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 A Star Is Born (2018) 

Rate this film:
A 63%  63%  [ 5 ]
B 25%  25%  [ 2 ]
C 0%  0%  [ 0 ]
D 13%  13%  [ 1 ]
F 0%  0%  [ 0 ]
Total votes : 8

 A Star Is Born (2018) 
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Post A Star Is Born (2018)
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A Star Is Born is a 2018 American musical romantic drama film produced and directed by Bradley Cooper, in his directorial debut. Cooper wrote the screenplay with Will Fetters and Eric Roth. A remake of the 1937 film of the same name, it stars Cooper, Lady Gaga, Andrew Dice Clay, Dave Chappelle, and Sam Elliott, and follows a hard-drinking musician (Cooper) who discovers and falls in love with a young singer (Gaga). It marks the third American remake of the original 1937 film (which featured Janet Gaynor and Fredric March), which was adapted into a 1954 musical (starring Judy Garland and James Mason) and then remade as a 1976 rock musical with Barbra Streisand and Kris Kristofferson.

Talks of a third A Star Is Born remake began in 2011 with Clint Eastwood attached to direct and Beyoncé set to star. The film languished in development hell for several years with various actors approached to co-star, including Christian Bale, Leonardo DiCaprio, Will Smith, and Tom Cruise. In March 2016, Cooper signed on to star and direct, and Lady Gaga joined the cast in August 2016. Principal photography began at the Coachella music festival in April 2017.

A Star Is Born premiered at the 75th Venice International Film Festival on August 31, 2018, and is scheduled to be released in the United States on October 5, 2018, by Warner Bros.


Wed Oct 03, 2018 8:16 am
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Post Re: A Star Is Born (2018)
A little scattered and uneven but the performances are great, most of the music is very good, and that ending definitely leaves a strong impression.


(Yaaaas Gaga yaaaaaas)


Thu Oct 04, 2018 10:14 pm
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Post Re: A Star Is Born (2018)
I wish I didn't get so hyped for certain movies because then they usually disappoint to an extent. At least upon first viewing. I hate saying that about A Star Is Born because it's certainly an enjoyable film but I really expected something close to perfect and ended up with a film that's not totally flawless. The first half is terrific. The second half feels like they didn't know where to go with the story and it all felt kind of messy before going into Nicholas Sparks territory. I know it's a remake but I didn't expect it to go in the direction it did. It felt kind of cheap. Then again I haven't seen the original so I had no idea what was going to happen. This being said Gaga and Cooper are wonderful here and the hype for them is completely justified. I'm honestly not sure if she's a great actress but she's really lovable in this role and her performance is very natural. She absolutely lights up the screen and I'm interested in seeing her in more films. And of course her musical performances are amazing. I also loved the soundtrack in general (minus the awful pop songs) which I'll definitely be listening to quite a bit.


I'm hoping once I see it again it will all work better for me now that my expectations are in check. It's certainly good enough to see again. There are some pretty great moments. If I were to rate it I'd probably go with an A- but I kind of want to hold off on giving it a rating until I do see it again.


Fri Oct 05, 2018 1:26 am
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Post Re: A Star Is Born (2018)
I haven’t seen the other versions, but I think it’s safe to say we’ve all seen this story. So it really comes down to how well is everything executed. Well, the good news is that it’s very well done. Mostly.

The only thing I’m still debating is the whole manager/selling out aspect of “Gaga’s” rise. I think the songs are supposed to suck intentionally (unless I completely misread this), but does she know they suck? And I get that the songs sucking are a commentary on the music industry, but the movie never really lets us know whether she’s in on it or not. Maybe she knows because her hair is back to being brunette during the final number, but I think if Gaga’s character had good songs, I could’ve bought her being “born”. It also would’ve made that song a home run for me because she sings the hell out of it, but I wasn’t exactly moved. When it cuts to the two of them at the piano, that’s a great moment because the movie (mostly) sells the relationship. But that on stage part could’ve been something if I thought her character really had become a star.

That first half though is pretty perfect. The hype around Gaga being at least nominated for an Oscar is real (she earns it when she’s singing on stage with him for the first time and she puts her hands over her eyes). And Bradley Cooper gives his best performance since Wedding Crashers.

