“Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)” is a razzle-dazzle sort of film that opens with mystery, ends in awe, and fills in every other minute with excellent acting, engaging plot, and unbelievable cinematography that captures its viewers’ attention for its entire two hour showing time.
After many years on the bench, Michael Keaton returns to the game of acting and stars as former Hollywood superhero star Riggan Thompson. Struggling with his personal life along with a desire to return to the world of entertainment, Riggan attempts to pull his life out a nosedive and get it back on track. What better way to do this then to produce, direct, and star in a Broadway play that could make or break what is left of his career in a matter of weeks?
Riggan is also consistently mentally tormented by Birdman, the superhero he used play back in the 1980’s. Birdman’s insults towards Riggan are harsh and cruel, expressing the mental conflict he is having within his head at all times throughout the course of the film. The scenes in which Riggan is arguing with Birdman are some of the best in the entire movie and are perfected by Keaton’s stunning performance as well.
However, movies wouldn’t even be able to be filmed without cameras and wouldn’t be that exciting at all if the cameras just stayed in one place the entire time. The cinematography within “Birdman” is some of the most memorizing this reporter has ever seen. Instead of cutting to different camera angles at different points in the film, the camera seems to roll on a single track for the course of the entire movie. Obviously this isn’t the actual case, as it would be very difficult to film a two hour long movie in one take. Yet with careful editing, the film succeeds in accomplishing this cinematic allusion.
The films musical score is also something special. Performed by Antonio Sanchez, a majority of the films music is Sanchez performing several drum solos that have an interesting and catchy tune to them. By films end, everyone in the audience is going to wish they had a catchy drum solo playing wherever they went thanks to the excellent performance by skilled musical artist.
For all its worth and for the amazing journey it takes its audiences on, “Birdman’s” main message isn’t to the people viewing these types of movies, but for the people making them. Speaking a lot about ego and an over sense of self importance, the film brings to light that Hollywood actors are not, and should not, act as if they are on top of the world. That they are people just like anybody else on this planet and are just as vulnerable to the problems of the average human being.
“Birdman” is one of the most outstanding films of the year and is tied with “The Grand Budapest Hotel” for the most Oscar nominations this year, including Best Picture. See what academy awards this film wins on February 22, 2015.
