Review of Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) (2014) by Unionjack26 — 26 Jan 2015

Firstly, I have to say it was refreshing to finally see a movie fully deserving of all the accolades and awards it's being nominated for and winning... After seeing the horrible and over-hyperd Boyhood and the lackluster Gone Girl, this was a much needed glimmer of hope.

This film grabbed my attention from the get-go. It was a mish mosh of arthouse, big-budget, independent but with a theatre feel to it. I was about 5 mins in before I had to ask myself, 'Is this all one shot?!" The film flowed scene to scene effortlessly, giving the feeling of one continuous shot, a remarkable feat by director, cinematograher and editor (all deserving of awards). It gave a sort of theatre atmosphere to the film that brought you into their world and made you feel like a fly on the wall, observing but not intruding.

The dialogue was well-written and the acting performances all around were top notch. Michael Keaton is phenomenal, as he portrays an actor in the twilight and dwindling years of his career, trying to stay relevant and risking everything to do so. His alter-ego subconcious plays a significant role in his psyche that appears to affect the world around him. It gives us a glimpse into his world and allows us to better understand the character.

You can easily tell that a lot of planning, consideration, care and thought went into making this film. It's not a gimmick, but an amazing accomplishment by everyone involved in the making of. It's not a movie that needs to be explained or defended, it stands on it's own, delivers a clear message, but still leaves a little personal interpretation for the audience.

For those of us who grew up with Keaton films, there's the added nostalgia and links to his film past as the Batman and his alter-ego (Birdman) almost as a Beetlejuice feel to it. I can't say enough good things about his performance, watching him reminded me of what real acting should be and I have no doubt that his co-actors raised their game to this new standard.

The arthouse-like score blended the film together from beginning to end, giving a more anxious feeling and sense of urgency, appropriate to the scenes and story. There were few slow spots in the film, but were necessary for the audience to relax before bringing us back into the moment. The SFX were very well done and again, major kudos have to be given considering this appeared to be a single shot throughout (I'm still blown-away by it).

NYC was the perfect backdrop; the landscape and sounds virtually took me there and for 2 hours I forgot I wasn't.

This is a must-see film for anyone (except those who only like $200 million Michael Bay action/explosion-porn movies).