Birdman (Michael Keaton)

[DiFabio]

I live in Pittsburgh, his home town. He comes here often but he's NEVER gone to the Steel City Con. I suspect he'd avoid those places like the plague.

Maybe if you were to catch him at a Pirates game at PNC park.

 

[Merle's Right Hand]

Top 5 movie of the year.

 

[batfan08]

^ You always share these kick ass articles about cool stuff.

Thanks man, awesome read. MK seems so down to earth and relatively easy to approach.

I really hope Salt Lake Comic Con would bring him over.... Having both the DX09 and 08 boxes signed by the man himself would be a dream come true.

I live in Pittsburgh, his home town. He comes here often but he's NEVER gone to the Steel City Con. I suspect he'd avoid those places like the plague.

Maybe if you were to catch him at a Pirates game at PNC park.

"Hey, man. Great game, huh? Wait a minute...I think I know you from somewhere. Whoa! You're Michael Keaton! It's a real honor, man, and a fellow Pirates fan, eh? That's fantastic. Hey, would there be any way you could sign this giant Batman box that I just happened to randomly find over there by that trash can for my kid? That'd be great, man; thanks so much. Also, I don't know if you still keep in touch with Jack or not, but if you could have him sign this other giant Joker box that I found over by that other trash can and have it shipped to this address, that'd be awesome. You were great in Johnny Dangerously! Really nice to meet you!"

 

[batfan08]

Also, I found out yesterday that my local theater is finally getting this in this coming week, and I am ecstatic. I really can't wait to see this one.

 

[franpincho]

Also, I found out yesterday that my local theater is finally getting this in this coming week, and I am ecstatic. I really can't wait to see this one.

You definitely should. He carries that film amazingly. Much like with Fabio's review, I didn't really think the man had it in him. Serious Oscar contender for best actor imo. But I think Boyhood takes best movie for sure.

And I was actually thinking on having him sign the 89 Batmobile box. He'd be like "wtf?" You wanna get nuts?

 

[batfan08]

You definitely should. He carries that film amazingly. Much like with Fabio's review, I didn't really think the man had it in him. Serious Oscar contender for best actor imo. But I think Boyhood takes best movie for sure.

And I was actually thinking on having him sign the 89 Batmobile box. He'd be like "wtf?" You wanna get nuts?

Good luck dragging that thing through the stands. I don't know. I'm curious as to how he feels about Batman. In some of the bonus materials on the anthology and the 20th anniversary Blu-Ray, he doesn't seem to be too enthused about it. I recall him saying some guy saw him in line and said "hey, wow, you're Batman," and, in the interview, Keaton proceeded to kind of roll his eyes with a "how original" response. I can see how it can get tiresome after a while; it's an extremely popular character, and an incredibly iconic interpretation, but he had such a varied career, and I can see how it could be frustrating to have that one thing seem like it stands over everything else.

In a lot of ways, though, it actually brought me towards other stuff from Keaton. Batman was an integral part of my childhood, and I loved Beetlejuice, and those sort of opened doors for me; it's where I learned that I really liked Keaton as an actor. He's just a really unique performer. Maybe I'm wrong, as I missed "Batmania 2.0" by a few years, but, even when Batman was coming out, he never really struck me as a superstar, if you will, and, especially in the years that followed. However, at the same time, there's a gravitas that puts him sort of above the level of a traditional character actor (even though a ton of his roles are pretty much in that category). Keaton's sort of the bridge between your Richard Jenkinses and your George Clooneys, if you will.

 

[DiFabio]

"Hey, man. Great game, huh? Wait a minute...I think I know you from somewhere. Whoa! You're Michael Keaton! It's a real honor, man, and a fellow Pirates fan, eh? That's fantastic. Hey, would there be any way you could sign this giant Batman box that I just happened to randomly find over there by that trash can for my kid? That'd be great, man; thanks so much. Also, I don't know if you still keep in touch with Jack or not, but if you could have him sign this other giant Joker box that I found over by that other trash can and have it shipped to this address, that'd be awesome. You were great in Johnny Dangerously! Really nice to meet you!"

I have a signed baseball from him from the old three rivers stadium before it got torn down. I wish it was a Batman item that was signed, but what are you going to do.

 

[batfan08]

That's awesome. Where'd your sig and avatar go, though, DiFabio?

 

[batfan08]

Spoiler

I finally saw this tonight. Holy ****, what a film. Keaton's performance was both extraordinary and tragic. Everyone's performances were amazing, really, and it's such a relevant film. There are just so many themes and it's incredibly topical. It's almost like the whole film is one giant metaphor, wrapped in a metaphor, wrapped in another metaphor. You've got the nature of art vs. commercialism, and how that's a reflection of our society and our desire to experience a spectacle, and how that's almost just fulfillment for our own desire to be relevant. It's an incredibly unique, and, at times, whimsical film that really is tragic. I look at Birdman, and the first thought that pops into my head is Edward Norton as Mike Shiner telling Keaton's Thompson to "give me the '**** you.'" To me, at least, that's what I took from it.

The moment with the guy outside the liquor store almost brought me to tears, and, I don't care; maybe I'm being melodramatic, but it just spoke to me, because there are so many people struggling for significance, and the whole movie is basically bombarding you with it. Watts just wanting someone to tell her she made it, Norton using the stage as temporary relief for his own feelings of emptiness; Galifiniakis, who practically uses Thompson as validation for himself. It's almost one, giant commentary on the nature of life, and, I think, in some ways, it's probably one of the best films about depression I've ever seen. It forces you to take a look at yourself as a part of the human race, and how there are so many people struggling to find significance in all of this.

