Birdman (or the Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)

Birdman is a genre-bent dramedy that follows a washed-up superhero, Riggan Thompson (Michael Keaton) as he attempts to re-establish relevance on Broadway in a production he has put together, based on a Raymond Carver play (which may or may not be fictional - I'm not up on Carver works). As the play gets closer to its debut, Riggan begins to unravel amidst the chaotic pressure, and the viewer is thrown into a fast-paced, spiraling trip where Riggan's own psyche takes on a tangible form and his castmates and family are thrown into a whirlwind of humor and confusion.

Alejandro Gonzalez Innaritu is garnering critical raves for his latest project. He wrote and directed it, and mostly it flew (no pun intended) under the radar until it was initially viewed. The masterful work represents just another step in his short, but distinguished resume. Probably best known for Babel and 21 Grams in the US, he is the front-runner for Best Director so far, and I imagine the originality and flawlessness of the direction will win him the award this year. It's shot as if in one continuous sequence with the exception of a couple of blackouts that represent transition of days, and although it seems frenetic at times, it is seriously deliberate, and mesmerizing. This film will get him on the Hollywood short-list, but it's his next one that might be even better. The Revenant, based on the Michael Punke novel follows a frontiersman in 1820 who is mauled by a bear and left for dead by his fellow travelers, then he seeks revenge for their leaving him behind. Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hardy star - it might be Leo's inevitable Oscar in 2015.

Aside from the visionary direction, the cast is what makes this film incredible. Ripe roles, great dialogue, both inner and outer. Michael Keaton has the meatiest role, and devours it without any shame. We've never seen him before, and the verisimilitude of his character is forgotten early on. Riggan was the star of the successful Birdman trilogy in the 1990's, and he's spent the last 20 years justifying why making a Birdman 4 would have been selling out his principles. However, there is the shadow of regret looming like a storm cloud through the whole film. A truly remarkable piece of acting for the man who played the first big screen Batman (but fortunately chose to quit after 2). This is by far the pinnacle of his career, but might open some doors that otherwise were certainly closed before. He can next be seen in 2015's Spotlight, which focuses on the Boston Catholic Church child molestation scandal.

The rest of the supporting cast is amazing. Starting with Ed Norton, he has resurrected a career that was going off into the sunset with his third impressive role in the past 3 years (Moonrise Kingdom, The Grand Budapest Hotel). He plays the Broadway hot shot actor who is brought in to save the play after the male co-star suffers an injury. He plays the role with swagger, but also a delicate sensitivity behind his pompous bravado. He's my favorite to win the Golden Globe, and for now is my front-runner for the Oscar. The only obstacle would be JK Simmons, but I haven't seen Whiplash yet - still waiting for it to play near me...

Emma Stone shows that she's more than a lip-sync champion and comedic lightweight. She plays Riggan's daughter who isn't quite estranged, but is emotionally unattached from him despite working on the play with him. It's a complex relationship, but she plays it well. Zach Galifinakis is the frantic agent, and I've said he plays straight roles great for some time now. Naomi Watts and Andrea Riseborough round out the cast as the female actors in the play, and they both show the incestuous side of show business, but do it playfully so it doesn't add any unnecessary emotional drain to the film.

I really like the tone that Innaritu brought to the film. It's a very serious film portrayed as a comedy. Dazzling camerawork and surreal transitions from real to delusion. It's refreshingly original in a time of biopics, remakes, and superheroes (although it's kind of a superhero film). This is its hope for awards. Originality. It's missing from Hollywood these days, but then again, Birdman won't make billions at the global box office.

It might win Best Actor, but the competition is exceptionally stiff this year. Cumberbatch, Redmayne, Gyllenhaal, Oyelowo, Phoenix, Murray, Waltz, Cooper, Isaac, Carell. The strength of the category is overwhelming in contrast to the weakness of the Best Picture category. Keaton will get a nomination for sure, but I don't see him winning. Norton on the other hand, will win his first Oscar for his supporting role.

Innaritu wins Best Director, and with it, his likelihood of picking up Best Picture is automatically the odds-on favorite. I have more than a few films to see yet before officially making that call, but the one thing that might distress the film is its ambiguity and deep metacognitive approach. You could think about this one for hours, which is awesome, but it's not quite mainstream movie audience style. America likes endings tied up with a bow.

This is a very well done movie, and is worthy of the recognition for certain. A beacon of originality, which is a breath of fresh air. 9/10.