AMERICAN SNIPER / BIRDMAN

A SNIPER AND THE BIRDMAN
Two of 2014's Best Picture Nominees

In the wake of last Thursday's Academy Award nominations, I was fortunate this weekend to be able to see two of the movies nominated for Best Picture, the gritty Iraq War drama American Sniper and the lively dramedy Birdman. At first glance, the movies could hardly seem to be more different, but, upon reflection, they do share some DNA. Each focuses on the outward exploits and inner life of a grown man, and both men are struggling. In Sniper, a man so successful at his profession people literally call him Legend begins to struggle with the morality of what he's doing, and he slowly realizes the livelihood that's made him who he is has begun frittering away his humanity. In Birdman, an actor who once starred as a legendary superhero struggles to make a comeback in a different role amidst a storm of self-doubt, inner demons, outward critics, better actors and all too-human angst. Both films were rock-solid, with sterling performances, moments of almost unbearable intensity, and spectacular direction and camerawork. Neither was perfect, but I would gladly watch both again. I give them each a B+.

AMERICAN SNIPER
Directed by Clint Eastwood

Plot
The movie primarily chronicles about 15 years in the life of Chris Kyle (Bradley Cooper), who grew up an easy-living Texas cowboy and then joined the Navy Seals basically because a military recruiter dared him to. In the film, he makes it through BUD/S and the hellish training regimen, meets his wife-to-be, Taya (Sienna Miller) at a bar and woos her shortly thereafter, and, after 9/11, is constantly on the front lines. Trained as a hunter from an early age, Chris becomes an expert sniper, and his very first sojourn into the post-9-11 war earns him the nickname 'Legend' from his fellow troops, as he guns down every potential threat he can spot. Predictably, the war begins to wear on Chris. Even when he's home, he's less-communicative with his anxious wife and young kids; over there, he's losing friends--sometimes because of his own mistakes--and worrying about the safety and wellbeing of his younger brother, Jeff (Keir O'Donnell), who became a Marine and has grown distant. Plus, he's dogged by an enemy sniper, a Syrian-born Olympic Champion sniper named Mustafa (Sammy Sheik), who might even be deadlier than Chris. Even as he's winning medals and setting records (150+ recorded kills, including one from 2,100 meters away), Chris begins to worry that he's lost, that there's no place for him--not in Afghanistan or Iraq, where all the locals want him dead, and not at home, where no one understands that, even though he has a loving family, he's just not right.

What Works?
Directed by the always sure-handed Eastwood, now 84 (and shockingly snubbed in the Best Director category at the Oscars for this well-constructed film), Sniper, like all the most effective war movies, presents the juxtapostion of the adrenaline rush of combat and the freakish terror of it--audience members are excited one second, shocked and horrified the next. Sniper, in particular, depicting the current war, shows how every soldier over there, Marine, Seal, or anyone else, is potentially a mere second from death at any time, whether it's in the crosshairs of the likes of Mustafa, at the expense of a hidden explosive, or at the hands of a harmless-looking populace who have largely been taught to hate Americans and to try to kill them. Though some of the action scenes are well-done and exciting, I doubt this movie will encourage many to want to go fight.

The movie is also well-acted, even if only two performers really get enough material to make an impression. Having earned his third Academy Award nomination in three years, Cooper is solid, and different than we've ever seen him. He reportedly packed on 40 pounds of muscle and learned to fire military rifles for this role; he's also convincingly dropped the manic energy that defined his last two Oscar-nominated roles, in Silver Linings Playbook and American Hustle. Here he's stoic and quietly conflicted, frustratingly silent when his wife (and the audience) would like him to open up, but he's ultimately a well-meaning guy who has just seen and experienced things that he can't quite cope with. It's an effective, and effectively unshowy, portraint. As Kyle's wife, Sienna Miller doesn't actually get to do much more than cry and complain that Chris isn't opening up to her, but she's the surrogate for the audience opposite her increasingly-distant husband, and she's effective.

What Doesn't Work?
It's always a risk with war movies, but Sniper feels a little under-written, basically in that there's little to recommend about it other than the wartime battle scenes of Chris on his four tours of duty (well, that AND a riveting video montage that plays over the credits, conveying some important information about the real-life Chris Kyle). Kyle's wife, Taya, emotionally-open as she is, is underwritten, and the early scenes establishing Chris's upbringing are rushed through. I get that the movie is about what made Chris Kyle "the deadliest sniper in U.S. history", but it would be nice if there was just a little more to invest in. The movie also forgets Chris' brother halfway through after establishing Chris' connection with his brother and concern for his wellbeing in the service. 

Bottom Line
American Sniper, a tribute to a very valuable individual who served his country, is a gritty and sobering look at what military servicemen and woman (and their spouses and families) have gone through during this age of prolonged warfare. It shows the terror of battle, drives home the guts it takes to go out and kick down doors in unfriendly streets, and it helps you understand why some people who do it are just never the same. Well-directed and well-acted, Sniper is a very commendable movie that will stick with many moviegoers.

