‘Birdman’ leads North Carolina film critics nominations

The North Carolina Film Critics Association has announced its list of nominees in a modest array of categories this season, and once again, it's “Birdman” leading the way, with seven nominations. One of those came for the Tar Heel Award, recognizing artists with ties to North Carolina. Wilkesboro native Zach Galifianakis, who in my opinion actually deserves a hard look for Best Supporting Actor consideration, got a notice there.

Check out the full list of nominees below. Winners will be announced Jan. 5. And check out the rest of the season's offerings at The Circuit.

Best Narrative Film
“Boyhood”
“Birdman”
“Calvary”
“The Grand Budapest Hotel”
“A Most Violent Year”
“Selma”
“Whiplash”

Best Director
Wes Anderson, “The Grand Budapest Hotel”
Damien Chazelle, “Whiplash”
Ava DuVernay, “Selma”
David Fincher, “Gone Girl”
Alejandro González Iñárritu, “Birdman”
Richard Linklater, “Boyhood”

Best Actor
Ralph Fiennes, “The Grand Budapest Hotel”
Brendan Gleeson, “Calvary”
Tom Hardy, “Locke”
Michael Keaton, “Birdman”
Eddie Redmayne, “The Theory of Everything”

Best Actress
Marion Cotillard, “Two Days, One Night”
Essie Davis, “The Babadook”
Felicity Jones, “The Theory of Everything”
Julianne Moore, “Still Alice”
Rosamund Pike, “Gone Girl”
Reese Witherspoon, “Wild”

Best Supporting Actor
Josh Brolin, “Inherent Vice”
Ethan Hawke, “Boyhood”
Alfred Molina, “Love is Strange”
Edward Norton, “Birdman”
Mark Ruffalo, “Foxcatcher”
J. K. Simmons, “Whiplash”

Best Supporting Actress
Patricia Arquette, “Boyhood”
Jessica Chastain, “A Most Violent Year”
Keira Knightley, “The Imitation Game”
Rene Russo, “Nightcrawler”
Emma Stone, “Birdman”
Tilda Swinton, “Snowpiercer”

Best Adapted Screenplay
Gillian Flynn, “Gone Girl”
James Gunn and Nicole Perlman, “Guardians of the Galaxy”
Nick Hornby, “Wild”
Graham Moore, “The Imitation Game”
Joon-ho Bong and Kelly Masterson, “Snowpiercer”

Best Original Screenplay
Wes Anderson, “The Grand Budapest Hotel”
Damien Chazelle, “Whiplash”
Alejandro González Iñárritu, Nicolás Giacobone, Alexander Dinelaris, and Armando Bo, “Birdman”
Richard Linklater, “Boyhood”
Jon Michael McDonagh, “Calvary”

Best Documentary Film
“CITIZENFOUR”
“Glen Campbell: I”ll Be Me”
“Jodorowsky”s Dune”
“Life Itself”
“The Overnighters”

Best Animated Film
“Big Hero 6”
“The Boxtrolls”
“How to Train Your Dragon 2”
“The LEGO Movie”
“The Tale of Princess Kaguya”

Best Foreign Language Film
“Force Majeure”
“Ida”
“The Lunchbox”
“Two Days, One Night”
“We are the Best!”

Tar Heel Award
Special recognition to a performer or film with special ties to North Carolina.
Zach Galifanikas, “Birdman”
Cynthia Hill, “Private Violence”
Jake Lacy, “Obvious Child”
Julianne Moore, “Still Alice”
Martha Stephens and Aaron Katz, “Land Ho!”