Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)

Michael Keaton, Edward Norton and an amazing cast turn this into an instant classic, a film like no other. Pulling out all of the technological stops, director and co-writer Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu (Babel, 21 Grams) has made the main plot as though it were all one seamless shot. The movie doesn't happen in real time; it passes through locations, with hours and even days going by between the tricky transitions. So, the camera can track forward from a hallway to a backstage area, and while mere seconds in film time have gone by, 12 hours in the film's world may've passed in those 10 feet. It's extraordinary. Keaton plays Riggan, an actor on his last legs. In his heyday, Riggan made millions as the title character in the superhero blockbuster Birdman and its sequels. At the height of his popularity, he walked away in hopes of finding more creatively fulfilling projects. His other film pursuits have not panned out, and he finds himself in previews for a Broadway play, a stage adaptation of a Raymond Carver story that he's financing, directing, and starring in. The stakes are high, and Riggan is showing signs of coming apart in the head. When one of his actors takes a falling stage light to the melon in what may or may not have been an accident, Riggan casts hotshot actor Mike (Norton) in a crucial leading role beside him. This sets the stage for an acting powerhouse between Keaton and Norton that will blow your mind. The movie works on so many levels. It's an intense drama, but it's very funny and satiric. It's also an interesting take on one man going insane, while being a scathing indictment of celebrity culture. It's even a pitch perfect depiction of the rigors of putting on a play.