Very good, but could’ve been great.

A-

- That moment with the dog outside of the garage is maybe the most heartbreaking moment in film this year. (I’m probably forgetting something big)

(Maybe the songs intentionally sucking in the second half was done so that there’s absolutely no confusion that we’re actually seeing a very loose biography of Lady Gaga?)

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Fri Oct 05, 2018 8:55 pm
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Post Re: A Star Is Born (2018)
I thought it was fantastic, and Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper were incredible together. A


Fri Oct 05, 2018 11:25 pm
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Post Re: A Star Is Born (2018)
Absolutely incredible. The musical performance scenes are mesmerizing. And it's really emotionally affecting as well.

A

And ranking recent original musicals

1. The Greatest Showman
2. A Star is Born (yeah I know its a remake but the songs are original)
3. La La Land


Mon Oct 08, 2018 10:31 am
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Post Re: A Star Is Born (2018)
Bradley Cooper to La La Land: "Oh you thought you had a sad ending."

Looking through the wiki page, it seems like the guy dies in every iteration. But in the last one it was because of "reckless driving." The suicide thing did seem to come out of nowhere, with only a few minutes, 3 scenes, between the foreshadowing in the car and actual event. I knew it would have a sad ending, but figured it'd be more along the lines of Jackson's demons sever their relationship as he sings "Remember Us Like This", which I guess is a pretty similar ending to LLL and it didn't feel very satisfying there. So I guess, if this is meant to be a tragedy, you have to end with death. And while it makes more sense in todays society to have a drug overdose, the suicide hits much harder as something that could have been prevented. It also preserves the legacy of his character in the fiction, as a tragic tale of depression instead of the classic tale of vice overcoming. The agent is the only one who really wins here. And while it would have been nice to see him get some comeuppance, he didn't really do anything wrong. Someone needed to tell Jackson to get his life together that didn't also include the phrase "but I'll support you no matter what." And we see how little it takes to set him over the edge. I guess it was only a matter of time. And the film should be viewed as the events that prolonged his life rather than the events that ended it.


Tue Oct 09, 2018 9:49 pm
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Post Re: A Star Is Born (2018)
The first two thirds or so of this movie are A+ material. Cooper directs the fuck out of it and every big scene hits the feels in just the right way. Ally may win over Jackson with her voice, but Coops knows the audience will need a bit more. So why not have her punch a cop in the face in defense of her new friend? And then smother the audience with the adorableness of the convenience store scenes to follow. Both of them deserve nominations, if not wins, as they make their characters seem so natural, making the audience forget they are watching two of the most famous people on Earth and instead just Jackson and Ally.

Sam Elliot is the only one who is "ACTING" here, and his heavy presence in the second half (along with all the slow country speeches) brings it down from perfection as much as Jackson's depression.

The songs are all pretty good. "Wayside" , "Old Ways Die" and "Remember Us Like This" were my favorites.


Tue Oct 09, 2018 9:56 pm
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Post Re: A Star Is Born (2018)
Everything up until she dyes her hair was really great. The numbers that she does on Jackson's tour are great and Gaga's performance when she's just a normal girl flirting with him in the drag bar and near the convenience store are outstanding. I have more problems with when she becomes a pop star. As mentioned they have her singing songs that don't feel like hits, and make her look less attractive than the real Lady Gaga or the first half of the film. It comes off like the only reason she's popular is people are idiots. The manager guy is a bit too one note as he evily sends Jackson off the edge, and the relationship between Jackson and Sam Elliott's character is a missed opportunity. I'm not sure I buy the Jackson and Ally relationship when they're husband and wife, then again he's drunk and depressed the whole time time so it was probably never a fully healthy one. I suspect rewatching it in light of Jackson being depressed his whole life would change how his character is viewed. I think what makes the film is Lady Gaga is so great, especially in the first half, and Cooper shines near the end. If not for that I don't think I would like it as much.

