Birdman [DVD]

I was gutted to miss this film on its first release, but it more than held up on the small screen on DVD.Michael Keaton plays a washed up actor famous for being in a superhero franchise, who's directing and starring in his own stage adaptation of a Raymond Carver story. He also thinks he has telekinetic powers and that his most famous character talks to him in his head.The vast majority of the film is presented in what looks like (but isn't) one single flowing take, which is a nice device for a film which deals extensively with the theatrical world, but it also means that there's a constant barrage of imagery and an endlessly mobile camera - if the camera stops for more than a few seconds, the film would have been static and dull. It's never static or dull...There is a nod to Jean-Luc Godard's early work in the opening credits as letters fill the screen in alphabetical order in time with an unseen drummer. Drummers occasionally appear in unlikely places throughout the film, and it's never clear whether or not characters can hear the musical styles that flow throughout. At one point an actor is heard bellowing a soliloquy from Macbeth in a staccato rhythm for several minutes apparently in voiceover before eventually being revealed to be standing in the street. The single shot format means that Iñárritu had to choose which character to focus on during some key conversations, the audience is denied the opportunity of seeing several important reactions (most notably when Emma Stone rages at her egomaniac father). It all gets a bit Brechtian, in the most wonderful way.The film was always going to stand or fall on the strength of its performances, and everyone here is on top form. Michael Keaton gives his best performance since, funnily enough, Batman Returns in 1992... Edward Norton is compelling as a thinly-veiled parody of what you probably imagine Edward Norton is actually like in any case. Emma Stone, Naomi Watts, Andrea Riseborough, Lindsay Duncan and Zach Galifianakis are all brilliant - though it has to be said that Naomi Watts must be getting fed up of playing struggling actresses...If you haven't yet seen this film, you really ought to.And, let's be honest here, who doesn't want them to make Birdman 4?

