It's a movie about self-importance. The ego. About being relevant, viral, or trending. An expose of human nature: that we are all insecure and selfish, always seeking for self-validation, respect, or admiration.
Riggan Thompson (Michael Keaton) represents all that. A washed-up actor desperate to reclaim his glory days as the iconic Birdman, a movie star of some 20 years ago that catered to the Hollywood mainstream audience.
To make himself relevant again in the industry, Riggan produces a Broadway play—the problem is, almost everyone around him is telling him that he's a worthless, irrelevant has-been, including theater thespian Mike Shine (Edward Norton) and daughter Sam (Emma Stone), and that his play would fail, according to his bloated ego, that raspy Birdman voice in his head.
Alejandro González Iñárritu's delicious multi-layered dark comedy Birdman (or The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) explores the ego of a depressed and insecure man whose identity has become his movie star character of the past. Birdman is the symbol of the pinnacle of his success and self-worth, and he could not let go of it. Keaton's performance is nothing short of stunning; his agony, internal struggle and insecurity are deeply felt.
The sharp, intelligent, impassioned, and sardonic screenplay is intensified not only by a highly competent cast, but also by cinematographer Emmanual Lubezki's (Gravity) ingenious camerawork. His style is a single, continuous shot (much like Gravity's first 15 minutes) that the camera feels like a balloon; bobbing up and down ever so gently, hovering and following the characters through the magical, crazy world of theater, New York, and transmitting to us not just the visuals but also the characters' raw emotions, interwoven with Antonio Sanchez's jazz music.
Birdman, now buried under a pile of nominations from numerous award-giving bodies, including 9 Oscar nominations, is hip, contemporary, exciting fresh, stylish, and original. A hilarious and painful experience. A brilliant, creative and technical triumph, making this film a truly unforgettable masterpiece.
5 out of 5 stars
OPENS JANUARY 28 EXCLUSIVELY AT AYALA MALLS CINEMAS FROM 20TH CENTURY FOX
Reopens in Philippine theaters March 4, 2015, EXCLUSIVELY at Robinson’s Ermita, Robinson’s Galleria, Metro East, Gateway, Powerplant, Greenhills and Festival Mall!
The sharp, intelligent, impassioned, and sardonic screenplay is intensified not only by a highly competent cast, but also by cinematographer Emmanual Lubezki's (Gravity) ingenious camerawork. His style is a single, continuous shot (much like Gravity's first 15 minutes) that the camera feels like a balloon; bobbing up and down ever so gently, hovering and following the characters through the magical, crazy world of theater, New York, and transmitting to us not just the visuals but also the characters' raw emotions, interwoven with Antonio Sanchez's jazz music.
Birdman, now buried under a pile of nominations from numerous award-giving bodies, including 9 Oscar nominations, is hip, contemporary, exciting fresh, stylish, and original. A hilarious and painful experience. A brilliant, creative and technical triumph, making this film a truly unforgettable masterpiece.
5 out of 5 stars
OPENS JANUARY 28 EXCLUSIVELY AT AYALA MALLS CINEMAS FROM 20TH CENTURY FOX
Reopens in Philippine theaters March 4, 2015, EXCLUSIVELY at Robinson’s Ermita, Robinson’s Galleria, Metro East, Gateway, Powerplant, Greenhills and Festival Mall!
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