NEW YORK (AP) — The National Board of Review put its full support behind Jon M. Chu's “Wicked,” naming the lavish musical the best film of the year, Chu best director and awarding its stars, Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande, a prize for their collaboration, in awards announced Wednesday.
Already a box-office force, “Wicked” is also embarking on an awards campaign expected to make it a major Academy Awards contender. The National Board of Review, a long-running New York-based organization comprised of film enthusiasts and academics founded in 1909, has no correlation with the film academy. But the win hands “Wicked” some early momentum ahead of Monday's Golden Globe nominations, where it should perform well.
"Wicked represents the pure magic that movies can bring to audiences," said Annie Schulhof, NBR president. “Every detail is beautifully crafted and designed, the actors are all exceptional and the music is second-to-none — together it adds up to a transporting experience like no other.”
Best actor went to Daniel Craig for his performance in Luca Guadagnino's William S. Burroughs' adaptation, “Queer.” Nicole Kidman took best actress for Halina Reijn's “Babygirl,” in which she plays a high-ranking executive who has a romance with an intern (Harris Dickinson).
The supporting acting winners were Kieran Culkin for “A Real Pain,” and Elle Fanning for “A Complete Unknown.”
The NBRs add to the recent run of prizes dished out this week, including the Gotham Awards on Monday, the New York Film Critics Circle on Tuesday and the Spirit Awards nominations announced Wednesday. The NBR Awards will be handed out in an untelevised gala Jan. 7 in New York hosted by Willie Geist.
Best Film: “Wicked”
Best Director: Jon M. Chu, “Wicked”
Best Actor: Daniel Craig, “Queer”
Best Actress: Nicole Kidman, “Babygirl”
Best Supporting Actor: Kieran Culkin, “A Real Pain”
Best Supporting Actress: Elle Fanning, “A Complete Unknown”
Best Ensemble: “Conclave”
Breakthrough Performance: Mikey Madison, “Anora”
Best Directorial Debut: India Donaldson, "Good One"
Best Original Screenplay: Mike Leigh, “Hard Truths”
Best Adapted Screenplay: Clint Bentley & Greg Kwedar, “Sing Sing”
NBR Spotlight Award: Creative Collaboration of Cynthia Erivo & Ariana Grande
NBR Freedom of Expression Award: “No Other Land”
Best Animated Feature: “Flow”
Best International Film: “The Seed of the Sacred Fig”
Best Documentary: “Sugarcane”
Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography: Jarin Blaschke, “Nosferatu”
Outstanding Achievement in Stunt Artistry: "Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga"
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This story has been updated to correct the spelling of Jon M. Chu's first name.
This image released by A24 shows Daniel Craig, left, and Drew Starkey in a scene from "Queer." (Yannis Drakoulidis/A24 via AP)
FILE - Ariana Grande, left, and Cynthia Erivo pose for the photographers prior to the the premiere of "Wicked" at Auditorio Nacional in Mexico City, Monday, Nov. 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano, File)
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russian troops in eastern Ukraine have captured the stronghold of Kurakhove after a monthslong battle, Russia’s Defense Ministry claimed Monday, adding the wrecked town to the Kremlin’s list of conquests during the almost three-year war.
The claim, which drew no response from Ukrainian authorities, came a day after the Russian Defense Ministry said Ukrainian forces had pressed new attacks in Russia’s Kursk border region.
The inauguration in two weeks’ time of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump has brought a new element of uncertainty and triggered an apparent effort by both sides to establish battlefield gains before any possible peace talks.
Trump hasn’t detailed his plans for accomplishing his goal of ending the fighting, but his presence in the White House is likely to significantly affect how the war plays out.
Kurakhove is a key stronghold for the Ukrainian army on the eastern front line in the partially occupied Donetsk region. It has an industrial zone, a thermal power plant and a reservoir. It sits on a highway between eastern and southern Ukraine.
In November, The Associated Press reported from the town that some 7,000-10,000 people likely remained in Kurakhove. Its prewar population was about twice that. The town has been under relentless attacks from artillery, multiple rocket launchers, powerful guided bombs and drones that have shattered buildings.
Ukrainian officials usually comment on major battlefield defeats only days after Russia announces them.
Michael Kofman of the Carnegie Endowment said in an assessment published on the social platform X that there has been some cheering news for Ukraine. “Ukraine is grinding down Russian forces. Russian gains are small relative to costs. There has been no collapse of the front,” Kofman wrote.
On the other hand, he said, “Ukraine is losing territory. The coldest part of the winter is yet ahead. The current theory of success is unclear, or what resources will be made available by the West in 2025.”
Russia has this year been driving westward in a slow and costly effort to capture all of Donetsk. Ukraine is short of troops on the front lines and is straining to hold back the bigger Russian army.
Russian forces are trying to close in on nearby Pokrovsk, a key road junction and rail distribution center furnishing supplies to a broad span of the Ukrainian front line.
In 2022, Moscow illegally annexed the Donetsk and neighboring Luhansk regions, which make up the Donbas industrial area, together with southeastern provinces of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia. But Russian forces don’t fully control any of them.
Ukraine is keen to get new Western military aid delivered quickly, and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Sunday he hoped more would be pledged later this week at a meeting with Western partners in Germany.
Russia’s Defense Ministry said Sunday that Ukraine launched a fresh offensive in the Kursk region, where military analysts estimate Kyiv recently lost 40% of what its forces captured in a lightning insurgency five months ago.
Russian officials claimed their forces pushed back the Ukrainian push, but some reports from Russian military bloggers indicated that Moscow’s forces faced significant pressure.
The Institute for the Study of War, a Washington think tank that monitors the conflict, said Ukrainian forces on Sunday resumed offensive operations in at least three areas of Kursk and made tactical advances.
Follow AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine
Cemetery workers carry a coffin of biologist Olesia Sokur, who was killed together with her husband neurobiologist Ihor Zyma by a Russian strike on Jan. 1, during a funeral ceremony in Kyiv, Monday, Jan. 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
Relatives and friends hold candles during the funeral ceremony of neurobiologist Ihor Zyma and his wife, biologist Olesia Sokur, who were killed by a Russian strike on Jan. 1, in Kyiv, Monday, Jan. 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
People attend the funeral ceremony of neurobiologist Ihor Zyma and his wife, biologist Olesia Sokur, who were killed by a Russian strike on Jan. 1, in Kyiv Monday, Jan. 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
In this photo taken from video distributed by Russian Defense Ministry Press Service on Saturday, Jan. 4, 2025, Russian servicemen attend a combat training for assault units in an undisclosed location. (Russian Defense Ministry Press Service via AP)
In this photo taken from video distributed by Russian Defense Ministry Press Service on Saturday, Jan. 4, 2025, Russian servicemen attend a combat training for assault units in an undisclosed location. (Russian Defense Ministry Press Service via AP)
In this photo taken from video distributed by Russian Defense Ministry Press Service on Saturday, Jan. 4, 2025, Russian servicemen attend a combat training for assault units in an undisclosed location. (Russian Defense Ministry Press Service via AP)
