Thursday, November 20, 2014
Thursday, November 13, 2014
Foner & Hood Video Review - Whiplash
Check out Foner & Hood's video review with in-house critic Sammi Leigh Melville for WHIPLASH below!
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=im1vO061lTw&feature=youtu.be
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=im1vO061lTw&feature=youtu.be
Wednesday, November 12, 2014
Sam's Blog - Whiplash
Whether you're a music lover or not, there are some films that give a crazy glimpse into a musician's world. That is the case with WHIPLASH, writer/director Damien Chazelle's second feature film, which portrays the abusive relationship between a driven musician and his jazz band conductor.
Andrew (Miles Teller) is a drummer at one of the best music schools in the country, and takes his music very seriously. When Terrence Fletcher (J.K. Simmons), a conductor for a competitive jazz band, barges into one of Andrew's rehearsals one day and spontaneously auditions everyone in the room, Andrew makes an impression, and he pulls him in to be an alternative in his band.
For one brief moment, Andrew is excited about his victory; Fletcher even buddies up to Andrew in the hallway and asks him about his personal life, making Andrew feel special. But as soon as the doors to the rehearsal space close, Fletcher becomes a ruthless, overbearing dictator of a conductor, barking at his students like a drill sergeant over the smallest of mistakes, and using the information he just learned about Andrew against him. Fletcher believes in pushing people to see just how far they can go; his favorite anecdote is that Charlie Parker would never have been such a successful musician if Jo Jones had not thrown a cymbal at his head.
Despite the verbal and physical abuse, Andrew jumps on board with his conductor's sentiments. He practices until his fingers bleed... and then a little more. He ends his relationship with his new girlfriend, Nicole (Melissa Benoist), in order to spend more time practicing. As the story continues, the tension rises, and just how close Andrew is to the brink of insanity comes into question as Fletcher pushes him to the limit and beyond. The film becomes less about music and more about power, a competition not between jazz bands but between teacher and student, about who will give in first and who will remain strong. In a scene where Andrew desperately tries to protect the part he's earned, Fletcher spits back, "It's my part, and I'll give it to who I want."
I will refrain from saying too much about the latter half of the film, but suffice it to say you will find your entire body tensing up until the very last scene. The cinematography in this film bristles with energy, right down to the close-ups of blood-covered snare drums. And the music is just as electrifying; Teller deserves an extra laud, as well, for actually performing musically for the film. This makes the practically orgasmic sequence toward the end of the film even better, as both actor and character were able to reach that level of skill.
Both Teller and Simmons deserve Oscar nominations for this film. The level of passion that they brought to their characters is unbelievable, culminating in what is possibly their finest performances. The fact that WHIPLASH won Sundance, both for the Grand Jury Prize and the Audience Award, is not at all surprising to me. Make sure you check this film out... in fact, watch it twice. I'm planning on it. Now playing at the Midtown Cinema!
Andrew (Miles Teller) is a drummer at one of the best music schools in the country, and takes his music very seriously. When Terrence Fletcher (J.K. Simmons), a conductor for a competitive jazz band, barges into one of Andrew's rehearsals one day and spontaneously auditions everyone in the room, Andrew makes an impression, and he pulls him in to be an alternative in his band.
For one brief moment, Andrew is excited about his victory; Fletcher even buddies up to Andrew in the hallway and asks him about his personal life, making Andrew feel special. But as soon as the doors to the rehearsal space close, Fletcher becomes a ruthless, overbearing dictator of a conductor, barking at his students like a drill sergeant over the smallest of mistakes, and using the information he just learned about Andrew against him. Fletcher believes in pushing people to see just how far they can go; his favorite anecdote is that Charlie Parker would never have been such a successful musician if Jo Jones had not thrown a cymbal at his head.
Despite the verbal and physical abuse, Andrew jumps on board with his conductor's sentiments. He practices until his fingers bleed... and then a little more. He ends his relationship with his new girlfriend, Nicole (Melissa Benoist), in order to spend more time practicing. As the story continues, the tension rises, and just how close Andrew is to the brink of insanity comes into question as Fletcher pushes him to the limit and beyond. The film becomes less about music and more about power, a competition not between jazz bands but between teacher and student, about who will give in first and who will remain strong. In a scene where Andrew desperately tries to protect the part he's earned, Fletcher spits back, "It's my part, and I'll give it to who I want."