It's such a "meta" film, but the kicker is that there was almost another layer to that awareness. We get to the theater, and we can't even find a parking spot, and, when we go into Birdman, we're the only three there, and two more show up, afterwards, but it's like this film about an actor struggling with these feelings of insignificance, who is surrounded by other characters struggling to validate their own existence, and who is using a play as his own validation, which, in it's own right, is struggling amidst a sea of commercialism, which is due in part to our own feelings of insignificance and our desire to partake in something bigger, and all of those themes are wrapped up in one film struggling to find its place against "The Hunger Games."

I'm ranting, and I'm probably repeating myself, but it's late, and I'm tired, but I had to exorcise the million thoughts I have about this film through writing. Iat was a beautiful, visceral, heartfelt, and heartbreaking film, and it's the best one I've seen all year. Keaton deserves an Oscar. Period.

 

[DiFabio]

Good, I'm hoping more people get a chance to see this. I was feeling a little lonely a few weeks ago in here.

I'll admit. I got a lump in my throat when Symphony No.2 in E Minor, Op 27 started, you know "cue music". I thought that was it for him. The film is kind of a downer, but also uplifting. Personally though, there's a certain moment on stage towards the end where I would have ended the film. Then again,

Spoiler

I'm starting to think everything that happens after that moment like the glowing review, his family, the press and the hospital was just all in his head before . . . you know.

 

[batfan08]

Yeah, that moment would've been an opportune moment, but, in a way, it's almost like Iñárittu was rubbing it in, in a way. You do think that's the end of things, and then, for an extremely brief moment, you have some hope that "oh, maybe things can work out," even though you just know it won't, and it doesn't.

Spoiler

That scene was definitely another one, for me, too. You know it's going to happen; you see him load the gun, and yet, when it goes off, it shakes you to the core, but, again, I see Spider-Man, and the Transformers all fighting on stage, and it's like Iñárittu's, again, showing us how art gets lost in the shuffle of commercialism, but, again, it's also like that metaphor shows that these are all performers, as well; all people struggling to find their significance, as much as Riggan was. We live in a world where suicide and depression are commonplace, and, to be bombarded by that; it's an effective filmmaking tool, if you want people to really think about what you're trying to get across.

I don't know; there's a profundity to it, in that it's so real. It's almost like he took those feelings of insignificance, and the need for validation, and he literalized them, within the context of Riggan's character. The telekinesis, the flying; we know it's all in his head, but it's like the fantastic and the absurdist are used to convey a very real message. We learn about the jellyfish when he tried to drown himself, we see him attempt to kill himself two more times, and then he does it, and it really hits home because it is such a real notion that impacts so many lives. It's like, even after he's seemingly validated, that urge never quite goes away.

It's just one of those films that you need to talk about, and I'm extremely pleased that I finally got to see it. Probably my favorite film of the year, and definitely the best I've seen.

 

[DiFabio]

Yup.

Spoiler

I also don't think Riggan was lying about his father to Mike. Look at his daughter's own substance abuse. Look at his descent into alcoholism towards the third act of the film. Also, I definitely got Fight Club vibes with what Riggan was going through. I was actually surprised he saw the Birdman persona sitting in the bathroom towards the end (did it have a new nose too, I can't remember, need to see it again). I also thought it was ironic that to be relevant and a sensation again, he had to wear mask (the surgical mask for the blown off nose). That mirror reveal was jarring. I expected the damage to be way worse.

That also makes me believe that that hospital sequence wasn't even "real" but instead, Riggan's imagination as he does on stage. 1. He clearly shot himself in the head, not the nose. 2. The critic walks out rudely like she ain't buying the show. 3. The conclusion seems too nice and neat, wrapped up in a nice little bow. And finally, after he shoots himself, we have are first cut in the film. It doesn't track to the hospital, it cuts to the jelly fish on the beach and the meteor burning out.

 

[Matt S]

Saw this today. different than I expected, but really good...

 

[Milo]

Saw this today. different than I expected, but really good...

I've been meaning to check it out, but have no idea what to expect.

 

[Matt S]

I've been meaning to check it out, but have no idea what to expect.

Go in cold, and keep an open mind. Its Keaton (and co) at their best. It gets a little 'out there' with the metaphorical imagery, but pretty darn good

 

[MegaPrime33]

First time I saw the trailer I thought it looked super interesting and something weird and exciting to see. Looking forward to it when it's released on demand.

 

[Matt S]

This movie really has me wishing Keaton would do a 'Dark Knight returns' type movie adapting the Frank Miller classic...

 

[franpincho]

Keaton should win the Oscar for this. Seriously.

I'm assuming "Boyhood" will snag best movie just because of what it took to actually make it happen as flawless as it turned out.

 

[Khev]

Thinking about this movie again I'm amazed at how fluidly they employed the "one continuous shot" to convey the passing of several days. I don't know that I've ever seen a movie use it to such extended effect. I know that sometimes movies will use one shot to move away from an actor and show seasons passing or something and then come back to them in the same tracking shot when they are older and so forth but just the way this movie gave the impression that the camera would follow one actor, then piggyback on another actor, then go back to the first actor now on a different day with a full crowd in the audience, etc. Really impressive.

I know that the entire film isn't truly one unbroken shot but I did read that the majority of takes were 9-10 minutes long with one even pushing the 30 minute mark. Amazing.

 

[DiFabio]

I don't see how their performances were so flawless for 8-15 minutes at a time. I'd botch that up just thinking about maintaining that fluid kind of energy from scene to scene, especially when they're weaving in and out of character, performance within performance.