Michael Keaton is a washed up comic book movie actor trying to make a comeback in the dark comedy Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) also starring Edward Norton, Zach Galifianakis, Emma Stone, Naomi Watts, Andrea Riseborough, and Amy Ryan. Is this movie written and directed by Alejandro G. Iñárritu, a cinematic masterpiece of philosophy and social commentary or is it just a pretentious art house movie about typecast actors?Some of the biggest questions ever proposed by man are: Why do we exist? Are we meant for greatness? Are we just a social experiment by an omnipotent being from heaven? Philosophers, theologians, and scholars have been debating for centuries about creation and the meaning of life.As a society, we hold each other under different standards of worth. Celebrities are thought of as better people because they are rich and beautiful, yet are disposable when they no longer entertain. We shamelessly organize people in an imaginary hierarchy of importance by race, gender, age, religion, and even sexual orientation. Things like clothes, automobiles, and houses become status symbols. Taste in music, movies, and television can classify you as either a hipster or a mindless sheep. Ultimately, us as individuals need to figure out what we want out of life and will it have meaning.Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) tells the story of Riggan Thomson (Michael Keaton), a washed up actor who’s biggest claim to fame was starring as the superhero Birdman in three cash cow Hollywood blockbusters. Twenty years have passed and his career is just about tanked. He refused to do reality shows and other projects as an attempt to make him more relevant, because he knew he would be turned into a laughing stock. In a last ditch effort he decides to scrounge up all his money to adapt, direct, and act in “What We Talk About When We Talk About Love” by Raymond Carver for a Broadway show in order to put his stardom back on the map. Unfortunately for Riggan his world is collapsing as everything that can go wrong with the play and life does, and does so horrifically.To classify the movie by just the synopsis of the above paragraph would do it a complete injustice. Yes the film does indeed follow that premise, but it’s just the beautiful wrapping paper on a Christmas gift that’s much, much more. Birdman is not just a movie, but a cinematic experience that rivals nothing that I ever had the privilege of ever watching. In simple terms, it is a masterpiece. I know that’s big words to say about Birdman, but it’s a perfect amalgamation of highly skilled acting, tight script, phenomenal cinematography, masterful editing, and amazing direction all intertwined with intelligent social commentary and metaphorical existentialism.It’s absolutely perfect that the movie uses the analogy of a superhero. There has always been geeky debates on if Bruce Wayne was the mask and Batman was the true identity. In Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill Vol. 2, the character of Bill gets into a huge speech on how Superman looks at the weakness of the human race to base his alter ego of Clark Kent on. Spider-Man deals with the internal struggle that with great power, comes great responsibility even if it costs him personal happiness. I bring up those heroes because every single one of the main characters of Birdman, on multiple types of levels, all have to deal with questions of identity, existence, and purpose of life. One woman questions if she can still be a real woman even though her body rejects pregnancy. Riggan’s daughter questions if she is worthy of her father’s love and self medicates to replace feelings of neglect. One actress struggles with her purpose as a girlfriend because she can’t get her impotent boyfriend aroused who just so happens to be more truthful of himself when he’s acting compared to real life. The movie blasts innuendo and metaphors to explain everything from relationships and self-esteem to suicide and sexuality. The brilliance of the movie is also that everything is open to interpretation depending on the cues you notice and the characters you relate to. Birdman’s message is fantastic in that no matter how you translate it, there is no right or wrong. It’s all up to you. Even the secondary title is completely open to whatever you feel it means.Besides questions of existence and purpose, Birdman also cleverly throws in social commentary on just about everything. It addresses criticism of art. It addresses social media. And it also sort of bites the Hollywood hand that feeds it by respectfully making fun of big budget blockbusters and the actors who act in them. Once again how you interpret all the in your face symbolism is all up to you.The cast is lead by Michael Keaton who I think puts on his best performance of his entire career. He’s able to channel all his comedic and dramatic roles of his resume and roll them up into Riggan Thomson. I could see the intense insanity of Beetlejuice and the hopelessness of Daryl Poynter from Clean and Sober and the sadness of Bob Jones from My Life all in this one role. And of course the casting is perfect for Keaton to be Birdman since he was indeed the Caped Crusader in the Tim Burton Movies. At times, you could mentally replace the word “Birdman” every time you hear it with “Batman” and it could be the exact same movie. The character perfectly personified every single actor and actress like Adam West, Clayton Moore, and Gary Coleman who was typecast and disposed of when their popularity vanished. In my humble opinion, unless Steve Carell knocks it out of the park with Foxcatcher, Keaton is sure to win an Oscar.The entire supporting cast was phenomenal as well. Because the movie takes place while the characters are in and out of performing the fictional Broadway play, you could see how each actor slightly changed from real acting to fictional acting with subtle facial expressions and vocal inflections. It’s like how Robert Downey Jr.’s character in Tropic Thunder was a dude, playing a dude, disguised as another dude. Leading the supporting cast was Edward Norton as Mike. After an accident during practice knocked out one of the actors, Mike was hired because he has the ability to sell out shows. Norton was on top of his game in this movie. I’ve always been a fan of him since American History X and this was a performance they may just get him nominations for Best Supporting Actor. Rounding out the cast is Emma Stone as Riggan’s estranged daughter who just got out of rehab, Zach Galifianakis as Riggan’s best friend and attorney, Naomi Watts as the leading play actress Lesley, Amy Ryan as Riggan’s ex-wife Sylvia, and Andrea Riseborough as Riggan’s current girlfriend and costar Laura.The main reason as to what makes the movie and the entire cast’s performance truly spectacular is that the film is meant to be one seamless shot. The cast had to prepare long and hard to hit every cue and mark at just the right time, or the filming would have to start all over again. To a trained eye you can tell how the long flowing shots were pieced together with quick swipes and lighting, but they were so expertly edited together by Douglas Crise that the movie felt like one long scene. Initially I was impressed by how the camera went from dressing room to hallway to stage to back stage. I looked at my watch and the movie was already thirty minutes in. When I realized there would be no cuts, I sat with my eyes glued to the screen and my jaw agape as just how spectacular the whole process was pulled off. The movie is two hours long, but the camera pans from area to area over a time period of days. It felt like I was being taken through a journey of love, hate, and raw emotions. The movie also used fantastic practical effects that made Riggan’s telekinetic Birdman powers look realistic instead of being digitally created. This is movie magic at its best. The solitary musical drum score gave the film a jazzy impromptu vibe which made everything seem realistically human. On top of that, the cinematography by Oscar-winner Emmanuel Lubezki was masterfully completed in the same way he made last year’s Gravity look spectacular. I can easily see this movie being nominated for Cinematography and Editing. I know I’m throwing awards to this movie in just about every category, but trust me, it deserves it.The only flaw is that the movie is not for everyone. Some people will get the message and be in awe with all the aspects of the movie while others will be bored by the lack of action and verbose dialogue. What writer/director Alejandro G. Iñárritu has done for cinema was craft a imaginative, clever, and thought provoking masterpiece on the same levels of what Shakespeare did for the theater, Hemingway did for literature, and DaVinci did for art. Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) is the reason why movies were invented.Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) is an absolute masterpiece in every sense of the word. Michael Keaton gives an Oscar worthy performance as well as Edward Norton for Best Supporting Actor. This isn’t just a movie, but a cinematic experience that transcends philosophy and reality. Birdman is the type of thought provoking movie that makes you question things in life like existence and legacy while being cleverly disguised as a washed up superhero actor flick. This movie isn’t for everyone as it will indeed polarize audiences, but go into this movie with an open mind to realize just how intelligent it delivers metaphors and social commentary. Birdman is a fantastic film that no cinephile should miss and one of the best of the year that deserves any and all awards it receives.

Not entirely sure what I just watched here and I'm aware that it's certainly not gonna be for everyone but I enjoyed it. I enjoyed it a lot while basically sitting here and letting it wash over me.The plot, for what it's worth, finds Michael Keaton as Riggan Thomson - an ex super hero actor attempting to gain some credibility and purpose by writing, directing and starring in a Raymond Carver adaptation on Broadway. It's not a smooth ride as he's contending with his daughter, ex wife, current lover, highly strung actresses, bonkers method actors, critics and the small matter of the fictitious Birdman character he used to play talking to him (?!).It's all a bit nuts really, often feeling like a frenetic series of sketches strung together into this rapid fire narrative with the way it's shot trying to give the impression that it's all one single camera shot (kind of). The cast are exceptional with the likes of Naomi Watts, Emma Stone, Zach Galifianakis and Edward Norton each getting their chance to grandstand. It largely revolves around Keaton though and it's an outstanding effort from him tying things together as a guy with possibly serious mental issues (or maybe not, you figure it out).To say it's an acquired taste is perhaps an understatement but it worked for me, being genuinely funny, odd and kind of disturbing at the same time.