I will refrain from saying too much about the latter half of the film, but suffice it to say you will find your entire body tensing up until the very last scene. The cinematography in this film bristles with energy, right down to the close-ups of blood-covered snare drums. And the music is just as electrifying; Teller deserves an extra laud, as well, for actually performing musically for the film. This makes the practically orgasmic sequence toward the end of the film even better, as both actor and character were able to reach that level of skill.
Both Teller and Simmons deserve Oscar nominations for this film. The level of passion that they brought to their characters is unbelievable, culminating in what is possibly their finest performances. The fact that WHIPLASH won Sundance, both for the Grand Jury Prize and the Audience Award, is not at all surprising to me. Make sure you check this film out... in fact, watch it twice. I'm planning on it. Now playing at the Midtown Cinema!
Tuesday, November 11, 2014
Sam's Blog - Citizenfour
In June 2013 Edward Snowden, an NSA contractor for the consulting firm Booz Allen Hamilton, leaked classified information from the NSA to the public, causing a stir and uncovering a serious breach of privacy from the US government. Since then, the whistleblower has been charged with violation of the Espionage Act and theft of government property, and has currently been granted temporary asylum in Russia. We all kept ourselves updated on this unfolding story through various news outlets, but what we saw was the public side of the story. CITIZENFOUR brings us the personal side -- the story of Edward Snowden, Glenn Greenwald, and Laura Poitras: from a series of encrypted emails from someone who identified as "citizenfour", to secret meetings in a hotel room in Hong Kong.
Laura Poitras is a director, producer, and cinematographer, and the woman behind documentaries such as FLAG WARS, THE OATH, and MY COUNTRY, MY COUNTRY. Though never seen on camera, she serves as the narrator for the film, and gives a very up-close and personal view of Snowden and the others involved, particularly Greenwald, who relayed the information to The Guardian.
Early on in the documentary, Snowden says that he wants to be careful about how they reveal his identity because of the way the public tends to latch onto personalities -- he doesn't want this to be his story. Poitras' work behind the camera allows you to finally see the personality that he blocks from the public eye. Long close-ups reveal Snowden typing away at his computer, absorbed, the slightest facial expressions on his face giving away his worry as he communicates with a loved one who is receiving pressure about his whereabouts. Images of Snowden obsessing over his hair before an interview reveal how nervous he is about the situation, as much as he tries to deny it. But it is his certainty in the act that he is carrying out that is the most striking thing about Snowden: he wants the world to know that he isn't afraid of what might happen to him, and that he shouldn't be afraid.
If you haven't already been unnerved by the situation, there are many scenes in CITIZENFOUR that may get you to that point... even disregarding the content, the energy that reverberates throughout the film is enough to put you on edge. In one particularly resonating scene, Jacob Applebaum, a computer security researcher and hacker, talks about how the word "freedom" has lately been replaced with "privacy"... and how "privacy is dead". Another scene towards the end also packs a punch: Snowden and Greenwald engage in a conversation, resorting to a pen and notepad for the most important details so as not to let that information somehow get overheard and recorded... the two then rip up the paper to cover their tracks.
The film is quiet, but powerful. It is a great portrayal of the power of an individual making a difference, and leading others to do the same. CITIZENFOUR is now playing at the Midtown Cinema... come check it out!
Laura Poitras is a director, producer, and cinematographer, and the woman behind documentaries such as FLAG WARS, THE OATH, and MY COUNTRY, MY COUNTRY. Though never seen on camera, she serves as the narrator for the film, and gives a very up-close and personal view of Snowden and the others involved, particularly Greenwald, who relayed the information to The Guardian.
Early on in the documentary, Snowden says that he wants to be careful about how they reveal his identity because of the way the public tends to latch onto personalities -- he doesn't want this to be his story. Poitras' work behind the camera allows you to finally see the personality that he blocks from the public eye. Long close-ups reveal Snowden typing away at his computer, absorbed, the slightest facial expressions on his face giving away his worry as he communicates with a loved one who is receiving pressure about his whereabouts. Images of Snowden obsessing over his hair before an interview reveal how nervous he is about the situation, as much as he tries to deny it. But it is his certainty in the act that he is carrying out that is the most striking thing about Snowden: he wants the world to know that he isn't afraid of what might happen to him, and that he shouldn't be afraid.
