The official international trailer for the Michael Keaton lead “Birdman” has landed and it is fascinatingly hypnagogic.
“How did we end up here? This place is horrible. Smells like balls.”
The trailer starts off with a playfully dark narration by a gruff voiced Keaton levitating in his tighty whities centered in what appears to be his dated and some what derelict apartment. Viewers instantly are able to pick up on the delusions of Keaton’s aging character, a formerly successful superhero actor who has since fallen by the wayside. Sound familiar? Aside from the ‘fallen by the wayside’ part, it seems this might hit close to home for the two-time Batman actor. That is also perhaps the motivation behind casting Keaton in the first place.
Although the tone seems surreal, “Birdman” does not come across as a talk-centric art film. Judging from what we see in the trailer, there is plenty of dialogue, drama, special effects, action and down right odd scenes to adequately wet the diverse palates of movie-goers.
It is evident that Alejandro Iñárritu’s “Birdman or The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance” is more than just movie about a washed up actor. Keaton is backed by an all-star cast featuring the likes of Edward Norton (“American History X”), Emma Stone (“The Amazing Spider-Man”), Zach Galifianakis (“Hangover”) and Naomi Watts (“King Kong”). With it’s A-List cast at the ready, I have a strong feeling that this movie will tackle a broader social issue versus simply delving into the oddity that is a fallen star.
