'Birdman' review by Jake Boyle
Aside from white dudes, the one thing dominating the Academy Awards this year is drums. In Whiplash, they're a central plot device. In a certain Republican's wet dream, sabre-rattling propaganda piece, the drums are metaphorical, and being banged by a deranged old man pissing over his own legacy. In Birdman, drum solos consist of 80% of the film's soundtrack, a wise move as the near constant tapping and rumbling perfectly suits the film, being in equal parts playful and unnerving.
Birdman Or (The Unexpected Virtue Of Ignorance) is marked by innovative and fascinating directorial choices. Aside from being sleek and damn stylish, the decision to make the film appear like a single take adds a sense of urgency and heightened energy to a film that's already fairly madcap in its own right. Equal parts showbiz satire, complex character study and a meditation on the nature of art, Alejandro González Iñárritu's dark comedy is inventive in its themes and narrative as well as being pioneering in technique. Michael Keaton's ever-increasing delirium is just as terrifying as it is humorous, and the whole film's balance between tense emotion and frenzied weirdness is spot-on, each magnifying the strength of the other through juxtaposition, as well being powerful in their own right. Incorporated into the film's single-shot aesthetic is some excellent framing and close-ups that really enhance the monologues, in particular Emma Stone's visceral, fantastically delivered rant about her father's irrelevance.
While Stone definitely holds the best single moment of brilliance, it's Edward Norton and especially Keaton who really steal the show, due to their level of commitment and sheer intensity (both comic and dramatic, and with Keaton the two are mostly simultaneous) coupled with their phenomenal casting in these particular roles. The characters can pretty easily be construed as exaggerated, ridiculous versions of the actors themselves, and it's sharply funny watching the two of them tear their own image apart so brutally, alongside the rest of Hollywood (which gets its fair share of lambasting, a move which is potentially irritatingly self-aggrandizing but primarily absolutely hilarious). Most surprising is the performance given by Zach Galifianakis, showcasing hitherto ability to not only do on-point dramatic acting, but a firm grasp of nuance, in a comedic role that still manages to retain the bitterness in the film's dark heart.
Birdman Or (The Unexpected Virtue Of Ignorance) is a phenomenal film, one that makes very risky moves and consequently reaps the rewards for its bravery. Unique in its film-making approach, bold and fascinating in its narrative and dialogue, and packed with outstanding, ferocious performances, this is one of the smartest films of recent years whilst still retaining an excellent emotional depth, a fiery sense of humour and some exploratory philosophical musings about life. At times, yes, it's a little pretentious, but it has the courage of its convictions and all this subtle brilliance is just the underlying of a brave, groundbreaking and thoroughly exceptional film.
While Stone definitely holds the best single moment of brilliance, it's Edward Norton and especially Keaton who really steal the show, due to their level of commitment and sheer intensity (both comic and dramatic, and with Keaton the two are mostly simultaneous) coupled with their phenomenal casting in these particular roles. The characters can pretty easily be construed as exaggerated, ridiculous versions of the actors themselves, and it's sharply funny watching the two of them tear their own image apart so brutally, alongside the rest of Hollywood (which gets its fair share of lambasting, a move which is potentially irritatingly self-aggrandizing but primarily absolutely hilarious). Most surprising is the performance given by Zach Galifianakis, showcasing hitherto ability to not only do on-point dramatic acting, but a firm grasp of nuance, in a comedic role that still manages to retain the bitterness in the film's dark heart.
Birdman Or (The Unexpected Virtue Of Ignorance) is a phenomenal film, one that makes very risky moves and consequently reaps the rewards for its bravery. Unique in its film-making approach, bold and fascinating in its narrative and dialogue, and packed with outstanding, ferocious performances, this is one of the smartest films of recent years whilst still retaining an excellent emotional depth, a fiery sense of humour and some exploratory philosophical musings about life. At times, yes, it's a little pretentious, but it has the courage of its convictions and all this subtle brilliance is just the underlying of a brave, groundbreaking and thoroughly exceptional film.
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