGett: The Trial of Vivian AmsalemLeviathanTwo Days, One NightWe Are the Best! Art and CraftJodorowsky’s DuneKeep On Keepin’ OnThe Kill TeamLast Days in Vietnam Blue RuinLockeA Most Wanted ManMr. TurnerObvious ChildThe Skeleton TwinsSnowpiercerStand Clear of the Closing DoorsStarred UpStill AlicePolish RC Enthusiast Builds WWII German Heavy Tank Out of Lego Yet, Polish RC enthusiast Sariel managed to find a way to make a really smart Lego toy. Not only is it very compactl and impressively manufactured, but it even is motorized and can be remote-controlled as an regular RC vehicle.
Unlike its predecessor, the Tiger I, the King (which by the way is a mistranslation of the German designation Panzerkampfwagen Tiger Ausf. B) had a powerful turret rotation motor. At top speed full rotation took just 10 seconds. Sariel’s tank also comes with a motorized barrel and rotatable turret, which makes the toy even closer to the actual thing. The size of the Lego tank is quite impressive, since the whole build is really tiny and compact - 4 inches wide and 8 inches long (10 cm wide and 20 cm long). As to the actual war machine, there are a couple of details worth mentioning For instance, we bet you didn’t know that the Tiger II heavy tank could have been designed by Porsche if his unorthodox designs would have been favored by the German army. Two heavy tank design contracts were awarded, one to Henschel and the second to Porsche. The first eventually won. The near 70 metric ton machine was powered by the same 690 horsepower V12 Maybach HL 230 P30 which moved the much lighter Panther and Tiger I tanks, meaning it was under-powered, like many other heavy tanks of World War II.