Watch Bird For Free

Overrated and overhyped

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

One of the most extraordinary films you will see this year. Take that as you want.

As an actor, Clint has his limits. His best moments come with scowls. But as a director, once he passed through his orang-utan stage, he took a lot of chances -- I suppose because he was now in a position to indulge his own artistic impulses.I mean, here is this story about a dead black musician. Not a funny and friendly and famously popular type like Satchmo Armstrong, but a radical alto saxophonist who was one of the sires of bebop jazz. Bebop didn't only give the public melodies it could whistle or romantic ballads. The emphasis was all on the performers and their improvisations, usually up tempo. You had to be a technician to finger your ax that fast and a near-genius to dream up so many variations. The themes themselves were almost disposable. The titles were whimsical throwaways -- "Anthropology"? It's not "The Glenn Miller Story." On top of that, we have a frequently wrecked black junkie mating with a beautiful white woman -- Forest Whitaker and Diane Venora, respectively.Charlie Parker's wicked saxophone solos aside, it's a dark movie in almost every respect. Most movies of geniuses run along a familiar geometric narrative. Man (or woman) discovers hidden talent. Rises from obscurity to fame. Is brought down by inner demons. Recovers at the last moment through epiphany. Up, down, then up again. Bird's struggle with drugs and booze was a lifetime affair. His career had more ups and downs than a traveling block on an oil rig. As far as his recordings go, he seemed to play his instrument just as well when he was high as when he wasn't. He played just as well when they forced strings and an oboe on him.It's dark, too, because all the scenes are barely lighted. You can't see the faces too clearly. It ends tragically, too, as Charlie Parker's life did. And it's a squalid death. We don't see him sitting in a drunk ward like Kirk Douglas in "Young Man With a Horn" (read Bix Beiderbecke), his eyes suddenly widening, his face brightening, as he listens to a siren scream in the background and he says, "That's it -- that's the NOTE!" Somebody ought to do Parker's friend and colleague, Dizzy Gillespie, who passed through bebop into his own technical firmament. At least he played skillfully throughout his life, died peacefully, and had an extraordinarily subtle sense of humor. If he were elected president, he'd have changed the White House into the Blue House.If you haven't seen this and if you have some doubt about whether you want to listen to this kind of music, you might go to YouTube and find one of his three-minute recordings, preferably one with Dizzy Gillespie.

Clint Eastwood's love for jazz is clearly reflected in this marvelous piece of tragedy. 'Bird' is indeed about the one and only legendary Charlie Parker who lived a somewhat tortured life supported by his wife Chan, alcohol, substance abuse and jazz and yet he became the greatest give to jazz. His contribution remains one of the most essential to the music and he is one name that's required to be known by all jazz lovers. 'Bird' is one film that will especially appeal to jazz lovers.The cinematography and lighting adds to the 40s and 50s chaotic jazz atmosphere. However, I thought that perhaps Parker's solos would have been better left with the original music instead of integrating it with modern musicians. Nevertheless this is one minor flaw. 'Bird' isn't told in chronological order and I was a little confused about the time-line but quickly it got clear.I also loved the way Clintwood focused on the love story between Bird and Chan. There clearly was a deep love between the two but Parker was a difficult tormented soul and his wife always had a strong presence in his life, always being there for him despite his chronic abuse of drugs and alcohol and his infidelity. Forest Whitaker gives the performance of a lifetime. He's sublime but also ravaged and disturbingly tormented as Charlie Parker. I haven't seen 'The Last King of Scotland' but I wonder why it took years for this actor to get the deserved recognition. Diane Venora is just as good and in spite of having numerous good work to her credit, she too does not seem to get the deserved recognition.I think 'Bird' would have been a better film about Parker, had Eastwood shown more of Parker's contribution to jazz in 'Bird'. I was already a little familiar with Parker's works and influence. We do catch a very little glimpse of Parker's struggle in getting accepted as a musician. As a result, 'Bird' isn't exactly a 'complete' biopic. I remember watching another beautiful biopic called 'Iris' but was very disappointed that there was no mention of the great writers works. Perhaps Eastwood wanted to limit the film from exceeding the length (it's already longer than two hours) yet at places the pace is quite lethargic.Having said it all, in spite of its flaws, it remains a fantastic film that I recommend to everyone, not only jazz lovers. A fine piece of film.

A dark and atmospheric biopic on jazz legend Charlie Parker, who with his fast improvisational style formed the sub-genre of bebop. Clint Eastwood directed this movie with a heart and passion that reflects back to his own love of the music which he has carried with him all his life and played a role in all his work. Eastwood himself actually was fortunate to have seen Charlie "Bird" Parker play in when he was alive. The film chronicles his life and has a tight focus on his self destructive behavior and the music itself. Bird explores the highs and lows of his journey. Playing to a sold out house in Paris, playing alongside Dizzy Gillespie, and earning a respect that few other musicians have matched. In contrast we see his heroine addiction, his suffering and depression resulting in several suicide attempts, the death of his daughter, and his wife's loving struggle to help save a man who's ill-fate was inevitable and irreversible.Forest Whitaker plays Bird with a lot of heart and soul. Even though I have no idea if it was an accurate portrayal in capturing the man's nuances, Whitaker's interpretation was superlative. Equally as good was Diane Venora as Bird's wife, who found enough strength for the both of them and tried to hold the family together in an un-winnable battle. There's lots of rain, lots of dark nightclubs, lots of street lamps reflecting the soaked streets, and lots of feeling in this one. Having just watched another biopic, that one on Ray Charles, it's clear to see Eastwood's was the real deal, whereas Ray was merely decent. Grade: A+

Don't expect that there will be something in this film that will keep you on the edge of your seat just because Clint Eastwood produced and directed it.Instead, Eastwood cleverly brought the dismal life of jazz musician Charlie"Bird" Parker to the screen by creating a great mix of historical fact, withintelligent acting. This movie is not the best film you'll ever see, but it's not the worst. I would only recommend this movie to people who can sit for 3 hours and be OK with that. Also, this is a good movie for people curious to know about the stereotypical jazz musician's way of life.