BIRDMAN ****
The camera flies through the streets of Broadway, and crosses the hallways of a Theatre’s backstage. A celebrated actor is found in a moment of meditation, literally gravitating in his dressing room. The moment is punctuated by the amazing rhythms of drums, a sound that remains throughout the film, perfectly fitting the aspects of comedy, drama and the unexpected. As he finishes his meditation, he’s getting ready for the rehearsal of a play he adapted, while looking back to the golden days when he belonged to Hollywood’s top list as the superhero of the title. But this peaceful aspect introduced in the beginning, will soon turn into a turbulent experience, with the arrival of a spoiled and narcissistic new actor. In Alejandro Gonzalez Iñárritu’s look into the contemporary artistic world nobody escapes from the desperate fire: actors, writers, publicists, directors, assistants, agents, even the stage staff, and the audience, are swimming in an ocean of vanity and self-sufficiency. The director puts the tragic characteristics of his previous works aside, and develops the story as a comic tale about the pleasures and misfortunes of being a celebrity or an artist in progress. Yet, the tumultuous and claustrophobic atmosphere backstage, makes it clear that something could lead into tragedy, creating a sense that resembles a ticking-bomb about to detonate while everything seems sarcastic. Inside this circus, with an aging actor trying to reestablish his career, his young daughter struggling to find herself, a clueless actress betting it all on her Broadway debut, another melancholic and lonely actress, the overwhelmed agent and an arrogant troubled actor, are the players in this infuriating and hilarious comedy about ego and power. Using the conduction of the new actor, played by Edward Norton(I see Oscar!), the screenplay finds on him a mirror for them all to face their issues and individual crisis. He’s responsible for the awakening of their troubles but also for their will to fix it somehow, emotional and professional. And through each character, the film explores elements in different generations, the confusions of the young girl, the insecurity of the aging actor thirsty for fame, the self-confidence of the new actor, and the hopelessness of the actress. Armed with all those social aspects seen through the artistic perspective, glorious performances by everyone, Michael Keaton, Naomi Watts, Emma Stone, the debauchery of the situation, and the astonishing cinematography, Iñárritu creates a fantastic study on the challenging human condition of being an artist. One of this year’s Top 10 films!
DVD: CANNIBAL
Horror looks very charming embodied by Antonio de la Torre, who plays the mysteriously quiet tailor who maintains a romantic gruesome lifestyle of devouring the women he dates. Since the beginning, when he examines the body of a woman and then chops her into meat, we learn about his appetite. Director Manuel Martín Cuenca is focused on the elegance of the protagonist and his connection with two immigrant sisters, making it a scary but involving experience. Also, the film proves its technical skills with dazzling images of darkness and the brightness of the mountainous area. (On DVD by Film Movement)
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