Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) (3.5/5)

Birdman has, not surprisingly, received much critical claim, I would not go quite so far.  Keaton is good in a different role as the superhero actor seeking redemption on the stage, though he's out-played by the excellent supporting cast and cramped by the poor device of the Birdman's voice in his head.  The very long takes give the theatre scenes intimacy but hamper some transitions.  Overall Birdman is an ambitious and worthy film that doesn't quite hit the mark.

Directed, produced & co-written by Alejandro González Iñárritu.
Cast: Michael Keaton (Riggan Thomson / Birdman), Edward Norton (Mike Shiner), Emma Stone (Sam Thomson, Riggan's daughter & assistant), Naomi Watts (Lesley, actor & Mike's girlfriend), Andrea Riseborough (Laura, actor & Riggan's girlfriend), Amy Ryan (Sylvia Thomson, Riggan's ex-wife & Sam's mother), Lindsay Duncan (Tabitha Dickinson, top theatre critic)

10 January 2015, Moonlight Cinema, Kings Park, Perth