Director: Alejandro González Iñárritu; Screenwriter: Alejandro González Iñárritu, Nicolás Giacobone, Alexander Dinelaris, Armando Bo; Starring: Michael Keaton, Edward Norton, Emma Stone, Naomi Watts, Andrea Riseborough, Amy Ryan; Running time: 119 mins; Certificate: 15
There's a school of thought that says if a film's score stands out enough for you to pay attention to it, then the composer has failed. Antonio Sanchez's restless, propulsive jazz score is just one of many technical flourishes that announces itself loudly in the vivid and electrifying Birdman, played by an on-screen drummer who we increasingly come to suspect may be a figment of Riggan Thompson's (Michael Keaton) unravelling imagination.
The technical artistry here isn't meant to escape your notice – the film is designed by director Alejandro González Iñárritu to look like one long unrelenting tracking shot, which traps us inside Riggan's trajectory as he bounces off the walls and through the warren-like corridors beneath Broadway's St James Theatre.
There's a school of thought that says if a film's score stands out enough for you to pay attention to it, then the composer has failed. Antonio Sanchez's restless, propulsive jazz score is just one of many technical flourishes that announces itself loudly in the vivid and electrifying Birdman, played by an on-screen drummer who we increasingly come to suspect may be a figment of Riggan Thompson's (Michael Keaton) unravelling imagination.
The technical artistry here isn't meant to escape your notice – the film is designed by director Alejandro González Iñárritu to look like one long unrelenting tracking shot, which traps us inside Riggan's trajectory as he bounces off the walls and through the warren-like corridors beneath Broadway's St James Theatre.
- 12/29/2014
- Digital Spy
The latest dust-up regarding the Academy's music branch, in case you've missed the recent news, is that Antonio Sanchez's original drum score for "Birdman" has been deemed ineligible in the Oscar race and that an appeal to the branch has been denied. Reading about the ins and outs of that lunacy in our exclusive interview with Sanchez, you'd be forgiven for being reminded of a similar unfortunate episode a few years back. I actually broke the news myself in early 2008 that Jonny Greenwood's score for Paul Thomas Anderson's "There Will Be Blood" had been disqualified by the Academy due to a rule that says any score "diluted" by preexisting music used elsewhere in a film's soundtrack would be deemed ineligible. My contention on this particular point has been the language itself, which is so dependent on subjectivity. In the case of "Blood," there was 46 minutes of classical...
- 12/29/2014
- by Kristopher Tapley
- Hitfix
The fifth annual Hollywood Music in Media Awards were held Tuesday night at The Fonda Theatre in Hollywood. "Birdman" composer Antonio Sanchez walked away with top film honors while "How to Train Your Dragon 2" and "The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug" also brought home awards. "It’s about time drummers get some love — now we have 'Birdman' and 'Whiplash,'" Sanchez said. "This is shaping up to be our year!" The animated film score prize was handed out for the first time ever and is a nice boost for "Dragon 2's" John Powell, who picked up an Oscar nomination for the first film in the series four years ago. Song prizes went to "Lost Stars" from "Begin Again" (with Gregg Alexander performing for the first time in 15 years) and "Everything is Awesome" from "The Lego Movie." Check out the nominees here and a full list of visual media awards below,...
- 11/5/2014
- by Kristopher Tapley
- Hitfix
Original Score – Feature Film Alexandre Desplat – The Imitation Game Antonio Sanchez – Birdman Jóhann Jóhannsson – The Theory of Everything Hans Zimmer – Interstellar Steven Price – Fury Thomas Newman – The Judge Trent Reznor...
- 11/5/2014
- by Sasha Stone
- AwardsDaily.com
Tuesday night's Hollywood Music in Media Awards offered the first La showcase for a handful of Oscar music contenders. While most below-the-line categories get their own standalone award special at some point during the season, these folks do not. (Typically, we wait for the Globes and other televised events to see these performances.) Held at the Fonda Theatre on Hollywood Boulevard, the Hmma, now in its fifth year, featured an opening act performance by "Birdman" drummer Antonio Sanchez, happy to be there and at his drum kit playing for an audience. Improvised a week before the film began, Sanchez's jazzy, driving, all-drums score played well for the group, a contingent of La music industry types that also handed him the best feature score prize. (Exclusive Toh! interview with Sanchez here.) Another frontrunner looking good throughout the modestly scaled evening was the original song "Lost Stars" from "Begin Again," written by.
- 11/5/2014
- by Ryan Lattanzio
- Thompson on Hollywood
Tonight in Los Angeles they're holding the Hollywood Music in Media Awards. I'm not familiar with this organization but this is apparently their fifth year. Two Oscar nominees, actor Eric Roberts (who has a small but key role in the upcoming Inherent Vice) and songwriter Stephen Bishop (Remember "Separative Lives" that duet from White Nights?), are among the handful of hosts and performances will include Antonio Sanchez (interviewed right here) performing a section of his all drum score for Birdman and Gregg Alexander doing "Lost Stars" from Begin Again (clearly the song to beat at this point but we wish they'd push for two nominations in that category because the whole soundtrack is so good).
