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'Up in the Air' soars to first major award win

Posted Thursday, December 3, 2009 at 3:51 PM Central
Last updated Thursday, December 3, 2009 at 3:53 PM Central

by John Couture

I know that I've been away for the last week or so battling the evil scourge that is Swine Flu (don't let them fool you, this thing needs a real nasty name and not something sounding like R2-D2's cousin), but even I was shocked to roll into work this morning and see that it was already December.

As in the last month of the year.

As in finality.

As in the official start of awards season! That's right, today marks the unofficial start of awards season with this afternoon's announcement of the National Board of Review's annual awards. And much to my chagrin, the NBR really wants to stick it to me over my initial hatred for Up in the Air.

For those of you not following along at home, I recently dissed the movie not once but twice. First, back in September when the teaser trailer hit the Internet, I said "I wasn't terribly impressed." More recently, I lamented the lack of Oscar caliber movies and slighted Up in the Air by claiming "there are only two locks for Best Picture nomination coming out next month, Invictus and Nine."

Trust me, you've hammered me over the last two weeks. And yes, I do agree that The Hurt Locker is an early releaser that should be a lock for a Best Picture nomination. And now, the NBR (a scary good barometer for Oscar success) rubs salt in my wounds by naming Up in the Air its Best Film of 2009.

To add insult to injury, they also declared George Clooney Best Actor and Anne Kendrick Best Supporting Actress for their work in the aforementioned Up in the Air.

They were also kind enough to list their "Top Ten Films" (well 11, if you include Up in the Air), so start you Oscar handicapping early.

Top Ten Films (in alphabetical order)

An Education
(500) Days of Summer
The Hurt Locker
Inglourious Basterds
Invictus
The Messenger
A Serious Man
Star Trek
Up
Where the Wild Things Are

For the full list of award winners, check out the National Board of Review's website here. Meanwhile, tell us what you think about their choices for top ten movies of 2009.