Review of Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) (2014) by Joey V — 15 May 2015

Is this film Oscar bait? Absolutely, should it or does that take anything away from this film? Absolutely not. This is the type of film that one waits for all year and it embodies the true art of film.

This is a masterpiece from beginning to end and from the opening scene you are enthralled with this story and not for one second can u take your eyes away from the screen. From its extremely strong plot and its intriguing social narrative about Hollywood and the state of movie making today.

Also the way this movie is shot truly is a sight to see and a true achievement in cinema. From about two minutes in to the last 2 minutes of the film it is made to look like it never cuts and it is just one long shot.

This was masterfully done by Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu and puts him seriously in contention for an Oscar this year. Above all of this one really keeps this story so entertaining and this film so great is the remarkable performances from all the actors involved.

Michael Keaton gives maybe the performance of his career and will likely win him and Oscar. Emma Stone gives a very powerful performance along with Naomi Watts. In my personal opinion though Ed Norton has the strongest performance in this movie and steals every scene he is a part of.

Another surprise performance in this film though is Zach Galifianakis who goes a turn for the dramatic and gives the best performance of his career. The only real complaint I have about this film is that the end left me a little cold and I think that it should have ended a little earlier than it did.

Other than that I do not have anything bad to say about this movie it is a great film that I can honestly say is an experience and an experience worth having in the theater at that. 4.5/5.