BIRDMAN

I happened to catch BIRDMAN just a bit ago, for those of you who don't know about it or even for those who just saw the trailer and were still a little confused, Birdman is an arthouse flick written and directed by one of the new heavies of Hollywood Alejandro González Iñárritu, of 21 Grams, Babble and Biutiful fame. The movie stars Michael Keaton as an aging actor living in the shadow of his past glories and his attempts to reignite his career with a Broadway play that he believes will help him prove to himself and the world that he's not just another flash in the pan Hollywood star.

It's kind of hard to know where to start with this movie because there is a lot going on in it and all of it is noteworthy. For starters, the story is really interesting as it seems to be written SPECIFICALLY for Michael Keaton about his experience since playing the famous caped crusader from Gotham City. The movie plays in a very arthouse cinema sort of way incorporating sharp dialog with surreal visual elements that keep your mind working to figure out how the show is going to play out. This experience is fueled by performances by Edward Norton, Emma Stone, Naomi Watts (all of which have been in comic book movies... Yes, even Naomi Watts, remember Tank Girl? You don't? Well I guess it's just the same because it wasn't very good anyway) as well as a startlingly good performance by Zach Galifinakis! It's really interesting following Keaton and the cast throughout this film and the semi-surreal nature of it really keeps you glued to your seat and wondering what is going to happen next. Will Keaton grow wings or will he buy a pack of gum? Who knows?! And that's really the appeal of this film. It's a kind of original film making that hasn't been seen on a big screen since the late 1970s which is really refreshing.

I really enjoyed this movie and it is sure to garner a few golden statue nominations including Best Original Screenplay and maybe a Best Actor nomination for Keaton and honestly, it would be well deserved. If you do see this movie, here is a tip, don't let the trailer trick you into thinking it's a artsy superhero movie, IT TOTALLY ISN'T but don't let that dissuade you from going to check it out because It's in my top 10 this year. Birdman gets a 4.5...out of 5.