You're watching Beyond The Trailer's review of Birdman!

- Who is this guy? - He used to be Birdman.

I liked that poster...

- You wrote this adaptation? - I did, yeah.

And you're directing, and starring...? That's ambitious.

Are you afraid people will say you're doing this play to battle the impression

that you're a washed-up comic strip character?

Absolutely not! That's why, twenty years ago, I said no to Birdman 4 -

Birdman 4?! You do Birdman 4?!

Now you're about to destroy what's left of your career...

We should have done that reality show they offered us.

META. When something is consciously self-referential.

This is a term that has only recently been popularized, largely due to a new generation of super-fans

becoming industry professionals. Or perhaps because in the absence of any new ideas OUT

THERE, the most original thing one can do is to turn IN HERE. Scream was one of the

first truly meta movies and therefore became an instant classic, followed years later by

Cabin in the Woods. And Deadpool, soon to be a major motion picture - finally! - is

one of the truly great meta characters of all time. So how does a prestigious indie

filmmaker like Alejandro Inarritu - whose previous films include Amores Perros, 21 Grams,

Babel and Biutiful - get involved in something like this? Well when I saw Birdman closing

night at the New York Film Festival, for Inarritu’s introduction he was quoted as saying all of

his films had been a spicy meal - and now he was ready for dessert. Or is that revenge?!

It sure has got to be frustrating these days to be an indie artiste in an industry consumed

by blockbuster pictures... And while at the New York Film Festival Inarritu thanked writer

Raymond Carver’s widow for allowing him to use one of Carver’s works in the film,

he really owes everything to Michael Keaton - the white hot sun in this meta constellation.

Because just like his alter ego in Birdman, Riggan Thomson, Keaton really did star in

one of the biggest comic book franchises of all time - and really did choose to walk away.

But what he didn’t bet on was walking into oblivion - am I referring to Riggan Thomson

or Michael Keaton? Both! And THAT’S meta! The infamous club of actors who were genuinely

on top but then gave it all away, only to lose everything they ever had while still

maintaining enough credibility to star in an Inarritu film? Well, I think membership

might just be one... Speaking of that credibility, does Keaton have enough to win over The Academy?

Just like Thomson is hoping to win over the Broadway elite in Birdman? And to make things

even more interesting, Birdman is filmed entirely as one long single continuous take, ala Alfred

Hitchcock’s Rope. But thankfully, the digital age has allowed Inarritu a few cheats in post

to achieve the effect. So, back to that original question - IS Birdman just an impressive dessert,

say al a flambe? Or is it that other dish best served cold, revenge!

These days I watch a lot of movies...

not just for Beyond The Trailer in general

but because of the time of year it is

it's award season, and there a lot of movies to see!

For instance last Friday I saw three movies in one day

and then the very next day Saturday

I saw another two!

And as you watch so many movies in quick succession with a critical eye,

wondering if there is truly an Oscar-worthy entry in the bunch

or if it's just politics as usual

you start to feel a little like Ahab in search of Moby Dick

is that perfect movie out there?

Or have you gone a little crazy?

Well I'm happy to report I've not gone crazy

because I've found the perfect movie and it's Birdman.

Now when I tweeted my initial reaction to the film Saturday night,

it was one of the two I saw that day

someone tweeted back "Grace, please! Don't overhype Birdman!"

And I tweeted back "I can't overhype Birdman, because it truly is a perfect movie."

And that's due to the amazing construction of the film

at every level!

It is an INTENTIONAL piece of art

which is so refreshing considering the shots in the dark

and self-serving experimentation

that's become so popular in Hollywood these days.

Now in terms of that construction,

what levels does it particularly excel at?

Well, there's the acting level.

Extremely well acted!

You can't imagine the movie without ANY members of the cast.

But to me the stand-outs were, of course, Michael Keaton,

Edward Norton, Zach Galifianakis - I couldn't believe how good Zach Galifianakis is in the movie

and Emma Stone! It was so nice to see her back in top-notch form

after her little Spider-Man detour.

Which I hoped hadn't been a little detour, but it ended up being a little inconsequential detour, unfortunately.

But here she's jumped right back into her quality acting, why she really got on a lot of people's radars in the first place.

And the only reason I think these actors stand out more than the others

is they have the larger parts.

So acting is fantastic.

Now how about this long continuous shot...

It's amazing to watch!

And the best thing I can say about it

is that as I tried to look for cheats

and to figure out where they were cutting the film

y'know, digitally?

I kept forgetting to check

because I was drawn into the story so much!

I was like "omigosh, they might have cut there

i wasn't looking for it, I was paying so much attention to the story!

Yes, the story!

Does Hollywood still tell stories?

Well Birdman has a story to tell, QUITE a story,

and that story is about Hollywood.

And Birdman is such a wonderful snapshot of what Hollywood has become these days

and its arguments, for and against Hollywood, are so well constructed

yes Birdman...y'know, derides Hollywood for its current status

but at the same time plays INTO its current culture

that anyone watching the movie will feel Birdman agrees with them!

Which is part of its genius!

And I think that's because at the end of the day,

Birdman ISN'T judging

it isn't judging Hollywood

it's just simply laying it out there on a platter

for everyone to see

laying it bare and saying "this is what we've become"!

"This is what the current status of Hollywood IS."

And just...see it for yourself!

And that's why I think Birdman deserves to be

in the same category as Sunset Boulevard

Singin' in the Rain, Barton Fink, Tropic Thunder

those great movies about Hollywood.

And I hope that The Academy is confidant enough

to recognize the honesty that Birdman is dishing out here

and it gets the nominations that it deserves.

Birdman should be nominated in every category

and I think it should win in several of them as well.

So that's my review of Birdman

I DEFINITELY think you should see it

it is the best movie of the year I've seen so far

one of the best movies I've seen in several years

and I have a hard time imagining that anyone will be able to top it

at least in terms of quality

politically you might see somebody else actually win those awards

but Birdman is the one who deserves to actually - to get them.

Alright so that's my review!

Thank you so much for tuning in

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