I’ve been so bad this year about seeing the Oscar-bait films. I’m going to try to watch some awards-bait movies over the holidays, but for now, I’m just sitting back and watching one of the few films I did see win some big awards. That film? Top Gun: Maverick. As I said in a recent podcast, I enjoyed the film – it was beautiful, the action scenes were incredible, all of the technical aspects of the film were great. Was the story kind of stupid? For sure. Did it need the love story? Not really. But it was an enjoyable film. For months now, there’s been a conversation about whether a crowd-pleasing hit film like Top Gun: Maverick will make the Oscar Best Picture shortlist and/or whether it could actually win Best Picture. Well, good news: the film has been named Best Picture by the National Board of Review!
“Top Gun: Maverick” has been named best picture by the National Board of Review, the organization announced Thursday.
The big acting winners included Colin Farrell taking the best actor prize for “The Banshees of Inisherin” after coming off the New York Film Critics Circle win earlier this month. Michelle Yeoh gets a huge boost – she can now add NBR best actress winner to her golden day for her turn as laundromat owner Evelyn in “Everything Everywhere All at Once.”
The supporting races went to Farrell’s co-star Brendan Gleeson for “The Banshees of Inisherin” while musician-turned-actress Janelle Monáe picked up her first major prize for the “Knives Out” sequel, “Glass Onion.”
Winning best director for “The Fabelmans,” Steven Spielberg’s picked up his second career win from NBR after “Empire of the Sun” (1987). It would probably take an act of God for the two-time Oscar winner to miss out on another Academy nod in January.
I would love to see Colin Farrell have a big Oscar campaign. I wonder if he would play that game. Possibly, especially given that he’s incredibly proud of The Banshees of Inisherin. I think the Best Actress race will probably come down between Cate Blanchett (TAR) and Michelle Yeoh, and Yeoh is maybe pulling ahead. As for Top Gun: Maverick… I’ll admit, I was shocked that it won this prestigious critics’ award. The NBR sometimes makes some odd picks, but they rarely choose a popcorn summer movie for Best Picture.
Meanwhile, everything’s coming up roses for Tom Cruise. The Producers Guild of America (PGA) announced yesterday that Cruise will receive their 2023 David O. Selznick Achievement Award, which is one of their biggest awards and it’s an equivalent of a lifetime achievement award. I have to say… Tom IS a good producer. We can debate his cult and all of that, but the man has been one of Hollywood’s best actor-producers for over two decades. It all came together for him with Top Gun: Maverick too.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.
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- SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA, USA – MAY 04: American actor Tom Cruise arrives at the World Premiere Of Paramount Pictures’ ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ held at the USS Midway Museum on May 4, 2022 in San Diego, California, United States.,Image: 688801904, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Pictured: Tom Cruise, Credit line: Xavier Collin / Image Press Agency / Avalon
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- SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA, USA – MAY 04: American actor Tom Cruise arrives at the World Premiere Of Paramount Pictures’ ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ held at the USS Midway Museum on May 4, 2022 in San Diego, California, United States.,Image: 688801955, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Pictured: Tom Cruise, Credit line: Xavier Collin / Image Press Agency / Avalon
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- SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA, USA – MAY 04: American actor Tom Cruise arrives at the World Premiere Of Paramount Pictures’ ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ held at the USS Midway Museum on May 4, 2022 in San Diego, California, United States.,Image: 688802007, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Pictured: Tom Cruise, Credit line: Xavier Collin / Image Press Agency / Avalon
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- SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA, USA – MAY 04: American actor Tom Cruise arrives at the World Premiere Of Paramount Pictures’ ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ held at the USS Midway Museum on May 4, 2022 in San Diego, California, United States.,Image: 688802056, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Pictured: Tom Cruise, Credit line: Xavier Collin / Image Press Agency / Avalon
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- Jennifer Connelly and Tom Cruise is seen at the Top Gun Maverick red carpet during the 75th Cannes Film Festival on Wednesday, May. 18, 2022 at Palais des Festivals et des Congrès de Cannes .,Image: 692464153, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: Julie Edwards / Avalon
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- Joseph Kosinski, Danny Ramirez, Miles Teller, Tom Cruise, Jay Ellis, Jennifer Connelly, Glen Powell and Jay Ellis attend the screening of “Top Gun: Maverick” during the 75th annual Cannes film festival at Palais des Festivals on May 18, 2022 in Cannes, France.,Image: 692477535, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: Olivier Huitel / Avalon
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- (L-R) – Christopher McQuarrie, Jerry Bruckheimer, Danny Ramirez, Glen Powell, Miles Teller, Tom Cruise, Jennifer Connelly, Jon Hamm, Jay Ellis, Lewis Pullman, Greg Tarzan Davis, Director Joseph Kosinski and David Ellison attends the UK Premiere of ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ at Leicester Square, London, England, UK on Thursday 19 May, 2022.,Image: 692814786, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: Please credit photographer and agency when publishing as Justin Ng/Retna/Avalon., Model Release: no, Credit line: Justin Ng / Avalon
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- (L-R) – Miles Teller, Tom Cruise, Jennifer Connelly, and Jon Hamm attends the UK Premiere of ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ at Leicester Square, London, England, UK on Thursday 19 May, 2022.,Image: 692814802, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: Please credit photographer and agency when publishing as Justin Ng/Retna/Avalon., Model Release: no, Credit line: Justin Ng / Avalon
I didn’t see Maverick, but my husband did, and his review was that it was either the best movie he’d ever seen or the worst, and he can’t figure it out, LOL.
