A Star Is Born


A star is born indeed. Close the “best picture” category at this year’s Oscars. It’s over. Done deal. We have ourselves a clear winner. A Star Is Born is not only the best film I’ve seen all year, it may just be one of the best films I’ve ever seen in my life. This might just be the emotion still pouring through, but this easily must go down as one of the best remakes of all time, and one where the remake completely blows all other incarnations out of the water. Let’s start off with the obvious, Lady Gaga is talented. Not just as an incredible musician, but she has clearly shown a talent for acting, and with this being her first leading role in a big movie, she absolutely knocks it out of the park. She approaches this role with such a fierce realism that it is hard to separate real from fiction. She is the absolute star in this role, but Bradley Cooper himself was no slouch. Pulling double duty as lead actor and introducing himself as a director in a triumphant way, Cooper is at his best here. The raw emotion pouring from him in this is a sight to behold. He was amazing in Silver Lining’s Playbook, and American Sniper, but this may well be his master performance. The chemistry between the two is palpable and I could feel everyone in the theater just mesmerized with these two.
            Now, let’s talk about Bradley Cooper as a director. Talk about execution. Cooper delivers several lovely shots here, and the story for the most part flows beautifully and has well executed transitions. There are some missteps here, in particular the glare shots and the cuts that he uses. Sometimes the cuts can seem a bit abrupt and the overall pacing of the movie feels as if it struggles due to this, but that is simply a nitpick on what was a masterful debut. Following the steps of actors such as Affleck, Jolie, and Krasinski, Cooper is someone to look out for in the future not only for his roles, but now his direction as well.
            The music is fantastic, with both Gaga and Cooper singing their hearts out. With lovely emotion and wonderful lyrics, I would not be surprised to see the soundtrack sell well, and I will be shocked if at least one song from the soundtrack doesn’t get nominated for an Academy Award. This film will surely produce a few nominations, but if Lady Gaga doesn’t get nominated for “best actress”, then you’re simply doing it wrong, Academy. Overall, a beautiful love story with visceral performances, fantastic music, and wonderful direction puts A Star Is Born as a clear front-runner for “best picture”. If you haven’t seen it, I implore you to go out and support this film. I doubt you’d regret it. All things considered, I’m going to give A Star Is Born a 9.5/10.

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