The National Board of Review of Motion Pictures, an American organisation that awards films, filmmakers, actors, and actresses every ear, has unveiled its list of 2021's best films. Director Paul Thomas Anderson's coming-of-age film Licorice Pizza has been adjudged the year's best film. Also in the top 10 list are Kenneth Branagh's autobiographical film Belfast, Denis Villeneuve's Dune (an epic adaptation of Frank Herbert's sci-fi novel), Ridley Scott's historical drama The Last Duel, Joel Coen's Shakespeare adaptation The Tragedy of Macbeth, among others. Here is the entire list: (Note that except for Licorice Pizza, which was declared the very best film of the year, the list is not ordered.) 1. Licorice Pizza 2. Belfast 3. Don't Look Up 4. Dune 5. King Richard 6. The Last Duel 7. Nightmare Alley 8. Red Rocket 9. The Tragedy of Macbeth 10. West Side Story Licorice Pizza stars Alana Haim, Cooper Hoffman, Sean Penn, Tom Waits, Bradley Cooper, and Benny Safdie. It is about Alana Kane and Gary Valentine, a couple who grow up and fall in love in 1970s' California. Licorice Pizza is Anderson's first film since 2017's Phantom Thread, which marked legendary actor Daniel Day-Lewis' final screen appearance before his retirement. The film holds a 92 per cent rating on review aggregation site Rotten Tomatoes. The critical consensus reads, "Licorice Pizza finds Paul Thomas Anderson shifting into a surprisingly comfortable gear - and getting potentially star-making performances out of his fresh-faced leads." Here are all the winners in other categories: Best Director: Paul Thomas Anderson, LICORICE PIZZA Best Actor: Will Smith, KING RICHARD Best Actress: Rachel Zegler, WEST SIDE STORY Best Supporting Actor: Ciarán Hinds, BELFAST Best Supporting Actress: Aunjanue Ellis, KING RICHARD Best Original Screenplay: Joel Coen, THE TRAGEDY OF MACBETH Best Adapted Screenplay: Asghar Farhadi, A HERO Breakthrough Performance: Alana Haim & Cooper Hoffman, LICORICE PIZZA Best Directorial Debut: Michael Sarnoski, PIG Best Animated Feature: ENCANTO Best Foreign Language Film: A HERO Best Documentary: SUMMER OF SOUL (…OR, WHEN THE REVOLUTION COULD NOT BE TELEVISED) Best Ensemble: THE HARDER THEY FALL Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography: Bruno Delbonnel, THE TRAGEDY OF MACBETH Top 5 Foreign Language Films (in alphabetical order) Benedetta Lamb Lingui, The Sacred Bonds Titane The Worst Person in the World Top 5 Documentaries (in alphabetical order) Ascension Attica Flee The Rescue Roadrunner: A Film About Anthony Bourdain Top 10 Independent Films (in alphabetical order) The Card Counter C’mon C’mon CODA The Green Knight Holler Jockey Old Henry Pig Shiva Baby The Souvenir Part II