But will any of this tell us anything about Oscar? [More...]...
But will any of this tell us anything about Oscar? [More...]...
- 11/4/2014
- by NATHANIEL R
- FilmExperience
Before 43-year-old "Birdman" composer Antonio Sanchez met Alejandro González Iñárritu, director, he was a diehard fan of Alejandro Iñárritu, radio DJ. As a teenager growing up in Mexico City, 96.9 Wfm, playing the “hippest music” in town, would accompany the music enthusiast’s drives to school. At night, he’d tune in to Iñárritu’s "Magic Nights" show, which Sanchez describes as “a little more daring" than the average radio programming. That was the first time he heard Pat Metheny’s "Last Train Home," a hazy guitar tune that wails with Latin jazz and funk sounds. Flash forward to 2002 and Sanchez is a professional jazz drummer playing in the Pat Metheny Group. On one fateful night, before a gig in Los Angeles, Metheny and Sanchez sat down for an interview in their hotel room with Martin Hernandez, another Wfm personality and “Birdman’s" future sound designer. And who winds up at the show?...
- 11/4/2014
- by Matt Patches
- Hitfix
The Hollywood Music in Media Awards (HMMAs) announced the performers for the 5th Annual HMMAs to be held at The Fonda Theater in Hollywood on Tuesday, November 4, 2014. Comprised of this year’s nominees, each performance will be world premiered at the HMMAs. Tickets for the show are available at www.hmmawards.org.
2014 Hmma Performers
Gregg Alexander – “Lost Stars” from Begin Again
Grammy winning singer/songwriter/producer Gregg Alexander will perform for the first time in 15 years. This will be the former New Radicals frontman’s first performance since the group disbanded following their international hit “You Get What You Give.” “Lost Stars” is performed in Begin Again by Keira Knightley and Adam Levine. The song was also included as bonus track on Maroon 5’s latest album “V.”
Antonio Sanchez – Birdman Score Live
Four-time Grammy winning drummer Antonio Sanchez will open the 2014 HMMAs with a special drum performance from Birdman.
2014 Hmma Performers
Gregg Alexander – “Lost Stars” from Begin Again
Grammy winning singer/songwriter/producer Gregg Alexander will perform for the first time in 15 years. This will be the former New Radicals frontman’s first performance since the group disbanded following their international hit “You Get What You Give.” “Lost Stars” is performed in Begin Again by Keira Knightley and Adam Levine. The song was also included as bonus track on Maroon 5’s latest album “V.”
Antonio Sanchez – Birdman Score Live
Four-time Grammy winning drummer Antonio Sanchez will open the 2014 HMMAs with a special drum performance from Birdman.
- 10/23/2014
- by Michelle McCue
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
“Rhythm is everything in cinema,” says director Alejandro G. Iñárritu.
Making the unique choice for the Birdman soundtrack, Iñárritu went with an almost total drum score by four-time Grammy Award winner Antonio Sanchez.
Sanchez is considered by many critics and musicians alike to be one of the most prominent drummers, bandleaders and composers of his generation.
Sanchez will open the 2014 Hollywood Music in Media Awards with a special drum performance from Birdman. Held at the Fonda Theater in Hollywood on Tuesday, November 4, Sanchez will play his critically acclaimed drum score live to a scene from the film.
Birdman or The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance is a black comedy that tells the story of an actor (Michael Keaton) – famous for portraying an iconic superhero – as he struggles to mount a Broadway play. In the days leading up to opening night, he battles his ego and attempts to recover his family, his career,...
Making the unique choice for the Birdman soundtrack, Iñárritu went with an almost total drum score by four-time Grammy Award winner Antonio Sanchez.
Sanchez is considered by many critics and musicians alike to be one of the most prominent drummers, bandleaders and composers of his generation.
Sanchez will open the 2014 Hollywood Music in Media Awards with a special drum performance from Birdman. Held at the Fonda Theater in Hollywood on Tuesday, November 4, Sanchez will play his critically acclaimed drum score live to a scene from the film.
Birdman or The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance is a black comedy that tells the story of an actor (Michael Keaton) – famous for portraying an iconic superhero – as he struggles to mount a Broadway play. In the days leading up to opening night, he battles his ego and attempts to recover his family, his career,...
