Birdman (2014)

[Plain Old Tele]

Discuss.

[CloneWars]

An incredibly well-made film. The dialogue is fantastic. I love that the whole film except very end and beginning are all one single long shot. it does a great job of turning Hollywood on its head. My only objection is that the film is a bit pretentious at times, and I think for some people this film will be very inaccessible. Although, I think some will fall in love with this film. I honestly feel like this is best picture material here and better than most of the stuff that was won in past years. One thing I am certain of, Michael Keaton gives an amazing, amazing performance and the Oscar is his to lose this year.

 

If you are a fan of cinema, then this is a must-see film.

[Ezen Baklattan]

A dizzyingly brilliant film unlike anything I've ever seen. It works not just because of its direction, but because said direction plays off the desperation and instability that all of these characters have. The movie make constant jabs at all levels of Hollywood, from the producer to the consumer, but at the same time, it's willing to call out the people who do said calling outs. Ed Norton is definitely the personification of this, so it's fitting that his character is a bit of a dick at times. Either way, it ultimately reaches towards a more human level, with each character just trying to get by and find their own means of happiness and meaning in life. There are so many layers to this thing, and it's brilliant how every detail comes together in ways that are hilarious, cathartic, and just plain shocking.

 

A masterpiece.

[The Panda]

The movie makes you enter an entrancing state of trippiness, and is magnificently well directed and shot.  The overall camerawork and cinematography is the best of the year (even topping that of Grand Budapest Hotel), and it's one of the slickest edited films you will see in a long time.  The script is a searing iron poking jabs at the Hollywood industry, Broadway, critics, celebrities, and the mindset of consumers, and it has so much depth with so much to be analyzed because this is a case where what is important truly is shown and not told.  The secondary title really does define this film, The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance, every character in the film is searching for fulfillment and in the end it is realized the only true way to fulfill yourself is to be ignorant to the entire idea of that (when Keaton decides to embrace himself as Birdman in the very end), ignorance is a virtue because Keaton was only truly at peace with himself when he had become ignorant to the idea of selling out (this exact thing being what forces the critic to write her positive review of the play).

 

I could write so much about it, because it is so delicately detailed, everything is so planned, yet everything feels so organic at the same time.  Birdman is literally one of the closest things you can get to the idea of organized chaos.  My only true complaint is at times the camera work gets a tad bit too showy to the point where that takes prevalence from the plot thus dragging you a bit out of the story it is telling, plus for trying to give the illusion of one really long take the places there are takes are more obvious than they should.  However, at this point I am just getting extremely nitpicky, which in and of itself is something that speaks highly of the film, it is so free of flaws that the few flaws it does have stick out like a sore thumb.

 

Overall, excellent film and one of the best of the year.

 

A (borderline A+)

[baumer]

This was my text to tele after seeing it.

Just saw Birdman. Fantastic movie but even moreso Keaton gives a performance up there with the greatest of all time. Ledger from TDK Day Lewis from TWBB...And so on....hes absolutely on that level. Im stunned. Im not tech savvy enough to know how they pulled this off but its one hell of a movie! If Keaton doesnt win this year the winner should just turn around and give it to him

[The Panda]

This was my text to tele after seeing it.

Just saw Birdman. Fantastic movie but even moreso Keaton gives a performance up there with the greatest of all time. Ledger from TDK Day Lewis from TWBB...And so on....hes absolutely on that level. Im stunned. Im not tech savvy enough to know how they pulled this off but its one hell of a movie! If Keaton doesnt win this year the winner should just turn around and give it to him

 

I'm surprised (yet pleased) you loved it so much.

[JohnnyGossamer]

Holy shit. A+.

[baumer]

I'd like your thoughts on his super natural abilities.  Were they real?  Did it happen because of the jelly fish?  What was up with the comet stuff at the beginning?

[JohnnyGossamer]

I think it's left up to you to decide... Part of the movie's magnetic, chaotic charm.

