BIRDMAN MOVIE REVIEW

The first thing to note in Birdman (or The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) is that the entire movie moves in one single shot, without cuts - if there were any, they were seamlessly incorporated, from the beginning till the end. The scenes are so fluid that they flow into the next smoothly, without causing any breaking distraction. 

 

However, one has to admit that such excellence in cinematography does cause a distraction of amazement. In particular, that tracking camera that follows a near-naked Riggan Thomson (Michael Keaton) through Times Square, with the gathering trying to get a piece of him, is sheer brilliance. DoP Emmanuel Lubezki and the Editing team of Douglas Crise and Stephen Mirrione have worked some magic in manipulating the appearance of the movie as one long take.

 

The movie is about how an actor, Riggan Thomson, who has to prove his capability, in a smaller Broadway Play, isn't able to let go off his vanity, his past, his glory days in Hollywood, when he played the Superhero, Birdman. He performs tricks involving levitation, and telekinesis - some of the powers of Birdman. And, he even flies across the city. When you settle to the thought that the superpowers are Riggan's hallucinations, the director (Alejandro Gonzále Iñárritu) leaves the end open for interpretation.

 

Playing supporting roles to Keaton are Edward Norton (as Mike Shiner, a fellow actor), Emma Stone (as Sam Thomson, Riggan's daughter) and Naomi Watts (as Lesley, an actress) and Zach Galifianakis (as Jake, Riggan's friend). They all deliver neat performances. 

 

With nine nominations, including the Best Picture, Best Director, and acting nominations for Keaton, Norton and Stone, Birdman sure will have a great reaping at the 87th Academy Awards. Watch and keep predicting the awards it will gather.