BIRDMAN or THE UNEXPECTED VIRTUE OF IGNORANCE (2014) review: "To call myself beloved..."

"...to feel beloved on the Earth."

BIRDMAN or THE UNEXPECTED VIRTUE OF IGNORANCE is a 2014 (or 2015 if you live in the UK) film starring Michael Keaton, Zach Galifianakis, Edward Norton and several other great actors to long to list, as well as being written, produced and directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu. The film follows washed-up actor, Riggan Thomson (Michael Keaton) as he struggles to overcome and reclaim his past glory of playing an iconic superhero by mounting a Broadway play in attempts to resurrect his broken career.

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Michael Keaton stars as the infamous Birdman and is impeccable, Keaton really does shine in this film and easily demonstrates how much of an underutilised actor he is in terms of drama. How the story of the film seemingly blends quite nicely into Keaton's actual career makes you think that this role was tailor-made for him and he plays it to perfection, every time he's on screen he captivates you and he honestly sucks you in. I can't fault Keaton for what is perhaps an Oscar-worthy performance.

The rest of the cast, the aforementioned Zach Galifianakis, Edward Norton, Andrea Riseborough, Amy Ryan, Emma Stone and finally Naomi Watts are all here and giving great performances as you would expect, the reason I've bundled these cast members into one paragraph is that they are all equally as good as one another and there isn't a single weak performance throughout the entirety of the film. As per Edward Norton and Emma Stone, I find also quite fitting for the roles in this film as with Keaton, as they've both featured prominently within superhero films of their own such as The Incredible Hulk and The Amazing Spider-Man. I can't praise the performances of the supporting cast enough as they're all phenomenal and shine as much as Keaton does in terms of their said performances.

"How did we end up here?..."

The cinematography by Emmanuel Lubezki (who has previously worked on films such as Children of Men and Gravity) is also nothing short of astounding, with seamless tracking shots and an overall exceptionally colourful and eye-popping look to the film. The tracking shots in particular feel so smooth it is mind-blowing, as the whole film is cheated or made to look like it is one continuous shot and you honestly can't tell where the cuts are actually made. It's like the camera itself is a character constantly following these other characters around, observing their lives and experiences. It is a highly impressive technical feat that immersed me completely.

The writing by Alejandro González Iñárritu as well as Nicolás Giacobone, Alexander Dinelaris, Jr. and Armando Bo follows suit as great, with nothing notable in terms of issues besides from the slightly odd and off-key lesbian romance between Watts' and Riseborough's characters which is lost throughout the film's layered story. It may be something that's subjective, but I felt that it was quite odd that it's created as a secondary plot point that is then left behind as the more prominent plot takes place. On that note, it could be intentional as a tying of the knot or end for those two characters to focus on the plot of the main character and how that is developing. The writing is most likely the weakest part of this film, but that isn't saying that it's anywhere near close to being bad.

The direction by Iñárritu fairs better and is honestly the best directing for the past few years, with the entirely fluid shots and equally as fluid performances that he has extracted out of each of these actors, I struggle to find words that could do justice to the directing talent that Iñárritu has. It's frankly amazing.

"We had it all. You were a movie star, remember?"

Finally, the film's score by Antonio Sánchez is a very quirky and jazzy score entirely composed of drums, which is something that is not often done within films, if at all. It makes a nice change of pace and fits with the film perfectly, escalating with Riggan's increasing desperation and schizophrenia as the film progresses and definitely highlights these moments of insanity as well as accompany the more down-to-earth scenes of backtalk between two characters to always give you something to listen to.

Overall, Birdman may just be my favourite film of 2014 (I would personally consider it a 2014 film because it was released first within 2014) because all of the pieces that bring a film together are all done masterfully well with only one or two very, very slight niggles that I had throughout that won't even affect most watching. It feels like a deeply personal film, rising from the ashes in attempts to rescue the career of a down-and-out actor. It is a seamless experience that doesn't hold out and keeps you pulled in until its end, even with its unconventional and loveably odd story as well as characters, it serves its purpose as a fantastical black comedy.

"Let's make a comeback."

BOYHOOD (2014) review: "Life doesn't give you bumpers..."

12 years in the making...

