Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) : Did anyone here actually enjoy this movie?

Did anyone here actually enjoy this movie?

Surprised by how polarizing it turned out to be, but I guess I can understand what some people might not have liked about it.

I reckon it's in my Top 10 movies of all time.

Re: Did anyone here actually enjoy this movie?

I've only seen it once but I really enjoyed it. The main thing I remember about it was the cinematography. I kept getting caught up with what they were doing with the camera work and framing.

before you leave remember I was with you

Re: Did anyone here actually enjoy this movie?

I know a lot of other movies have done it before, but this film seems to get overlooked, especially with 1917's recent usage of similar cinematography and editing.

Loads of stuff I appreciate about this movie. The jazz drum soundtrack by Antonio Sanchez, the schizophrenic character study, the fact that all the characters had very similar desires and flaws but with different ways of dealing with it, as well as the cast's acting talent. I've seen it 3 times, and enjoyed it more each time.

Re: Did anyone here actually enjoy this movie?

That's a good point. I have a love/hate relationship with 1917. I think maybe because of the scale of what was happening on screen causes it to get overlooked with it's style.

I've been wanting to watch it again since I first saw it because I know I missed a lot of the nuances of the story and characters.

before you leave remember I was with you

Re: Did anyone here actually enjoy this movie?

I'd say Birdman is more worthy of a revisit than 1917. I thought both movies were great, but 1917 gets all it needs to get across in one viewing, and I didn't enjoy it quite as thoroughly as Birdman. I could absolutely understand someone thinking Birdman is the more pretentious film, though. A possible hurdle for many viewers.

Re: Did anyone here actually enjoy this movie?

Oh, definitely. I can't ever see myself watching 1917 again. Not that I didn't like it but
it would probably just make me mad.

I can see why some people would be turned off by it too. It had an "artsy" quality to it while still being a relatable film for most viewers. The casting helped with that too.

before you leave remember I was with you

Re: Did anyone here actually enjoy this movie?

Re: Did anyone here actually enjoy this movie?

I DID!

½ Spoon + ½ Fork + ½ Knife

Re: Did anyone here actually enjoy this movie?

Fuck yeah!

Re: Did anyone here actually enjoy this movie?

👍

½ Spoon + ½ Fork + ½ Knife

Re: Did anyone here actually enjoy this movie?

I get the appeal. You were told it's clever to tell a one scene story. You also bought the idea that it was an intelligent movie because it seems to have something to say about Hollywood, the regression of audience intellect and expectation, and industy self-doubt, but you're not sure what it's actually saying and only now I've had my rant are you starting to piece it together.

Re: Did anyone here actually enjoy this movie?

Even though it's about all that Hollywood BS on the surface, at its core, the movie in general is about self-doubt, not living up to the past, needing to move on, and wanting to be acknowledged. I wouldn't say it's the most relatable film I've seen, and Riggan isn't exactly the most likable character, but I've almost always enjoyed movies that exhibits a character's downward spiral. And the characters are still down-to-earth enough for me to find something that resonates, even if only vaguely.

Re: Did anyone here actually enjoy this movie?

You have the layers upside down.

Anyway, glad you took something from it. In my experience, when a filmmaker screws around with cinematography, editing, or palate, it's usually because the story is too lightweight, clichéd or mundane to carry the movie alone.

Like 1917.

Re: Did anyone here actually enjoy this movie?

I can sympathize with people seeing both Birdman and 1917 as style over substance. I personally think Birdman has quite a bit of substance, but not quite as much as it has style.

Re: Did anyone here actually enjoy this movie?

Birdman is classic, self-indulgent Hollywood. It loves to wallow in self-pity, bemoaning its golden age, claiming the audience isn't as smart anymore, while at the same time, paradoxically, it tries to tell us it understands where it went wrong, that if it would only stop being so entitled and pretentious it might be able to enjoy some kind of renaissance.

I challenge anybody to describe Birdman's substance without distilling it beyond what I've written here.

Re: Did anyone here actually enjoy this movie?

I don't think I'd be up to that challenge. You're not wrong. For whatever reason it didn't bother me so much and I was able to read between the lines to see what else was there.

I'm not sure what it is, really. I hate preachy films that talk down to you and have an air of pretentiousness to how intelligent they are, but aside for one scene where the titular Birdman gets all up in your face about it, it never really got on my nerves.

I just think it has more to talk about than just Hollywood and the acting industry. Particularly when it deals with a character who feels he's past his prime and will never live up to it again.

Re: Did anyone here actually enjoy this movie?

When I said you had the layers upside down, this is what I meant. The character's journey is a metaphor for Hollywood. The surface layer is Riggan, the movie industry self-pity is the "deeper" layer.