If you haven't already been unnerved by the situation, there are many scenes in CITIZENFOUR that may get you to that point... even disregarding the content, the energy that reverberates throughout the film is enough to put you on edge. In one particularly resonating scene, Jacob Applebaum, a computer security researcher and hacker, talks about how the word "freedom" has lately been replaced with "privacy"... and how "privacy is dead". Another scene towards the end also packs a punch: Snowden and Greenwald engage in a conversation, resorting to a pen and notepad for the most important details so as not to let that information somehow get overheard and recorded... the two then rip up the paper to cover their tracks.
The film is quiet, but powerful. It is a great portrayal of the power of an individual making a difference, and leading others to do the same. CITIZENFOUR is now playing at the Midtown Cinema... come check it out!
Monday, November 10, 2014
THE IMITATION GAME - starts Jan 9
THE IMITATION GAME - starts Jan 9
PG-13,114min
Genius British logician and cryptologist Alan Turing (Benedict Cumberbatch) helps crack Germany's Enigma Code during World War II but is later prosecuted by his government for illegal homosexual acts.
PG-13,114min
Genius British logician and cryptologist Alan Turing (Benedict Cumberbatch) helps crack Germany's Enigma Code during World War II but is later prosecuted by his government for illegal homosexual acts.
SATURDAY MORNING CARTOONS
Join us every Second Saturday of the month from 9:30 to 11:30am! Join us (and Bugs and Daffy and Foghorn...) for a morning with classic Looney Tunes!
2015 dates: 1/10, 2/14, 3/14, 4/11, 5/9, 6/13, 7/11, 8/8, 9/12, 10/10, 11/14, 12/12
2015 dates: 1/10, 2/14, 3/14, 4/11, 5/9, 6/13, 7/11, 8/8, 9/12, 10/10, 11/14, 12/12
DIGITAL THEATRE - Classic and Contemporary
Specticast presents
GREAT EXPECTATIONS
part of Midtown Cinema's Classic Digital Theatre Series
January 4th @4pm & January 6th @7pm, 150 min with intermission | Staged and filmed at the Vaudeville Theatre, West End, London, this adaptation of Charles Dickens’ GREAT EXPECTATIONS by Jo Clifford has been universally acclaimed as a triumph on its sellout tour of the United Kingdom. This event forms part of the global celebrations surrounding the 200th anniversary of Charles Dickens’ birth. Directed by Graham McLaren and starring Jack Ellis as Jaggers, Chris Ellison as Magwitch, Paula Wilcox as Miss Havisham, Paul Nivison as Adult Pip; Grace Rowes as Estella and Taylor Jay-Davis as Young Pip.
National Theatre Live presents
JOHN
part of Midtown Cinema's Contemporary Digital Theatre Series
Sun Jan 18 @4pm & Tue Jan 20 @7pm, 155 min with intermission | Internationally renowned DV8 Physical Theatre bring their powerful new production to the National Theatre. DV8 Physical Theatre has produced 18 highly acclaimed dance-theatre works and four films for television, which have garnered over 50 national and international awards. The company’s new production, JOHN, authentically depicts real-life stories, combining movement and spoken word to create an intense and moving theatrical experience. Lloyd Newson, DV8’s Artistic Director, interviewed more than 50 men asking them frank questions, initially about love and sex. One of those men was John. What emerged was a story that is both extraordinary and touching. Years of crime, drug use and struggling to survive lead John on a search in which his life converges with others, in an unexpected place, unknown by most. JOHN contains adult themes, strong language and nudity. Suitable for 18yrs+
Specticast presents
CAESAR AND CLEOPATRA
part of Midtown Cinema's Classic Digital Theatre Series
February 1st @4pm & February 3rd @7pm, 115 min (no intermission) | A witty and seductive comedy about the relationship between a veteran Roman political strategist and an enchanting Egyptian teenage queen. Stratford's production was hailed by The New York Times as "the climactic event in the company's impressive current season." Now movie audiences can witness the acclaimed performance of legendary Canadian actor Christopher Plummer, and experience the drama, intrigue and comedy of George Bernard Shaw's celebrated play. The production also stars Nikki M. James, who later went on to receive the 2011 Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical for her role as Nabulungi in The Book of Mormon. The high quality production captures the true experience of witnessing Shaw's celebrated play on the prestigious Stratford Festival stage.
