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From Batman to Birdman...
'Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)' is produced, directed and partially written by Mexican Alejandro González Iñárritu. Furthermore, he has convinced some of Hollywood's biggest and most gifted talents to take part in this experimental and largely independent project. However, perhaps it wasn’t truly a challenging persuasion, when all five of his feature films have been nominated at the respective Oscar shows. Generally speaking, his films are also a big hit with both audiences and critics alike, even though his name might not ring any bells right away, when read out of context.
His admirable works span from the multi-plotted and complex-structured storylines seen in 'Amores Perros', '21 Grams' and 'Babel' – all the way to the more experimental and largely metaphysical – seen in 'Biutiful' and 'Birdman'. The latter of which is also the focal point of today's review, and furthermore the director's greatest success thus far; partly with nine nominations in total at this year's Oscar show, as well as two Golden Globes already brought safely home. So is this genuinely one of best films of last year? Let’s see about that...
The Story
'Birdman' focuses on the faded movie star Riggan Thomson, and his desperate attempt to reinstate himself into Hollywood’s desirable spotlight. Riggan has tried to revive his career over and over again, but find it difficult to crawl completely out of his sticky superhero persona of the past – an intrusive nuisance, which has tormented him infinitely, ever since he refused the possibility of a fourth entry in the successful Birdman-franchise. So, in the hope to be remembered as more than just a washed-up superhero-success wearing a bird costume, Riggan assumes the position as screenwriter, director and lead actor in an ambitious Broadway production. But right from the start the project is met with strong scepticism from New York's respected elite of culture and criticism. Therefore, Riggan must now show the world that he indeed has the skills to accomplish artistic miracles, which can reach significantly higher than his former feathery past. But what are the chances of great success really, when you are constantly overpowered by a myriad of personal and professional problems, and a former gigantic success, that is definitely trying to take control of your life? Can Riggan escape from the haunting illusory and find his way back to reality?
If the ignorant audience wishes to have 'Birdman' served on a shiny silver platter, then it would probably have to be admitted, that neither the movie itself nor the following review make any definitive attempt to label the film and place it confidently in its appropriate category. 'Birdman' looks like no other in its flock, and it is certainly something it dares to be proud of as well. The film is an ultra ambitious attempt to be both heroic and divergent, but the goal is not necessarily if the whole thing ever actually succeeds. As long as it is conveyed in the memory of its audience as the most insane and assertive stage show ever put to film, it is completely and conveniently satisfied with itself.
The film feels the most exciting below all of its outer spectacles, but that surely doesn’t mean that you will feel bored along the way. Fairly often, 'Birdman' offers its audience simpler superficial answers to more heavy and extensive discussions, but thanks to its technical audacity and complex staging, this understated approach actually succeeds quite well. Director Alejandro González Iñárritu presents his film as some sort of showcase for complex questioning, while the final answers are left up to each individual among the audiences. Therefore, it is far from everything of which can be given a definitive answer, but nevertheless you kind of miss a candid criticism of the countless allusions and references, which the film constantly shake out of its sleeve. All of the crazy scenarios of the film must first and foremost be sincerely fun to discuss, both to the director and the audiences alike, but if we ever arrive at a definite conclusive destination seems less important. As long as the way there is as interesting and entertaining as it can be, and that each of its discussed topics are being carefully equipped with an extended middle finger on its way through the lunacy.
The numerous discussed topics are often very subtle, but they are rarely delivered in a too sensitive manner, especially not when fantasy and reality are both being twisted and turned intensely throughout the film. 'Birdman' is certainly not afraid to take on more subjects than it has time to resolve, and while it is all very breathtaking it is also a bit suffocating to be honest. On the other hand, it seems that the film simply wants to put a lot of thoughts in motion with its audience, which it indeed manages to do quite admirably. Moreover, the film works both as a picture of the development and independence in art, and the development and tendency in today's world. It is essentially pretty impressive just how much detail director Alejandro González Iñárritu has managed to squeeze into his film. He really had to rack his brain beforehand, to ensure that every little inspiring thought or idea would eventually come pouring out. The only drawback is that you get a feeling that the film is more alive below the surface than on top of it, as the actual story never quite gets the opportunity to really take off from the ground. 'Birdman' has tons of exciting ideas, but unfortunately many of them remain somewhat unclear, and are left motionless behind instead, in this frustrated and rather empty condition.
