George Miller's "Mad Max: Fury Road" starring Tom Hardy is named on Tuesday as the best film of 2015 by the New York-based National Board of Review.
The annual film recognition by National Board of Review, which is known to be one of the oldest award giving-bodies in movies, officially kicks off the Hollywood awards season and this year, the awards-giving organization is giving the recognition to this year's blockbusters. Matt Damon and Ridley Scott of "The Martian" won Best Actor and Best Director, respectively; including the Best Adapted Screenplay, which was awarded to Drew Goddard from the same film.
"2015 has been a banner year for popular cinema. We are thrilled to be awarding George Miller and Ridley Scott, two iconic filmmakers at the top of their game, while also celebrating the next generation of talent," said National Board of Review President Annie Schulhof.
How will winning the best film in the National Board of Reviews affect "Mad Max: Fury Road's" chances in more popular award-giving bodies like the Oscars and the Golden Globes? "Mad Max" named as best film by NBR came as a shock because the award-giving body has always been known of going against mainstream.
Daily Mail, in its report, said that although Tom Hardy's "Mad Max: Fury Road" was recognized by NBR, the film has not been seen as a strong contender for major awards like the Oscars or Golden Globes.
Slate, on the other hand, pointed out in its report that NBR's choice for the best film usually lands a Best Picture nomination at the Oscars. "Mad Max: Fury Road," therefore, may expect much more splendor in the coming awards season. The report also highlighted that many critics loved the film.
The report, however, noted that last year, NBR named "A Most Violent Year" the best film and yet, it was snubbed by Oscars. And unlike SAG or DGA awards, whose voting body overlaps with Oscars, the composition of the NBR voting body is kept a secret, except for the description that the body is made up of "film enthusiasts, filmmakers, professionals, academics and students." Hence, it would be harder to make a prediction without really knowing the profile of the members of the body.
The awards will be presented by the National Board of Review on Jan. 5 in New York.
