93% on Rotten Tomatoes
As amazing as Christian Bale is as Batman, Michael Keaton was the one and only Batman for me during my childhood.
And here he is again, after so many years, playing Batman again.
I mean Birdman.
I mean how self-aware is this film? It's probably the most self-aware film that's ever been created.
Michael Keaton stars as Riggan, a washed-up actor known for his portrayal of the superhero Birdman. Yet after all these years here he is, suffering a mental breakdown as he struggles to show his full potential. While people recognise him as Birdman, he strives to be something more; he strives to be an actor with skill and versatility, not just an actor that played one role.
Sounds familiar? Well, it's pretty much the story of Michael Keaton's life here. I mean seriously, I haven't seen any other Keaton film apart from his Batman movies. It's just so self-aware! I love that about the film.
Even when they say that Riggan hasn't played Birdman since 1992, it's not just a random date pulled out of nowhere; that's the year that Batman Returns was released, the last year of the Michael Keaton Batman era.
And it's not just with Keaton; apparently even Edward Norton's character is a parody of his real self, as he has a reputation for being a very difficult actor to work with.
But let's get to the main feature of this film.
I don't know about you but I was pretty darn hyped up for a film that looked like it was done in one shot.
Alejandro Iñárritu did such an amazing job here; it was so mesmerising to see everything from a single shot; almost like we were following Riggan, like we were going up the steps to the balcony, almost as if we were there ourselves.
From IMDb: "Given the unusual style of filming long takes, Edward Norton and Michael Keaton kept a running tally of flubs made by the actors. Emma Stone made the most mistakes, Zach Galifianakis made the fewest."
Speaking of which, how awesome was Zach Galifianakis? Like he wasn't a complete idiot in this film. He wasn't even slightly an idiot! I was so surpised; I kept forgetting it was actually him.
And just as a side note, Emma Stone's eyes are HUGE in this film (Tiny Fey and Amy Poehler weren't kidding).
By the way, a lot of people praised Emma Stone, but I feel like she was just alright; like she was good, but nothing special. This film didn't really showcase any versatility or whatever in her, it just showed she's still a good actor.
My favourite part of the film, though, was... well I can't really say because it will ruin the moment, but here's what IMDb says about it:
~(Potential) SPOILER!~
Also, the ending was intriguing.
It's one of those endings that will spark (and has already sparked) much debate...
~SPOILER ON THE ENDING!~
Apart from that, another great thing about the film was the music. The way the opening credits come on, and the way that drummer plays his heart out throughout the film is fantastic.
So all in all, this film is completely legendary (thanks to Iñárritu and Keaton) and a definite must see!
By the way, at the cinemas, how cool are these Choc Top names:
94% on Rotten Tomatoes
I've always loved Ellen Page, ever since I saw her in X-Men as Kitty Pryde, so I don't know why I didn't watch Juno when it came out, but it's always been on my list.
I'm sure most know the general story of Juno MacGuff, the young teenager who finds herself pregnant. But I really didn't expect the film to go beyond that. I thought it was just a simplistic comedy about teenage pregnancy. Sure it was quite critically acclaimed and won a few awards, but I just thought that was acknowledging it's quirkiness and that it couldn't go any further as a movie.
Of course, I obviously didn't hear much about it going in, so I was quite surprised when I watched this film. While it's quite funny, it's sense of humour is pretty clever, and not the slapstick really stupid humour I was expecting. The storyline also gets a bit complicated, and Ellen page and Jennifer Garner were pretty great in this. Jennifer Garner actually made me tear up in that one really touching scene when she bumps into Juno at the mall.
I also didn't realise there was much of a cast to be honest. I knew Michael Cera was in it, but I had no idea about Jason Bateman and Jennifer Garner and the others being in it.
Overall, this film was a pleasant surprise, but I think it was still a bit too hyped up (maybe because I'm only watching it 7 years after it came out, maybe because I thought it was a full-on in-your-face comedy film, and maybe because all I heard about it was hype hype hype and more hype, instead of an actual plot or proper review). But in saying that, the comedic timing was great, and the balance between comedy and drama was well executed, and I would recommend it if you needed something to kill your time or if you ever came across it and weren't sure if you should give it a watch.
Also, for one week of February my house has been empty of parents.
My dad went to China for work and my mum Malaysia for holiday, so they've left me and my brother to fend for ourselves.
Fortunately, that was the week I stopped working so much, so I've had more time to cook.
Apart from the stuff my mum has pre-cooked and frozen (like curry and spaghetti sauce), I've been experimenting with random recipes I've always wanted to cook:
My dad came back about a week after my mum left, but because he can't cook I had to keep this up.
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