You can say a lot about 'Birdman' as a film, but what it is definitely a wonderful example of is that daring and ambitious projects are still selling – if only they get the support they so often are left without. There are plenty of directors brimming with willpower and ideas, but without any kind of support will remain totally frozen. The similar concern can be used to characterize the title character, in his more civil and unmasked figure, Riggan Thomson. He stands as the lone survivor of the wilderness, willing to give up everything and everyone around him, if only he can pull home this immense and ambitious achievement and ultimately dive right into renewed success.
Additionally, the film holds a strong parallel to its own story about ambition, art, personality, independence and "the man behind the mask." 'Birdman' is an unrefined glimpse behind the scenes of it all, where we as an audience are watchfully witnessing the prolonged and problematic process of transferring art into something commercial, and simply let it stand or fall. In general, the story of the film takes place in this relatively insane meta-world, where the boundaries between reality and fantasy become more and more blurred as the story progresses. 'Birdman' is a large and overwhelming experiment, which both implicitly and explicitly breaks the fourth wall while criss-crossing quickly between all rhetorical devices of film cinema. That is also why I assign the majority of my acclaim and respect to the high ambitions and technical execution of the film, wherein it is much easier to be impressed than completely surrender to.
Four people, including the director himself, wrote the ambitious screenplay for ‘Birdman’ and this fact is pretty evident in the final result. 'Birdman' bites off more than it can chew, and chirps away about more topics than it can manage on a 119-minute runtime. The end result comes across as somewhat unclear and incoherent, with an enormous overload of topics disappearing in and out of focus, and a feeling that too many people have been hands-on with the script, each leaving their distinctive fingerprints behind. It may seem just fine when you slam everything together into one giant collection of hilarities, but upon closer inspection you can’t help but notice all the cracks and crevices. Obviously though, this is all a central part of the greater puzzle, and you could easily say that the film would contradict with itself too much if it stayed within the lines of generality and imitated all the other movies around it, which it so vehemently is trying to criticize. However, I would like to think that just a little more "meat on the bird" would suit the film greatly.
The Acting
Why not start off this section by turning our gaze directly at the feathered gentleman, Riggan Thomson, played quite brilliantly by the former Dark Knight, Michael Keaton. Believe it or not, the script for the film wasn’t written deliberately with Keaton in mind, but still you cannot deny how easy it is to draw an appropriate parallel to the actor's personal life and career. At the beginning of his career, Keaton was primarily fooling around like some charming "funny man", which also got him in the classic striped outfit from 'Beetlejuice' in the role of the same name. Therefore, people were obviously sceptical when he suited up for the iconic superhero with the pointy ears, in Tim Burton's 'Batman' from 1989. But surprisingly enough he pulled the role home in resounding style, and returned once again in the sequel, which was released in 1992. But that film also marked the end of playing hero. Keaton wanted to move on, but his career didn’t quite keep up with him and he disappeared more or less from the spotlights of Hollywood. But when Keaton suddenly heard a little bird tell him about this gripping screenplay that was out there, he was immediately interested. And yes indeed, Keaton certainly makes a great comeback in the role of himself ... –or wait, Riggan Thomson!
All around him are a lot of talented individuals, and everyone delivers a sublime piece of work on the terms of their own edgy characters. The best, however, is Edward Norton in the role of a crazy method-actor who consciously or unconsciously is trying to sabotage the whole play, while also Zack Galifianakis as Riggan’s faithful friend and lawyer is absolutely dazzling!
The Technical Aspect
One of the most applauded and not the least excellent characteristics of the movie 'Birdman', is the rather impressive fact, that almost the entire approximately two hour long running time is captured in a visually stunning and ultra-ambitious manner, that shockingly presents the entire multi-layered course of action as one long unbroken continuity-clip, in which the characters in the story comes and goes on perfectly timed occasions and locations, the action and its focus shifts from various destinations over a longer period of time, the characters undergo a monumental and deeply personal development in just a few short days, and last but not least the audiences experience how it all comes crashing down in the final climax of the film, when multiple critics and all the citizens of New York are living witnesses to Riggan Thomson’s crazy attempt to widen out his talent, in his hugely ambitious and very personal Broadway adaption entitled "What We Talk About When We Talk About Love ".
