Birdman (2014)

I know this movie has been out for a while now, but despite my interest to see it, I have been unable to, mostly due to things like work and school. It didn't help that my film teachers this semester, particularly my screenwriting teacher, have more or less been going on and on recently on how "you gotta see Birdman. It's it's one of the best movies I've seen in years. It's an example of why I love film. etc.", which is where I would respond; "I know! I want to see it! But it stopped showing at my theater!" and be all bummed about it. But thankfully when I went to look at showtimes for Interstellar for this morning, I found that Birdman came back to my theater, and now I have finally watched it and can't wait to tell that to my film teachers so they know that at least someone (aside from one guy in two of my classes who is also autistic like me,) has seen it. I may just wait until this upcoming weekend to see Interstellar...but for now, who cares?! It's finally time to talk about Birdman!

Plot: Riggan Thomson is a washed up Hollywood actor, who used to play a superhero named Birdman, only to have left the franchise after doing three movies. 20 years later, he is back trying to make a comeback as the writer, director, and star of an adapted play. He goes through a lot of troubles with getting ready for his play, while all the while he is reflecting what has happened to his life and trying to figure out his purpose.

So as I roughly stated, this movie has gotten people talking about it like mad with talks like how it's great or that it's an example of why certain people watch film and so on. And to be very straight forward, I agree with what they've been saying. Birdman was a tremendous, film that talks about so many things from big blockbusters nowadays, acting, theater, critics, family life, and other subjects, and the way it's done has made it one of the most compelling movies I've ever seen. Michael Keaton was perfect for his role as Riggan, with not just his great acting, but also how the story - for those of you who don't know - parallels Keaton's own career with how he used to be Batman 20 some years ago. In fact, a lot of what they talk about when it concerns big movies or even actors revolves around superheroes. Just some of the first 10 minutes of the movie mentions starts that have played superheroes, whether they bring it up or not from Robert Downey Jr. being Iron Man, to Michael Fassbender who is Magneto, to Jeremy Renner as Hawkeye, or even George Clooney who - sadly - once was Batman himself. Heck, even some of the other stars in the film have played a part in superhero films in the past, such as Edward Norton as The Incredible Hulk and Emma Stone as Gwen Stacy. But it still focuses on deeper issues that Riggan or the other characters in the movie deal with whether it has to do with the past or the present. Whether it's Riggan's daughter, Sam with how she is raised and was recently in rehab, or one of his female actors wanting to feel like she made it big, everyone is experiencing some thing that represents life, show business, and so on. The biggest example is what Riggan himself is experiencing with whether or not he is important or if it's even possible he can make a comeback with his career. The acting is terrific in this movie. Michael Keaton, as I said, gave a great, compelling performance that is probably the best I've ever seen him in a film. Edward Norton also gave an excellent performance, to the point where I found it hard to believe that this guy used to be Hulk. And I would have to agree with video critic Chris Stuckmann in saying that Emma Stone was maybe the best she's ever been. Don't get me wrong, I love her work. I mean she is my favorite actress after all. But with Birdman, especially with her big monologue that she gives to Riggan, we get to see her go bigger than she ever has before and it is fantastic. I also really enjoy how artistic this movie is. Whether I understand the symbolism or not, this film has a lot of artistic moments to it that plays a big part in what makes the films so thought compelling. The first big example is one that apparently everyone else who has been talking about this movie has brought up; the editing. The movie 99.8% of the time is made to be viewed like everything that is transpiring is happening all in one shot. Even though it isn't, it has a very smart use of transitions that keep the illusion that it is in one shot, to the point that you feel like you're really there. I think there are only 7-9 ish cuts made in this entire film, at the most. And what makes it even better, is how beautiful the camera work is changing to various, well-positioned shots, all in several long takes. The second big example that a lot of people talk about, is a monologue that Keaton delivers that talks about film critics in general: how film critics will just label things or not really think about something just as a piece of film or about the film making itself. And what he says deep down is very true. I'll even admit that I myself, while not an official film critic, have focused more on using labels on how to describe on what I thought about a movie. Just look at almost half of my reviews in this blog alone. But that just makes it all the more brilliant what Keaton says at that moment.

And that is my review for Birdman. It was artistic, it was thought provoking, it had spectacular performances, brilliant camera and editing work - heck, I really don't know what else to really say about it. If you have not seen it, I definitely recommend that you watch it as soon as you have the oppertunity to do so.    

Rating: 100%