The first of the big four critics awards are in, with New York, Los Angeles and Chicago to follow soon. Then we’ll see awards from pretty much every city in the United States. “Sean Penn named Best Director by the Little Rock Film Critics Circle!” I believe my parents make up the voting committee for Middlebury, Vermont.

As for the Boston picks, I’m very happy about No Country For Old Men and Javier Bardem, Marion Cotillard’s Best Actress win and Brad Bird winning screenplay honors for Ratatouille. Also of note: A very good showing here for The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, which could wind up as a major player at the Oscars.

Best Picture: No Country For Old Men

Best Actor: Frank Langella for Starting Out in the Evening

Best Actress: Marion Cotillard for La Vie en Rose

Best Supporting Actor: Javier Bardem for No Country for Old Men

Best Supporting Actress: Amy Ryan for Gone Baby Gone

Best Director: Julian Schnabel for The Diving Bell and the Butterfly

Best Screenplay: Brad Bird for Ratatouille

Best Cinematography: Janusz Kaminski for The Diving Bell and the Butterfly

Best Documentary: Crazy Love

Best Foreign-Language Film: The Diving Bell and the Butterfly

Best New Filmmaker: Ben Affleck for Gone Baby Gone

Best Ensemble Cast: Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead

The National Board of Review is known for basically one thing… announcing its year-end awards before every other critic organization. They are the Iowa of the movie award season.

Here are their choices for 2007:

Best Film:
NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN

Best Director
TIM BURTON, Sweeney Todd

Best Actor
GEORGE CLOONEY, Michael Clayton

Best Actress
JULIE CHRISTIE, Away From Her

Best Supporting Actor
CASEY AFFLECK, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford

Best Supporting Actress
AMY RYAN, Gone Baby Gone

Best Foreign Film
THE DIVING BELL AND THE BUTTERFLY

Best Documentary
BODY OF WAR

Best Animated Feature
RATATOUILLE

Best Ensemble Cast
NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN

Breakthrough Performance by an Actor
EMILE HIRSCH, Into The Wild

Breakthrough Performance by an Actress
ELLEN PAGE, Juno

Best Directorial Debut
BEN AFFLECK, Gone Baby Gone

Best Original Screenplay (tie)
DIABLO CODY, Juno and NANCY OLIVER, Lars and the Real Girl

Best Adapted Screenplay
JOEL COEN and ETHAN COEN, No Country For Old Men

Top Ten Films
(In alphabetical order)
THE ASSASSINATION OF JESSE JAMES BY THE COWARD ROBERT FORD
ATONEMENT
THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM
THE BUCKET LIST
INTO THE WILD
JUNO
THE KITE RUNNER
LARS AND THE REAL GIRL
MICHAEL CLAYTON
SWEENEY TODD

Top Five Foreign Films:
(In alphabetical order)
4 MONTHS, 3 WEEKS, 2 DAYS
THE BAND’S VISIT
THE COUNTERFEITERS
LA VIE EN ROSE
LUST, CAUTION

Top Five Documentary Films
(In alphabetical order)
DARFUR NOW
IN THE SHADOW OF THE MOON
NANKING
TAXI TO THE DARKSIDE
TOOTS

Top Independent Films
(In alphabetical order)
AWAY FROM HER
GREAT WORLD OF SOUND
HONEYDRIPPER
IN THE VALLEY OF ELAH
A MIGHT HEART
THE NAMESAKE
ONCE
THE SAVAGES
STARTING OUT IN THE EVENING
WAITRESS

Career Achievement
MICHAEL DOUGLAS

William K. Everson Film History Award
ROBERT OSBORNE

Career Achievement in Cinematography
ROGER DEAKINS

The BVLGARI Award for NBR Freedom of Expression
THE GREAT DEBATERS and PERSEPOLIS