While you all catch your breath I think I have to acknowledge, that one long unbroken statement as seen above, simply doesn’t work nearly as well in its written style as it did in its cinematic form. One must truly bow down in the dust, for how well it actually succeeded director Alejandro González Iñárritu and cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki, to implement such a perfectionistic experiment in such a wonderful manner. A long journey through the complicated and frustrating groundwork, the setup and lighting of the scenes, as well as the actual recordings of all the lengthy sequences, all the way to putting it all together in the editing room and finally experiencing the well-deserved success unfold right up there on the cinema screen. The technique is also another well-functioning element in the experimental universe of the film, and it truly elevates all of the gloomy realism that is happening behind the closed curtains. But it must be said, that it feels sort of like an over-exertion to make use of these complex stagings in such an ordinary drama, but after all, the entire movie does tend to force-feed its audience with more glitter and glamour than necessary... and it certainly does look fantastic.
The Soundscape
The egocentric and bombastic soundtrack also does its part, when it comes to the battle of outperforming the originality in all the additional technical areas of the film. The goal is likewise to aim musically for the artistic autonomy in the style of the themes in the film, as we as an audience, are totally trampled by a singular and downright desolate drumbeating of a soundtrack! There has been made an efficient use of only a single drum kit to generate the sudden and aggressive tones, which are all repeatedly delivered in incomplete and unsuspected state. This "one-man orchestra" is used in diverse manners throughout the film, and sometimes even predicts dramatic changes to come in the future storyline. Perhaps most significantly, we get an idea of the actual importance of a truly effective soundtrack.
Once again we have been led behind the backdrops of it all, and are actually introduced to the musical creation and execution in a quite literal sense of the word. 'Birdman' would like to show us just about everything – both the hidden and the visible – if it is consistent with the unwritten rules of the cinematic medium or not; and this recklessness is what essentially drives this entire broad-winged beast of a film.
SHORT SUMMARY 'Birdman' is a wild and unbelievable journey deep into the mind of a man whose previous career’s tailwind has now become his headwind. As an audience you burst in and out of intense discussions, repressed memories, complicated problems and edgy personalities. Alejandro elegantly re-establishes the independent originality in the tedious and repetitive universe of mainstream moviemaking – even though it admittedly is quite the enjoyment once in a while, when directors leave their brain behind. But it feels as if only a few directors remember to go back and pick it up again. Big blockbusters are undoubtedly selling tons of money and often without much effort, so why even struggle with something, which is truly original? Don’t worry... 'Birdman' will make sure to restore the brain, the heart, and not the least the honest credible realism in cinema – even if films like 'Birdman' almost has become an extinct species.
overall rating: -
Movie Review: Birdman (2014)
From Batman to Birdman...
'Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)' is produced, directed and partially written by Mexican Alejandro González Iñárritu. Furthermore, he has convinced some of Hollywood's biggest and most gifted talents to take part in this experimental and largely independent project. However, perhaps it wasn’t truly a challenging persuasion, when all five of his feature films have been nominated at the respective Oscar shows. Generally speaking, his films are also a big hit with both audiences and critics alike, even though his name might not ring any bells right away, when read out of context.
His admirable works span from the multi-plotted and complex-structured storylines seen in 'Amores Perros', '21 Grams' and 'Babel' – all the way to the more experimental and largely metaphysical – seen in 'Biutiful' and 'Birdman'. The latter of which is also the focal point of today's review, and furthermore the director's greatest success thus far; partly with nine nominations in total at this year's Oscar show, as well as two Golden Globes already brought safely home. So is this genuinely one of best films of last year? Let’s see about that...
The Story
'Birdman' focuses on the faded movie star Riggan Thomson, and his desperate attempt to reinstate himself into Hollywood’s desirable spotlight. Riggan has tried to revive his career over and over again, but find it difficult to crawl completely out of his sticky superhero persona of the past – an intrusive nuisance, which has tormented him infinitely, ever since he refused the possibility of a fourth entry in the successful Birdman-franchise. So, in the hope to be remembered as more than just a washed-up superhero-success wearing a bird costume, Riggan assumes the position as screenwriter, director and lead actor in an ambitious Broadway production. But right from the start the project is met with strong scepticism from New York's respected elite of culture and criticism. Therefore, Riggan must now show the world that he indeed has the skills to accomplish artistic miracles, which can reach significantly higher than his former feathery past. But what are the chances of great success really, when you are constantly overpowered by a myriad of personal and professional problems, and a former gigantic success, that is definitely trying to take control of your life? Can Riggan escape from the haunting illusory and find his way back to reality?
If the ignorant audience wishes to have 'Birdman' served on a shiny silver platter, then it would probably have to be admitted, that neither the movie itself nor the following review make any definitive attempt to label the film and place it confidently in its appropriate category. 'Birdman' looks like no other in its flock, and it is certainly something it dares to be proud of as well. The film is an ultra ambitious attempt to be both heroic and divergent, but the goal is not necessarily if the whole thing ever actually succeeds. As long as it is conveyed in the memory of its audience as the most insane and assertive stage show ever put to film, it is completely and conveniently satisfied with itself.
