The Oscar nominations are in! And surprisingly, there were actually some surprises! Wes Anderson's The Grand Budapest Hotel is one of the frontrunners with nine nods, tying with the awards season favourite Birdman, while Brit drama The Imitation Game is just behind on eight.
Check out the full run down for the 87th Academy Awards here, but here's what happened in the big one. Best Picture was announced by Chris Pine and Academy President Cheryl Boone Isaacs, with eight films going head to head this year. The Grand Budapest Hotel, The Imitation Game and Birdman join American Sniper, The Theory of Everything, Whiplash, Boyhood and Selma.
Wes Anderson's all-star epic has really picked up momentum in the past couple of weeks, riding high on its eleven BAFTA nods and a Golden Globe win for Best Motion Picture - Musical of Comedy. The whimsical tale, which brings back Anderson's cast of favourites (Owen Wilson and Bill Murray pop up) alongside a star turn from Ralph Fiennes, was the director's biggest box office earner to date when it was released last Spring and now it's got the critical acclaim to go with it.
The Grand Budapest Hotel
To go up against more traditional Oscar favourites - heavy hitting dramas (The Imitation Game and The Theory of Everything) is a real sign of just how merited the film must have been with the Academy voters.
Anderson is a three-time Oscar nominee, for co-writing Moonrise Kingdom and The Royal Tenenbaums and for Best Animated Feature for The Fantastic Mr Fox, but he's never been nominated for Best Director or had a Best Picture nod - until now.
Birdman meanwhile has been soaring all awards season, picking up two Golden Globes over the weekend out of seven nominations, including a win for its lead Michael Keaton. It's also just behind Budapest Hotel in the BAFTA race with ten nominations. Starring the one-time Batman in a genius piece of casting, Birdman follows Riggan Thompson, an actor who once portrayed the eponymous hero but is now a washed up star struggling to make his return on Broadway.
Birdman
We'll see if Birdman or Budapest comes out on top in the Oscars on February 22, or will another one of the Best Picture contenders find themselves on the podium?
