- 1.0- October 2018
- electricity on the stage thanks to Aronofsky’s DP Matthew Libatique and raw intimacy in the dramatic off-stage scenes thanks to two (or three if you count sam elliott) powerhouse performances (tremendous moment here)
- you can definitely see the beautiful stage lighting work and comparisons with like Black Swan
- Cooper’s performance is very good- but certainly very borrowed from Sam Elliott’s voice (a point acknowledged, in a way that’s very well done in the film), part Kris Kristofferson—part Jeff Bridges in Crazy Heart for sure
- Lots of closeups as a camera choice—typical of an actor turned director- focusing on the performances and not the entire frame. The performers and performances are great though so it pays off- Andrew Dice Clay gets some nice scenes, Sam Elliott’s pickup truck scene- devastating
- Memorable scenes- clearly Cooper has a ton of confidence- and Lady Gaga does as well- it comes across well—there are individual scenes, like the one on the balcony where he tells her this is all fleeting, the first time they performance “The Shallows” which is a stunning song
viewing 2.0 February 2019
- the pill-popping, gin-drinking quick character exposition on Cooper’s Jackson Maine isn’t exactly Hitchcock explaining Joseph Cotton’s character in Shadow of a Doubt but it’s admirable still
- Lady Gaga’s character intro walking down the alley with the big red “A Star is Born” is a fantastic shot composition
- Did not catch it the first time but the nooses on the electric signs in the opening scenes introducing Cooper’s Maine- great visual touch and foreshadowing– solid form
- we’re draped in blues and reds to indicate characters- mostly Gaga in Red- I love this touch
- Also admirable to add to the realism of some of the flirtations between the two lead actors is that, repeatedly, Cooper’s Maine cannot hear what’s being said and he says so. It’s a great touch.
- the writing of “The Shallows” in the parking lot- with the lighting of the story- is a great scene
- it’s the fourth remake so of course this is an archetype and there are cliches galore but it’s a unique version– unique enough
- it’s really a film of two-halves. The first half is superb- some great scenes (the first live performance of “the shallows” truly transcendent) but the film, strength of the visuals and narrative- fade over the next hour
- R/HR border
after seeing the shop around the corner i looked it up on rotten tomatoes and saw it listed on this guys favorite films list. this hack should learn from lubitsch’s originality. i can not find a reason why anyone should remake a film for its fifth time. (what price hollywood.) this piece of oscar bait should not be taken seriously in my opinion.
@m – Cukor’s 1954 version is the best- and that’s the 3rd version
yes it is but still. this is the fifth. ‘each generation deserves a star is born’ is not true (said by media who wants people to forget movie history). also it is supposed to be about film, like the first ones, not about music or the music business. i am not a fan of cooper but i think he should have done some lesser work before making such an ambitious project. all actors want to direct, but they can’t all be orson welles you know. the music is almost too cringey to listen too also.
hey have you seen Brady Corbet’s Vox Lux. Amazing film, like an intelligent rebuke to Star is born. Tragic but not self pitying. Natalie portman was amazing. the idea that she became a completely different person and that young her was the same actress to play her daughter, and that she was a human yearning for privacy and the approval from her daughter and felt like no one treated her like a real person. The scene where she was warming up with the dance crew before the big show and dancing around reminded me of raging bull, and the story was like citizen kane. It is not on their levels but it is great. Armond Whites review (he had it on his best pf decade list) titled “Portrait of Artist as America’s Soul” was a great description of this film. Great music also. And if anyone has seen it what do you think of Jude laws character. I mean he is a great performer but do you think that his character was exploitative or truly cared for Portman’s Celeste?
@m- I still have to see this one. Maybe it was the Armond White review that kept me away this long. He’s literally the worst film critic