Birdman

On friday, a good friend and I went to go see "Birdman". I have been eying this moving since the first festival reviews came out. From the director of such films as "Babel", this film is probably one of my favorite films thus far in the Oscar Hunt (I don't think it will win but I will get to that later).

The movie is shot in such a way that it looks like a single-camera with one continuous take throughout. The camera is following Riggan (Michael Keaton) as he acts, directs and produces the Raymond Carver play "What We Talk About When We Talk About Love". The audience is slowly introduced to Riggan's backstory; he's a washed up movie actor famous for the role of "Birdman". This show is his way of attempting to win back his acting soul. However, from the opening scene; its obvious that this is a psychedelic trip into the unraveling of Riggan's mind. 

Again, this movie seems like an acid trip at times. The movie opens with two things; Riggan in his undies and a clock ticking. As the scene plays on, Riggan uses what appears to be telekinesis to move items around his theatre dressing room. He is haunted by a poster of his last "Birdman" movie. It speaks to him when he least expects it and provides a running commentary to the thoughts in Riggan's unraveling mind. 

As the movie moves forward, Riggan's troubled mind starts to intermingle with the lives of his actors and family. When Riggan appears to use his telekinesis to remove one of his main actors from the show, the star gets replaced by Mike Shriner (Edward Norton) another thespian with a history of trouble. Suddenly, it seems like the movie could be about redemption.. 

Alas, this is not a story of redemption; its one of discovery. Riggan learns no matter how far he tries to wander, he is the Birdman. And in the end, well that would ruin things now wouldn't it?

The only hint I will give is a Hollywood/Broadway rumor that happened to "Little Shop of Horrors". You see at the end of the Broadway version, everyone dies. In the movie version, Seymour and Audrey live happily ever after. Test audiences for the movie rejected the latter ending because "it was too horrible for a musical". 

The ending of the "Birdman" ruins its oscar chances. For such a uniquely filmed and acted movie, it sucks its ending couldn't have been like the Broadway version of "Little Shop of Horrors".

My rating 3/5. 

Gone Girl Review

I saw Gone Girl on October 5, 2014!! I enjoyed this movie so much I saw it again on October 6 with Justin!! David Fincher has directed some of my all time favorite movies: Fight Club, Seven, & The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo. Now, you can add Gone Girl to this list. Gillian Flynn wrote an amazing screenplay for this. Since she's the author of the book the movie is based on, I feel her story combined with Fincher's directing, as well as the incredible cast created an amazing cinematic experience. This movie is absolutely amazing in my opinion. It's dark, intense, and filled with incredible performances. The dark nature of this movie really pulls audiences in. The actors really did well shaping the performances. If you can't get the right cast, then a movie can fall flat. In this case, I feel everybody was able to make their character believable.

The basic premise of the movie follows a man named Nick Dunne. His wife Amy Dunne goes missing. The movie takes you on a crazy, haunting journey from there. Gone Girl is split into two stories, which really keeps the story flowing. You're following two different character perspectives. You're looking at two different character's journeys within the current situation. I loved the mystery & intrigue of the story, as well as the amazing twists that occur throughout the movie.

I think the actors did an excellent job portraying their roles. Ben Affleck was excellent as Nick Dunne. Since The Town, I feel his performances have been really well done. I've always found him to be a good actor, but he has really stepped it up the last few years. While Affleck was great, the performance that captivated me was Rosamund Pike. Prior to this, I had only seen her in fun comedies like Johnny English & The World's End (the good one with Simon Pegg & Nick Frost). Her performance as Amy Dunne is my favorite female performance since Cate Blanchett in Blue Jasmine. I love femme fatale characters, and Pike took it to a whole new level. She was so dark & twisted. Many of my favorite scenes involve her. Pike is epic, awesome, insanely good (description is on purpose). If Pike is not on the list for Best Actress at the Oscars, I'm boycotting them.

My favorite character is Amy, but my second favorite character would be Margo Dunne, Nick's twin sister. Carrie Coon was great, providing some of the best lines in the movie. Audiences loved her at the side of her brother throughout the entire ordeal. She gave a performance showing how petrified she was for her brother, but at the same time showing how strong she is fighting to show her brother is a good guy. Nick really isn't a good guy, but Margo is there for him. She's his family. Two other notable performances were Neil Patrick Harris as the wealthy Desi Collings (nice back story with him). I would say the most memorable scene in the movie involves him. The scene I'm referring to was so intense-the camera work, music, and acting performances made it work so well. You'll know what I'm talking about when you see it. Another performance I actually liked which shocked me was Tyler Perry as Tanner Bolt. He was a fun lawyer character helping out Margo & Nick on their journey.

I would say there were only three other movies I liked as much as this one in 2014-Divergent, X-Men: Days of Future Past, and Guardians of the Galaxy. Gone Girl hopefully will be on both the Golden Globe & Oscar lists this year. I give the movie a definite 5/5. The movie is this huge dramatic ordeal that also turns into a darker comedy at the same time. I loved that aspect of it. The movie itself, the acting performances, Fincher's directing, Flynn's amazing script, and the phenomenal score worked together to make something truly great.