BOYHOOD is a 2014 film starring Ellar Coltrane, Lorelei Linklater, Patricia Arquette and Ethan Hawke. The film is written and directed by Richard Linklater. The film follows the tale of Mason Evans, Jr. (Ellar Coltrane) as he journeys through his childhood, from age 6 to 18, including all of the tough personal choices involving him and his family, making and learning from his mistakes then ultimately deciding what he wants to do with his life.

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Opening as the main cast member, the boy in Boyhood itself is Ellar Coltrane as Mason Evans, Jr. The performance given by Coltrane is for the most part good, not far from great. There are some slightly iffy scenes in the film, which Coltrane's performance feels odd and often unnatural as you can tell that the 12 year development cycle shows not only his character Mason grow, but you also see him grow as an actor and eventually growing accustomed to it. Thinking of his character in this way definitely provides an interesting layer to the film, even if it doesn't always benefit it. Regardless of an off-key performance in some cases, you will grow to love and understand Mason as a character as he finds out what he wants to do with his life, seeing some of his aspirations becoming true and some not. The experimental choice of having a literal coming-of-age story benefits Coltrane massively and to a certain degree, overshadows him. For a first time role, you can definitely do a hell of a lot worse.

Lorelei Linklater is Mason's sister, Samantha. In terms of performance, the same points and criticisms that I have could be levelled at the character of Samantha also. With this brings similar points to praise about her performance, by no means is it bad, you see her character grow with Mason, albeit not to the same extent of Mason as the film primarily focuses on the growth of him, checking back on Samantha shortly with each of the scenes. The interaction between her and Mason is pretty great, their chemistry and the film in general does benefit with the elongated production cycle, as the actors grow to know each other, their characters grow to be more comfortable with one another as brother and sister.

Patricia Arquette and Ethan Hawke are Samantha and Mason Jr.'s parents, Olivia and Mason Sr. respectively. Both give an equally exceptional performance and some of the best scenes in the film can be attributed to Arquette and Hawke, they truly do enhance the film. They both do a great job in giving the audience the feeling that a relationship was once there and what was once between them is now nothing but shattered fragments of a past time. It is similar in a way to (500) Days of Summer in that it is a romance where they don't end up together by the film's ending. They both mutually respect each other end go their separate ways, continuing their own lives. This is in turn also similar to Mason and Samantha, who both leave their parents to pursue their own futures and eventually grow their own families, potentially ending up in the same situation as their parents in the long run. Their characters demonstrate the mistakes that their kids should learn from, which they hopefully do.

The rest of the cast are serviceable are perform their parts adequately, they do the best with what they're given, with the exception of one or two cast members such as the character of Sheena, Mason Jr.'s girlfriend whose performance suffers from the same reason as both Coltrane's and Linklater's performances, their acting talent grows with recurring appearances over time.

"Who do you wanna be, Mason? What do you wanna do?"

The cinematography by Lee Daniel and Shane Kelly is decent, with one or two well choreographed tracking shots and long takes, generally focusing on a sharp, colourful image to perhaps accentuate some of the nostalgia that can be felt throughout the film, especially earlier on in the film, with the opening shot being a static shot of the sky and the clouds and it is quite stunning at times. The bright colour palette as aforementioned could be contributed to some of the nostalgia that you will most likely have for your childhood, the bright colours representing a once optimistic outlook on life. It can be flat, with the emphasis of the film being placed on the characters in the movie, the style to have is that there is no style.

The writing and directing by Richard Linklater is obviously great, being the foundation of the film, the glue that holds it all together. There are several minor issues that could be contributed to the film's script however, aimed mostly at the dialogue for the kids/teenagers within. This dialogue in particular is fairly cringe worthy, I recall at one point the film that a kid actually says, "True that". No joke. It feels out of touch, Linklater's attempts at replicating teenager dialogue, it feels exaggerated to the point where it seems intentional however, which would make sense, or perhaps I'm looking far too much into it and Linklater just wrote what he felt was appropriate. Hopefully not the latter. This is more of a nitpicky aspect of the film, but after all of the overwhelming praise I have seen for this film, no one has seemed to have mentioned besides from a select few. I'm not saying it ruins the film, but it does take you out of the atmosphere of what is otherwise a very plausible world. In some cases, you can feel that how the script was finished and altered until the last minute to adapt to the actor's lives, negatively affecting it in this specific area, but ultimately benefiting the film more than it harms it, as the script adapting to the actors' actual lifestyles instead of staying out of touch with their personality is far more important. It's a balance, the realistic approach to the main characters slightly harms the minor characters. Following onto the direction by Linklater, it fairs better than his writing, which was already good in the first place, it isn't necessarily comparable but the direction fairs better. All of the actors interact with each other as they should, with none of them feeling or looking lost on set as they do interact with each other and the world around them. It feels natural and at times improvised, which is purely speculation, I get vibes that this natural feel between the actors does give it the film a tender quality that comes with the dealings of a childhood. 