National Theatre Live presents
TREASURE ISLAND
part of Midtown Cinema's Contemporary Digital Theatre Series
Sun Feb 15 @4pm & Tue Feb 17 @7pm | Robert Louis Stevenson’s story of murder, money and mutiny is brought to life in a thrilling new stage adaptation by Bryony Lavery, broadcast live from the National Theatre. It’s a dark, stormy night. The stars are out. Jim, the inn-keeper’s granddaughter, opens the door to a terrifying stranger. At the old sailor’s feet sits a huge sea-chest, full of secrets. Jim invites him in – and her dangerous voyage begins. Suitable for 10 years +
Specticast presents
THE TEMPEST
part of Midtown Cinema's Classic Digital Theatre Series
March 1st @4pm & March 3rd @7pm, 132 min (no intermission) | This culminating masterpiece of Shakespeare's career, featuring Christopher Plummer as Prospero, pits the desire for revenge against the demands of love and asks if man is capable of creating a brave new world. Performed and filmed at the Stratford Festival.
Specticast presents
FROM HERE TO ETERNITY - THE MUSICAL
part of Midtown Cinema's Classic Digital Theatre Series
March 29th @4pm & March 31st @7pm | Pearl Harbor, 1941, where the girls sing “don’cha like Hawaii”, the men of G Company sing the blues, and where even on an army base, love and desire are never very far away. When the troubled Private Prewitt falls for the kind hearted escort club girl Lorene, and when his platoon sergeant, Warden, embarks on a dangerous affair with his commanding officer’s wife, Karen, the lives of both men are set on a course they cannot control. As war approaches, the worlds of the four lovers and the soldiers of G Company are dramatically ripped apart. Sir Tim Rice’s magnificent new musical From Here To Eternity is adapted from one of the greatest novels of the twentieth century; a gripping tale of illicit love and army life which translates in to a breath-taking, romantic and excitingly original show, set to join the front rank of great musicals.
National Theatre Live presents
THE HARD PROBLEM
part of Midtown Cinema's Classic Digital Theatre Series
Sun May 3rd @4pm & Tue May 5th @7pm | Acclaimed playwright Tom Stoppard (Shakespeare in Love, Arcadia, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead) returns to the National Theatre with his highly-anticipated new play The Hard Problem, directed by Nicholas Hytner (Othello, Hamlet, One Man, Two Guvnors). Hilary, a young psychology researcher at a brainscience institute, is nursing a private sorrow and a troubling question at work, where psychology and biology meet. If there is nothing but matter, what is consciousness? This is ‘the hard problem’ which puts Hilary at odds with her colleagues who include her first mentor Spike, her boss Leo and the billionaire founder of the institute, Jerry. Is the day coming when the computer and the fMRI scanner will answer all the questions psychology can ask? Meanwhile Hilary needs a miracle, and she is prepared to pray for one.
National Theatre Live presents
MAN AND SUPERMAN
part of Midtown Cinema's Classic Digital Theatre Series
Sun June 7th @4pm & Tue June 9th @7pm | Academy Award® nominee Ralph Fiennes (The English Patient, Schindler’s List, Oedipus at the National Theatre) plays Jack Tanner in this exhilarating reinvention of Shaw’s witty, provocative classic. Jack Tanner, celebrated radical thinker and rich bachelor, seems an unlikely choice as guardian to the alluring heiress, Ann. But she takes it in her assured stride and, despite the love of a poet, she decides to marry and tame this dazzling revolutionary. Tanner, appalled by the whiff of domesticity, is tipped off by his chauffeur and flees to Spain, where he is captured by bandits and meets The Devil. An extraordinary dream-debate, heaven versus hell, ensues. Following in hot pursuit, Ann is there when Tanner awakes, as fierce in her certainty as he is in his. A romantic comedy, an epic fairytale, a fiery philosophical debate, Man and Superman asks fundamental questions about how we live.
