The parts are greater than the sum

Rating: 7/10 (23 February 2015)

Well, so the Academy awarded BIRDMAN Best Picture of the Year. Strange choice but perhaps it means that the Academy is taking a different look at Indie- type films instead of the all too huge glut of Marvel comics (though there are certainly elements of that in this movie – the main character does fly solo over NYC and moves objects with a flick of the wrist etc) and potty mouth dialogue (though there is considerable of that in this film, also) and rehab druggie overtones (though that too is part of the story).
The acting is very fine from the entire cast, the cinematography is interestingly claustrophobic in the St. James Theater (except for the sci-fi elements outside), and the story has some solid philosophical bits about family, parenting, hopes, dreams, delusions, etc. All good.
Much of the dialogue is buried in what has to be one of the most irritating soundtracks ever created. Individually the constant drumming bit is well done – if it weren't competing with the story or the dialogue. The excerpts from Mahler's Symphony No. 9 and the Rückert-Lieder excerpt 'Ich bin der Welt abhanden gekommen', Tchaikovsky's Symphony No 5, Rachmaninov's Symphony No. 2, John Adams' Prologue from 'The Death of Klinghoffer, and Ravel's Passacaille movement from his Piano Trio– all gorgeous and well performed by various groups – simply made no tangential sense, fought with the drumming, and again covered the dialogue.
But, this was an experimental movie and as such was a breath of fresh air to be even considered for an Oscar. As for the participants, Michael Keaton, Edward Norton, Emma Stone, Naomi Watts, Andrea Riseborough, Zach Galifianakis, Natalie Gold, and Merritt Wever and, of course, writer/director Alejandro G. Iñárritu all are in top form. Maybe on the big screen it doesn't appear so dissociative.