VANITY: "Birdman" Yuck!

NONE | March 22, 2015 | Self

[BykrBayb]

I hadn’t even heard of it, but now if I see it at our local theater, I’ll know not to bother with it.

Thanks. I hate when wasting time and money on garbage.

[corlorde]

Yeah I agree. I guess it was really written, directed, and filmed for those in Hollywood who ‘get’ this tripe. It was supposed to be “deep thinking” and “artsy” whatever that means but I found it trivial, slow and tedious. Most in Hollywood have lost all connection to the people who watch their movies.

Pass.

[Pajamajan]

Two words: American Sniper. You won't be disappointed.

[bray]

Best Movie by the Academy usually means pure garbage. Sounds like Bridman keeps the streak going.

[zipper]

but really, does the F word have to appear in every sentence of dialogue?

Hollywood is largely responsible for the crassification of society.

[x]

Birdman is self-involved Hollywood narcissism.

Do you think the filmmakers weren't aware of the narcissism in their profession?

I haven't seen the movie, but from what people are saying it sounds like Fellini, who had to have been aware of how grating his characters were, but still produced some great films.

[fatnotlazy]

American Sniper is on my list...once it shows up in Netflix.

[Hot Tabasco]

The best move I’ve seen in decades was “Guardians of the Galaxy”.....Very well written and the acting was superb!

[UnBubba]

With all due respect, I disagree with you, fatnotlazy.

Perhaps you need to be a New-Yorka (You know, the world ends at the Hudson) to appreciate it.

The film exceeded my expectations.

If you lived and/or worked in the city you would have a better understanding of what was going on.

The cinematography, photography, story-telling, acting, direction, was superb.

Keaton and Norton were excellent.

It was a magic carpet ride.

[OneWingedShark]

You'd have been much better off watching Birdplane.

[Calvin Locke]

The art part of the movie is that... [paraphrasing from reviews] "...an actor wants to produce a play so he doesn't have to make yet another superhero movie."

Basically, anybody outside the "biz" doesn't empathize with Keaton's character, but the H'wood voters do.

I looked up the IMDB user comments on the film, sorting by "Hated It".

Just the comment titles are hilarious, let alone the specific jabs.

[fatnotlazy]

Maybe you're on to something. My friend who loved the movie loves New York. She doesn't live there, but she visits several times a year. I've been there a few times, and it wasn't my cup of tea. I suppose you have to be really sophisticated to appreciate NY. I'm just a small-town gal who likes the simple things.

[left that other site]

Thanks for the heads up!

I hate it when a movie becomes incomprehensible in order to be "Arty".

The following is a review I wrote for an eagerly awaited documentary about Giuseppe Verdi that was also ruined by this attitude. Of course, there weren't any "F Bombs", but there may have well have had them the movie was so "ugly":

This was very disappointing...and I LOVE the music of Verdi. The sound quality was uneven, causing me to have to turn the sound up and down as I watched, and the Operatic excerpts all used the same dreary, unimaginative set and the same costumes, which looked like rejects from the Goodwill Store. It was interesting to note that Verdi wished to control every aspect of the production, which I would assume also meant the sets and costumes. So, in doing violence to this aspect of Verdi's art, the producers were going against the artist's wishes, perhaps in order to be minimalist and avant guarde.

There were no vocal selections from the two most beloved of Verdi's Operas, "La Traviata" and "Aida", just one orchestral selection each, while other more obscure works were presented with very long segments, all on the same "abandoned Detroit apartment" set wearing black overcoats.

Rent the operas themselves and enjoy, rather than allow yourself to be bored and depressed by this unfortunate attempt to make opera"relevant" to our post-modern, minimalist, colorless, monochromatic malaise of a culture! I'd rather just listen to the singers (who were quite good!) on cd, than watch them in this celebration of industrial ugliness.

I did not think that Netflix would publish my review because it was so negative...but they DID!

[needmorePaine]

I enjoyed it very much. Loved the technical aspect of the “one shot” look and enjoyed Keaton’s and Ed Norton’s acting. Well worth the time and money.

[BenLurkin]

the most excruciating 2 or so hours of my life

Felt tht way about “Brazil”

[UnBubba]

New York, New York. A city so nice, they named it twice.

[Veto!]

I liked it a lot, though it left me depressed. But I’d rather be a little depressed than bored.

Birdman has starred in mindless pictures, like Batman (Which Michael Keaton actuarially starred in) but now, he is older and wants to attempt a real acting job onstage, something with depth and meaning. Everything works against him. His family is a mess, his friends berate him.

I think many of us have wanted to do more meaningful work in our lives, but had to settle for jobs that paid the bills but didn’t connect with our hearts and souls and the talents we know — or think we know—we have. Birdman was very brave to try so hard to become a real actor….though it ended up badly. At least he tried.

When I lived in SoCal, I often saw famous TV actors from banal, stupid, but successful TV series onstage doing Shakespeare and other classical plays, some very successfully. The more difficult roles certainly paid less, but were more satisfying for the actors. And for me.

And thus, the struggle of Birdman…..

[Georgia Girl 2]

Too bad. I love Michael Keaton.

[Radagast the Fool]

Haven’t seen it..if I want to see a Birdman movie, I’ll stick with Burt Lancaster!

[Proud_texan]

Not so much quirky but perhaps one of the topics voters like, one of their own or about the difficulty of their art. I guess anyway, my wife and I bailed after 30 minutes.

But we did discuss our Academy winner about a mentally challenged, mixed race woman, with AIDS, working to be an actor whose white father abused her.

We figured it would be a shoo in.