The Best Films of 2015: Birdman

Just making this rundown of the year’s best films – it was released on January 1^st, 2015 in the UK - is the Academy award winning Birdman.

Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu’s fifth feature film follows washed-up actor Riggan Thomson (Michael Keaton), the star of a film franchise revolving around the eponymous superhero Birdman. After leaving Hollywood, Riggan is now attempting to jump start his career by writing, directing, and starring in a Broadway play based on the work of Raymond Carver.

As well as the numerous challenges that arise from putting on a Broadway play, Riggan must also contend with an embittered daughter (Emma Stone), an all too serious method actor (Edward Norton), and hallucinations in which he has superpowers.

Birdman is a film with both style and substance: shot and edited so as to appear as one continuous shot, the film seamlessly pulls the viewer down winding theatre corridors into claustrophobic dressing rooms and then out onto the dark streets of New York. It’s an entrancing experience for anyone used to watching films shot and edited in a more conventional manner.

In regards to substance, the film has themes many of us can relate to: wanting to be recognised for our achievements, wanting to feel like we’ve done something worthwhile with our lives, these are things many of us experience every day.

If this isn’t enough to convince you of the merits of Birdman then, please be assured, the film is also tremendously funny. A scene where Edward Norton’s character gets a little too ‘excited’ after an intimate scene during a preview of Riggan’s play is a highlight.

In its examination of the world of theatre and the egos of actors, Birdman stands as a unique film. It also makes for a witty, visually fascinating, and wonderfully engaging introduction to the work of its director, whose next film The Revenant – out in January – is already generating a fair amount of critical praise. 

The Best Films of 2015: Whiplash

With the New Year fast approaching, a rundown of the year's best films (in the humble opinion of this critic) seems appropriate. First up: Whiplash.

Young and talented drummer Andrew harbours dreams of greatness but doesn’t seem challenged at the music school he attends. That is until he meets Fletcher, the conductor of the school’s leading jazz band. As a result of Fletcher’s brutal, unorthodox methods and his perfectionist attitude, Andrew finds himself pushed to the very limits of his musical ability and sanity. 

Whiplash was nominated for five Academy awards and it’s not hard to see why. Everything about it from its screenplay, cinematography, and acting – J. K. Simmons won Best Supporting Actor at the Oscars for his portrayal of Fletcher – is superb.

It’s also relentlessly exciting. The scenes in the jazz band’s practice room where Fletcher pushes Andrew and the other students for even better and better performances feel like something from a thriller, with Fletcher taking on the role of the role of the supercriminal whose job consists of throwing obstacle after obstacle in front of the film’s hero. Sedate drama this is not.

Director Damien Chazelle’s next film is a musical starring Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling and is set for a release in the summer. If it is crafted with any of the passion and care of Whiplash then it is surely worth the price of a cinema ticket. 

Irrational Man review

The plot of Woody Allen’s latest film Irrational Man sounds compelling enough. Philosophy professor Abe Lucas (Joaquin Phoenix) decides to kill a corrupt judge in the hope of giving his life meaning. As this is going on, he has to juggle relationships with both student Jill (Emma Stone) and colleague Rita (Parker Posey).

There is a problem though with its execution. What could be a fascinating and philosophical drama ends up seeming more like a slightly surreal soap opera. Like a soap opera, there is no real energy and depth and, as a result, the whole thing becomes interesting only on the most superficial level.

The script is the weakest point. Aside from the college movie clichés – the troubled, alcoholic professor, the inappropriate relationship with a student – and the banal dialogue, it is also peppered with a series of annoying voiceovers that tell us little we couldn’t already grasp from the action on-screen.

Joaquin Phoenix and Emma Stone do their best, but they can’t bring to life what is already stillborn.

If you’re a die-hard Woody Allen fan you might get something out of this, otherwise it is best avoided.

Star Rating: 2/5