[The Panda]

I'd like your thoughts on his super natural abilities.  Were they real?  Did it happen because of the jelly fish?  What was up with the comet stuff at the beginning?

 

It's open to interpretation, I took it as they were just part of his fantasy though and as the movie inches farther and farther a long more of what you see is simply a blend of reality and his own insanity.  (Such as the whole post-shooting himself ending just being his own pre-death fantasy of accepting himself as Birdman)

Edited November 5, 2014 by The Panda

[JohnnyGossamer]

This one's literally making me forget about all the other movies coming out for a week or two. I gotta see it again.

[baumer]

I think he really does have the powers. It kind of reminded me of Phenomenon in a way.  In that one, Travolta gets a tumor and then he is able to use more of his brain power.  

 

In this one, the jelly fish did something to Riggan, imo.

[narniadis]

Oh my god such a good film. Keaton reminds me of Natalie Portman in Black Sawn, so totally in that you forget you are watching an actor.

[Gopher]

A fascinating study of mental illness. This movie takes us further down the rabbit hole with each consecutive minute of action, getting us to hate and love and pity and sneer at and revere Riggan at every turn. The narrative is truly from his fucked-up perspective, and it couldn't have engrossed me more.

[Kvikk Lunsj]

Best superhero movie in long time

[GeneralKong]

I absolutely loved every second of this one. Showbiz satire and dramatic study of the effects of mental illness is a difficult genre balancing act, but Inarritu pulls it off, and Keaton is superb (superb may not even be a strong enough word to describe Keaton's performance.) I initially had Boyhood as my number one for the year so far, but I'm thinking that I might replace it with this one. 

9.5/10

[The Panda]

Best superhero movie in long time

In a long time? What superhero movie is actually better than it?

[Blankments]

Saw it yesterday but wanted to digest it a bit:

 

Basically in my mind, this year we've had three ridiculously ambitious films: Boyhood, Interstellar, and Birdman. All three of these movies succeed greatly at their ambition in my opinion but Birdman succeeds the most. The one-take look is not a gimmick, but thematically ties in with the combination of film and theater. The cinematography is astounding in this sense.

 

The script is super funny, but what I was surprised by was how much I empathized with Riggan, almost to the point where I got nostalgic with his experiences in a similar way to watching Boyhood. As an actor, I know that terror of missing a cue, and Inarritu ingeniously takes that to the next level in the scene where Riggan runs out naked into the crowd, desperately trying to make it back to the theater in time for his cue. His feelings of worthlessness for all he's done for acting is one I empathized with him as well, along with him hating Norton's character. As a guy who has spent a lot of time in theater, this film is very nostalgic in a sense.

 

The Hollywood satire is on point. The argument of commercial work vs. true art is put on display here, and Riggan's experiences with both sides show the true nature of working creatively. Likewise, the subplot with the critic makes some great points - I commented to one of my friends who loves CinemaSins after the movie that Birdman blatantly talks about how awful it is to label any work of art in that sense.

 

Finally, I got to talk about the acting. This should win every Ensemble award, easily. First movie I haven't hated Emma Stone in, and Galifanikis does pretty good in a sorta serious role. Norton is exceptional, and I'd say he's a lock to win all Best Supporting Actor awards if it wasn't for the film forgetting about him in the third act, choosing instead to follow Riggan. There's not much I can say about Keaton without sounding ridiculously hyperbolic. The performance of a lifetime, and one of the best performances I've ever seen in my own life. Keaton embodies the character, and even with the meta-qualities, he becomes unrecognizable in the role. I will legitimately throw stuff at my TV if he doesn't win the Oscar for Best Actor.

 

Birdman is another movie 2014 can add to its list of fantastic films, and definitely shouldn't be missed. A+

[Blankments]

I'm surprised (yet pleased) you loved it so much.

I'm not surprised at all after seeing it; the movie takes his viewpoint on critics along with a lot of really funny satire of Hollywood and the entertainment industry in general

[baumer]

You have an excellent voice Blank.  That review is about the best review for any film I've ever read.  Well done sir.