Birdman

Has anyone really forgotten about Michael Keaton?  Apparently all of America has which was the hype surrounding this film stating that art was imitating life.  Not to be confused with Batman, this movie is about a caped crusader who dresses up like a bat and battles the villains of Gotham City.  The city is filled with evil who reveal themselves as The Joker, Catwoman, the Penguin, and Two-Face.  Oh, wait, that is Batman.  This is Birdman, basically telling the tale of a washed up comic book actor who has decided to justify his relevance to the world by re creating a Broadway play staring himself as a true actor that actually has something of entertainment value to offer.  This very artsy film goes deep into the emotions of Keaton's character showing his vulnerability and depression as he has led a pretty worthless life.  Uniquely shot with extremely long running shots and incredible acting, this movie reminds you of watching an actual play.  Edward Norton comes in as the Broadway hot shot to save the show all the while bringing in extreme arrogance and basically playing a complete asshole.  This was a really good movie, unfortunately I think it was so over hyped that I had a hard time seeing it for what it was.  Emma Stone is great and her character is very well written but should have had more screen time.  I was pretty happy with the film as much of it was fantasy from the lead character confusing you to think there is more to his existence.  I would suggest watching this movie, but wait for Redbox.  I wont be surprised if it walks away with a few awards, if anything for the original screenplay.

FYI:  Since the score was almost entirely made up of drums, it was disqualified by the Academy for Best Original Score category.

***1/2