Entertainment
Michael Keaton’s Most Unhinged, R-Rated Comedy Is Being Buried
By TeeJay Small
| Published
If you were upright and outside back in 2014, you almost certainly heard buzz about a little critical darling called Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance). The film, which managed to sweep the Academy Awards with wins for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Cinematography, is perhaps best known today for its visual gimmick. The gimmick in question, is the elaborate stitching technique used to make Birdman appear as though it was captured in a single, continuous take.
Superhero Shame Leads To Broadway Game
In case you missed it, Birdman was written and directed by legendary Mexican filmmaker Alejandro G. Iñárritu. The film stars Michael Keaton in the lead role, as a washed-up actor best known for portraying a winged superhero decades earlier. This is obviously a thinly-veiled nod to Keaton’s history portraying Batman back in the 1980s, and a commentary on how the industry viewed superhero films before the Marvel Cinematic Universe made them the most mainstream thing on the planet.
In present day, Keaton’s Riggan Thomson is trying to restart his career, by directing and starring in a Broadway play. To get the show off the ground, he enlists the help of his girlfriend Laura, his daughter Sam, a recovering addict, and an insufferable method actor named Mike Shiner. Shiner is portrayed by Edward Norton in the film, in a role that some have theorized is based on his own behind-the-scenes behavior.
As the gang prepares for opening night, numerous issues arise, causing the show to go off the rails. At different moments, light fixtures fall from the ceiling, endangering the cast, Riggan clashes with his pompous co-stars, and at one point, he even finds himself locked out of the building in nothing but his tighty whities, forcing him to navigate through a crowd of gasping New Yorkers. All the while, the camera moves in extremely long shots, which make the film appear to play out in a single continuous take.
A One-Shot Like No Other
The camera work on Birdman is nothing short of spectacular. On an initial viewing, you might not be able to spot where the takes are stitched together at all. The presentation makes the whole film play out like a live stage show, effectively giving the viewer a window into what Riggan is trying to create with his Broadway play. Meanwhile, the frenetic drum-centric score cranks the chaotic energy to the max, forcing your heart to thump with excitement.
The score and visual presentation of Birdman became so popular after the film’s release that it was parodied by several well-known TV shows like BoJack Horseman, Sesame Street, and one especially memorable episode of It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia titled “Charlie Work.” They even opened the Razzie Awards with a parody skit of Birdman the year after the film premiered.
Though it’s best known for the visual gimmicks today, Birdman is well worth watching for its story alone. Iñárritu managed to weave the themes and concepts central to the film into a meta-narrative about the nature of performance itself, in a masterful display of writing and direction. There are a few mind-boggling visual effects present in the movie that will drive you crazy trying to figure out how they pulled it off, too.
Birdman Isn’t Easy To Stream
Unfortunately, Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) is not currently part of any major streaming library. It’s well worth the price to rent or buy through VOD services, but the film really should be placed on one of the major streamers, to ensure it gets the viewership it deserves.
As of this writing, Birdman can be viewed on-demand through YouTube, Apple TV+, Prime Video, and Fandango at Home.
Entertainment
The Decade's Funniest Sci-Fi Series Is Finally Complete On Netflix
By Jonathan Klotz
| Published
Comedy is hard to do right. Science fiction is hard to do right. A sci-fi comedy is nearly impossible. That’s what makes Resident Alien one of the best series of the decade. It’s a funny, well-written sci-fi comedy allowed to tell a complete story from beginning to end. After originally airing on SyFy, the series went to Netflix, and now, the final season has arrived for you to easily binge Alan Tudyk’s greatest performance.
The Perfect Role For Alan Tudyk
Tuidyk plays “Harry Vanderspeigle,” or rather, the alien with a name humans can’t pronounce, impersonating the town doctor (also played by Alan Tudyk in flashbacks), whom he accidentally killed when landing in Patience, Colorado. Harry learns medicine by watching Law & Order, and slowly picks up on human emotions, customs, and social cues as the series goes on, all to further his mission to exterminate the human race. Early on, he realizes that a young boy, Judah, can see his true alien form. He tries to exterminate the witness, but fails, and ends up befriending him instead. Be a different series if the bone saw had worked.
The first few episodes have the other residents of Patience playing the straight man to Harry’s quasi-murderous antics, before Resident Alien finds its groove and settles in. As the seasons go on, Harry finds an ally in Judah’s mom, Asta (Sara Tomko), and a new enemy when the government moves into Patience, which, as with Stranger Things, is represented by Linda Hamilton as a no-nonsense extraterrestrial hunting General. Hamilton isn’t the only sci-fi cameo. Resident Alien is filled with familiar names and faces having the time of their life on the show.
