Birdman V Bad Boy Bubby

BIRDMAN

Summary

Michael Keaton plays Riggan, a washed up actor whose career is fighting the dying of the light. His success is attributed to a block buster franchise where he played the star 'Birdman'. Although at the time he was a controversial choice for the role as many said he had no chin.

They calling this the 'comeback of the century' in regards to Keaton's performance. How quickly they forget Spandex Ballet reunion tour in 2009. I'm always mystified by the word comeback. Unless you're attributing it to Dennis Taylor making a comeback in the 1985 Snooker final against Steve Davis, overcoming what seemed an insurmountable deficit, before winning it on a re-spotted black. Taylor went 8-0 down and the only time he went ahead in the match was on the final black, in the final frame. It pulled in over 18 million viewers, still a record for BBC 2 and a record for any channel after midnight.
So what actually are you referring to? Michael Keaton has always been a great actor, he never went anywhere. Every time Woody Allen gets more than 3 stars for a film they call it a comeback, however he writes and directs a new film every year. Some just happen to be distinctly average, but he's still producing, he's not gone anywhere.

Now it's no secret that the entire film has been filmed in a way that makes it look like it has been shot in one take. Clearly an idea lifted from The Spice Girls video for their break through number one hit, 'Wannabe.'  I have never quite figured out the message of the video. I can handle the lyrics fine, a song about girls insisting that their partners don't marginalize their friends, and that 'V don't come easy, she's a real ladeee'. But what the fuck is the video actually about? All they do is act really obnoxious in a swanky hotel whilst people are trying to have a nice quiet drink. Twats.


Okay back Birdman. Put simply, it's brilliant, and I've actually never seen anything like it. I'd say that the continuous take can be a little distracting, not because its flawed, but because its so well executed. I spent a good part of the movie trying to figure out where the cuts were and I can't imagine that was the Directors intention. The film rattles along relentlessly. The soundtrack is pure percussion, and is often as frantic as the dialogue. The director films the dialogue like the actors are trading gunfire. It actually reminded me of Michael Mann's bank robbery in Heat when the camera gets right behind the shoulder of Val Kilmer as he empties a clip on a roadblock, stops, reloads, and fires again. In Birdman the DP Emmanuel Lubezki gets right up into the actors grills and it all feels very visceral.

There are a couple of flaws I found with the film (the last five seconds were actually deeply problematic for me) but I better bring this home soon as I'm going on a bit. There are scenes where the film is clearly having digs at the mentality of people that only go to the picture house to watch blockbusters or comic book films, the strange slow-mo dance dance with a member of the cast dressed in a Spiderman costume, and the cut to scenes of Robert Downey Jr talking about the Avengers for example. It came across patronizing and a little condescending as most of the cast have cut their teeth on the very genre they seem to be mocking. Norton - Hulk, Stone - Spiderman and Keaton, Batman obviously. That aside, it handles all arguments of actors versus critics, ageism and even erectile dysfunction, really well.

Pointless Trivia

Before shooting began, the Director Alejandro González Iñárritu sent his cast a photo of Philippe Petit walking on the tightrope between the Twin Towers. He told them, "Guys, this is the movie we are doing. If we fall, we fail."

Tomato Meter -92% (critics)

Tomato Meter - 86% (audience)

Peter Meter - 88%

BAD BOY BUBBY

Summary

A man with limited intelligence becomes something of a drifter after escaping a room from which he has been imprisoned all his life. His loveable naivety leaves indelible impressions on the people he interacts with. Especially the women he stops in the street and gropes without warning or consent.

So imagine if Forrest Gump was locked in a  house and forced to shag his mum before being released into the wild. Do you think he would be talking about chocolates or playing ping pong? Or would he just be looking to shag women that looked like Sally Field? It makes you think doesn't it?

When Andy the Sandwich Man leant me Bad Boy Bubby, it was handed to me in the most auspicious of manners. Almost like I was being handed a snuff film with a wink and a nod beneath my tuna wrap to conceal the act. I watched the first 30 minutes wrapping presents before Xmas. I have to say I turned it off because well quite frankly, watching Nick Cave's stunt double getting ridden by his overweight elderly mum was putting me off my eggnog. So I shelved, with half a mind never to return.

However, I gave it a second crack. Now the film is undoubtedly a tough watch for the first 30 minutes, though the remaining two thirds grows on you, as Howard Stern would put it 'Like a fungus'.  The anti-hero Bubby, is a product of his environment, and can only speak dialogue that he himself has heard. So what you have is a simpleton who is merely a reflection on society. He portrays all of humanities imperfections, its ugliness, its innocence and its immaturity. The film is at its best when it explores these ideas, when Bubby joins a post-modern, art-pseudu punk-band and yells endless expletives down the microphone. For me where the film falls apart is that it doesn't seem to know what great idea to settle on. It meanders through many different scenarios as if the director wanted to explore every idea, not really knowing what his best one was.

I think the comparison to Forrest Gump is perhaps tenuous, but relative. Both the lead roles are limited in the way they can commuicate to people, and both are thrown into the most unlikliest of scenarios. However Gump has more discipline when it comes to its narrative. It's always grounded, either with his relationship to his mother, or to his love interest Jenny. Bad Boy Bubby doesn't have any of these touch stones to cling to, and people may argue that is part of the films charm, for me it suffered because of it. A strange watch, I'd be reticent to recommend a film like this to many people, but to the right people, this could be independent movie makings' finest hour.

Pointless trivia
Rolf de Heer wrote the screenplay on and off for 10 years before finally shooting it.

Tomato Meter - 83% (critics)

Tomato Meter - 88% (audience)

Peter Meter - 80%

VERDICT

Wow that was a long one wasn't it, still with me? I have watched a whole bunch of films this week that I will be reviewing when I get time. I'm even attending a premiere of The Kingsman next week in London, see! That's what you get for writing absolute bollocks for years for free. However this Saturday I'm off to Lakeside to see the Darts. Which reminds me of my favourite Essex girl joke. What is an Essex girl's favourite wine? 'I WANNA GO TO LAKESIDE'. That gag doesn't work in print, say it aloud and you'll get it. Anyway treat yourself to the clip I have provided of the very first 9 dart checkout done by John Lowe. So WATCH the DARTS and NOT Birdman OR Bad Boy Bubby.