Birdman
or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)
First screened in October 2014
Director: Alejandro González Iñárritu. Cast: Michael Keaton, Emma Stone, Edward Norton, Zach Galifianakis, Naomi Watts, Andrea Riseborough, Amy Ryan, Lindsay Duncan, Jeremy Shamos, Merritt Wever, Michael Siberry, Damian Young, Natalie Gold, Bill Camp, Clark Middleton, Frank Ridley, Jackie Hoffman, Benjamin Kanes. Screenplay: Alejandro González Iñárritu, Nicolás Giacobone, Alexander Dinelaris, and Armando Bo.

 Twitter Capsule: Snazzy, mock-heroic battle among sorrow and swagger, hubris and depth. Iridescent as an oil slick. Keaton its best effect.

Second Capsule: Even better second time. Doesn't oppose theater as noble exercise, film as crass pornography. Both grandiose. Both grand.

VOR: ④  Some glib jokes and grandstandy gestures notwithstanding, the formal gambit and mercurial tone are hard to gainsay as major risks. Cast raises the bar by playing it for real.


Photo © 2014 Fox Searchlight Pictures/New Regency Pictures/
Worldview Entertainment/Le Grisbi/TSG Entertainment

Not yet reviewed in full. Grade: B+

Academy Award Nominations and Winners:
★Best Picture
★Best Director: Alejandro González Iñárritu
Best Actor: Michael Keaton
Best Supporting Actress: Emma Stone
Best Supporting Actor: Edward Norton
★Best Original Screenplay: Alejandro González Iñárritu, Nicolás Giacobone, Alexander Dinelaris, and Armando Bo
★Best Cinematography: Emmanuel Lubezki
Best Sound Mixing: Martin Hernández and Aaron Glascock
Best Sound Editing: Jon Taylor, Frank A. Montaño, and Thomas Varga

Golden Globe Nominations and Winners:
Best Picture (Musical/Comedy)
Best Director: Alejandro González Iñárritu
★Best Actor (Musical/Comedy): Michael Keaton
Best Supporting Actress: Emma Stone
Best Supporting Actor: Edward Norton
★Best Screenplay: Alejandro González Iñárritu, Nicolás Giacobone, Alexander Dinelaris, and Armando Bo
Best Original Score: Antonio Sanchez

Other Awards:
Producers Guild of America: Best Picture
Directors Guild of America: Best Director
Screen Actors Guild Awards: Best Ensemble Cast
Independent Spirit Awards: Best Feature; Best Actor (Keaton); Best Cinematography
Los Angeles Film Critics Association: Best Cinematography
Boston Society of Film Critics: Best Actor (Keaton); Best Supporting Actress (Stone); Best Screenplay (tie); Best Cinematography
Chicago Film Critics Association: Best Actor (Keaton); Best Cinematography (tie)
National Board of Review: Best Actor (Keaton; tie); Best Supporting Actor (Norton)
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