The film feels the most exciting below all of its outer spectacles, but that surely doesn’t mean that you will feel bored along the way. Fairly often, 'Birdman' offers its audience simpler superficial answers to more heavy and extensive discussions, but thanks to its technical audacity and complex staging, this understated approach actually succeeds quite well. Director Alejandro González Iñárritu presents his film as some sort of showcase for complex questioning, while the final answers are left up to each individual among the audiences. Therefore, it is far from everything of which can be given a definitive answer, but nevertheless you kind of miss a candid criticism of the countless allusions and references, which the film constantly shake out of its sleeve. All of the crazy scenarios of the film must first and foremost be sincerely fun to discuss, both to the director and the audiences alike, but if we ever arrive at a definite conclusive destination seems less important. As long as the way there is as interesting and entertaining as it can be, and that each of its discussed topics are being carefully equipped with an extended middle finger on its way through the lunacy.
The numerous discussed topics are often very subtle, but they are rarely delivered in a too sensitive manner, especially not when fantasy and reality are both being twisted and turned intensely throughout the film. 'Birdman' is certainly not afraid to take on more subjects than it has time to resolve, and while it is all very breathtaking it is also a bit suffocating to be honest. On the other hand, it seems that the film simply wants to put a lot of thoughts in motion with its audience, which it indeed manages to do quite admirably. Moreover, the film works both as a picture of the development and independence in art, and the development and tendency in today's world. It is essentially pretty impressive just how much detail director Alejandro González Iñárritu has managed to squeeze into his film. He really had to rack his brain beforehand, to ensure that every little inspiring thought or idea would eventually come pouring out. The only drawback is that you get a feeling that the film is more alive below the surface than on top of it, as the actual story never quite gets the opportunity to really take off from the ground. 'Birdman' has tons of exciting ideas, but unfortunately many of them remain somewhat unclear, and are left motionless behind instead, in this frustrated and rather empty condition.
You can say a lot about 'Birdman' as a film, but what it is definitely a wonderful example of is that daring and ambitious projects are still selling – if only they get the support they so often are left without. There are plenty of directors brimming with willpower and ideas, but without any kind of support will remain totally frozen. The similar concern can be used to characterize the title character, in his more civil and unmasked figure, Riggan Thomson. He stands as the lone survivor of the wilderness, willing to give up everything and everyone around him, if only he can pull home this immense and ambitious achievement and ultimately dive right into renewed success.
Additionally, the film holds a strong parallel to its own story about ambition, art, personality, independence and "the man behind the mask." 'Birdman' is an unrefined glimpse behind the scenes of it all, where we as an audience are watchfully witnessing the prolonged and problematic process of transferring art into something commercial, and simply let it stand or fall. In general, the story of the film takes place in this relatively insane meta-world, where the boundaries between reality and fantasy become more and more blurred as the story progresses. 'Birdman' is a large and overwhelming experiment, which both implicitly and explicitly breaks the fourth wall while criss-crossing quickly between all rhetorical devices of film cinema. That is also why I assign the majority of my acclaim and respect to the high ambitions and technical execution of the film, wherein it is much easier to be impressed than completely surrender to.
Four people, including the director himself, wrote the ambitious screenplay for ‘Birdman’ and this fact is pretty evident in the final result. 'Birdman' bites off more than it can chew, and chirps away about more topics than it can manage on a 119-minute runtime. The end result comes across as somewhat unclear and incoherent, with an enormous overload of topics disappearing in and out of focus, and a feeling that too many people have been hands-on with the script, each leaving their distinctive fingerprints behind. It may seem just fine when you slam everything together into one giant collection of hilarities, but upon closer inspection you can’t help but notice all the cracks and crevices. Obviously though, this is all a central part of the greater puzzle, and you could easily say that the film would contradict with itself too much if it stayed within the lines of generality and imitated all the other movies around it, which it so vehemently is trying to criticize. However, I would like to think that just a little more "meat on the bird" would suit the film greatly.
