Zapphs Reviews

This is where I'll be posting my reviews.

Just to clear the air, I've never been to film school and due to my own foolishness, I dropped out of college. I don't consider myself an expert in film in any way. I just like to discuss an form of entertainment and art that I really feel I've always been passionate about. Just took me too damn long to realize it.

Below is a review for a film that really cemented my pursuit of film criticism. It made me look at a movie in so many different ways than just a sensory form of entertainment. It made me look deeper.

I won't be suggesting it as an official review. I noticed other reviews for the same movie on this site that pretty much covers anything I have to say about it. I'm just posting it to show my writing style and basically what I look for in a good film.

Birdman: Or (The Unexpected Virtue Of Ignorance) Review

Birdman follows the story of Riggan Thompson, an former superhero actor whose fallen on hard times, as he attempts to direct and act in a play he's written as a last ditch effort to revitalize his career while problems with the production and the voice of an old identity that resides in Riggans mind could bring it all crashing down.

I've never seen a movie filmed the way Birdman was. The entire thing was made to look like one shot and they pulled it off brilliantly. Obviously it wasn't all in one shot (imagine how much of a pain in the butt it would have been if they had tried), but through seamless transitions and other camera tricks, they were certainly able to create the illusion that it was. This method of filming kept me in the moment at all times, creating a level of world immersion and character connection unlike any other movie has. At least from what I've seen.

The acting all around was top notch. Zach Galifinakis, an comedian who I find overrated at best, is almost unrecognizable as Riggans attorney/producer. While Naomi Watts has never really been that big of an blip on my radar, she makes a great turn as the actress whose dream is to star on Broadway. Emma Stone delivers the best performance of her career as Riggans damaged daughter. One of my favorite scenes is her delivering a powerful and real monologue to her father that felt like she was venting things she had been wanting to let out for a long time.

Edward Norton reminded me why I've been a fan of his for years. He plays like the ultimate method actor both on and off the stage and his interactions differ with each character. One moment he'll be all business with the director and the next he'll be playfully flirting with a fellow actor. Definitely Norton's best performance since American History X.

The stand out though has to go to Micheal Keaton as Riggan Thompson himself. Don't get me wrong. Keaton is an great actor whose had some interesting roles in his career. He's still the best Batman in my books and his role in The Other Guys was the highlight of the film for me but I have to say his performance in Birdman trumps all that came before as he fights an inner turmoil that can not only destroy the play he's desperately trying to get right but himself as well. Though his interactions with the other characters were outstanding, it's the moments when he's alone with his thoughts that truly shine and made him so relatable.

While I can't say I'm as familiar with Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu as I am with other directors like Joss Whedon and David Fincher, I'm really looking forward to checking out his past work and practically salivating at the idea of seeing what his work with Leonardo DiCaprio in The Revenant will produce. He just directed the scenes and the actors so perfectly.

I enjoyed Birdman just on the aspects that I mentioned above but the reasons this film has stuck with me and will probably be my favorite movie ever is because of the themes at play. Birdman is about far more than a washed up actor trying to put on a play. Family, love, relationships, finding yourself, and acceptance all play a part but the themes that really resonated the most was that of relevance and ambition. I can't really think of a way to word this without possible spoilers but I'll just say this film really explores what an individual is willing to sacrifice to achieve the status they feel they deserve. The script uses these themes in subtle ways that's making me want to go back and watch it again just talking about them.

If I had a qualm with this film, it had to be the pretentious critic that plays the secondary antagonist who is basically Anton Ego from Ratatouille and if you've seen that movie, you know where that character is going and in an film that is so strong on so many fronts, I felt this character was the weakest part.

In conclusion, this is filmmaking at its best. Innovative presentation with real and relatable themes brought to life by an outstanding cast and director. I really feel that years from now, this film will be recognized as a classic if it isn't already. To say I recommend Birdman is an understatement.

Really enjoyed reading your review of Birdman and I agree with just about everything you said...it's a great movie and Michael Keaton was robbed of the Oscar for Best Actor IMO.

I haven't seen The Theory Of Everything yet but so I can't really say if Michael Keaton was robbed but dude would have had to put on some serious acting chops to get Keaton overlooked. I'm happy they at least won for the other positive points I made (cinematography, director, and screenplay). Thank you for the positive feedback on the review. I'm hoping to make some time this week to get some more on here.

I have to confess I haven't seen The Theory of Everything either, but I have a hard time believing that he was better than Keaton.

Blue Ruin (2013)

Wow. They made a revenge flick about me. A much smarter me.

Blue Ruin is a crime thriller that's written and directed by Jeremy Saulnier and follows the story of a homeless man named Dwight. Stricken by the memories of his murdered parents, Dwight finds out the man convicted of the murders is going to be released from prison. This leads him down a path of revenge and consequence.

Pretty good movie from beginning to end. Here's why.

The Acting

The acting is solid and that's a good thing because Blue Ruin really hangs on that. Especially on Macon Blair's performance as Dwight. I haven't seen any of Blair's previous work, but I found Dwight to be thoroughly believable and sympathetic. He radiates this sense of loss and pain that weighs him down even as he goes through with his plans.

The rest of the cast is great as well, especially Amy Hargreaves who plays as Dwights sister Sam and helps deliver some emotional dialogue with Blair but the supporting characters don't have any subplots of their own and are really there to give clues to Dwight's backstory and advance the plot.

The Script

Blue Ruin trucked at a steady pace. I didn't feel it rushed to anything and it didn't drag at any point either. Each scene felt important and they give us time to absorb what's happening before wearing out their welcome.

There's some genuine tension in this film as well. Dwight is just a normal guy. He isn't a soldier. He's inexperienced with guns or anything that can be used as weapons and when you put a person like that in a situation where people, who are more than likely more experienced in using said tools, are hunting him, there's reason for concern. If one part of his pre-conceived (or on impulse) actions or plans fail, he has only his wit to fall back on. I was able to empathize with this aspect and it helped me to cheer Dwight on.

As the film went on, the conclusion I figured was coming felt more and more like a possibility and while I wasn't far off, I felt it worked for the story.

Cinematography

This movie is very well shot. The camera is kept pretty close to Dwight but the world around him is also well displayed, sometimes in the same shot. It's relaxed until the more chaotic or claustrophobic scenes come around which uses a mix of close ups and jump cuts but not in a way that's nauseating. It feels like the camera shows everything that's needed to be known about said scene.

They don't shy away from the more brutal moments either. They may be short and far in between, but Blue Ruin is a violent film. There's no CGI blood and in keeping with the chaotic and realistic nature of the situations, these moments happen quick, are tightly captured, and have a bit of bite to them.

In Conclusion



Blue Ruin is an consistently great film. I was engaged early on and stayed that way until the very end. Though it'll more than likely be remembered as the spring board for Macon Blair's career and it doesn't really innovate in anyway, every working part of this film...works. Blue Ruin knew what it was and did it well and I definitely give it a recommendation.