I've seen Blue Ruin, Locke, Starred Up and Whiplash
Blue Ruin - Strong thriller but doesn't leave much to be discussed beyond Saulnier's directorial choices and Macon Blair's performance. Not a lot of themes or characters to want to explore. It has gotten a lot of love through out the forums and I wouldn't be surprised or disappointed to see it move on. I could foresee a future where Blue Ruin is one of the forums pillars to evangelize, like Take Shelter or Once Upon a Time in Anatolia.
Locke - A fine film, with another good Tom Hardy performance, but not really brick worthy imo.
Starred Up - One of my favourite movies this year. It has a lot to consider and I've rewatched it twice since September. Best of all, there is no way I would have found this one without FS. My current vote to win the brick.
Whiplash - Currently #2 on my 2014 list. Outstanding in almost every regard, the only qualm I have with its inclusion is that I would be pretty shocked to see it passed over for any nominations, especially J.K. Simmons for Supporting Actor.
Would have liked to see The Drop or Dear White People included, but I get there are only so many spots on the shortlist. Will do my best to see everything currently up for consideration. Very excited to see how this year turns out.