But, for awards, I always remember what I read in a magazine like Variety or something when Titanic was nominated – “Oscar loves the box office.” So its incredible box office success, especially considering the past few years for movies with the pandemic, may give it a boost.
I’m with your husband, Becks1! I came out of Maverick feeling kind of confused, LOL. I think it’s because we kids of the 80s went to see it for the nostalgia factor and the post-pandemic thrill of being in a theater again, not because we thought it would be good. (IMO the original Too Gun is a terrible movie that did so well because jingoism and hot guys playing volleyball.) And then Maverick turned out to be light years better than we expected! Doesn’t make it one of the greats per se, but it’s such an improvement on the original that it creates some cognitive dissonance. Confusing!
THAT should be an Oscar category:
This year’s award for film that was much better than people expected it to be……
🙂
The movie was cool and amazingly filmed. the original top gun to me was soooo boring but I still feel connected to that era so I had to go check it out + tom cruise magic is always good for a movie. I focused too much on the one liners the pilots had to say to one another and felt so embarrassed/awkward/cringe for them. that distracted me. Jennifer connelly beauty, good looking dudes, volleyball game by the ocean, good music just brain fogged me and after the movie I ordered pilot suits for my halloween. lol
Personally, I think they need to remove their lips from TC’s arse!!
+1
Good Lord, TGM was enjoyable and beautifully shot but the story (and ending) was silly AF. I know the Oscars aren’t legit really, but I expect more from critics.
On the other hand, I loved Everything Everywhere All At Once with a passion, so I’m thrilled for Michelle Yeoh.
This is baffling to me. There were clearly moments in that film that were supposed to be serious but were laughable. I simply couldn’t believe
thst they were selling 60 year old TC as the guy who could pull off the impossible and still get the girl. I’m old enough to have watched the original and this wasnt nearly as good. Obviously, this award is channeling Milli Vanelli
I was coming here to say pretty much this. TGM was fun, kind of a throwback to the 80’s style of action movies, but the best?? Not even close. I enjoyed Everything Everywhere so much more, and if I was to re-watch any movie from 2022, TGM wouldn’t even be in my top 3.
It was a cute movie (which I didn’t pay to see because…well…google Cruise and Scientology?)
Yeah the National Board of Review has a bizarre history when you look them up and a looooong history of structuring their awards to make sure “STARS!” are in attendance. I wouldn’t take much from this about the overall season.
I watched Top Gun-Maverick on a flight back from Spain as a last resort, I couldn’t find anything I really wanted to read or watch and I was cranky. I was hoping it would just be somewhat enjoyable. I LOVED it and watched it twice in the flight, lol. When I got back I bought it on Prime and made my family watch it. Haha.
Oh Lord, this means that Top Gun and Top Gun:Maverick are going to be played on a constant loop in my house. Prayers appreciated.
Ugh, I read A Billion Years this week and caught up on The Underground Bunker’s coverage of the Masterson trial. I CANNOT with anything that platforms hardcore Scientologists.
Yup, F*CK tom cruise and the horse he rode in on.
I’d like to see EVERY journalist who interviews him going forward to ask him about his daughter and why he never sees her, and about why his ex Ms. Holmes had to basically use a burner phone and plan a secret escape from him, and about Shelly Miscavige, and about Nazanin Boniadi (and her torturous time with him) and his other wife auditions, and about the stalking and harassment the church has perpetrated throughout the years, and about the isolation of people from their families, and about the slave-labor he enjoys for all of the work and renovations to his properties…
seriously, when did it become OK to give this guy $$$ to see his movies? for so long all I saw from people was “I’ll never put money into hands to give to that cult!” and now it’s “BUT BUT BUT…it’s TOP GUN!” I don’t care how good the movie was and I don’t care about any kind of nostalgia factor, I’ll never put any money into that guy’s hands so he can give it to an abusive cult.
I really enjoyed “Top Gun: Maverick” and thought it was a fitting in to an iconic character. It was very well done. I particularly enjoyed the fact that they didn’t try to bring in a woman for him in her 20’s, 30’s, or 40’s. Keeping it real, they brought in Jennifer Connelly, who is 51-years-old. They also brought her in as Penny Benjamin, the Admiral’s daughter, who was a character mentioned in the first “Top Gun” film as one of his ‘high speed fly bys’. 🙂
Also LOVED Val Kilmer as the voice of reason and Maverick’s one remaining friend and anchor in the military. Tom Cruise treated his aged pilot character with dignity who passionately encouraged the young male and female ‘Top Guns’ replacing him. A really good film. I’m not ashamed to say that I saw it twice.
I hate to say this because the man is problematic to say the least, but TC is one of the very last movie star, the industry LOVES money and celebrating Tom Cruise is like celebrating star power per sé.