Birdman 2014
I didn’t know much about this movie going in, which maybe didn’t work out so well for me. I knew it involved a superhero, superpowers, Michael Keaton, and got great reviews. I didn’t know Michael Keaton plays a washed up actor trying to redeem himself with a vanity Broadway project and that the movie is more about actors and acting than anything. Actors eat this kind of thing up, so the cast is pretty good. And if it isn’t self-indulgent enough, the director decided to ham it up too by filming everything in very long tracking sequences where the camera follows the actors around without a take. They throw a lot of melodrama into the mix too. It fell pretty flat for me. I don’t like big acting scenes and Keaton’s character isn’t someone anyone would really like. Having him strip down to his tighty whities repeatedly doesn’t make him a great actor. I usually like him, but he is too depressed here. It was listed as a comedy, and Edward Norton plays things pretty goofy (not his strong suit), but the rest of the movie is all drama. That said, the movie has gotten some great reviews, and it is pretty offbeat and different, with some good characters. People who act or want to act will probably really like it.
Written: 09 Nov 2014
Owned on: Digital