‘Birdman’ soars away with seven Golden Globe nominations, and Oscars guessing game begins

Surreal show business satire Birdman, a darling of critics for its innovative storytelling, led the Golden Globe Awards film nominations, with its seven nods making it a front-runner early in the Hollywood awards season.

More than two months before the Academy Awards, the nominations on Thursday from the Hollywood Foreign Press Association suggest it could be a battle of Birdman against Boyhood, which earned five nominations and also pushed cinematic boundaries.

But at the Golden Globes on January 11, the two will compete in different categories: Birdman for best comedy or musical film and “Boyhood” in the more coveted best drama race. The coming-of-age movie filmed over 12 years with the same actors could be challenged by second world war biopic The Imitation Game, which also received five nominations.

Fox Searchlight Pictures’ Birdman was directed by Mexican filmmaker Alejandro G. Inarritu and stars Michael Keaton as a washed-up superhero actor trying to make a comeback on Broadway. It consists of what appears to be one seamless take through the cramped confines of a Broadway theatre and serves up an acerbic commentary on celebrity.

“Although at times it felt we were flying without a net in this crazy film experiment, this has brought enormous joy to me,” Inarritu said of the film’s seven nominations, including best director for him.