The surreal show business satire Birdman, a darling of critics for its innovative storytelling, led the Golden Globe Awards film nominations yesterday, with its seven nods making it a front-runner early in the Hollywood awards season.
The story of a washed-up actor played by Michael Keaton attempting a comeback on the Broadway stage, Birdman will compete in the best comedy or musical category with The Grand Budapest Hotel, Into the Woods, Pride and St Vincent.
Coming-of-age drama Boyhood and World War Two biopic The Imitation Game landed five nominations each and will square off in the coveted best drama category against Foxcatcher, Selma and The Theory of Everything.
The Golden Globes, organised by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, will be handed out on January 11 in Beverly Hills. They are one of the biggest ceremonies in the Hollywood awards season leading to the Oscars in February.
A big omission this year was Angelina Jolie's second film as director, the WWII drama Unbroken, which received no nominations.
But Selma, the Martin Luther King biopic opening on December 25, landed four nods, including best director for relative newcomer Ava Duvernay, the only female contender in the best director race.
The other nominations were best drama and best actor for David Oyelowo as King.
In the very competitive category of best actor for drama, Oyelowo will face Steve Carell for Foxcatcher, Benedict Cumberbatch for The Imitation Game, Jake Gyllenhaal for Nightcrawler and Eddie Redmayne for The Theory of Everything.
Keaton, who like his character is a former superhero star, will compete for best comedy or musical actor with Ralph Fiennes for The Grand Budapest Hotel, Bill Murray for St Vincent, Joaquin Phoenix for Inherent Vice and Christoph Waltz for Big Eyes.
Julianne Moore scored a rare double nomination as best actress in both the drama and comedy or musical categories.
In the drama Still Alice, she is a woman struggling with early-onset Alzheimer's disease, while in Maps to the Stars, she plays a fading actress.
A big omission this year was Angelina Jolie's second film as director, the WWII drama Unbroken, which received no nominations
Birdman, from Fox Searchlight Pictures, has garnered praise for pushing the boundaries of film-making, using what appears to be one seamless take that follows Keaton and his co-stars in the cramped confines of Broadway theatre.
Its acerbic commentary on celebrity and entertainment plays on a mix of reality and fantasy.
Boyhood also wowed critics with something never seen in cinema: a story about a boy growing up, filmed over 12 years with the same actors.
The HFPA rewarded Boyhood film-maker Richard Linklater with a best director nod, alongside Mexico's Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu for Birdman, Duvernay, Wes Anderson for The Grand Budapest Hotel and David Fincher for Gone Girl.