Birdman

Director Alejandro Gonzales Iñárritu's multi-Oscar nominated Birdman is a satirical backstage comedic drama that occasionally soars off into hallucinatory flights of fantasy. Oscar nominee Michael Keaton is Riggan Thomson, a fading, egocentric movie star, renowned as the black-winged comic book big screen hero Birdman. Now, Riggan is determined to prove himself on Broadway by directing and starring in an adaptation of Raymond Carver's short story “What We Talk About When We Talk About Love.” Facing mounting casting and financial adversities, Riggan must not only cope with his just-out-of-drug-rehab daughter (Oscar-nominated Emma Stone) and embittered ex-wife (Amy Ryan) but also his harried lawyer/manager (Zach Galifianakis), actress girlfriend (Andrea Riseborough), insecure leading lady (Naomi Watts), and the latter's supercilious boyfriend/actor (Oscar-nominated Edward Norton). But Riggan also hears the delusionary voice of his alter-ego, Birdman, who enables Riggan with mystical telekinetic powers. Featuring a brilliant performance by Keaton, this is an exhilarating film, deftly mixing imaginative cinema, celebrity in-jokes, and sly digs at the subversive role of social media. Highly recommended. Editor's Choice. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include an “All-Access” production featurette (34 min.), a “Chivo's On-Set Photography” gallery (4 min.), and trailers. Exclusive to the Blu-ray release is “A Conversation with Michael Keaton and Alejandro G. Iñárritu” featuring the star and director (14 min.), and a bonus UltraViolet copy of the film. Bottom line: a solid extras package for one of 2014's best films.] (S. Granger)