Monday Movie Mania - Birdman

This is another movie I'd wanted to see in the theater, but it was released in the midst of the sale of the Houston house and the move north. We caught it during the HBO free weekend while I was down with the flu.

I love Michael Keaton's eclectic taste in roles, and I wasn't disappointed with the Academy award-winning Birdman. But to be frank, this is not something just anyone would enjoy. There're a lot of internal jabs that will fly over the heads of non-artists, and I say this as someone whose head was flown over. *smile*


* * *


SPOILERS


* * *


PROS
1) Keaton's performance deserved an Oscar win, not just a nomination. His Riggan is someone who lays everything, including his sanity, on the line to prove he is an artist, not a hack.

2) Whether intentional or not, there are too many parallels between Keaton and Norton's characters and their real lives. It's difficult not to believe that director Alejandro G. Inarritu and his co-writers weren't influenced by their actors.

3) The use of an apparent continuous shot gave a sense of urgency to the story. The movie wasn't a one-shot, but the cuts were done cleverly, the film appeared seamless.

4) The ambiguous ending might piss off some people, but I love it. Afterwards, DH and I discussed possibilities, and laughed our butts off.


CONS
1) While the script was clever, I was bothered by the writing for Broadway critic Tabitha Dickinson. Despite actor Lindsay Duncan's efforts, the character came across as the stereotypical ballbuster/failed artist as critic. I understand that's how most artists (including me) feel about those who criticize our projects, but I would have preferred a little more depth in the character other than spite for spite's sake.


With the caveat that this is an artsy movie, and not the Avengers, I give Birdman 9 stars out of 10.