thebc-86158 Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) (2014) is a cluster of film genres that blend together so seamlessly in this tale of a retired superhero actor who writes, directs, and stars in a play to show the world that he isn't just that one guy in that kid movie as he deals with his substance abusing daughter, his ex wife, a brilliant but offensive method actor, his cast, and his own voice in his head telling him to f the world and make Birdman 4. It's a film that's so real in its stars performances but so dream-like in its cinematography and directing being edited to look like there was no edits in a beautiful "one-shot" filming style. The performances are literal perfection, the style has a lot of substance, and the ending is an ambiguous delight. 10/10

thomasjay-52277 Fantastically well edited to give the illusion of a 'one-shot' film the cinematography is beautiful and demonstrates high levels of craftsmanship which are quite simply fantastic. There's fantastic action sequences and moments of liveliness but there's also a few downsides with a few annoying/uninteresting characters but on the whole a solid film.

conradleimgruber This movie is beautiful in everyway and truly shows a part of Hollywood that people ignore- the feeling and emotions of the celebrities. This movie explores themes of belittlment and not being good enough in fascinating ways, I was impressed all the way through. This movie is truly a wonderful experience from start to finish.

mrstrangerjones "Birdman" is one of those films that's entertaining when taken literally, but fascinating when taken thematically.This is a dark comedy that explores the battle to remain relevant in the acting industry. It even manages to satirize how most people just want entertainment (blockbusters) instead of philosophical thinkpieces (everything the Academy nominates) while even snagging the Best Picture Oscar. But one of the themes in the film that really hit me (due to the performances from Michael Keaton and Emma Stone) was how constantly trying to become famous may start to alienate people. This is shown by the protagonist's strained relationship with his daughter.Michael Keaton's performance was absolutely great. He really gave his character a damaged feel, since he's trying to struggle between being Riggan Thompson and Birdman. I've never seen Keaton like this before, and I loved it.Emma Stone's performance was also really good. Although she was a supporting character, she did provide some of the film's dark humor, as well as some emotion (due to some of her dialogue). This really showcases her talent, and I'm glad she won an Oscar the year after (despite her performance not being THAT good in "La La Land").A lot of people talked about how the majority of this film looked like one continuous shot. And I've got to say, even though I know that this WASN'T true, it really looks like it was one shot. This film had quite a bit of dark humor, and it all really worked. One thing that really surprised me was the characters' parallels to the actual careers of some of the actors. Most notably is Michael Keaton, where he's been trying to get past his success as Batman and try to be taken seriously; this is strongly represented in his character in the film, who is trying to get past his success as Birdman and try to be taken seriously. Another one is Edward Norton's character. In real life, Norton is known for being a method actor who is extremely hard to work with; in the film, Norton plays a method actor who is extremely hard to work with. Coincidence? I think not.I know that this is a Best Picture winner, but I haven't always had good experiences with those. I loved some ("The Godfather", "The Silence of the Lambs", "No Country for Old Men", etc.), but then I didn't really like others ("Argo", "The Godfather Part II"). However, "Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)" is definitely one of the Best Picture winners that I can say that I loved.PROS: Performances (Keaton, Stone, and Norton)CinematographyDark HumorThematic DepthSatire of HollywoodParallels with Real Hollywood Careers (specifically Keaton and Norton)CONS: Um........................................... none?