Seeing the Penguins of Madagascar today, I was reminded that animation has gotten so good, especially from Dreamworks, in its twentieth year of animation, that our expectations are pretty dang high. That can be difficult, and Steven Spielberg, co-founder of Dreamworks, knows all about expectations. He's also made less-than-stellar films after establishing himself as the box office king in the early eighties. Penguins isn't bad; it's just not quite the level of its shorts, with two key characters that are onscreen just enough in those little outings to provide moments if not seconds of memorable laughs. This is a ground-rule double, and could've been a homer.
Now, Birdman is a home run of the most personal, idiosyncratic order. We've seen previews, have a sense of what will happen, and then experience and never feel led astray, even when the movie deviates from its method at the end. Expectations are the mode here, and come Oscar time, I expect Michael Keaton and Alejandro G. Inarritu to reqp what they sew, specifically with how they engage their audience. In being so self-absorbed, the filmmakers and actors invite you in, and they may be less than perfect, but man do they achieve an intimacy not seen in a while.
Now, Birdman is a home run of the most personal, idiosyncratic order. We've seen previews, have a sense of what will happen, and then experience and never feel led astray, even when the movie deviates from its method at the end. Expectations are the mode here, and come Oscar time, I expect Michael Keaton and Alejandro G. Inarritu to reqp what they sew, specifically with how they engage their audience. In being so self-absorbed, the filmmakers and actors invite you in, and they may be less than perfect, but man do they achieve an intimacy not seen in a while.
