Golden Globe nominations: Birdman leads with seven nods

There were no enormous shocks when the Golden Globes were announced this morning in Los Angeles. Alejandro Gonzales Innaritu's Birdman, featuring Michael Keaton as a psychologically imploding actor, topped the charts with an impressive seven nominations.

Richard Linklater’s Boyhood, a hugely acclaimed coming-of-age drama, and Morten Tyldum’s The Imitation Game, a study of codebreaker Alan Turing, took second place with five nominations each.

Rather quaintly, the Globes, presented by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, still separate “drama” from “musical or comedy” in the main categories, so the wealth is spread around.

Boyhood and The Imitation Game compete in the best drama category with The Theory of Everything, a biopic on Stephen Hawking, Selma, a tale of the US civil rights campaign, and Foxcatcher, the true story of convicted murderer John du Pont.

Birdman, which gives the illusion of being filmed in one continuous shot, looks close to unbeatable in the best comedy or musical category. Also in that race are The Grand Budapest Hotel, Into the Woods, St Vincent and Pride.

The welcome inclusion of the latter film, a study of interactions between miners and the gay community during the 1984 UK pit strike, is one of the few surprises among the nominations.

Jennifer Aniston was also an unexpected acting nominee for the tough independent drama Cake.

Angelina Jolie’s Unbroken

There will, however, be eyebrows raised at the failure of Angelina Jolie’s Unbroken to register in any of the categories, especially given how keen the Globes usually are on celebrity.

Coming after the leaking of an email from Sony Pictures in which top producer Scott Rudin referred to Ms Jolie as a "minimally talented spoiled brat" this will cause further grumbling chez Jolie-Pitt.

Benedict Cumberbatch, who plays Turing in The Imitation Game, and Michael Keaton, the lead in Birdman, look to be fighting for the best actor in a drama prize. Julianne Moore, who plays an Alzheimer's patient in Still Alice, has been deemed the favourite for every prize in this year's lengthy awards season.

Not a bellweather

Compiled by a small group of largely obscure journalists, the Golden Globes are not quite as accurate a bellwether of the Oscars as many believe. But Boyhood’s appearance confirms it as the film to beat at the ceremony that really matters. Linklater’s touching movie, which shot its young hero over 12 years, is now odds-on favourite with all sane bookies for the Oscar best picture.

There was some disappointment from optimists who felt that Brendan Gleeson had a chance of glory for his turn in Calvary. In truth, that always looked like a long shot.

Television awards

The Globes also honour achievement in television. The best performing show this year was Fargo, a sly rearrangement of the Coen brothers film, which picked up seven nominations, including one for best TV miniseries or movie.

Tina Fey and Amy Poehler will present the Globes on January 11th, 2015. The Oscar nominations follow four days later.

Nominations

Best Motion Picture - Drama

Boyhood

Foxcatcher

The Imitation Game

Selma

The Theory of Everything

Best Motion Picture - Comedy or Musical

Birdman

The Grand Budapest Hotel

Into the Woods

Pride

St Vincent

Best Actor - Drama

Steve Carell - Foxcatcher

Benedict Cumberbatch - The Imitation Game

Jake Gyllenhaal - Nightcrawler

David Oyelowo - Selma

Eddie Redmayne - The Theory of Everything

Best Actress - Drama

Jennifer Aniston - Cake

Felicity Jones - The Theory of Everything

Julianne Moore - Still Alice

Rosamund Pike - Gone Girl

Reese Witherspoon - Wild

Best Actress - Comedy or Musical

Amy Adams - Big Eyes

Emily Blunt - Into the Woods

Helen Mirren - The Hundred-Foot Journey

Julianne Moore - Maps to the Stars

Quvenzhané Wallis - Annie

Best Actor - Comedy or Musical

Ralph Fiennes - The Grand Budapest Hotel

Michael Keaton - Birdman

Bill Murray - St Vincent

Joaquin Phoenix - Inherent Vice

Christoph Waltz - Big Eyes

Best Director

Wes Anderson - The Grand Budapest Hotel

David Fincher - Gone Girl

Ava DuVernay - Selma

Alejandro Gonzalez Innaritu - Birdman

Richard Linklater - Boyhood

Best TV Drama

The Affair

Downton Abbey

Game of Thrones

The Good Wife

House of Cards

Best Actor - TV Drama

Clive Owen - The Knick

Liev Schreiber - Ray Donovan

Kevin Spacey - House of Cards

James Spader - The Blacklist

Dominic West - The Affair

Best Actress - TV Drama

Claire Danes - Homeland

Viola Davis - How to Get Away with Murder

Julianna Margulies - The Good Wife

Ruth Wilson - The Affair

Robin Wright - House of Cards

Best TV Miniseries or Movie

Fargo

The Missing

True Detective

The Normal Heart

Olive Kitteridge

Best TV Comedy

Girls

Jane the Virgin

Orange is the New Black

Silicon Valley

Transparent

Best Actress - TV Comedy

Lena Dunham - Girls

Edie Falco - Nurse Jackie

Gina Rodriguez - Jane the Virgin

Julia Louis-Dreyfus - Veep

Taylor Schilling - Orange is the New Black

Best Actor - TV Comedy

Don Cheadle - House of Lies

Ricky Gervais - Derek

Jeffrey Tambor - Transparent

Louis CK - Louie

William H Macy - Shameless

Best Animated Feature

Big Hero 6

The Book of Life

Boxtrolls

How To Train Your Dragon 2

The Lego Movie

Best Foreign Film

Force Majeure (Turist) (Sweden)

Gett: The Trial of Viviane Amsalem Gett (Israel)

Ida (Poland/Denmark)

Leviathan (Russia)

Tangerines (Estonia)

Best Original Song - Motion Picture

Big Eyes - Big Eyes (Lana Del Rey)

Glory - Selma (John Legend, Common)

Mercy Is – Noah (Patti Smith, Lenny Kaye)

Opportunity - Annie (Sia)

Yellow Flicker Beat - Hunger Games, Mockingjay Pt 1 (Lorde)