There really isn't anything smart about this movie. On the contrary, it's actually nonsense dressed up as profundity. It contradicts itself, which tells me it doesn't even know what it's trying to say.

We like what we like, of course, and I don't mean to bash you for your taste.

Re: Did anyone here actually enjoy this movie?

Understood.

I just think that the movie is fairly obvious with both its treatment of Riggan as a character study and Hollywood itself as character study. You could flip it whatever way you want and claim that one is a metaphor for the other.

Re: Did anyone here actually enjoy this movie?

No, you can't. Riggan is the protagonist. He's the mouthpiece for Hollywood, and therefore the surface layer.

Perhaps we should just move on?

Re: Did anyone here actually enjoy this movie?

Yes 10/10

Edward Norton should have won Best Supporting Actor.

Re: Did anyone here actually enjoy this movie?

I agree, though, there's hardly a bad performance in the movie. Perhaps Naomi Watts' character, who I've always found difficult to tolerate. But she's not in it much. Could have done with more Norton, honestly.

Re: Did anyone here actually enjoy this movie?

I wanted to like it more than I did, because it was well-reviewed and for a while had good of word of mouth. But maybe it's just me but I have been getting tired of movies primarily about the actor's craft and/or Hollywood. So to me it was ok but not amazing.

Re: Did anyone here actually enjoy this movie?

The Hollywood/Acting industry stuff was easily my least favourite element of the movie. And while that's technically what the film is about, there's a lot of good stuff under the surface. At least for me.

And that soundtrack is bangin'.

Re: Did anyone here actually enjoy this movie?

It was okay, about a 7.4.



😺 Schrodinger's Cat walks into a bar, and doesn't. 🤨 Let's go, Brandon! 🤨 Try that in a small town.

Re: Did anyone here actually enjoy this movie?

Never understood a decimal-point rating.
Maybe a .25, .5 or .75, to denote quarters of enjoyment, but a .4?

What formula do you use to rate films?

Not having a go, I'm just genuinely confused.

Re: Did anyone here actually enjoy this movie?

Try to make sense of any rating system. Why only out of 5? Or 10? At least if you score it out of a hundred, as MMC2 has done, you give yourself enough of a range to start actually making distinctions between movies of a similar standard.

Re: Did anyone here actually enjoy this movie?

I'm just trying to figure out if it's me or MovieMan that's the sperg.

Re: Did anyone here actually enjoy this movie?

7.34567890

½ Spoon + ½ Fork + ½ Knife

Re: Did anyone here actually enjoy this movie?

Sperg detected.

Re: Did anyone here actually enjoy this movie?

Oh.

½ Spoon + ½ Fork + ½ Knife

Re: Did anyone here actually enjoy this movie?

I think rating art is the mistake.

Re: Did anyone here actually enjoy this movie?

I guess you either enjoyed it or you didn't, but there are levels of enjoyment.

Re: Did anyone here actually enjoy this movie?

I agree. I think it makes more sense to quantify the enjoyment, hate, disgust, amusement, bemusement, or any other emotion.

Relating this to the topic at hand I'd say I found Birdman to be mildly irritating. Now, I could rate it a 4/10, but then you'd think I found the acting to be bad, or the cinematography bland, etc.

It's more effective to have a view, even if it's just a couple of words.

Re: Did anyone here actually enjoy this movie?

This is why I tend to go over my thoughts on a film or a music album before giving my overall score at the end.

Re: Did anyone here actually enjoy this movie?

Haven't seen it in five years, but I remember enjoying it. It had great performances and I admired its style. Should've ended with Riggan shooting himself but I'm not going to knock it too much for that.


I'll give it an 8.36 out of 10.8.


Side note: There wasn't a single Best Picture from last decade that was truly great. Whiplash or Grand Budapest Hotel should've won instead of Birdman. I think the last truly great best picture winner was fuckin Hurt Locker.

I live. I die. I live again.

Re: Did anyone here actually enjoy this movie?

I haven't seen Hurt Locker yet, but I'm anticipating not liking it all that much. Better to lower expectations or have no expectations whatsoever before going into a movie. And I've heard it's overrated from sources I somewhat trust.

I loved Whiplash, but not quite as much as Birdman. The lead character was a narcissistic douchebag who never redeems that fact and I didn't really care if he got good at drums. That said, it's still a favourite.

I go out of my way to avoid Wes Anderson movies.

Opinions, eh?

Re: Did anyone here actually enjoy this movie?

You picky ass motherfucker.

I live. I die. I live again.

Re: Did anyone here actually enjoy this movie?

That is I.
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