GREAT EXPECTATIONS
part of Midtown Cinema's Classic Digital Theatre Series
January 4th @4pm & January 6th @7pm, 150 min with intermission | Staged and filmed at the Vaudeville Theatre, West End, London, this adaptation of Charles Dickens’ GREAT EXPECTATIONS by Jo Clifford has been universally acclaimed as a triumph on its sellout tour of the United Kingdom. This event forms part of the global celebrations surrounding the 200th anniversary of Charles Dickens’ birth. Directed by Graham McLaren and starring Jack Ellis as Jaggers, Chris Ellison as Magwitch, Paula Wilcox as Miss Havisham, Paul Nivison as Adult Pip; Grace Rowes as Estella and Taylor Jay-Davis as Young Pip.
National Theatre Live presents
JOHN
part of Midtown Cinema's Contemporary Digital Theatre Series
Sun Jan 18 @4pm & Tue Jan 20 @7pm, 155 min with intermission | Internationally renowned DV8 Physical Theatre bring their powerful new production to the National Theatre. DV8 Physical Theatre has produced 18 highly acclaimed dance-theatre works and four films for television, which have garnered over 50 national and international awards. The company’s new production, JOHN, authentically depicts real-life stories, combining movement and spoken word to create an intense and moving theatrical experience. Lloyd Newson, DV8’s Artistic Director, interviewed more than 50 men asking them frank questions, initially about love and sex. One of those men was John. What emerged was a story that is both extraordinary and touching. Years of crime, drug use and struggling to survive lead John on a search in which his life converges with others, in an unexpected place, unknown by most. JOHN contains adult themes, strong language and nudity. Suitable for 18yrs+
Specticast presents
CAESAR AND CLEOPATRA
part of Midtown Cinema's Classic Digital Theatre Series
February 1st @4pm & February 3rd @7pm, 115 min (no intermission) | A witty and seductive comedy about the relationship between a veteran Roman political strategist and an enchanting Egyptian teenage queen. Stratford's production was hailed by The New York Times as "the climactic event in the company's impressive current season." Now movie audiences can witness the acclaimed performance of legendary Canadian actor Christopher Plummer, and experience the drama, intrigue and comedy of George Bernard Shaw's celebrated play. The production also stars Nikki M. James, who later went on to receive the 2011 Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical for her role as Nabulungi in The Book of Mormon. The high quality production captures the true experience of witnessing Shaw's celebrated play on the prestigious Stratford Festival stage.
National Theatre Live presents
TREASURE ISLAND
part of Midtown Cinema's Contemporary Digital Theatre Series
Sun Feb 15 @4pm & Tue Feb 17 @7pm | Robert Louis Stevenson’s story of murder, money and mutiny is brought to life in a thrilling new stage adaptation by Bryony Lavery, broadcast live from the National Theatre. It’s a dark, stormy night. The stars are out. Jim, the inn-keeper’s granddaughter, opens the door to a terrifying stranger. At the old sailor’s feet sits a huge sea-chest, full of secrets. Jim invites him in – and her dangerous voyage begins. Suitable for 10 years +
Specticast presents
THE TEMPEST
part of Midtown Cinema's Classic Digital Theatre Series
March 1st @4pm & March 3rd @7pm, 132 min (no intermission) | This culminating masterpiece of Shakespeare's career, featuring Christopher Plummer as Prospero, pits the desire for revenge against the demands of love and asks if man is capable of creating a brave new world. Performed and filmed at the Stratford Festival.
Specticast presents
FROM HERE TO ETERNITY - THE MUSICAL
part of Midtown Cinema's Classic Digital Theatre Series
March 29th @4pm & March 31st @7pm | Pearl Harbor, 1941, where the girls sing “don’cha like Hawaii”, the men of G Company sing the blues, and where even on an army base, love and desire are never very far away. When the troubled Private Prewitt falls for the kind hearted escort club girl Lorene, and when his platoon sergeant, Warden, embarks on a dangerous affair with his commanding officer’s wife, Karen, the lives of both men are set on a course they cannot control. As war approaches, the worlds of the four lovers and the soldiers of G Company are dramatically ripped apart. Sir Tim Rice’s magnificent new musical From Here To Eternity is adapted from one of the greatest novels of the twentieth century; a gripping tale of illicit love and army life which translates in to a breath-taking, romantic and excitingly original show, set to join the front rank of great musicals.
