George Clooney, Anna Kendrick in Up in the Air (Dale Robinette / Paramount)
Pegasus News reports that Jason Reitman's Up in the Air was the best picture of 2009 according to the ten members of the North Texas Film Critics Association that got together at a Dallas cafe this past Saturday.
Matching the choices of numerous other US-based critics' groups, the NTFCA chose Kathryn Bigelow as best director for the Iraq War drama The Hurt Locker, Pete Docter's Up as best animated feature, and Louie Psihoyos' The Cove as best documentary. The acting categories mostly belonged to the usual suspects as well: George Clooney for Up in the Air, Meryl Streep for Julie & Julia, and Christoph Waltz for Inglourious Basterds.
The one variation in that category was Anna Kendrick's win in the best supporting actress category, which has been the domain of Precious' Mo'Nique. Kendrick plays Clooney's assistant of sorts in Up in the Air.
Another surprise was the choice of best foreign language film: Jacques Audiard's A Prophet, chiefly because it didn't open in the US in 2009. Even so, Audiard's prison drama starring Tahar Rahim was also the National Board of Review's winner.
North Texas Film Critics Awards 2010
BEST PICTURE
Up in the Air
BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
The Prophet
BEST DOCUMENTARY
The Cove
BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
Up
BEST DIRECTOR
Kathryn Bigelow, The Hurt Locker
George Clooney, Up in the Air
Meryl Streep, Julie & Julia
Christoph Waltz, Inglourious Basterds
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Anna Kendrick, Up in the Air
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY