CONNOR BURTON
Special to The Leader
At the 87th Academy Awards ceremony, of the eight best picture nominees, the deserved winner was “Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance).” It won against such competition as “American Sniper,” “The Imitation Game,” “Boyhood,” “Selma,” “The Grand Budapest Hotel,” “The Theory of Everything” and “Whiplash.”
“Birdman” tells the story of actor Riggan Thompson, who, much like Michael Keaton, the actor portraying Thompson, played a superhero in the ‘90s in the film franchise called “Birdman.” Desperate to prove his worth as an actor, he puts on a stage adaptation of a Raymond Carver story that he wrote, directs and stars in. On top of that, he must juggle his fresh-out-of-rehab daughter, an out of control actor and his ever-escaping sanity.
Keaton completely embraces the role and delivers, arguably, his greatest performance. Keaton has always been a reliable actor, but never before has he given such an incredible performance. It seemed like he was the front-runner for Best Actor, but with an astonishing number of award-worthy performances, it’s not too much of a surprise that Eddie Redmayne stole the award for his performance in “The Theory of Everything.”
“Birdman” also features an excellent supporting cast with the Oscar-nominated Edward Norton and Emma Stone, as well as Amy Ryan, Andrea Riseborough and Zach Galifianakis. Each actor brought to his or her role powerful emotion and sharp humor. They balanced the serious moments with the dark comedy well .
“Birdman” is not just a well-made film, but it also has something to say about the entertainment industry. It satirizes the popularity of franchise films and the perspective which people within the industry have on franchise actors. This is the issue that Keaton’s character deals with as he tries to prove his relevance as an actor, not just a celebrity.
“Birdman” was nominated for nine Oscars and took home the award for not only Best Picture, but also Best Director for Alejandro G. Iñárritu, Best Original Screenplay and Best Cinematography. It was a tight race for the Best Picture, as it seemed like a close call between “Birdman” and “Boyhood,” which surprisingly only received one Oscar for Patricia Arquette as Best Supporting Actress.
This has been an incredible year for films, and “Birdman” stands as the prime example of the powerful and technical achievements present this year. “Birdman” is technically hypnotizing, as Alejandro G. Iñárritu directs the movie in a way that streams together a series of tracking shots to make the film seem like a mostly continuous shot.
Compared to Iñárritu’s previous films, “Birdman” shows the filmmaker in his top form as he experiments with new techniques that show the director’s evolution. Iñárritu has directed such films as “Amores Perros,” his critically-acclaimed directorial debut, “21 Grams,” “Babel” and “Biutiful.” All four of Iñárritu’s films have been nominated for at least for one Oscar .
He is currently shooting a film with Leonardo DiCaprio called “The Revenant” about a fur trapper who is mauled by a bear while hunting and is left for dead by his companions. DiCaprio’s character survives and sets out to get revenge against those who betrayed him. Based on the premise and the cast, it is likely to be an Oscar contender next year.