National Board of Review Names the Irishman Best Film of the Year, No Marvel or DC Films in Top 10

With 2019 coming to a close in just a few weeks we’re also moving into awards season, that time of year when studios start trying to get their films considered for the Academy Awards while other organizations are putting out their year-end awards and best of lists. Today, the National Board of Review announced their award winners and named Martin Scorsese‘s The Irishman as best film of the year — and while there were some notable selections in the overall top films list and other categories not a single DC or Marvel film make it into the top 10.

In naming The Irishman as its top film, National Board of Review President Annie Schulhof cited the film as representing the “best in what cinema can be”, a comment that some may find particularly of interest given the controversy Scorsese stirred recently regarding his stance about what constitutes cinema — and what does not. In addition to The Irishman taking the top prize, Scorsese, Robert De Niro, and Al Pacino were also awarded the organizations inaugural Icon Award.

“We are thrilled to award The Irishman as our Best film — Martin Scorsese’s masterful mob epic is a rich, moving, beautifully textured movie that represents the best in what cinema can be,” Schulhof said. “We are also excited to be presenting Scorsese, Robert De Niro and Al Pacino with our inaugural Icon Award — they are the true definition of cinematic icons, each with their own exceptional body of work, and all in top form in The Irishman.”

While the NBR didn’t honor any Marvel or DC films — given the critical praise for Joker, it’s a bit of a surprise to not see it listed — there were some interesting choices in other categories. Best Director went to Quentin Tarantino for Once Upon a Time…In Hollywood. That film also saw Brad Pitt named Best Supporting Actor. Best Animated Feature went to How to Train Your Dragon The Hidden World, while Rian Johnson’s Knives Out got Best Ensemble. Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood, Jojo Rabbit, and Knives Out all made the top ten films list while the horror film Midsommar made the list of top ten independent films.

The full list of top ten films overall, per the National Board of Review, is below.

1917
Dolemite is My Name
Ford v Ferrari
Jojo Rabbit
Knives Out
Marriage Story
Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood
Richard Jewell
Uncut Gems
Waves

What do you think about the National Board of Review’s Best Film selection? Let us know in the comments below.

The Irishman is now streaming on Netflix.