National Theatre Live presents
THE HARD PROBLEM
part of Midtown Cinema's Classic Digital Theatre Series
Sun May 3rd @4pm & Tue May 5th @7pm | Acclaimed playwright Tom Stoppard (Shakespeare in Love, Arcadia, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead) returns to the National Theatre with his highly-anticipated new play The Hard Problem, directed by Nicholas Hytner (Othello, Hamlet, One Man, Two Guvnors). Hilary, a young psychology researcher at a brainscience institute, is nursing a private sorrow and a troubling question at work, where psychology and biology meet. If there is nothing but matter, what is consciousness? This is ‘the hard problem’ which puts Hilary at odds with her colleagues who include her first mentor Spike, her boss Leo and the billionaire founder of the institute, Jerry. Is the day coming when the computer and the fMRI scanner will answer all the questions psychology can ask? Meanwhile Hilary needs a miracle, and she is prepared to pray for one.
National Theatre Live presents
MAN AND SUPERMAN
part of Midtown Cinema's Classic Digital Theatre Series
Sun June 7th @4pm & Tue June 9th @7pm | Academy Award® nominee Ralph Fiennes (The English Patient, Schindler’s List, Oedipus at the National Theatre) plays Jack Tanner in this exhilarating reinvention of Shaw’s witty, provocative classic. Jack Tanner, celebrated radical thinker and rich bachelor, seems an unlikely choice as guardian to the alluring heiress, Ann. But she takes it in her assured stride and, despite the love of a poet, she decides to marry and tame this dazzling revolutionary. Tanner, appalled by the whiff of domesticity, is tipped off by his chauffeur and flees to Spain, where he is captured by bandits and meets The Devil. An extraordinary dream-debate, heaven versus hell, ensues. Following in hot pursuit, Ann is there when Tanner awakes, as fierce in her certainty as he is in his. A romantic comedy, an epic fairytale, a fiery philosophical debate, Man and Superman asks fundamental questions about how we live.
Sunday, November 2, 2014
ROYAL SHAKESPEARE COMPANY
LOVE LABOUR'S LOST130 min + 20 min interval
Sun 3/15 @4pm
Tues 3/17 @7pm
Summer 1914. In order to dedicate themselves to a life of study, the King and his friends take an oath to avoid the company of women for three years. No sooner have they made their idealistic pledge than the Princess of France and her ladies-in-waiting arrive, presenting the men with a severe test of their high-minded resolve. Shakespeare's sparkling comedy delights in championing and then unravelling an unrealistic vow, and mischievously suggesting that the study of the opposite sex is in fact the highest of all academic endeavours. Only at the end of the play is the merriment curtailed as the lovers agree to submit to a period apart, unaware that the world around them is about to be utterly transformed by the war to end all wars. Christopher Luscombe directs one acting company in both Love's Labour's Lost and Love's Labour's Won (usually known as Much Ado About Nothing). Christopher's directing credits include The Comedy of Errors and The Merry Wives of Windsor for Shakespeare's Globe as well as The Madness of George III and Spamalot in the West End.
MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING(LOVE'S LABOUR'S WON)
140 min + 20 min interval
Sun 4/19 @4pm
Tues 4/21 @7pm
Autumn 1918. A group of soldiers return from the trenches. The world-weary Benedick and his friend Claudio find themselves reacquainted with Beatrice and Hero. As memories of conflict give way to a life of parties and masked balls, Claudio and Hero fall madly, deeply in love, while Benedick and Beatrice reignite their own altogether more combative courtship. Shakespeare's comic romance plays out amidst the brittle high spirits of a post-war house party, as youthful passions run riot, lovers are deceived and happiness is threatened – before peace ultimately wins out. Christopher Luscombe directs the second of Shakespeare's matching pair of comedies that rejoice in our capacity to find love in the most unlikely places. Better known as Much Ado About Nothing, the play is performed under the title Love's Labour's Won, a name possibly attributed to it during Shakespeare's lifetime.
Sam's Blog - Birdman
Years ago, he played Birdman, the gravelly-voiced, telekinetic comic book superhero who could fly. Now, Riggan Thomson (played by Michael Keaton) is trying to find his identity beyond this famed role (an ironic connection, given Michael Keaton's past role as Batman). Alejandro González Iñárritu's BIRDMAN will captivate you from the very start with its eccentricity: the very first image is of Riggan in his underwear, levitating, his back turned to the camera as the voice of his alter-ego character booms in his head. He is in his dressing room, having initiated a desperate attempt to restake his claim to fame by adapting, directing, and acting in a Broadway play. The film takes place during the preview nights as the members of the cast try to work out their issues before Opening Night, when they will be at the mercy of the critics.