"You know how everyone's always saying, "Seize the moment"?..."

The score for this film leans towards the unusual side, as it is entirely composed of licensed music from various artists to represent each of the 12 years within the film, music that is popular within that time or music that is appropriate to the progression of the characters within their lives. It creates another layer of nostalgia for those who grew up within the same generation as Mason or even if you didn't. It fits perfectly with the film and is definitely an interesting choice instead of using a traditional film score, giving the film a more personal touch.

Overall, Boyhood is a highly emotional and touching film, held back by a slightly odd script and some questionable performances from initially inexperienced actors, but it ultimately builds up to be one of the better films of 2014, and by many others the best film of 2014, if not the decade so far. The film tugs on your heart-strings (in a good way) regardless of generation, it bridges the gap cross-generation for everyone to sympathise with the childhood tendencies literally being witnessed on screen as the coming-of-age story unfolds in front of you and you witness everyone grow, change and eventually mature on screen within the matter of 3 hours. It is oddly fanciful yet somewhat depressing that you witness 12 years of someone's life in such a minuscule amount of time, the formative years of our main character as he moulds into who he is and finally goes on with his life as an adult. After you finish watching this for the first time, regardless of its highly subjective flaws, it will most likely stick with you.

"...You know, like, the moment seizes us."

ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND (2004) review, "The world forgetting, by the world forgot..."

You can erase someone from your mind. Getting them out of your heart is a different story.

ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND is a 2004 film starring Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet, directed by Michel Gondry and written by Charlie Kaufman. The film follows Jim Carrey as Joel Barish, an emotionally withdrawn and exceptionally shy person who stumbles upon Clementine Kruczynski (Kate Winslet), who is a total opposite in terms of personality, yet they somehow connect. After their relationship eventually goes sour, Clementine decides to have Joel erased from her memory to end the suffering of their relationship and Joel follows suit. At the last minute, Joel realises that he cannot deal with the consequences losing Clementine from his memory and attempts to fight back.

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Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is one of my favourite films of all time, with its non-linear narrative constructing an infinite love loop that is destined to repeat for eternity. 

Jim Carrey as aforementioned, stars as Joel Barish and is simply fantastic. This performance easily being one of the best of his career, if not the best. Some find Carrey insufferable because of his repetitive patterns of comedy and often his other performances being overshadowed by his own personality. You feel as if his character is himself in other films such as Yes Man or Ace Ventura: Pet Detective. This is not one of those cases however, his performance not overshadowing his character, but blending perfectly into the tortured soul that is Joel Barish. You really do feel as emotionally withdrawn as he does and you connect with him as a result, as bizarre as that may seem initially. It is a performance that I thought I would never see from Carrey, not since The Truman Show, which has yet to be replicated again in any of his appearances to this day. If only he would gravitate towards more dramatic work rather than comedy, as it is an untapped goldmine that needs to be seen more of. Carrey shows some incredible potential as a dramatic actor and it really needs to be realised in some of his later films, but has not been seen since, sadly. 

Kate Winslet takes second billing and is the other emotional half to Joel, Clementine. Winslet is equally as breathtaking in terms of a performance as Carrey, the ultimate counter to the subdued and quiet Joel is the energetic and emotionally unstable Clementine. Winslet once cited this as her favourite performance in any of her films, and its with good reason. Clementine is Joel's emotional core, that she destroys when she impulsively erases Joel from her mind. Winslet plays the impulsive, high-maintenance girl with a tender side that you have to tap into. It is because of this that their relationship initially works, even with their radical personality differences, but with those differences inevitably come problems which causes it to fall apart. Your reaction to Clementine is negative to start with, but you uncover her flawed personality as you progress through the film and unravel the couple's history which makes you gradually like her more and more. That's the beauty of her performance, it grows on you and eventually wins you over. You feel protective of her whilst she is being manipulated by characters later on in the film, using her lost emotions and past relationship and spinning it into their own relationship, plagiarising someone that no longer exists.

