Oscars 2015 Review- Birdman
So, the Oscar nominations came out and I was generally pretty close to the actual results. I was wrong about David Fincher getting a best director nomination which was fair because I'm just a huge Fincher fanboy. I always slightly knew he wouldn't get it in my heart. But The Lego Movie not being nominated? Come on! It was one of the best films I saw last year and far and away the most magical! Anyway, here's the review of Birdman. The Oscars think it's good, but what do I think?
Birdman is the 9 time Oscar nominated film that everyone's been talking about for the last few months. It's the story of Riggan Thompson (played to perfection by Michael Keaton), a washed up Hollywood actor who did a few superhero films back in the nineties and has only been known for that ever since. We see him writing, directing and starring in a play on Broadway and as opening night draws closer, the strain it's taking on him becomes ever clearer. This film has been the film I've most wanted to see for a very long time now and while it didn't quite live up to my (frankly astronomical) expectations, it was an excellent film and one that I enjoyed very much.
Lets start by getting to what is probably the bit of the film that's been garnering the most acclaim for very good reason: the acting. The acting in this film is amazing. The supporting cast on it's own is hugely talented. For a start, there's Zach Galifanakis in a rare dramatic role. Galifanakis is most well known for his hilarious role in The Hangover series and while it doesn't seem like his acting should transfer over, it really does. Next is the wonderful Emma Stone. Interestingly, Stone is also a Superhero film veteran having just come out of a stint in the Spiderman franchise. She plays the role of Keaton's daughter to a tee, capturing all the intricacies that would come with being the child of a film star. Finally, Edward Norton is at his consistently high level of acting. He's a pompous, better-than-you type actor and he's a character you will adore to hate. There is not one bad casting choice of the bunch. But then we get to Michael Keaton's performance.
Michael Keaton has truly staged a comeback with this role. Everyone loves him as Batman and if his Golden Globe acceptance speech didn't make you choke up even a little bit, you have no heart. None at all. His performance is certainly the best I've seen all year (I haven't seen Theory of Everything yet, so shut up). The multiple meltdowns that Thompson goes through are fascinating and totally believable, probably because there's a chance Keaton may have gone through a similar thing himself. It should also be noted that he plays Thompson's alter ego Birdman, a more aggressive and less arty side that believes they should have taken every opportunity for money they got, from reality TV to Birdman 4. Birdman eats away at Riggan and eventually causes him to set into motion the events of the film. Basically, Michael Keaton completely and utterly deserved his Golden Globe win and I have a feeling the best actor race will be tight between him and "talented, attractive, young British actor" Eddie Redmayne.
Another aspect of this film that just craves attention and that is the direction of Alejandro thingy. I don't really know his name but the director of Birdman. He's really proved himself to be an incredible director with this film, so much so that I want to go see every one of his other films. The amazing thing about this film is that it's all shot to look like one big, long-shot. For those of you who don't know, a long-shot is a type of film shot that means it follows a character and never cuts away. To do this so well with such flair takes an incredible amount of talent and that's what Alejandro has displayed in bucket loads. It also takes incredible talent to be able to have a cast of actors to this and to utilise all of them perfectly, harnessing every inch of their acting capabilities and then some. God bless you Alejandro un-pronounceable surname. I eagerly await your next piece.
So Birdman. Watch it. Sure, it's arty. Sure, it's very surreal. But it's crafted with love and passion and every single actor in this film has worked their socks, shoes and toes off. This film is going to be a huge presence at the Oscars, so if you want to stay afloat, check it out. Alternatively, if you like good films, why not also try Birdman? It's very good. In fact, out of ten, I'd give it:
Michael Keaton has truly staged a comeback with this role. Everyone loves him as Batman and if his Golden Globe acceptance speech didn't make you choke up even a little bit, you have no heart. None at all. His performance is certainly the best I've seen all year (I haven't seen Theory of Everything yet, so shut up). The multiple meltdowns that Thompson goes through are fascinating and totally believable, probably because there's a chance Keaton may have gone through a similar thing himself. It should also be noted that he plays Thompson's alter ego Birdman, a more aggressive and less arty side that believes they should have taken every opportunity for money they got, from reality TV to Birdman 4. Birdman eats away at Riggan and eventually causes him to set into motion the events of the film. Basically, Michael Keaton completely and utterly deserved his Golden Globe win and I have a feeling the best actor race will be tight between him and "talented, attractive, young British actor" Eddie Redmayne.
Another aspect of this film that just craves attention and that is the direction of Alejandro thingy. I don't really know his name but the director of Birdman. He's really proved himself to be an incredible director with this film, so much so that I want to go see every one of his other films. The amazing thing about this film is that it's all shot to look like one big, long-shot. For those of you who don't know, a long-shot is a type of film shot that means it follows a character and never cuts away. To do this so well with such flair takes an incredible amount of talent and that's what Alejandro has displayed in bucket loads. It also takes incredible talent to be able to have a cast of actors to this and to utilise all of them perfectly, harnessing every inch of their acting capabilities and then some. God bless you Alejandro un-pronounceable surname. I eagerly await your next piece.
So Birdman. Watch it. Sure, it's arty. Sure, it's very surreal. But it's crafted with love and passion and every single actor in this film has worked their socks, shoes and toes off. This film is going to be a huge presence at the Oscars, so if you want to stay afloat, check it out. Alternatively, if you like good films, why not also try Birdman? It's very good. In fact, out of ten, I'd give it:
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