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Sun Oct 14, 2018 10:12 pm
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Post Re: A Star Is Born (2018)
A STAR IS BORN

I enjoyed this film. The film flew by actually even though the guy in front of me was checking his dang phone. Anyway, I thought Bradley Cooper and Gaga were both great. I loved the musical sequences and the guitar play. The singing was excellent from both actors. I think I might have liked a flashback of the father and his drinking so the ending could have more believable. That was essentially my biggest problem with the film was that suicide. I just didn't believe that he's going to kill himself over what her manager tells him even if it was accurate. Just out of the blue he's going to kill himself over that. I would have preferred a more accidental death involving the motorcycle since they had a possible foreshadow of that earlier in the film but didn't use it. The final performance while well done by Gaga I don't think it had enough of a emotional impact for me. She wasn't emotional enough to me in that moment when the song cuts to Cooper singing in the end that almost got me. Overall, it's good. I love the soundtrack and enjoyed some lovely landscape shots in the film though I probably wouldn't buy this unless it's really discounted.

Grade - B

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Mon Oct 15, 2018 9:55 am
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Post Re: A Star Is Born (2018)
I'm convinced this is sweeping the Oscars in February. It's become too much of a pop culture phenomenon.


Sun Nov 04, 2018 8:39 pm
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Post Re: A Star Is Born (2018)
I cannot believe this is being considered among the best films of the year. It's a huge bore-fest. The songs are shit and the film just goes on forever. Bradley Cooper doesn't do anything special (or even good) in the director's chair. So lame. And Stefani Germanotta is the most hideously repulsive person to have ever graced the silver screen. Cannot believe she is the co-lead. Just horrible. I wanted to be sick just looking at her. Cooper acted great, channeling Sam Elliott's gruffness.

Oh, actually there is one decent song but I don't know its name. It goes "Maybe it's time to let the old ways die, maybe it's time to let the old ways die, takes a lot to change a man and it takes a lot to try, maybe it's time to let the old ways die...". Nicely sung and it has a poignancy to it.


Mon Feb 04, 2019 5:26 am
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Post Re: A Star Is Born (2018)
Excellent film, great music. Cooper stars before and behind the camera and delivers what must be one of the better remakes ever. Gaga is not too great as the actress, but she shines as bright as a singer and gives the film a soul. There's good chemistry in every relationship in the film, Sam Elliot and Andrew Dice Clay are strong in respectively brother and father roles. The film pours a bit too much of the melo-drama with Cooper's death, and the manager is just a sneer too sneaky. But I am in full appreciation of the story that highlight both an upward and downward facing career spiral. Several good songs really top the film off.

A-


Thu Feb 21, 2019 9:45 am
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Post Re: A Star Is Born (2018)
Yeah I loved this as well and as melodramatic as Cooper's death ended up being I still found it pretty damn effective and sad as hell. I really loved a lot of the songs in this too, but that performance of Shallow is easily my favorite musical performance of the year. I got straight chills during that whole sequence. Cooper does a fantastic job directing and with his performance in general and while I did fully buy into his relationship with Gaga's character he just outshines her way too much in almost every scene IMO. Not saying she's bad, because she isn't and when she sings those scenes are amazing, but in terms of her overall performance I thought she was only solid not great. Sam Elliot is much more deserving of the praise because I thought he was also great in this, and I loved his scenes with Cooper and man what surprise Andrew Dice Clay was. I honestly didn't even recognize him at first, but he was really solid in his scenes with Gaga.

A


Thu Feb 21, 2019 1:20 pm
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Post Re: A Star Is Born (2018)
It's gross this is losing to Roma or Green Book or god forbid Bohemian Rhapsody tomorrow. I don't know what happened in the Oscars narrative this year but something went radically wrong with this movie becoming an afterthought.


Sat Feb 23, 2019 11:46 pm
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Post Re: A Star Is Born (2018)
I think this has a better shot than Green Book or Bohemian Rhapsody but it’s probably losing to Roma.


Sat Feb 23, 2019 11:55 pm
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Post Re: A Star Is Born (2018)
This movie peaked way too soon. The release date was great for its box office but it really hurt any Oscar chances. It just couldn't keep the momentum going.


Sun Feb 24, 2019 3:41 am
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