GOODBYE TO LANGUAGE SAYS HELLO TO NATIONAL SOCIETY OF FILM CRITICS

Given the love that many critical outlets have shown for Jean-Luc Godard's Goodbye to Language 3D, I'd expected the notoriously esoteric National Society of Film Critics to follow suit. And they've obliged, rewarding the film their top award for films of 2014, though is it cynical of me to note that its narrow victory may have been the result of some keenly-targeted advocacy within the society? Predictably, Oscar-eligible contenders and critical favourites as Birdman, Boyhood and The Grand Budapest Hotel succeed in cleaning up where Godard's latest misses (which is, essentially, in every category aside from Best Picture); encouraging is the deserved attention given to Mike Leigh's Mr. Turner, which opened in the U.S. just before Christmas and could be experiencing a major upturn in its chances with BAFTA and Oscar nominations upcoming over the next fortnight. All of the NSFC's choices, alongside vote counts, below:

Best Picture

1. Goodbye to Language 3D - 25

2. Boyhood - 24

3. Birdman - 10

=  Mr. Turner - 10

Best Director

1. Richard Linklater (Boyhood) - 36

2. Jean-Luc Godard (Goodbye to Language 3D) - 17

3. Mike Leigh (Mr. Turner) - 12

Best Actor

1. Timothy Spall (Mr. Turner) - 31

2. Tom Hardy (Locke) - 10

3. Ralph Fiennes (The Grand Budapest Hotel) - 9

=  Joaquin Phoenix (Inherent Vice) - 9

Best Actress

1. Marion Cotillard (Two Days, One Night) - 80

2. Julianne Moore (Still Alice) - 35

3. Scarlett Johansson (Lucy / Under the Skin) - 21

Best Supporting Actor

1. J. K. Simmons (Whiplash) - 24

2. Mark Ruffalo (Foxcatcher) - 21

3. Edward Norton (Birdman) - 16

Best Supporting Actress

1. Patricia Arquette (Boyhood) - 26

2. Agata Kulesza (Ida) - 18

3. Rene Russo (Nightcrawler) - 9

Best Screenplay

1. Wes Anderson (The Grand Budapest Hotel) - 24

2. Paul Thomas Anderson (Inherent Vice) - 15

= Armando Bo, Alexander Dinelaris, Nicolas Giacobone and Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu (Birdman) - 15

Best Cinematography

1. Dick Pope (Mr. Turner) - 33

2. Darius Khondji (The Immigrant) - 27

3. Fabrice Aragno (Goodbye to Language 3D) - 9

Best Non-Fiction Film

1. Citizenfour - 56

2. National Gallery - 19

3. The Overnighters - 17