Birdman or the Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance

A film for film fans; that is my impression of Birdman. I see movies all the time, I study the Box Office, I love following the behind the scenes stories for films, and so I loved Birdman. I will be surprised if this doesn't receive a slew of awards nominations come Oscar season for its acting, script, and direction. Michael Keaton is very, very good here, as is his supporting cast which includes Edward Norton, Emma Stone, and Zach Galifianakis. However, the most impressive thing about Birdman is its cinematography (which is not something I usually mention in a review) The entire film is made to look like one continuous, 2 hour long shot. While there are obviously cuts within the film, they are extremely difficult to find. This camera "trick" becomes evident within the first minute of the movie, but doesn't jump up and demand attention. In fact, the single shot premise made me feel included in the story; I felt like a character in the movie walking around with everyone else. Birdman however, is not a perfect movie. It can feel overstuffed and periodically drawn out, but never unintentionally so. What may turn some audiences away from the film is that it does, at times, seem quite bizarre. The movie is made for a certain target demographic, and not everybody will (rightly so) fit this demographic; two people walked out of my screening. I strongly recommend watching the trailer for Birdman to get a sense of what the movie is like, instead of just reading the (highly positive) critical reviews before deciding to see this film. While Birdman is not as widely appealing as other movies playing in theatres right now, it is a real treat for film fans.