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A Star is Born (2018) https://letterboxd.com/smudgeefc1985...-is-born-2018/
To start with, short of dying and going to heaven for Judy Garland singing the Man That Got Away in the 1954 version, I havent seen any of the previous incarnations, so my remake-itis doesnt come into play here.
Im generally also wary of films that gain a lot of hype, especially in this start of the run up to awards season, as they tell you everything is brilliant, and then, well, most of it is stuff we've all seen before. So despite the hype, my expectations were starting out a little low. I was expecting not to like this very much.
But I did! A musical romance, and for that to work in any context, it desperately needs two things. Showstopping musical scenes, and believable chemistry between your leads. This very much delivers those two key ingredients. At not a single moment does this relationship feel like it;s being forced upon, or like this is two actors playing at love. It feels real from the second our characters meet. From the sheepish looks of early attraction, to the later pain and heartbreak that comes at times over their years together. I bought this chemistry, and in a film that is essentially a love story, that can sometimes be enough.
The music...well...let's just say Bradley Cooper made an excellent editorial decision to leave much of the singing to Lady Gaga. Yes, Im a fan anyway, and there are very few better voices around today. Like the chemistry, the strength of the songs is how personal they feel, how they are landmarks in the relationship, how they reflect the story. And reflect pretty much the true fact that music adds attraction. Seriously stick a mike or a guitar in front of anybody and the sex appeal goes through the ceiling. Music is about connections and emotion. I think on that note, the film could have addressed the questions over the mid section where it is suggested there is some 'selling out,' but then maybe it still works, as Ally and Jack's relationship is always as good as their music is together. When their music is good, so are they. When they falter, so does the music.
It reminded me an awful lot of The Way We Were, following a couple over a period of time, their compromises, their possibly outgrowing each other. Very enjoyable, and that final scene? Bang, like a sledgehammer.
To start with, short of dying and going to heaven for Judy Garland singing the Man That Got Away in the 1954 version, I havent seen any of the previous incarnations, so my remake-itis doesnt come into play here.
Im generally also wary of films that gain a lot of hype, especially in this start of the run up to awards season, as they tell you everything is brilliant, and then, well, most of it is stuff we've all seen before. So despite the hype, my expectations were starting out a little low. I was expecting not to like this very much.
But I did! A musical romance, and for that to work in any context, it desperately needs two things. Showstopping musical scenes, and believable chemistry between your leads. This very much delivers those two key ingredients. At not a single moment does this relationship feel like it;s being forced upon, or like this is two actors playing at love. It feels real from the second our characters meet. From the sheepish looks of early attraction, to the later pain and heartbreak that comes at times over their years together. I bought this chemistry, and in a film that is essentially a love story, that can sometimes be enough.
The music...well...let's just say Bradley Cooper made an excellent editorial decision to leave much of the singing to Lady Gaga. Yes, Im a fan anyway, and there are very few better voices around today. Like the chemistry, the strength of the songs is how personal they feel, how they are landmarks in the relationship, how they reflect the story. And reflect pretty much the true fact that music adds attraction. Seriously stick a mike or a guitar in front of anybody and the sex appeal goes through the ceiling. Music is about connections and emotion. I think on that note, the film could have addressed the questions over the mid section where it is suggested there is some 'selling out,' but then maybe it still works, as Ally and Jack's relationship is always as good as their music is together. When their music is good, so are they. When they falter, so does the music.
It reminded me an awful lot of The Way We Were, following a couple over a period of time, their compromises, their possibly outgrowing each other. Very enjoyable, and that final scene? Bang, like a sledgehammer.
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