Director: Alejandro Gonzales Inarritu
Starring: Micheal Keaton, Edward Norton, Emma Stone, Naomi Watts
My Rating: Loved It!!!
Birdman is a gift to movie lovers like myself. Not only does it have a lot of things to say about the current state of the movie business and the current state of stardom in the internet age, but it's constantly hilarious throughout; which, honestly, I did not expect, knowing Alejandro's previous works.
It's about a washed-up old actor (Keaton) who is struggling with becoming relevant again. A few decades earlier he was in the famed Birdman trilogy, and that is still what he is known for. So he adapts a book into a play and is starring in it and directing it. All the while struggling with the voice in his head that constantly berates him.
There is so much to love about this film. The real-time, one camera method makes everything so urgent and absorbing. I can't even begin to understand the intense preparation that this method must've warranted from the cast and crew. And speaking of the cast, they are phenomenal in Birdman. Edward Norton and Michael Keaton specifically steal this film.
Birdman, most likely, will win best picture, and damn sure will win best cinematography. Edward Norton probably will win best supporting actor and the only person standing in Keaton's way for best actor would be Benedict Cumberbatch in The Imitation Game. It's really hard to compare those two roles, though. They are both fantastic, but they are two very different roles; It's like apples and oranges.
Birdman reminds me a lot of Black Swan by Darren Aronofsky. They are very different films in tone, story, and stylistically, but a very important note is played on in both films: the main character is driven mad, thus being absorbed by their respective roles and creating a great performance. The motives are vastly different, but that one comparison was hard for me to ignore. This is neither good nor bad, just an observation between two fantastic movies!
Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) is a hilarious, thought-provoking spectacle on being a self critical artist on the back nine of life. See this movie.