Birdman Review - originally published on the Goondiwindi Raven on the 3/4/2015.

When a movie picks up best director and best picture at the oscars it's normally a good bet that the audience will enjoy it. Right? More likely the answer is no.
'Labels' as the film points out, can only describe this film as the plot will likely bore you to an early grave.
Good? Great? Well crafted? Overacted? Underacted? Performances wrapped up inside performances? Have fun trying to keep up with this piece of art. The plot unravels at a snails pace in front of your eyes as it is revealed who the main characters are. The underlying messages about society and the actors place in it are a breath of "ball scented air" (inside joke). This film was worth watching once, however I would never purchase it in any other medium. In fact having popular culture thrown in our faces near the end of the film was almost an insult. In fact, I believe it was intended to be an insult. As spoken by Birdman himself "Look at these people, at their eyes... they're sparkling. They love this shit. They love blood. They love action. Not this talky, depressing, philosophical bullshit". And yes Birdman is talking directly at the audience, confirming what we already know. The fact is we as the audience love action/adventure films. Over the top action sequences and super extraordinary characters is what we as today's low attention spanned audiences want. Most audiences go to the cinema to relax and turn off. We tend to bore easy when it comes to the philosophical underlining of films. The movie acknowledges the fact that we as the audience have been taken advantage of. It also suggests that over the years we have been studied by marketers and the result is the film makers directly encouraging us to empty our wallets in cinemas to watch films that are almost always predictable. But what can we as the audience say? We love it! We love seeing the good guy win, we love a good under 'bird' story which is exactly what Birdman attempted to be. Does he win? No real clue.
The plot is a bore. A man (Riggen aka Birdman) who was once a world wide celebrity has taken a turn towards the more theatrical side of acting. Instead of giving the audience his predictable Birdman performance in yet a forth instalment of the Birdman series he decides to try and convince people he truly is an actor worthy of being praised by the blood thirsty critics of New York City.  
As a stand alone film it is an absolute marvel to behold. As a source of entertainment it fails in many places. At times you feel as though your head is caving in from trying to keep up with the script which is heavy and yet also top shelf material. The conversations that arise in the movie are enjoyable to listen too, the actors are all giving top performances for a movie that required them to act terribly as part of the film. Yep, that's right, at times the movie requires the actors to underact to show the audience that the play is developing as any good play should. Michael Keaton gives an amazing performance,as does Emma Stone, Edward Norton and Zack Galifanakis. Birdman, as a film, also gives the audience a glimpse at the workings of a broad way production which is both insightful and interesting. Watching the actors acting as actors behind the scenes of a production helps put everything into a more gritty perspective. Putting on a play is more then just the act of acting. People clearly have everything to lose and everything to gain.
It also appeared to have given the film critics exactly what they have been asking for for years. It was a toy for them, something to chew on and regurgitate. No doubt there were many deep conversations about the inner workings of this production, including the inner workings of the production of which this entire 'film production' was about.
As an art film, it was very creative. Almost the entire film took place in one shot, there were little to no cuts scenes speaking depths about the condition of the lead actor. The sound track was provided by the play production and also the street music outside of the theatre on Broadway. There is no doubt that as stand alone film it was extremely clever. As a piece of entertainment I found it not directly in my interest. This is defiantly not saying it was a bad movie, it just wasn't directed at me. Hollywood is where this was directed. Made for the actors, directors, producers and critics. It's these people that can relate to the subject matter in Birdman. The conflicts between the lead and his daughter, the lead and everyone. It also highlights the struggles a character actor has of breaking out of a role and making an attempt at more serious roles. It's brings to the surface the fact that the populaces option of you as an actor is ultimately more powerful then that of the critics pen.
Birdman suggests many things one of these is that in the city that never sleeps actors are tearing themselves to pieces over things that matter only to one person and to no one else. Themselves.