Alan Tudyk’s Firefly co-stars, Nathan Fillion and Jewel Staite, turn up as a telepathic octopus and an FBI Agent respectively. Clancy Brown, Terry O’Quinn, George Takei, and Stephen Root all drop by while behind the camera, Star Trek Voyager’s Robert Duncan McNeill is often directing the big episode of the season. When the star of the show is one of the most beloved performers in Hollywood, it’s easy to get everyone to show up.
Resident Alien Is The Decade’s Best Sci-Fi Series
Resident Alien is an absolute blast of a series. It’s a throwback to the old SyFy slate of Eureka and Warehouse 13, and the only show this decade to nail that vibe. It took a while to catch on. Season 1 flew under the radar with barely a million viewers for each episode. Once it was available on streaming, it became a social media hit, and viewership boomed. Now that it’s complete on Netflix, expect it to again experience a new surge in popularity.
There’s a lesson to be learned here by studios about producing original sci-fi, or well, almost original, since it does adapt the comic book series by Peter Hogan and Steven Parkhouse, and then giving them room to grow, develop, and find their audience. Too often, sci-fi shows are canceled after one season before anyone even knows how great it is. Resident Alien did everything right, barely survived for four seasons, and is now going to be your new favorite series
Entertainment
The best early Prime Day air fryer deals you can shop right now
Best early Prime Day air fryer deals at a glance:
Prime Day is almost here — and Amazon isn’t waiting for the official start to roll out discounts. This year’s sale kicks off on June 23, but early deals on small kitchen appliances are already live, and air fryers are among the standouts.
Whether you’re after a compact basket-style fryer for weeknight meals or a larger oven model that can roast a whole chicken, brands like Ninja, Instant Pot, and Chefman are already seeing price cuts. Here are the best early Prime Day air fryer deals worth grabbing now.
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Best mini air fryer deal
$64.99
at Amazon
$129.99
Save $65.00
Why we like it
If you live alone, like making apps or quick side dishes, or just want an air fryer that won’t take up your entire counter, the Instant Pot Vortex Plus 6-in-1 Mini Air Fryer (4QT) is on sale for $64.99 at Amazon, down from $129.99. This little air fryer can bake, roast, broil, dehydrate, reheat, and air fry small meals in minutes. Just press the preset button, and it does the rest.
Best large air fryer deal
$89.99
at Amazon
$149.99
Save $60.00
Why we like it
For households with more mouths to feed, the Chefman XL 6-in-1 Air Fryer (14QT) can make family-sized meals in no time. (There’s also a Hi-Fry button for those who prefer an extra crispy finish.) It comes with three removable wire racks, a rotisserie spit, a fetch tool to remove the rotisserie, and a dip tray/baking pan. And right now, you can get it for $89.99 — the lowest price we’ve tracked on this model to date!
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Entertainment
All the foldable iPhone Ultra hints in the iOS 27 beta
Apple unveiled a ton of new features and updates during this week’s WWDC keynote. From the brand new Siri AI to Spatial Reframing, the internet is still talking about what’s coming in the latest Apple operating systems like iOS 27 and macOS 27 Golden Gate.
However, the biggest announcement may be what Apple didn’t mention during the keynote. And while we didn’t get any direct mentions of the iPhone Fold Ultra, the company seems to have shared the news unintentionally in its new iOS 27 developer beta.
Code found within the new iOS 27 beta appears to confirm the long-awaited foldable iPhone.
The foldable iPhone, which has been called iPhone Fold but may end up officially going by the name iPhone Ultra, seems to be referenced in iOS 27 code, according to developer Sam Henri Gold.
iOS 27’s framework has new parameters that mention “foldState” and “angleDegrees.” These references were not in previous versions of iOS, and seem like pretty straightforward references to a foldable device.
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“foldState” directly references a foldable device and “angleDegrees” can refer to the angle at which the foldable iPhone is opened at.
Gold posted his findings on the social media platform X. The developer also found that the new iOS 27 beta checks the device to get the total number of built-in displays.
Every single iPhone that has ever been released up to this point has a grand total of one built-in display. If Apple is adding this to the latest iOS, that’s yet another sign pointing to a new foldable device with more than one display. Based on early leaks and dummy units, the foldable iPhone will feature a large foldable display as well as an outer display that can be used when the device is closed.
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After the iOS 27 developer beta went live, it didn’t take long for the tech world to find other indirect references to the foldable. Journalist Mark Gurman and tech creator Marques Brownlee both shared these hints with their followers on social media, with Gurman noting, “LOL could they be any more blatant?”
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Rumors and reports have strongly pointed to a September announcement and end-of-year release date for Apple’s foldable iPhone. However, Apple has not yet officially announced the device. These findings within the code of the iOS 27 beta are the strongest direct indication yet that it exists and that Apple is indeed planning to drop a foldable iPhone sometime in the very near future.
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The Decade's Funniest Sci-Fi Series Is Finally Complete On Netflix
