Birdman, or The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance is the story of washed up actor Riggan Thomson (Michael Keaton) who was once world famous playing a superhero but is now desperate to get his career back on track many years later by launching his first play on Broadway. When they are in need of a bit of star power, Hollywood actor Mike (Edward Norton) steps in and turns things upside down. Mike takes his method acting a bit too far and steals the limelight from Riggan - who all the while is battling personal demons, risking his last bit of money on the show and trying to get his family issues all sorted.
The movie is almost like a documentary, and featuring a great line up of talent, this movie is very interesting indeed. Although you could probably lump it into a black comedy, it's not really laughing matter but more about the struggles of a former Hollywood superstar who's fallen on hard times. Regularly the soundtrack sounds like the cast from Whiplash or Stomp! have had a hand in the music - as it's mainly made up of drum riffs. I'm sure they nicked my 1001 Drum Rhythm's book and used that for most of it! There's no real music in this movie just the drum - and it's quite funky.
Supporting Keaton and Norton we've got Emma Stone, Naomi Watts and the gorgeous Andrea Riseborough giving sterling performances. But, of all the performances, Zach Galifianakis is the most surprising giving a very strong supporting role and is not the Zach we've come to expect from films such as Due Date and the Hangover Trilogy. I had to do a double take when I saw the credits!
One of the things that get to me about this movie is that the character Keaton plays is almost like himself in some ways - the Birdman of the movies name was a superhero character he played back in the 90's and refused to do further sequels. He even has a gruff Batman-esque voice. Although the work is total fiction - it's very close to what the public know of Keaton - that is, a famous actor who doesn't tend to be in blockbuster movies now, and is most famous for being a superhero. Although I think really this is where the similarity ends, it's just a little unnerving to know that what your watching is actually false but Birdman and Batman only differ by a few letters.
Still this movie has nothing to do with superheroes really, and if it did, it would be a critique of the modern day Hollywood and it's obsession with money spending and superhero glorification. No, this movie is more of a critique of the system, the raw deal some actors get because of it and the struggles and worries they have that no one ever sees when they are smiling on that red carpet. I guess it mentions too about the fact that you have to stay true to yourself - do you want to keep making sequels to a successful movie or do you want to do something different and not be typecast? What happens when a younger actor steals your thunder? There's a lot of emotion going on in this movie and that resonates with you long after the final scene.
This film has little to no action and it's not really about superheroes. But, if you want a powerful drama with some ace acting talent, then you will not be disappointed.
Birdman is rated 15 and is out on DVD and Blu Ray now.
The movie is almost like a documentary, and featuring a great line up of talent, this movie is very interesting indeed. Although you could probably lump it into a black comedy, it's not really laughing matter but more about the struggles of a former Hollywood superstar who's fallen on hard times. Regularly the soundtrack sounds like the cast from Whiplash or Stomp! have had a hand in the music - as it's mainly made up of drum riffs. I'm sure they nicked my 1001 Drum Rhythm's book and used that for most of it! There's no real music in this movie just the drum - and it's quite funky.
Supporting Keaton and Norton we've got Emma Stone, Naomi Watts and the gorgeous Andrea Riseborough giving sterling performances. But, of all the performances, Zach Galifianakis is the most surprising giving a very strong supporting role and is not the Zach we've come to expect from films such as Due Date and the Hangover Trilogy. I had to do a double take when I saw the credits!
One of the things that get to me about this movie is that the character Keaton plays is almost like himself in some ways - the Birdman of the movies name was a superhero character he played back in the 90's and refused to do further sequels. He even has a gruff Batman-esque voice. Although the work is total fiction - it's very close to what the public know of Keaton - that is, a famous actor who doesn't tend to be in blockbuster movies now, and is most famous for being a superhero. Although I think really this is where the similarity ends, it's just a little unnerving to know that what your watching is actually false but Birdman and Batman only differ by a few letters.
Still this movie has nothing to do with superheroes really, and if it did, it would be a critique of the modern day Hollywood and it's obsession with money spending and superhero glorification. No, this movie is more of a critique of the system, the raw deal some actors get because of it and the struggles and worries they have that no one ever sees when they are smiling on that red carpet. I guess it mentions too about the fact that you have to stay true to yourself - do you want to keep making sequels to a successful movie or do you want to do something different and not be typecast? What happens when a younger actor steals your thunder? There's a lot of emotion going on in this movie and that resonates with you long after the final scene.
This film has little to no action and it's not really about superheroes. But, if you want a powerful drama with some ace acting talent, then you will not be disappointed.
Birdman is rated 15 and is out on DVD and Blu Ray now.
POPSCORE: 7/10
What am I talking about? The movie Birdman
Where can I find out more? http://www.birdmanthemovie.com/
If you like this try: Black Swan, The Wrestler
No comments:
Post a Comment