Maybe not would I consider Best Picture of The Year, but it is true cinematic artwork

Rating: 8/10 (5 July 2015)

The Hollywood industry is a place full of mind-boggling mysterious and complexities, as well as a place where fame of America's most glamorized celebrities are uprooted; and director Alejandro G. Inarritau delivers a powerful vision on this concept. This artistic 116- minute character study allows for audiences not just to experience a colorful story of a washed-up actor's rise from rags to riches, or it's cast of A-list actors shine with highly charismatic performances; but also some awe-inspiring social commentary tackling the rocky world of celebrities in the showbiz. The final product is a film that not only sees the actors expand upon their incredible cinematic abilities, but an inspiring innovation uprooted by Inarritau's gorgeously smart direction. Birdman: Or(The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) stars Michael Keaton as Riggan Thomsan, a formerly popular Hollywood actor known for his iconic as "Birdman" in a popular superhero franchise, who has been facing troubles with his career and his divorced by his wife Sylvia (played by Amy Ryan). In attempt to reignite his career, Thomson is chosen to direct a play at Broadway with the help of his lawyer Jake (played by Zach Galifianakis) and his pot-addicted daughter Sam (played by Emma Stone). His job only ends up more difficult than he expected when he not only must work with hard-headed actor Mike Shiner (played by Edward Norton), but also battle his inner demons that have put a major that unsoundly made a mess of his career.
This engrossing dramedy doesn't exactly break any cinematic barriers, but I would be lying if I said this isn't an inspiring cinematic experience. This film was very decent. Although I didn't find it be what I consider the best film of the year, I was pretty enthralled with it. Michael Keaton, Emma Stone, Zach Galifianakis, and Edward Norton are all given their time to shine here, and the sheer commitment they display on screen is virtually impossible to ignore. Michael Keaton's plays what can easily be seen as a meta-role as the main character is drawn as formally praised actor who rose to fame starring as a popular caped crusader known as "Birdman" which falls eerily coincidental to Keaton's real-life career as Batman during the early years of his career. In addition, the performance he lands in this role is truly uncompromising and engaging from start to finish. It is genuinely hard to think of any other actor would nail this role better than Keaton. Along side this fine actor is Edward Norton playing a volatile actor with a glamorous reputation onstage, but a prickly attitude behind the scenes. His role serves almost as an analogy of his real-life persona offscreen (though not in a way that's meant to be a parody of himself), and the performance he brings to the table is nothing short of fascinating. With his lack of roles over the last a few years, he seemed he might have flown off the map, but luckily this sees him in a triumphant return. Emma Stone, playing the drug-addicted daughter of Michael Keaton's protagonist, also takes some good time to impress with her immersive talent.
While the cast manages to fascinate in the acting department, the film hits its highest notes on a technical scale which is accomplished by the astounding beautiful cinematography by Emmanuel Lubetzki who demonstrated some engrossing talent in Alfonso Cuaran's 'Children of Men' along with 'Gravity'. With the film pervading with only sixteen visible shots throughout it's near two-hour runtime, viewers watch as the cast takes a daunting task of sustaining strong and powerful performances through a short of series of long, uninterrupted shots lasting roughly 19 minutes. It shows that Alejandro G. Inarritau out in some great, extensive time for the cast to rehearse. Though the cinematography isn't what I would say groundbreaking, it is incredibly admirable and easily the film's biggest gem. In terms of the narrative, the film provides a sweet, engaging story of man's journey through the showbiz; complete with masterfully written script and three- dimensional characters. Though the story succeeds on providing some nifty commentary on the entertainment industry including the downfall of fame, the overwhelming effects falling center to the public spotlight, and criticism by film critics; the story isn't always as interesting as it's intended. Sure, there are plenty of moments of light-hearted humor and appropriate ingenuity, but the film also some moments of tediousness. But with Inarritau's stylish direction in driving the film, these flaws aren't too hard to forgive.
Birdman is a solidly entertaining piece of cinema sparked with Alejandro G. Inarritau's engaging direction, some powerhouse performances by a larger-than-life cast, and an overall powerful artistic value. Though it may offer much groundbreaking innovation beyond the technical scale, it is true demostration of director Inarritau's talent as well as the cast; and as a result earns a spot as one of the best movies of 2014.