Greatness or (The Unexpected Satire of Hollywood)

Rating: 10/10 (20 May 2018)

"Birdman" is one of those films that's entertaining when taken literally, but fascinating when taken thematically.
This is a dark comedy that explores the battle to remain relevant in the acting industry. It even manages to satirize how most people just want entertainment (blockbusters) instead of philosophical thinkpieces (everything the Academy nominates) while even snagging the Best Picture Oscar. But one of the themes in the film that really hit me (due to the performances from Michael Keaton and Emma Stone) was how constantly trying to become famous may start to alienate people. This is shown by the protagonist's strained relationship with his daughter.
Michael Keaton's performance was absolutely great. He really gave his character a damaged feel, since he's trying to struggle between being Riggan Thompson and Birdman. I've never seen Keaton like this before, and I loved it.
Emma Stone's performance was also really good. Although she was a supporting character, she did provide some of the film's dark humor, as well as some emotion (due to some of her dialogue). This really showcases her talent, and I'm glad she won an Oscar the year after (despite her performance not being THAT good in "La La Land").
A lot of people talked about how the majority of this film looked like one continuous shot. And I've got to say, even though I know that this WASN'T true, it really looks like it was one shot.
This film had quite a bit of dark humor, and it all really worked.
One thing that really surprised me was the characters' parallels to the actual careers of some of the actors. Most notably is Michael Keaton, where he's been trying to get past his success as Batman and try to be taken seriously; this is strongly represented in his character in the film, who is trying to get past his success as Birdman and try to be taken seriously. Another one is Edward Norton's character. In real life, Norton is known for being a method actor who is extremely hard to work with; in the film, Norton plays a method actor who is extremely hard to work with. Coincidence? I think not.
I know that this is a Best Picture winner, but I haven't always had good experiences with those. I loved some ("The Godfather", "The Silence of the Lambs", "No Country for Old Men", etc.), but then I didn't really like others ("Argo", "The Godfather Part II"). However, "Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)" is definitely one of the Best Picture winners that I can say that I loved.
PROS:

Performances (Keaton, Stone, and Norton)
Cinematography
Dark Humor
Thematic Depth
Satire of Hollywood
Parallels with Real Hollywood Careers (specifically Keaton and Norton)

CONS:

Um........................................... none?