'Poor Things' called 'Best movie of the year,' generating Oscar buzz

NEW YORK -- Earlier this week, the National Board of Review selected "Poor Things" as one of the best films of the year, and named Mark Ruffalo as best supporting actor for his work in the new movie now out.

The website Gold Derby has star Emma Stone as one of the favorites to win an Oscar as best actress.

She plays a woman in Victorian England who plots her course under very unusual circumstances in a black comedy.

Bella Baxter is as bold as her movie is brave.

One of the best films of the year is also one of the most bizarre.

"It was all bonkers, but in the best way. I like bonkers," Stone said.

Stone plays a woman who is pregnant and commits suicide.

A doctor played by Willem Dafoe brings her back to life by taking the brain of her unborn child and placing it inside her body.

"The idea of having a brain that is brand new. What would that be?" Stone said.

For starters, Bella has to learn how to walk and talk.

"Her brain and her body are not quite synchronized, but she is progressing at an accelerated pace," the trailer said.

"She goes into everything with fun force in a real lust for life," Stone said.

And speaking of lust, her sexual awakening includes numerous romps with Ruffalo's character.

"Once it started to happen, I was just like, 'How far?

How far can we push this until it breaks?' You know, and I found it had a lot of bend in it,

You know? You can go pretty far!" he said.

Ruffalo plays a cad, Duncan Wedderburn. Ramy Youssef co-stars as suitor Max McCandles who hopes to marry Bella.

"I was really excited to do something that I'd never done anything like before," Youssef said.

The cast arrived in Manhattan riding a wave of Oscar buzz and great reviews for "Poor Things."

"It lands for me. It lands," Dafoe said.

The actors put their trust in director Yorgos Lanthimos and the result is spectacular.

"Poor Things" is in theaters now, from Searchlight Pictures owned by the same parent company as ABC 7.