**AMERICAN SNIPER was rated R for strong, bloody violence and disturbing images (including some torture), constant profanity, some sexual material, and intense emotional content

BIRDMAN (or the Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)
Directed by Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu

Plot
Once upon a time, Riggan Thompson (a wonderful Michael Keaton) was a popular, recognizable actor, adored by millions for his portrayal of the superhero 'Birdman' in a trilogy of hit films. Now, Riggan Thompson is older, and a lonely, slightly-off-his-rocker faded star who's attempting a comeback with a self-written, -directed and -starring stage adaptation of a Raymond Carver poem called "What We Talk About When We Talk About Love". For all intents and purposes, this is Riggan's last chance in acting, and maybe in life, as there's a little suicidal whisper in the back of his brain that says it's all just not worth it anymore. 'All' is his real-life, which includes trying to direct this play amidst the outsize personalities of his tightly-wound friend/producer Jake (Zach Galifianakis), his resentful adult daughter/secretary Sam (Emma Stone), mood-swing-prone lead actress Lesley (Naomi Watts) and drippy some-time love interest Laura (Andrea Riseborough). There's also a hard-ass theater critic (Lindsay Duncan) gearing up to tear the play a new one and effectively end Riggan's career. With all this stress and drama, Riggan would very much like to just hole up in his dressing room (where he likes to pretend he has some of Birdman's powers, like moving objects with his mind). And this is all before the play's other prominent male actor is switched out for renowned thespian Mike Shiner (Edward Norton).

Shiner, an obnoxiously-elitist Method actor, comes onto the already complex theater scene like a hurricane. Sure he memorizes the whole script in no time and considerably raises the play's appeal and dramatic tension, but he's pretentious and unpredictable. He hits on Riggan's daughter, questions Riggan's direction and starts dishing out his own advice, he molests his onstage love interest, Lesley, in order to actually get visibly aroused onstage, and he steals some of Riggan's thoughts in an interview. Mike's just another ball Riggan must juggle, and, when BOTH of the play's preview showings are marred by catastrophies, Riggan considers calling it quits.

What Works?
Unlike the more grounded, focused Sniper, Birdman is a whirling dervish of a film--an explosion of ideas and details and characters for which the viewer must be ready. It's no mystery why the film's screenplay has been lauded. Birdman has unexpected jumps in time, switches from fantasy to reality and back, has a revolving door of characters who can pop into any scene at any time, and constantly walks the fine line between grim realistic drama and snarky comedy. Cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki deserves enormous credit for crafting dozens of long, involved tracking shots, and the drums-only musical score appropriately sounds like a quickened pulse for this hyper-realistic world. The entire crew should be applauded, with bonus points to the director (and one of the writers), Oscar nominee Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, who put this whole spastic thing together in a way that is entrancing and seemless while also keeps the viewer's attention high and keeps their head on a swivel, waiting for the next important bit.

When he accepted a Golden Globe for his role as Riggan, Michael Keaton stated that every actor in the room should show up for Inarritu's next project. If they're smart, they will and should. Birdman--like the director's other most-lauded films, 21 Grams and Babel--is a paradise for actors, one in which every player gets at least one key moment or a couple lines to really invest in. Keaton navigates a whole spectrum from wild anger and self-loathing to gut-busting attempts at charm and slapstick (it's a dream role for an actor), and he's ably supported by the likes of Stone, Norton, Watts, and Galifianakis.

What Doesn't Work?
The movie is such a rush, a little more structure couldn't have hurt (I, for one, would have dropped the at-times-overwhelming fantasy sequences, as the real plot and characters were interesting enough). It also sets up its characters and appealing cast only to largely focus on Riggan for the last third, and the ambiguous ending is maddening (WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENED!?!?!).

Bottom Line
It's whacky, but Birdman is kind of addicting. Great writing, great camerawork, superb directing, and a great cast--I haven't seen acting this assured and rat-a-tat since TV's 'The West Wing'. Not perfect by any means--it tried to be a little TOO fancy if you ask me--but it was still an engaging time, and, yes, like Michael Keaton said--actors everywhere would be smart to flock to work with Director Inarritu.

**BIRDMAN was rated R for constant profanity, sexual content (including some nudity), some drug use and some violent images

AMERICAN SNIPER (2014)
Directed by Clint Eastwood
Screenplay by Jason Hall
Based on the book 'American Sniper: The Autobiography of the Most Lethal Sniper in U.S. History' by Chris Kyle, Scott McEwen and James Defelice
Starring: Bradley Cooper and Sienna Miller, with Keir O'Donnell as Jeff Kyle and Sammy Sheik as Mustafa
Rated R
Length: 132 minutes

BIRDMAN (or The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) (2014)
Directed by Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu
Screenplay by Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, Nicolas Giacobone, Alexander Dinelaris and Armando Bo
Starring: Michael Keaton, Edward Norton, Zach Galifianakis, Emma Stone, Noami Watts, Andrea Riseborough and Amy Ryan, with Lindsay Duncan as Tabitha Dickinson
Rated R
Length: 119 minutes