- 10/23/2014
- by Michelle McCue
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Once Birdman starts it doesn't stop until the film runs out and even then its energy seems to bleed into your veins as you exit the theater. It's a story of actors and the stage, artists and their critics. It's about the desire to be somebody as much as it's the fear of being a nobody. It tells of a world where artists are no longer recognized for their talent, but instead for the larger-than-life characters (literal and figurative) they play. Riggan Thomson (Michael Keaton) is one such artist. Years ago, Riggan played Birdman in a trilogy of big budget, billion dollar blockbusters. The franchise was a massive hit and he turned down a lot of money for Birdman 4. Now he finds himself at his wits end, quite literally haunted by the character that made him famous while at the same time attempting to become the actor he's always dreamed of being.
- 10/20/2014
- by Brad Brevet
- Rope of Silicon
Birdman, the pitch-black comedy from Alejandro Gonzalez Iñárritu that recently took the festival circuit by storm, opens in theaters today. Among its most distinctive and arresting features is its drum-based score, composed by Grammy-winning jazz drummer Antonio Sanchez. A classically trained musician considered by both critics and peers to be among the foremost drummers, bandleaders and composers in contemporary jazz, the Mexico City native had never scored a film before his partnership with Iñárritu. Margaret caught up with him to discuss the project. The soundtrack was released on October 14, on Milan records.
Margaret: Since you’re a first time film composer, how did you get involved with Birdman?
Antonio Sanchez: I met Alejandro [Gonzalez Iñárritu] a few years back—there’s a very famous jazz guitar player that I play with a lot named Pat Metheney—and Alejandro has been a big Pat Metheney fan for a long time. In fact,...
Margaret: Since you’re a first time film composer, how did you get involved with Birdman?
Antonio Sanchez: I met Alejandro [Gonzalez Iñárritu] a few years back—there’s a very famous jazz guitar player that I play with a lot named Pat Metheney—and Alejandro has been a big Pat Metheney fan for a long time. In fact,...
- 10/18/2014
- by Margaret de Larios
- FilmExperience
Birdman greets theatergoers today, and it does so with a score that sounds not unlike two hours of silverware tumbling down a staircase. (In the best way.) Director Alejandro González Iñárritu and sound designer Martín Hernández opted for a soundtrack composed almost entirely of percussion to amp up film's tension and give them greater flexibility with pacing. The man they recruited to make those noises was multiple-Grammy winning jazz drummer Antonio Sanchez, who worked closely with the pair as he riffed and clanged his way through the movie's sonic backdrop. He explained to EW how the score came together. Getting...
- 10/17/2014
- by Neil Janowitz
- EW - Inside Movies
Directed by: Alejandro González Iñárritu Written by: Alejandro González Iñárritu, Nicolás Giacobone, Armando Bo, and Alexander Dinelaris Main Cast: Michael Keaton, Edward Norton, Emma Stone, Naomi Watts, Zach Galifianakis, Amy Ryan, Andrea Riseborough, and more… Past Oscar relations: Iñárritu was nominated for directing and co-producing Babel, Norton has been nominated twice (Best Supporting Actor for Primal Fear and Best Actor for American History X), Ryan has been nominated once (Best Supporting Actress for Gone Baby Bone), and Watts has been nominated twice (Best Actress for 21 Grams and The Impossible) Today we have another article in this particular series of mine concerning certain 2014 releases hoping to compete for some sort of actual Oscar attention as a contender at the upcoming 2015 ceremony. Next up for here for us is a festival favorite in Birdman that’s looking to take its sensational festival screenings and use that buzz in order to appeal to the Academy.
- 10/16/2014
- by Joey Magidson
- Hollywoodnews.com
Somehow over the years the Hollywood Music in Media Awards have escaped me. The event's fifth annual slate of nominees were announced today, and it's a pretty standard assortment of names we've been considering at the forefront of this year's Best Original Score Oscar race, from Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross to Hans Zimmer to the ubiquitous Alexandre Desplat. The nominees were chosen by an "Hmma advisory board and selection committee," and winners will be voted upon by "music-media industry professionals comprised of select members of the Society of Composers and Lyricists, The Television Academy, the AMPAS Music Branch, Naras, performing rights organizations, film music journalists and music executives," according to the press release. You might raise your eyebrow at something like "Interstellar" being on here when it hasn't been screened for these purposes (or much at all, for that matter). The nominations are also based on hearing music via...
- 10/8/2014
- by Kristopher Tapley
- Hitfix
I've been avoiding promotional materials for Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) like the plague, aside from being bombarded with the second trailer every time I visit my favorite local theater, so while a new clip for Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu's upcoming film debuted today, I certainly won't be watching it. Well, aside from skimming through and grabbing the screen capture you see above. The clip, entitled "Ask Me If He Sells Tickets", features Michael Keaton, Zach Galifianakis, and Naomi Watts having a conversation in a doorway about actors' ability to sell tickets, and concludes with Galifianakis planting a spirited kiss on Watts before exiting the scene. Birdman also stars Edward Norton, Emma Stone, Andrea Riseborough, and Amy Ryan in this black comedy tale about a washed-up blockbuster actor (Keaton) battling his ego and public perception as he attempts to mount a comeback on Broadway and subsequently recover his career,...
