Birdman

Rating: 8/10 (15 January 2015)

I saw a trailer for this film, and it was discussed on some film review shows, it was already getting attention and talk of award nominations, so I was definitely going to see it, directed by Oscar winning, and BAFTA and Golden Globe nominated Alejandro González Iñárritu (Amores Perros, Babel, Biutiful). Basically Riggan Thomson (Golden Globe winning, and Oscar and BAFTA nominated Michael Keaton) is a washed-up Hollywood actor most famous for playing the superhero Birdman in 90s blockbuster films, he is tormented and criticised by the voice of his former alter ego character, and he sometimes imagines himself performing levitation and telekinesis. Riggan is hoping to reinvent himself as a Broadway actor, writer and director, he is adapting Raymond Carver's short story "What We Talk About When We Talk About Love", it is being produced by Riggan's best friend and lawyer Brandon Vander Hay (or Jake) (Zach Galifianakis), and it stars Riggan's girlfriend Laura (Oblivion's Andrea Riseborough) and first-time Broadway actress Lesley (Naomi Watts), and his assistant is his recovering addict daughter Sam (The Help's Oscar, BAFTA and Golden Globe nominated Emma Stone). The show is currently in rehearsals, with previews coming up and the opening night in a few days, during this time Riggan makes a light fall on an actor he doesn't like to replace him, he casts brilliant but volatile method actor Mike Shiner (Oscar, BAFTA and Golden Globe nominated Edward Norton), this is proved when during a preview he breaks out of character complaining, and during another preview Riggan performs the final scene where his character laments "not existing" and shooting himself, after Mike tells him he should a more realistic prop gun. Things keep going wrong for Riggan as the show opening approaches, he reads early reviews that Mike is stealing the show, he catches Sam smoking pot and during the argument about it she says that he does not matter, he finds out backstage during a preview that she and Mike are lovers, he accidentally locks himself out of the theatre and has to walk through a busy Times Square in just his underwear to get back inside. After all this he runs into influential critic Tabitha Dickinson (Lindsay Duncan), she tells him she hates "Hollywood celebrities who pretend to be actors" and says she will "kill" his show with a negative review, he boozes until he collapses and sleeps on the street, and hungover the next day he hallucinates a conversation with Birdman, and flying through New York City. It is opening night, and in the final scene Riggan brings a real gun, using it he shoots his nose off on stage, he earns a standing ovation from the audience, besides Tabitha who leaves during the applause, in hospital Riggan is told by the producer that she have the play a rave review, Sam visits him, and out of the room Riggan climbs onto the window ledge, it is not known whether he jumped, but returning Sam finds he is gone, looks down the street, then the sky, and smiles. Also starring Amy Ryan as Sylvia, Merritt Wever as Annie, Damian Young as Gabriel and Jeremy Shamos as Ralph. Keaton, who was most likely chosen for his real career following Batman being somewhat similar in circumstances, is perfectly as the man on the edge, and Norton is fantastic as the nemesis and method actor from hell, the filming technique where scenes are merged to mostly look like one take is clever, the mid-life crisis of a Hollywood star and a Broadway show having problems before it's even started, both concepts work very well together, the small moments of special effects work with the story, and it is written and directed terrifically, a most worthwhile black comedy drama. It won the Oscars for Best Motion Picture of the Year, Best Writing, Original Screenplay and Best Cinematography, and it was nominated for Best Sound Mixing and Best Sound Editing, it won the BAFTA for Best Cinematography, and it was nominated for Best Film, Best Editing, Best Original Music for Antonio Sanchez, Best Sound and Best Original Screenplay, and it won the Golden Globe for Best Screenplay, and it was nominated for Best Motion Picture - Comedy or Musical and Best Original Score. Very good!