BIRDMAN

A washed-up actor who once played an iconic superhero must overcome his ego and family trouble as he mounts a Broadway play in a bid to reclaim his past glory. — IMDB

Overrated. I suspect that a large number of people will flock (pun unintended) to see this movie because of all the hype, only to be disappointed. Yes, it’s technically creative - in particular, the way it uses very long takes to move through the theatre to tell its story. But the attempts to be innovative and creative overshadow any substance the story might have had - and there isn’t much of substance. It does explore the desperate need for love and identity - but there is nothing new here and it is mostly pretty boring except for a few moments of intensity. I’m not sure why many are raving over Michael Keaton’s performance - I suppose it is a bit more in-depth to what he usually does. The feeling is that the director is trying really hard to impress us - but he has tried too hard and made the film overly self-conscious. As I was watching it, I was thinking about the movie - but mostly felt nothing. It’s all pretty pretentious stuff.