Birdman-movie review
October 26, 2014
October 26, 2014
Movie Review
Birdman
by Geoff Hudson
It has garnered big buzz, but the main reason Birdman is being hailed by many is due to its cinematic style. Filmed by cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki (Gravity) to give the impression of one long and continuous shot, the movie is set in the backstage of the St. James Theatre, in dressing rooms, on the streets of Times Square, and on a theater rooftop.
So it’s the style of the filming that’s responsible for the critical hype. But strip the style and look to the substance of Birdman and the movie leaves a lot to be desired.
Directed and written by Alejandro G. Iñárritu, with Nicolás Giacobone, Alexander Dinelaris, and Armando Bo, the picture centers on a has-been screen actor, Riggan Thomson (Michael Keaton), who once played Birdman, a comic-book superhero.
Riggan wants to prove that he’s not just a flavor-of-the-month celebrity by trying to make it on Broadway. To that end, he is producing, directing, and starring in a play What We Talk About When We Talk About Love, which he’s adapted from a short story by Raymond Carver.
Riggan is in some sort of neurotic desperation to show the theater world that he isn’t just a mediocre tinsel-town personality but a great actor. Keaton plays Riggan with explosive fierceness and emotional violence. That’s supposed to suggest that if Riggan suffers enough, the glitterati of Broadway will recognize him as a true artist rather than as a Hollywood celeb.
But who cares? Who cares if the once-upon-a-time superhero-star shows off his talent to the New York Times critic Lindsay Duncan—who is a pompous mean-spirited critic preparing to destroy Riggan because he’s a former star of the silver screen rather than a stage actor. And who cares that he proves himself as a stage actor?
Indeed, that’s one of the big problems with Birdman. The film is all about Riggan, but we really don’t care about him or his ambition. And there’s nothing else at stake here.
And then there’s the film’s confusion and contradiction. Alongside Riggan is a creature, supposedly the Birdman, talking into his ear, ranting and raving, insulting him, and finally appearing in front of him.
Movie Review
Birdman
by Geoff Hudson
It has garnered big buzz, but the main reason Birdman is being hailed by many is due to its cinematic style. Filmed by cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki (Gravity) to give the impression of one long and continuous shot, the movie is set in the backstage of the St. James Theatre, in dressing rooms, on the streets of Times Square, and on a theater rooftop.
So it’s the style of the filming that’s responsible for the critical hype. But strip the style and look to the substance of Birdman and the movie leaves a lot to be desired.
Directed and written by Alejandro G. Iñárritu, with Nicolás Giacobone, Alexander Dinelaris, and Armando Bo, the picture centers on a has-been screen actor, Riggan Thomson (Michael Keaton), who once played Birdman, a comic-book superhero.
Riggan wants to prove that he’s not just a flavor-of-the-month celebrity by trying to make it on Broadway. To that end, he is producing, directing, and starring in a play What We Talk About When We Talk About Love, which he’s adapted from a short story by Raymond Carver.
Riggan is in some sort of neurotic desperation to show the theater world that he isn’t just a mediocre tinsel-town personality but a great actor. Keaton plays Riggan with explosive fierceness and emotional violence. That’s supposed to suggest that if Riggan suffers enough, the glitterati of Broadway will recognize him as a true artist rather than as a Hollywood celeb.
But who cares? Who cares if the once-upon-a-time superhero-star shows off his talent to the New York Times critic Lindsay Duncan—who is a pompous mean-spirited critic preparing to destroy Riggan because he’s a former star of the silver screen rather than a stage actor. And who cares that he proves himself as a stage actor?
Indeed, that’s one of the big problems with Birdman. The film is all about Riggan, but we really don’t care about him or his ambition. And there’s nothing else at stake here.
And then there’s the film’s confusion and contradiction. Alongside Riggan is a creature, supposedly the Birdman, talking into his ear, ranting and raving, insulting him, and finally appearing in front of him.
As the film begins, we see Riggan levitating, and as it progresses we see objects moving and crashing around him. Does he have supernatural powers or is he fantasizing? When he jumps off a rooftop and flies over Manhattan is it in his mind or is it for real?
