2014 DENVER FILM CRITICS SOCIETY AWARD NOMINATIONS

The Denver Film Critics Society does this every year: without any acknowledgement of having done so, they release their award nominations in non-alphabetical lists that largely rank from the critics' general favourites so far this season at the top down to a few slight surprises in fifth. It's the rankings of their nominations, and I'm not even sure that they know they do it. Not to say that the first place citations will prove victorious when winners are announced on the 12th of January, though roughly half of them (at least) normally are. Inherent Vice makes a strong showing among their lists, as does American Sniper, which is currently riding a wave of support that no right-minded individual can wrap their head around, particularly seeing as Selma picks up just a measly Original Song nod from the Denver critics. All of the details below:

Best Picture

1. Birdman

2. Boyhood

3. Whiplash

4. Inherent Vice

5. American Sniper

Best Director

1. Richard Linklater (Boyhood)

2. Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu (Birdman)

3. Christopher Nolan (Interstellar)

4. Paul Thomas Anderson (Inherent Vice)

5. Clint Eastwood (American Sniper)

Best Actor

1. Michael Keaton (Birdman)

2. Eddie Redmayne (The Theory of Everything)

3. Jake Gyllenhaal (Nightcrawler)

4. Ralph Fiennes (The Grand Budapest Hotel)

5. Bradley Cooper (American Sniper)

Best Actress

1. Felicity Jones (The Theory of Everything)

2. Reese Witherspoon (Wild)

3. Rosamund Pike (Gone Girl)

4. Scarlett Johansson (Under the Skin)

5. Marion Cotillard (Two Days, One Night)

Best Supporting Actor

1. Edward Norton (Birdman)

2. Ethan Hawke (Boyhood)

3. J. K. Simmons (Whiplash)

4. Mark Ruffalo (Foxcatcher)

5. Josh Brolin (Inherent Vice)

Best Supporting Actress

1. Patricia Arquette (Boyhood)

2. Emma Stone (Birdman)

3. Rene Russo (Nightcrawler)

4. Sienna Miller (American Sniper)

5. Katherine Waterston (Inherent Vice)

Best Original Screenplay

1. Armando Bo, Alexander Dinelaris, Nicolas Giacobone and Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu (Birdman)

2. Richard Linklater (Boyhood)

3. Wes Anderson and Hugo Guinness (The Grand Budapest Hotel)

4. Damien Chazelle (Whiplash)

5. Jeremy Saulnier (Blue Ruin)

Best Adapted Screenplay

1. Gillian Flynn (Gone Girl)

2. Paul Thomas Anderson (Inherent Vice)

3. Anthony McCarten (The Theory of Everything)

4. Nick Hornby (Wild)

5. Jason Hall (American Sniper)

Best Cinematography

1. Emmanuel Lubezki (Birdman)

2. Benoit Delhomme (The Theory of Everything)

3. Hoyte van Hoytema (Interstellar)

4. Daniel Landin (Under the Skin)

5. Tom Stern (American Sniper)

Best Score

1. Johann Johannsson (The Theory of Everything)

2. Antonio Sanchez (Birdman)

3. Alexandre Desplat (The Grand Budapest Hotel)

4. Mica Levi (Under the Skin)

5. Jonny Greenwood (Inherent Vice)

Best Original Song

1. 'Everything Is Awesome' (The LEGO Movie)

2. 'Lost Stars' (Begin Again)

3. 'The Last Goodbye' (The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies)

4. 'Glory' (Selma)

5. 'Ordinary Human' (The Giver)

Best Animated Film

1. The LEGO Movie

2. Big Hero 6

3. How to Train Your Dragon 2

4. The Boxtrolls

5. The Tale of the Princess Kaguya

Best Documentary

1. Life Itself

2. The Overnighters

3. Citizenfour

4. Keep On Keepin' On

5. Jodorowsky's Dune

Best Foreign Language Film

1. The Tale of the Princess Kaguya

2. Ida

3. Two Days, One Night

4. Force Majeure

5. Winter Sleep

Best Comedy

1. 22 Jump Street

2. Guardians of the Galaxy

3. Neighbours

4. Top Five

5. The Grand Budapest Hotel

Best Science Fiction / Horror Film

1. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

2. The Babadook

3. Interstellar

4. Under the Skin

5. Edge of Tomorrow