MICHAEL LOMAX: How ‘Birdman’ soared to win Oscar for Best Picture

The 87th Academy Awards have come and gone, and this year it was dark comedy-drama “Birdman” that took home the night’s big award.

I’m not sure if the film enjoyed a theatrical release in Albany last October, but I’d be surprised if it did. The Carmike, while a fine theater in its own right, isn’t exactly known for challenging independent cinema (also known as slow and potentially boring movies). Instead, you go to the Carmike for a good time with family and friends, enjoying stories that appeal to mass audiences. And there’s nothing wrong with that. I’m not a film snob by any means.

But if “Birdman” did play in Albany, it definitely wouldn’t have lasted long. No, I had to go to Youtube to watch this one.

Starring Michael Keaton as washed-up former action hero Riggan Thomson, the film follows Thomson’s attempt to restart his career on Broadway in an ill-conceived adaptation of a Raymond Carver story. Everything falls apart from there.

Intense method actor Mike (Edward Norton) hijacks the play. Riggan’s girlfriend (Andrea Riseborough) reveals her pregnancy. And Riggan himself slowly loses his mind—giving in to the very voice of the character Birdman (Benjamin Kanes) ringing in his ears.

Shot and edited to give the illusion of a one-take story, director Alejandro Gonz