Indie Award Nominations Boost Oscar Chances For “birdman,” “boyhood,” “grand Budapest”

Getting the movie awards season off to an alarmingly early start, the Gotham Awards nominations – which focus exclusively on independent film – have given a potential Oscar boost, or at least a little buzz, to several contenders, including Alejandro González Iñárritu’s just-released showbiz satire “Birdman,” Richard Linklater’s “Boyhood” and Wes Anderson’s “The Grand Budapest Hotel.” (If I were writing the Vegas betting line on Oscar’s best-picture race, I would say that “Birdman” currently holds the favorite’s position, by a nose.) Those three films were all nominated for best feature, along with Ira Sachs’ “Love Is Strange” and Jonathan Glazer’s “Under the Skin,” which are less likely to play a role in the Oscar race.