Birdman (2014) – Encore Review

Since all of us movie fans are less than a week from the biggest night of the year, I decided to rewatch a few of the Best Picture Nominees in order to try and get a clearer idea in my mind of which movie (of the 8 nominees) I believe truly is the best of 2014.

“I’m nothing. I’m not even here.” – Riggan

Number of Times Seen – 2 (9 Jan 2015 and 16 Feb 2015)

Link to original review – Here

Brief Synopsis – A former action movie star tries to make a comeback by directing, writing and staring in an off Broadway production, but will he truly be able to get everything together by opening night?

My Take on it – I liked this this first time I saw it last month, but actually enjoyed it even more during my second viewing because of a number of factors.

The main one being that once you know what happens in the end, you can watch it again while focusing on other aspects of the movie.

The cinematography and editing are superb and despite the very philosophical and abstract stance of the movie the visuals are truly unbelievable and exceptional.

Like similar movies that revolve around a theatrical production it uses these references to try and show what is wrong and right about Hollywood and its elite by using the stage as a metaphor.

A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure to read this article about this movie by my fellow blogger Niall of Ragingfluff.com and he posits a very interesting premise explaining the movie (check out his review here but be forewarned that it is FULL of spoilers). When rewatching this movie, I applied his premise and it helped me enjoy the story even more. Thanks Niall!

Ultimately, this isnt a mainstream movie, but it says so much about the differences between being a talented actor and a celebrity.

Michael Keaton is truly in top form here, but I wont be surprised if Eddie Redmayne takes home gold instead.

That being said, I’m still pulling for this movie to win Best Director and Picture.

Bottom Line – Not your normal, mainstream kind of Best Picture nominee, but it has a strong case for being the best both in term of technical film making and giving us an interesting story and character that we want to know more about and understand him. Highly recommended!

MovieRob’s Favorite Trivia – Given the unusual style of filming long takes, Edward Norton and Michael Keaton kept a running tally of flubs made by the actors. Emma Stone made the most mistakes, Zach Galifianakis made the fewest. (from IMDB)

Rating – Oscar Worthy (no change from original review)

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