Birdman: or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) 3***  

       

            This is a story about Rigger Thompson (played masterfully by Micha4el Keaton) a man who once was a BIG time movie star as the hero in 3  “Birdman” comic book movies. After he found the sequels and franchise being less an artistic venture and more  a money making gimmick, he quit.. He then has to suffer through a 20 year gap where he was never able to toss the cape and  simply be an actor. He hopes to make a comeback as director, writer, and starring actor in his Broadway play . The movie begins 3 days before opening night of the play.

 

Michael Keaton has been given the definitive role of his career, and he puts the opportunity to awesome use. The supporting ensemble cast including Emma Stone as his estranged daughter;  Zach Galifinakis as his manager; and Naomi Watts and Edward Norton as his fellow actors in the play are all also great. It's obvious everybody sank their teeth into their roles with abandon. The level of intensity is on a par with the ultra-intense 1966 "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?"  about four people having emotional meltdowns. In this story, it's Keaton's central character who's losing his grip on reality, and the audience is along for the strange and  tumultuous ride. Along with some gritty realism comes  an interesting touch of magic :  telekinesis and flying (real or imagined ??), both not so weird given the creative energy that seems to come out of the walls.

 Visually, this film has done what few films even attempt to do. Using the 'one shot' technique where the whole film looks as if it is one seamlessly continuous shot is not only a brilliant piece of camera work, but also gives you the sensation of it unfolding right before your eyes in real life. Other films use the element of fast film  with jump cuts and time lapses and you tend to  lose track of where you are and what’s happening. In this movie the transitions are utterly seamless. It is a joy to watch such beautiful pacing in a film. The cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezi will surely be nominated for an Oscar and should be a front-runner as will Michael Keaton for Best Actor.

 

A few caveats: Parts of the script are predictable  and the story premise itself isn't original and has had variations done many times before (a middle-aged former superstar actor  who's fallen on hard times goes for one last shot at redemption in a winner-takes- all gamble). Having said that, the combined talents in this movie manage to put together an extraordinary work of art, flaws and all, and for those who are tired of Hollywood caped crusaders and CGI explosions, will find this to be a fascinating alternative. A feast for the eyes, ears and brain..

 

Rated R for language throughout, some sexual content and brief violence.

 

Clark