The rest of the cast is similarly stuffed full of great performances and now big names, Kirsten Dunst, Mark Ruffalo, Elijah Wood and Tom Wilkinson. Respectively most known for Spider-Man, The Avengers, The Lord of the Rings and In the Bedroom. With Mark Ruffalo being the only actor whose most known film was after this films release. The entire cast is stellar, with Elijah Wood as the exceptionally slimy and manipulative Patrick, using Joel and Clementine's relationship to fuel his own relationship with Clementine, which inevitably backfires. There is also notably Kirsten Dunst's titular speech recites a poem by Alexander Pope, or "Pope Alexander" as she puts it in a daze. It stands as one of the emotional high points of the film that doesn't involve Joel and Clementine, a stand-out scene in a film already full of them.

"Meet me in Montauk."

The cinematography in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is quite beautiful in an oddly dystopian way, everything looks washed out almost to the point that it is intentional. Once the more vibrant sequences towards the end of the film kick in whilst Joel's memory is being erased and his once hopeful life is seen it creates an effect of urgency, these colours scream to you that Joel has to hold on to what was once better and that it is not better to forget the past, but to look forward and learn from your mistakes. The colour of Clementine's hair and clothing also represent this, that it is the last vibrant shard of his life, and also reflect Clementine's attention seeking nature, the bright colours draw the attention of those passing by. Overall, a good job from the relatively unknown Ellen Kuras also working with Michel Gondry on Be Kind Rewind. 

The screenplay by Charlie Kaufman reinforces him as being my favourite writer of all time, writing these deeply personal tales and adapting them to the screen, in other great films such as Being John Malkovich, Adaptation and of course, Synecdoche, New York. Kaufman has crafted an intricate world with his characters and non-linear narrative, with Joel's memory and disconnected subconscious serving as the majority of the film's plot, navigating his maze-like mind and making you feel hopelessly lost, as he is. The overall arc of Clementine and Joel ties into the theme of Caden Cotard in Synecdoche, New York. That to every end is a beginning, the end is never truly the end. Joel and Clementine's relationship is doomed to fail every time it begins and with each erase comes a new start for their relationship. The screenplay is masterful, opting to use the characters as the focus of the plot, and in doing so, creating two truly flawed characters whose weaknesses forward the plot and urge them to forget what they should attempt to fix, the Lacuna clinic serving as Clementine's impulsive way out, linking to Joel's reluctant outing of his suffering. You can feel Kaufman's imagination oozing from the script and onto the screen, if this subject matter were to have been tackled by another writer it most likely will not have ended up being as smart and as exceptional as Kaufman's personal touch.

The directing is similarly daring, with Michel Gondry creating these very intricate looking scenes, especially with the dream sequences, imagery that definitely sticks with you long after viewing, such as the childhood dream sequences where Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet are surrounded by younger children, whilst they themselves play as their younger counterparts, but as themselves and also the faceless people who are left to sulk around whilst Joel's memories are in the process of being destroyed. It has some genuinely psychological moments that strike close to home, Gondry emulates the dream-like essence of the whole film to a tee and I can't imagine this film benefiting from another director, only being worse in the hands of another. Gondry really did draw a fantastic performance form both Winslet and especially Carrey.

"Remember me. Try your best. Maybe we can."

The score by Jon Brion adds onto the list of things great about this film, crafting a quirky yet oddly touching score and soundtrack that overall compiles into the emotional struggle that is Joel and Clementine, it fits the film almost too perfectly, it is as beautiful as is the tale of the two main protagonists, with the end of the soundtrack comes the beginning.

Overall, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is one of those films where if you had to give an arbitrary numbered rating which I don't generally like doing, it would be a perfect 10. This film is highly subjective to me however, what may seem to me as the perfect film could be complete nonsense to another, as this film is definitely not for everyone, however I believe that it is much more accessible compared to some of Michel Gondrys' or Charlie Kaufmans' other works, that those who are looking for a face value experience are sure to enjoy, but is open for interpretation on several different levels for those who are willing to dig deeper and watch the film multiple times to fully understand the aforementioned non-linear narrative. No matter what you deride from it, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is an immaculate film in my opinion and stands as one of my few favourite films of all time. I would highly recommend it to those who are looking for a drama with a slight sci-fi twist or for those who are looking for something that is different from the typical going-through-the-motions picture.

"Mierzwiak! Please let me keep this memory... just this one."