- 10/7/2014
- by Jordan Benesh
- Rope of Silicon
A pair of tracks from Antonio Sanchez's jazzy, drum-filled score for Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu's Birdman have found their way online and can be listened to directly below. I haven't yet seen the film, but there is definitely an attitude and vibe you get from listening to these two tracks that make it easy enough to put yourself into the headspace of this dramedy when coupled with the descriptions we've received from early reviews. The film finds Michael Keaton as an actor - famous for portraying an iconic superhero - as he struggles to mount a Broadway play. In the days leading up to opening night, he battles his ego and attempts to recover his family, his career, and himself. Fox Searchlight will begin releasing the film in theaters on October 17, listen to the two tracks directly below as well as check out a new poster for the film courtesy of Boston.
- 10/6/2014
- by Brad Brevet
- Rope of Silicon
Two tracks from the score of Birdman have surfaced online, and they're a rhythmic treat for fans of jazz drums. The percussion-only tracks, entitled "Doors And Distance" and "Strut Part II," come from Grammy-winning artist Antonio Sanchez, who composed for the Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu dramedy. Though there are no notes in the two attitude-filled tracks, their continuous feel compliments the work of Oscar-winning cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki (Gravity), who lensed the film in a way that gives the appearance that the entire film is one continuous shot. See more Inside the First-Ever Concert for Oscar-Nominated Original Scores
read more...
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- 10/6/2014
- by Ashley Lee
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Once upon a time, when studios built their films around a big cast filled with A-listers, they made sure to promote their latest spectacles by plastering their stars faces at the bottom of just about every poster. The actors names were also prominently featured to remind moviegoers of their favorite stars’ next movie.
In a nostalgic throwback to those golden days of Hollywood, Fox Searchlight has released a new name, face-driven poster for their film Birdman.
Directed by Academy Award nominee Alejandro González Iñárritu (Babel, 21 Grams), Birdman stars Michael Keaton as washed-up actor Riggan Thompson, who must overcome his ego and family trouble as he mounts a Broadway play to reclaim his past glory.
“Riggan is profoundly human,” Iñárritu says. “I saw him as a kind of Don Quixote, where the humor comes from the disparity and permanent dislocation of his solemn ambitions and the ignoble reality that surrounds him.
In a nostalgic throwback to those golden days of Hollywood, Fox Searchlight has released a new name, face-driven poster for their film Birdman.
Directed by Academy Award nominee Alejandro González Iñárritu (Babel, 21 Grams), Birdman stars Michael Keaton as washed-up actor Riggan Thompson, who must overcome his ego and family trouble as he mounts a Broadway play to reclaim his past glory.
“Riggan is profoundly human,” Iñárritu says. “I saw him as a kind of Don Quixote, where the humor comes from the disparity and permanent dislocation of his solemn ambitions and the ignoble reality that surrounds him.
- 9/27/2014
- by Michelle McCue
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Stevie Wonder hits the UK, Toy Story goes 3D, and it's the last ever Big Brother – our critics pick the unmissable events of the season
Pop
Stevie Wonder
Anyone who can't face braving Glastonbury to see the Motown legend's Sunday-night set can head to London's Hyde Park for this headlining show. It's likely to be heavy on the hits, but a little too heavy on the audience participation, if complaints from disgruntled punters at Wonder's recent shows are anything to go by. And be warned: Jamiroquai seems to have been enticed out of retirement to provide support. Hyde Park, London W2, 26 June. Box office: 020-7009 3484.
T in the Park
This beloved Scottish festival is prized as much for its atmosphere as its lineup. And they're certainly wheeling out the big hitters this year: Eminem, Muse, Kasabian, Jay-z, Black Eyed Peas, Florence and the Machine, La Roux, Dizzee Rascal and Paolo Nutini,...
Pop
Stevie Wonder
Anyone who can't face braving Glastonbury to see the Motown legend's Sunday-night set can head to London's Hyde Park for this headlining show. It's likely to be heavy on the hits, but a little too heavy on the audience participation, if complaints from disgruntled punters at Wonder's recent shows are anything to go by. And be warned: Jamiroquai seems to have been enticed out of retirement to provide support. Hyde Park, London W2, 26 June. Box office: 020-7009 3484.
T in the Park
This beloved Scottish festival is prized as much for its atmosphere as its lineup. And they're certainly wheeling out the big hitters this year: Eminem, Muse, Kasabian, Jay-z, Black Eyed Peas, Florence and the Machine, La Roux, Dizzee Rascal and Paolo Nutini,...
- 5/24/2010
- The Guardian - Film News
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