Birdman

Alejandro G. Iñárritu's new movie 'The Revenant' goes into general release on January 8th. I'm looking forward to seeing it in a good theater; the cinematography is rumored to be groundbreaking.

Since I didn't have to work on New Year's Day, I decided to do a little bit of research on Iñárritu by watching his last film, 'Birdman'.

'Birdman' won last year's Oscar for Best Picture. On the surface, it's is a story about actors and acting - a subject that might have appealed to Academy voters.  Personally, I found that my empathy for the acting profession started to wane after about 45 minutes - just about the time that Emma Stone's character chimes in and suggests that acting isn't as important as actors think it is. 

(That was a nice touch by the writers. It was an excellent performance, as well. Stone won an Oscar for her part, and she deserved it.)

Michael Keaton plays Riggin Thompson, a movie actor who, decades ago, played a superhero in blockbuster action films. Now, Thompson wants to re-establish his relevance and his credibility by directing and starring in a Broadway play. The play, adapted by Thompson from a book, depends on ideas and dialog rather than stunts and special effects. This is a stretch for an action star, and the risks, both financial and professional, are significant.

The irony of 'Birdman' - and perhaps this is by design - is that it's the technical brilliance of the film that separates it from the pack. The camera technique is unlike anything that I have ever seen. - I'm not going to describe the effect; it has to be experienced to be appreciated. 

Further, unlike Thompson's spare and dour play within a play, the film uses CGI extensively, producing effects that range from the subtle to the amazing.

The acting is phenomenal in just about every spoken part (probably a good thing given that it's a movie about acting). Keaton, Stone, and Edward Norton put on insanely good performances. I lost interest in the "you don't know how hard it is to be an actor" theme along the way, but I do admire the brilliance of a compelling performance.

Copyright © 2016 Daniel R. South 

All Rights Reserved