seen @ Angelika Film Center, New York, NY
10.19.14
I'm sitting here trying to think of how to express my feelings about the movie Birdman and I can't quite come up with something. I don't know why. It's not a bad movie; in fact, it's quite good, but it's so chock full of... stuff - ideas, images, themes - that it's difficult for me to arrange. It would help if I saw it again, but these days, I can't afford to see the same movie twice. Well, I probably could, but I don't want to fall behind schedule, not that it matters. It's not like I've got an editor over my shoulder telling me I've gotta meet a deadline, but when it comes to current movies, I do wanna attempt to stay as up-to-date as I can.
I thought it would be more meta-fictional than it actually was - ha ha, Michael Keaton, actor who played a superhero, plays an actor who played a superhero - but of course, it's much more than that. I also thought it would have more to say about the blockbuster superhero movie trend in Hollywood, though it does have its share of commentary about that. Mostly, it's about acting in general, and how fame works in this modern world.
I found myself admiring the craft of the movie more than the story: the roaming camera all throughout the theater and the surrounding city streets; the way it looks like one long take; the acting, of course. I've seen people praise this movie up and down the net, and it deserves all the praise, but I didn't quite love it as much as I thought I would. Maybe it's a case where I fell victim to the hype surrounding it, but I don't think so.
It was nice to be back at the Angelika again. It's been so long since I'd been there. Of course, at fourteen dollars a pop with no matinee prices, that's probably one big reason why I've stayed away. I would've waited until it came to Kew Gardens, but Vija wanted to see it, so we did. Franz was there also; when we all went to eat afterwards, he realized he left his cellphone there and had to go back for it.
Sorry this took so long. Wish I had more to say about it, but I do recommend it.
I can imagine this one being difficult to talk about. I saw Gone Girl with a friend, and after the Birdman trailer played, we just looked at each other and went, "Wow."
ReplyDeleteAfter 4 1/2 years of doing this, you'd think writing about movies would get easier somehow. Thank Zod I don't consider myself an actual critic.
ReplyDeleteWould love to know what you thought about GONE GIRL.
I heart Zod. Our Zod is an awesome Zod. :)
ReplyDeleteYou know, I neither loved nor hated Gone Girl, and it seems everyone I talk about it with does--one or the other. It was a movie with no heroes, and an ambiguous ending, and I kind of dig that kind of thing. I thought Rosamund Pike was great, Ben was Blandy McBland, yet somehow gets the job done, and I was amused by Neil Patrick Harris. I thought he was an interesting casting choice for that role. I didn't think really deeply about any statements the movie (or book--which I didn't read) might be making, though I probably should. Ultimately, for me, it was a fun if disturbing afternoon at the movies. It had been awhile since I'd seen a suspense/mystery/thriller type film.
Fair enough. I guess because I tend to have my ear to the ground a little when it comes to film, I noticed a certain interpretation building up around the critics' reaction to it. See my post on it and you'll see what I mean.
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