The Acting
Why not start off this section by turning our gaze directly at the feathered gentleman, Riggan Thomson, played quite brilliantly by the former Dark Knight, Michael Keaton. Believe it or not, the script for the film wasn’t written deliberately with Keaton in mind, but still you cannot deny how easy it is to draw an appropriate parallel to the actor's personal life and career. At the beginning of his career, Keaton was primarily fooling around like some charming "funny man", which also got him in the classic striped outfit from 'Beetlejuice' in the role of the same name. Therefore, people were obviously sceptical when he suited up for the iconic superhero with the pointy ears, in Tim Burton's 'Batman' from 1989. But surprisingly enough he pulled the role home in resounding style, and returned once again in the sequel, which was released in 1992. But that film also marked the end of playing hero. Keaton wanted to move on, but his career didn’t quite keep up with him and he disappeared more or less from the spotlights of Hollywood. But when Keaton suddenly heard a little bird tell him about this gripping screenplay that was out there, he was immediately interested. And yes indeed, Keaton certainly makes a great comeback in the role of himself ... –or wait, Riggan Thomson!
All around him are a lot of talented individuals, and everyone delivers a sublime piece of work on the terms of their own edgy characters. The best, however, is Edward Norton in the role of a crazy method-actor who consciously or unconsciously is trying to sabotage the whole play, while also Zack Galifianakis as Riggan’s faithful friend and lawyer is absolutely dazzling!
The Technical Aspect
One of the most applauded and not the least excellent characteristics of the movie 'Birdman', is the rather impressive fact, that almost the entire approximately two hour long running time is captured in a visually stunning and ultra-ambitious manner, that shockingly presents the entire multi-layered course of action as one long unbroken continuity-clip, in which the characters in the story comes and goes on perfectly timed occasions and locations, the action and its focus shifts from various destinations over a longer period of time, the characters undergo a monumental and deeply personal development in just a few short days, and last but not least the audiences experience how it all comes crashing down in the final climax of the film, when multiple critics and all the citizens of New York are living witnesses to Riggan Thomson’s crazy attempt to widen out his talent, in his hugely ambitious and very personal Broadway adaption entitled "What We Talk About When We Talk About Love ".
While you all catch your breath I think I have to acknowledge, that one long unbroken statement as seen above, simply doesn’t work nearly as well in its written style as it did in its cinematic form. One must truly bow down in the dust, for how well it actually succeeded director Alejandro González Iñárritu and cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki, to implement such a perfectionistic experiment in such a wonderful manner. A long journey through the complicated and frustrating groundwork, the setup and lighting of the scenes, as well as the actual recordings of all the lengthy sequences, all the way to putting it all together in the editing room and finally experiencing the well-deserved success unfold right up there on the cinema screen. The technique is also another well-functioning element in the experimental universe of the film, and it truly elevates all of the gloomy realism that is happening behind the closed curtains. But it must be said, that it feels sort of like an over-exertion to make use of these complex stagings in such an ordinary drama, but after all, the entire movie does tend to force-feed its audience with more glitter and glamour than necessary... and it certainly does look fantastic.
The Soundscape
The egocentric and bombastic soundtrack also does its part, when it comes to the battle of outperforming the originality in all the additional technical areas of the film. The goal is likewise to aim musically for the artistic autonomy in the style of the themes in the film, as we as an audience, are totally trampled by a singular and downright desolate drumbeating of a soundtrack! There has been made an efficient use of only a single drum kit to generate the sudden and aggressive tones, which are all repeatedly delivered in incomplete and unsuspected state. This "one-man orchestra" is used in diverse manners throughout the film, and sometimes even predicts dramatic changes to come in the future storyline. Perhaps most significantly, we get an idea of the actual importance of a truly effective soundtrack.
Once again we have been led behind the backdrops of it all, and are actually introduced to the musical creation and execution in a quite literal sense of the word. 'Birdman' would like to show us just about everything – both the hidden and the visible – if it is consistent with the unwritten rules of the cinematic medium or not; and this recklessness is what essentially drives this entire broad-winged beast of a film.
SHORT SUMMARY 'Birdman' is a wild and unbelievable journey deep into the mind of a man whose previous career’s tailwind has now become his headwind. As an audience you burst in and out of intense discussions, repressed memories, complicated problems and edgy personalities. Alejandro elegantly re-establishes the independent originality in the tedious and repetitive universe of mainstream moviemaking – even though it admittedly is quite the enjoyment once in a while, when directors leave their brain behind. But it feels as if only a few directors remember to go back and pick it up again. Big blockbusters are undoubtedly selling tons of money and often without much effort, so why even struggle with something, which is truly original? Don’t worry... 'Birdman' will make sure to restore the brain, the heart, and not the least the honest credible realism in cinema – even if films like 'Birdman' almost has become an extinct species.
overall rating: -