???????????????????????????

Well, that's a strange title for a blog entry, isn't it?  Trust me.  It fits.

I remember when Kirk Gibson hits his famed World Series home run for the Dodgers in 1968.  Legendary radio announcer Jack Buck was doing the game and his call of the homer is well-known.

"I can't believe what I just saw."

Well, I said the very same thing if I saw "Birdman."  Repeatedly.  And, several days later, I'm still thinking about what I saw.   I don't know if I liked it.   I don't know if I hated it.   All I know was that my eyes were riveted on the screen for two hours.  Often not understanding a thing that was going on, but mesmerized nonetheless.

If nothing else, "Birdman," as directed by a mouthful known as Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, is never ever boring.  First off, in a tip of the sombrero to Alfred Hitchcock and his gimmicky film "Rope," the director compiles a movie that is essentially a series of long tracking shots.  Without cutting, the camera follows a character up and down staircases, through Broadway alleys, and into Times Square bars.  Oh, sure, there is some trickery to it all and I was able to spot the necessary transitions.  But, I am guessing people will go to see "Birdman" just for the steadi-cam shots alone.

Michael Keaton, an overrated actor, plays one in "Birdman."  Riggan Thomson is a washed up Hollywood actor who made a fortune as a superhero named "Birdman."  Years later, he is trying to reconnect with his craft and his family by starring in and directing a play on Broadway.   The movie takes you through the arduous previews and ultimate opening.  Indeed, one might argue that this film really shows you the dirt and sawdust associated with mounting a Broadway production.  You travel through the back rooms of a Broadway house from dressing room to stage to dressing room.  You meet a bunch of people who seem normal but are incredibly unhinged.  It's ugly and distasteful.

Yet, I couldn't stop watching.   

You know Riggan is a loose cannon with both his Broadway cast as well as his ex-wives and daughter played by the always-welcome-in-my-corneas Emma Stone.  He has fits of temper, rage, and destruction.  Moments later, he is fine and listening to the voice in his head which may or may not be the actual Birdman character.

Impossible to comprehend this all?   You bet.

Yet, I couldn't stop watching.

There is one amazing sequence where Riggan takes a break outside the stage door to have a smoke.  His robe gets locked in the door and he is forced to walk all the way around the block to the theater lobby for his entrance.  In his underwear.  It's all done in one single take.

Does it make any sense in relation to the story?   Nope.

Yet, I couldn't stop watching.

Towards the end, you think you've seen it all and then, suddenly and out of nowhere, 45th Street in New York becomes the soundstage for some terrific special effects.  There is flying.  There are numerous explosions and fires.   And Rodan makes an appearance on top of a building.

Huh?  Exactly.

I could tell you to go see "Birdman" and you may hate me for it.

I could tell you to avoid "Birdman" and you may hate me for it.

So I don't know exactly what to tell you to do.  It's film at its best.  And perhaps its worst.

I wound up in a conversation with a work colleague who's a former film student.  He asked me about the ending.  He provided his take on what had happened.  I had no clue what he was talking about.

But, credit the filmmaker with this.   If you see this movie, you will be talking about it.  

And, for that alone, perhaps "Birdman" is a success.   Or a failure.

LEN'S RATING:  How many stars?   I don't know.  I'll get back to you.

Dinner last night:  Sandwich and German potato salad.