DVD of the month BIRDMAN
It’s that time of year when all the films that were given cinema releases on
dates chosen to give them the best chance of Oscar recognition, i.e., around December/January, start coming out on disc and stream. Tis is great news for you, oh spoiled cinephile, but not so great for me, as it makes choosing a May DVDOTM a bit of a Sophie’s choice. Te Teory of Everything, Big Hero 6, and Foxcatcher – worthy choices one and all – are all out this month. However, I’ve decided to go with what the Academy decided was the best film of last year: Birdman. (It wasn’t the best film of last year, Boyhood was.)
Birdman is certainly one of the most experimental films to get the top gong in recent memory. Its pseudo-one- take yet non-linear cinematography is brave, and the hyper-meta shtick of
May FILM RELEASES
01 May Far From the Madding CrowdBased on the novel by Tomas Hardy (not the Mad Max one), this costume drama tells the story of a headstrong, independent girl struggling to choose between three very different suitors in Victorian England. Whilst the plot may be familiar, the acting is a cut above. Carey Mulligan is brilliant and beautiful as Bathseba, Mr Sheen shines as Boldwood, and Juno Temple’s Fanny is fantastic.
14 May Mad Max: Fury RoadEagerly anticipated apocalyptic smash-fest that puts the dual into dual carriageway, starring Tom Hardy (not the Madding Crowd one) as the eponymous Road Warrior. Charlize Teron and Nicholas Hoult give great performances as two of the craziest crazies to ever inhabit the crazy world of George Miller, and the wasteland has never looked more beautiful. Armageddon excited about this one.
22 May PoltergeistReboot of the horror classic that made a whole generation afraid to fall asleep with the television on – not to mention that fucking clown. I’m always slightly pessimistic about horror reboots, but this one has Sam Rockwell and Jared Harris in it. Not to mention horror maestro Sam Raimi is involved, so y’know, it might be worth a look if you’re a fan of the genre.
29 May Te GoobBeautiful yet stark coming of age tale set over a long summer in rural Norfolk, about a teenage boy vying for the attention of his mother with her new stock- car racing, womanising boyfriend, and the affections of a pretty foreign field worker. Foreigners, eh, come over here, taking our virginities… Stars Liam Walpole, Sean Harris and Hannah Spearitt. Smiley
MayDVD RELEASES
04 May Inside No. 9: Series 2At time of writing, only four of the six episodes of Pemberton and Shearsmith’s macabre, funny, moving, and twisty vignettes have been broadcast. But, unless the last two are so bad as to be actually offensive or unhealthy, this is a pretty safe bet. As good as ‘League…’ and ‘Psychoville’.
04 May Te Teory of EverythingEddie Redmayne’s performance in this Stephen Hawking biopic is honestly breathtaking, but you probably knew that already, what with all the winning of the Oscars and Golden Globes and BAFTAs and that. Deeply moving, but not a lot of physics. Swings and roundabouts, I guess.
18 May FoxcatcherTis true story is not easy to watch, but Steve Carell’s transformation into the money-fucked John du Pont is something to behold. An intense and disturbing study of motivation, ambition, and family, elevated by superior writing and extraordinary acting.
25 May Big Hero 6At some point I’ll get over the “oh wow, a “kids” film that’s actually really good” thing. Until then, let me tell you that I was surprisingly affected by this story of an inflatable male nurse helping his inventor’s bereaved brother battle the forces of evil. I know, right? Also, it looks AMAZING. Jay Freeman
Michael Keaton, who is known primarily for playing a superhero, playing Riggan Tomson, an actor known primarily for playing a superhero, in an experimental film about an ambitious play, could have fallen on its clever-clever arse. Instead, it’s delicious.
Te reasons for this are manifold, but Keaton’s subtly deranged and extraordinary performance is very important here. Tomson may be a washed-up egotist, but Keaton is plainly not. Alejandro González Iñárritu’s script, too, is full of ambiguity and unreliable narrative, a delightful puzzle warranting multiple watches.
Birdman may not have been the best film of last year (it wasn’t, ‘Boyhood’ was), but it was certainly among the most interesting. Make sure you see it. And Boyhood. Jay Freeman
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