Entertaining and Enthralling

Rating: 8/10 (13 October 2014)

I saw the preview for this a few months ago and I must say that all I could think was, "This looks weird." After seeing it last night at the NY Film Festival (as the closing film of this year's festival), I came out more than pleasantly surprised. I don't know what type of film the preview was trying to make "Birdman" seem like, but it's not anything like I thought it would be.
Inarritu, the editors, and the cinematographers incorporate a style of editing which would have been impressive without any plot whatsoever. It kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time, almost to a fault. It's almost exhausting having to keep up with it all. The score by Sanchez is bare but works great for the film, and is aided by a few visual representations mixed in throughout. The cast is more than up to the challenge as well, especially Keaton and Norton who have a few scenes where they each get to flex their acting chops. The rest of the cast doesn't seem to get as much of a chance to show off, but does not make their performances any less impressive. Awards for the four mentioned by name here could be forthcoming.
An entertaining film well worth the price of admission. Don't let the strange preview fool you.