'Birdman' could upset 'Boyhood' and 'Interstellar' at the Oscars in February 2015.
In the next couple of months, you're going to read a lot about Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance), Alejandro González Iñárritu's masterpiece starring Michael Keaton as a washed up actor attempting to mount a Broadway show. It's released in Canada today (October 24, 2014) though will be a mainstay on the awards circuit before the big one in February.
Michael Keaton as Riggan in Inarritu's masterpiece 'Birdman'
Keaton plays Riggan, a once-great actor known for his performance as a well-known superhero. Inarritu's comedy-drama unfolds as Riggan prepares for his opening night on Broadway, chronicling his ego backstage and insecure, nervy co-stars - played wonderfully by Ed Norton and Naomi Watts. Zach Galifianakis has a stellar turn as Keaton's voice-of-reason manager, while Emma Stone plays his just-out-of-rehab daughter.
More: 'Birdman' is a serious contender to win Best Picture at the Oscars
Keaton is the odds-on favourite to win Best Actor, with Benedict Cumberbatch (The Imitation Game), Steve Carell (Foxcatcher), Eddie Redymaybe (The Theory of Everthing) and Jack O'Connell (Unbroken) likely to join him as nominees. Though the Academy can always be tempted by a historical drama (which makes up three to four of those movies), what it really loves is a story. A real story. And the story of Birdman is all about the return to form of Keaton - a man once known as one of the world's best before the roles dried up.
More: Michael Keaton discusses "100% original" 'Birdman' at New York Film Festival
Birdman can win Best Picture at the Oscars. It'll have to really go some to beat Boyhood or Interstellar, but it can win and maybe it should.
""Birdman" vividly evokes a time of equal parts possibility and terrifying uncertainty, and makes a persuasive case that, when the ground is shifting beneath your feet, the best thing to do is to take flight," said Ann Hornaday of the Washington Post in her review of the movie.
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