One moment you think he’s delusional, and then in the next we see the expression on the face of one of the characters that suggests Riggan really is flying.
Keaton plays against type here, which may be why some are praising his performance. And then there’s the similarity between Keaton’s real-life early cinematic portrayal of Batman and now Birdman.
Keaton delivers a good performance, but there may be another reason for the heightened critical acclaim praising him for his honest portrayal. He walks down Times Square in nothing but underwear, bares his balding pate, and allows his wrinkles to show. Nowadays, looking unattractive often passes for great acting.
Other contributors to the film include Riggan’s daughter Sam (Emma Stone) who is out of drug rehab and still miserable because her father didn’t have time for her when she was growing up. The lead actress in the play, Lesley (Naomi Watts) who is all upset when fellow actor Mike (Edward Norton wasted in the part) tries to rape her on stage.
And then there’s the producer (Zach Galifianakis) who lies to Riggan to keep the show afloat, and an actress (Andrea Riseborough) with whom Riggan had an affair and who deceives him about a baby.
In addition, two of the actresses share a Lesbian kiss for two seconds, which is meaningless to both and which comes to nothing. And a bad actor is forced out of the play when someone deliberately causes an object to drop on his head.
Furthermore, one man can only get sexually aroused when on stage and another man tries to kill himself with a gun but fails when he ends up shooting off his nose. And a woman sits on the edge of a roof planning to jump because the world isn’t making her happy.
We can’t get fully involved with Riggan or any of those self-destructive characters. They are really messed up, which may be why the film is touted as a dark comedy. Only thing is that it’s not funny.
There is a gray bleakness to Birdman beyond the lack of color in the filming. It’s supposed to be humorous but I found it very depressing. It has nothing of importance to say, its characters are unsympathetic, the storyline is confusing, and it’s meaningless.
The only important moment in the film is that in which a man on the street shouts the “full of sound and fury signifying nothing” speech from Shakespeare’s Macbeth. It was the highlight of the movie because it perfectly sums up Birdman.
One moment you think he’s delusional, and then in the next we see the expression on the face of one of the characters that suggests Riggan really is flying.
Keaton plays against type here, which may be why some are praising his performance. And then there’s the similarity between Keaton’s real-life early cinematic portrayal of Batman and now Birdman.
Keaton delivers a good performance, but there may be another reason for the heightened critical acclaim praising him for his honest portrayal. He walks down Times Square in nothing but underwear, bares his balding pate, and allows his wrinkles to show. Nowadays, looking unattractive often passes for great acting.
Other contributors to the film include Riggan’s daughter Sam (Emma Stone) who is out of drug rehab and still miserable because her father didn’t have time for her when she was growing up. The lead actress in the play, Lesley (Naomi Watts) who is all upset when fellow actor Mike (Edward Norton wasted in the part) tries to rape her on stage.
And then there’s the producer (Zach Galifianakis) who lies to Riggan to keep the show afloat, and an actress (Andrea Riseborough) with whom Riggan had an affair and who deceives him about a baby.
In addition, two of the actresses share a Lesbian kiss for two seconds, which is meaningless to both and which comes to nothing. And a bad actor is forced out of the play when someone deliberately causes an object to drop on his head.
Furthermore, one man can only get sexually aroused when on stage and another man tries to kill himself with a gun but fails when he ends up shooting off his nose. And a woman sits on the edge of a roof planning to jump because the world isn’t making her happy.
We can’t get fully involved with Riggan or any of those self-destructive characters. They are really messed up, which may be why the film is touted as a dark comedy. Only thing is that it’s not funny.
There is a gray bleakness to Birdman beyond the lack of color in the filming. It’s supposed to be humorous but I found it very depressing. It has nothing of importance to say, its characters are unsympathetic, the storyline is confusing, and it’s meaningless.
The only important moment in the film is that in which a man on the street shouts the “full of sound and fury signifying nothing” speech from Shakespeare’s Macbeth. It was the highlight of the movie because it perfectly sums up Birdman.
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