Birdman Review

RYAN: This first movie this year truly garnering Oscar buzz is Birdman, primarily for leading man Michael Keaton for this great performance but also because the casting is meta since he plays a character that very vaguely mirrors his life – a formerly hot actor who once played a cinematic superhero. Walking in with high expectations, this movie delivers.  It’s remarkable.

TINA: Very rarely do I walk into a film and expect to be blown away like I did for this movie and it was great.  It kept me thinking and on the edge of my seat the entire time.  It’s truly unpredictable.  You can’t ever really get inside the head, or ahead of Michael’s character.  I agree – it’s remarkable.

RYAN: There are many strengths to this film but they all lead back to the script. And then adding the technical layer of how the film is made – to appear as one ongoing, unedited shot – is so ambitious and so rarely attempted. It’s brilliantly done.  Ninety percent of the making of this film had to be just in the planning of filming it.  I’ve seen one other movie shot like this, the horror film Silent House, and this one is just beyond phenom.  I can barely wrap my head around all the hair, makeup, lighting, choreography, moving the extras, sets, all of it, everything – it’s all so overwhelming.  It’s a mind-blowing achievement.

TINA: I agree it was brilliant.  The transitions and the movement of the camera around the sets and the people.  It’s really some kind of genius.  I’ve never seen anything like this before.  And even the CGI added at certain moments was amazing.  I can’t imagine how they did it.

RYAN: The rack focus was also expertly done.  Loved it.  The performances are a showcase for every actor in it.  Keaton, obviously, is a real contender for an Oscar nom.  He has many terrific moments here.  It’s crazy to this this is the dude who did Beetlejuice doing this.  I love Michael Keaton.  WHo stood out to you the most?

TINA: Edward Norton.  Can I call him Eddie?

RYAN: By all means.

TINA: I love him after this movie.  Loved his character in this and how he just shakes everything up.  It’s such a character role and he seemed to milk it for all it’s worth and I was loving every second of him in this film.  I’m a huge fan.

RYAN: Emma Stone really blew me away.  She has one speech where I thought, “That’s all it takes.” She should get a Supporting Actress nom for this movie.  She’s so so good. And then Naomi Watts, who just last week impressed me as a pregnant Russian stripper has this movie coming out where she couldn’t be more different and layered.  She’s also so good. Amy Ryan and Andrea Riseborough both fantastic and then Zach Galifianakis looks surprisingly normal and kinda like he stepped out of A Chorus Line in this.  Loved him too.

TINA: Zach doesn’t do his typical over-the-top comedic performance.  It’s such a wonderful ensemble piece.  You’re right, they each have their own shining moments and it’s fun to sit and watch them shine on screen.

RYAN: This movie goes so deep inside Broadway and the theater community it really feels like you’re exposed to the inner workings of that world.  It’s like we just went to a Broadway play tonight and got way more than our money’s worth.  It’s cool to see that side of New York.

TINA: I found the dichotomy between Broadway and Hollywood to be fascinating.  I had never thought about how that switch might feel for actors and this movie really taps into that.  Very interesting to see the celebrity going from movies to stage work and the stereotypes.

RYAN: There’s also a harsh anti-critics theme in this movie which made me only mildly uncomfortable but it raises really good points.  As for the score, it’s really a weird, sparse drumbeat.

TINA: It was appropriate.

RYAN: It annoyed me some of the time but did ultimately work.

TINA: I love how Michael Keaton used his Batman voice for his inner-monologue.

RYAN: I think he was a bit affected by Christian Bale though because he sounded even lower than I remember.

TINA: It’s so different than anything else and really intrigued me right from the beginning.

RYAN: It’s reminiscent in tone and quirkiness to Black Swan; it’s not quite as dark but has a similar narrative.  It’s dramatic with moments of levity.

TINA: I LOL’d a couple times.

RYAN: Such an original work.  It’ remarkable, different, enthralling.

Thanks For Viewing The Birdman Review