There are an assortment of characters within the walls of this theatre. Riggan's daughter, Sam (Emma Stone), has just gotten out of rehab and is working as her father's assistant to keep herself distracted. Jake (Zach Galifianakis) is the show's producer, desperately trying to keep the cast sane and on the same page. Laura (Andrea Riseborough) and Lesley (Naomi Watts) are the two lead actresses in the play, and both desperately want a sign that they are loved. Edward Norton plays Mike Shiner, the egotistical actor who comes in as a last-minute replacement when an actor gets injured on the set, and immediately tries to steal the spotlight of his colleagues.
The film gives a fascinating (and often comical) insight into the insecurities of celebrities: the first half of the film is very much an ensemble piece, flitting back and forth from character to character and unfolding the strange, perhaps unhealthy, perhaps necessary, reliance they all have on each other. Each character lashes out in different ways: their fears, their doubts, and the constructs they have to put up in order to succeed all come into play here. This is best seen with Riggan, himself, as the audience is given the responsibility of deciphering whether he is going insane, or if there really is something supernatural -- or perhaps the word "special" would suffice -- about him. After all, that is the point that BIRDMAN makes: that everyone wants there to be something special about them, something that makes them stand out and matter to the world. It's just easier to see with actors.
The most exhilarating part of BIRDMAN is the cinematography... which is not a surprise, given the director of photography, Emmanuel Lubezki, whose past work includes technical masterpieces like GRAVITY and CHILDREN OF MEN. For a film that takes place on Broadway, it makes perfect sense that BIRDMAN runs with the fluidity of a well-orchestrated play: through carefully planned cuts and maneuvers, the cinematography creates the illusion that the entire film is one shot, and the way the camera twists around corners and runs through the halls with the characters makes it feel as if the theater itself is a character -- the host, if you will.
It's hard to find anything negative to say about this film... the acting is excellent, the story is engaging... there are a few conversations that come across a bit stagey, but one could perceive them as just a part of the show. BIRDMAN is now playing at the Midtown Cinema... don't let this one pass you by.
There are an assortment of characters within the walls of this theatre. Riggan's daughter, Sam (Emma Stone), has just gotten out of rehab and is working as her father's assistant to keep herself distracted. Jake (Zach Galifianakis) is the show's producer, desperately trying to keep the cast sane and on the same page. Laura (Andrea Riseborough) and Lesley (Naomi Watts) are the two lead actresses in the play, and both desperately want a sign that they are loved. Edward Norton plays Mike Shiner, the egotistical actor who comes in as a last-minute replacement when an actor gets injured on the set, and immediately tries to steal the spotlight of his colleagues.
The film gives a fascinating (and often comical) insight into the insecurities of celebrities: the first half of the film is very much an ensemble piece, flitting back and forth from character to character and unfolding the strange, perhaps unhealthy, perhaps necessary, reliance they all have on each other. Each character lashes out in different ways: their fears, their doubts, and the constructs they have to put up in order to succeed all come into play here. This is best seen with Riggan, himself, as the audience is given the responsibility of deciphering whether he is going insane, or if there really is something supernatural -- or perhaps the word "special" would suffice -- about him. After all, that is the point that BIRDMAN makes: that everyone wants there to be something special about them, something that makes them stand out and matter to the world. It's just easier to see with actors.
The most exhilarating part of BIRDMAN is the cinematography... which is not a surprise, given the director of photography, Emmanuel Lubezki, whose past work includes technical masterpieces like GRAVITY and CHILDREN OF MEN. For a film that takes place on Broadway, it makes perfect sense that BIRDMAN runs with the fluidity of a well-orchestrated play: through carefully planned cuts and maneuvers, the cinematography creates the illusion that the entire film is one shot, and the way the camera twists around corners and runs through the halls with the characters makes it feel as if the theater itself is a character -- the host, if you will.
It's hard to find anything negative to say about this film... the acting is excellent, the story is engaging... there are a few conversations that come across a bit stagey, but one could perceive them as just a part of the show. BIRDMAN is now playing at the Midtown Cinema... don't let this one pass you by.
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