Actor Benedict Cumberbatch poses backstage with his actor award for "The Imitation Game" during the Hollywood Film Awards in Hollywood, California November 14, 2014. [Photo/Agencies]

'A lot of courage'

The best picture race promises to be competitive, with no clear favorite five weeks before the Feb 22 awards ceremony in Los Angeles. But the Academy branches that nominate contenders seem to have gravitated to films that challenged the creative status quo.

Both "Birdman" from Mexican director Alejandro G. Inarritu and Wes Anderson's quirky "The Grand Budapest Hotel" offer innovative visual spectacles and original characters. They go head-to-head in four races - picture, director, cinematography and original screenplay.

"Birdman" features Michael Keaton, a best actor nominee, as a washed-up former superhero actor battling to make a comeback by putting on his own Broadway play, his angst captured in what looks like one long shot in the cramped confines of the theater.

"I am very happy for the whole Birdman flock because it took a lot of courage to make this film out of conventions," said Inarritu.

"The Grand Budapest Hotel" was an early favorite last year with critics, with its whimsical story of a hotel concierge caught up in a murder plot. It won nominations for its colorful production design, costumes and makeup, among others.

If there was a latecomer to the race, it would be "American Sniper." The real-life story of the most deadly sniper in American military history is also roaring to life at the box office, but Eastwood, 84, failed to make the cut for best director.

Some of the other notable surprises were the nomination of Oscar-winning French actress Marion Cotillard as a beleaguered worker in "Two Days, One Night" and the exclusion of Jennifer Aniston, who gave a critically acclaimed performance in "Cake."

The animation category may have served up the biggest snub of the day with the omission of "The LEGO Movie," which is based on the toy building blocks loved by critics, children and their parents.

Julianne Moore is considered the favorite to win the best actress Oscar for her portrayal as a woman with early-onset Alzheimer's. Fellow Golden Globe winner, Eddie Redmayne, is a strong contender for best actor for his role as physicist Stephen Hawking in "The Theory of Everything."

Meryl Streep extended her Academy lead as the most nominated performer of all time with her 19th nod, this time for her supporting role in the musical "Into the Woods."

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