Birdman : : or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)

Locations
Call Number: DVD Comedy Birdman
On Shelf At: Downtown Library, Westgate Branch

Location & Checkout Length	Call Number	Checkout Length	Item Status
Downtown 1st Floor 1-week checkout	DVD Comedy Birdman	1-week checkout	On Shelf
Westgate Adult A/V 1-week checkout	DVD Comedy Birdman	1-week checkout	On Shelf
Traverwood Adult A/V 1-week checkout	DVD Comedy Birdman	1-week checkout	Due 05-03-2024

Originally released as a motion picture in 2014.
Special features: Birdman: all-access ; gallery: Chivo's on-set photography.
Michael Keaton, Zach Galifianakis, Edward Norton, Andrea Riseborough, Amy Ryan, Emma Stone, Naomi Watts.
A black comedy story of an actor famous for portraying an iconic superhero as he struggles to mount a Broadway play. In the days leading up to opening night, he battles his ego and attempts to recover his family, his career, and himself.
DVD, NTSC, region 1, dual layer, widescreen (1.85:1) presentation; Dolby Digital 5.1; surround Dolby Digital 2.0.

COMMUNITY REVIEWS

great movie! submitted by manz on January 21, 2015, 8:27am This movie is pretty dark and you have to be in the mood to watch it. But it's pretty fabulous! The way it is shot is amazing, and Michael Keaton is phenomenal! Well worth the Oscar attention this year.

Strange, but in a Good Way submitted by Beth Manuel on June 12, 2015, 12:38pm I enjoyed seeing Michael Keaton in this role and back on the big screen. The ending was, to me, very vague and was left up to the viewers interpretation. One thing I noticed as with so many films was that Emma Stone, who played Keaton's daughter, of course was hot for Ed Norton. Not that it's unusual for women to be attracted to men 20 years older than them, but that kind of formula gets old. No wonder women in their 40's have such limited roles in the film industry.

acting wow! submitted by beans-stars on June 18, 2015, 5:12pm this was a unique and quirky film..but if you can appreciate how it was filmed and how great the acting was ...it is a must see! you can see why it got the attention it did this year.

Quirky submitted by LVDS on June 29, 2015, 10:41am Doesn't make me want to be an actor. But interesting perspective on possible schizophrenia...or just the trials of finding purpose in life. Sad so many dysfunctional relationships...but that's life.
NOT your fun, relaxing romantic comedy movie to relax by.

Great Camera Work submitted by apicknell on July 10, 2015, 9:26pm Birdman has lots of tender moments, funny moments, dark moments, and an unanswered ending, but the actual story is somewhat of a bore. Actor tries to regain fame. Haunted by previous fame. Younger actor outshines him in his own production.... meh.

However, the entire film is shot almost entirely in long takes/oners; the camera almost never cuts. The result is disorienting - what is real, what is on stage, what is acted, what is just happening. The camera work really becomes its own character, and I think saves this film from being yet another story in the pile of stories about acting and hollywood and theater and film.

A Seriously Schizophrenic character submitted by leenajong on August 22, 2015, 12:31pm Superhero turned movie actor turned broadway producer slash theater actor

Great cinema submitted by B_Mo on August 23, 2015, 11:06am I really enjoyed Birdman. The acting was superb (particularly Michael Keaton & Edward Norton), the camera work was incredible and the writing was snappy and well-done. I'm still trying to work out the ending however. I feel like the fly away was a little bit of a cop out.

https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2014/10/30/bird-o30.html

Yuck... just... yuck submitted by Jenshaines on June 24, 2016, 3:10pm So the first problem was that my DH thought this was a comedy and that's what we wanted. Um, no. Very dark. Well-acted, vaguely interesting, but mostly sickening and depressing. Best for Inarritu fans.

Not impressed submitted by kelleyc on July 7, 2016, 7:45am This should not be listed as a comedy. Dramedy, maybe. It was interesting, but not gripping. I could take it or leave it, really.

I expected more submitted by bookher on July 13, 2016, 1:33pm I'm not sure why this is a categorized as a comedy. Given that it won an Oscar, I had high expectations but just didn't enjoy it. I watched the entire thing hoping it would get better but it never did.

Artistically Interesting submitted by Meginator on August 2, 2017, 11:04am The cinematography of Birdman is incredible: at many points it's impossible to tell where the camera's cuts are, and the film truly feels like a stream of consciousness, single-take story. This meshes well with its themes and its main character's uncertain grasp on reality; viewers are aware, however acutely, that the film itself is an illusion, and bring that understanding as the film's more surreal elements come into play. The acting, too, is superb, with Michael Keaton, Edward Norton, and the rest of the cast fully embodying their characters. Birdman is undoubtedly an artistic accomplishment, but that doesn't make it particularly pleasant to watch. I'm sure the film can be mined for hidden symbolism and deeply captured themes, but on the surface it can be a bit difficult to get a grasp on the story and sympathize with Keaton's character. The ending, too, drags on; the film has a perfect, shocking, natural ending, but an emotionally unsatisfying slapped-on coda cheapens the entire enterprise in a matter of minutes. Birdman is an interesting film from an intellectual perspective, but not always an enjoyable one; it's one I don't think I need to see again, but I am glad that I watched it.

Weird and great submitted by KOH on August 27, 2017, 11:21pm One of the best films of 2015! Bizarre and quirky and darkly funny.

claustrophobic, in a good way submitted by lisa on August 14, 2018, 2:36pm great sense of place, and characters

meh... one more 'inside hollywood" POS, as if we cared. submitted by Tassos on March 13, 2020, 9:26am These clowns have such huge egos, they mistakenly believe we give a damn about the inner workings of Hollywood and they keep making stupid movies about it.