A Star Is Born

I know some will say this is a manipulative film. Perhaps, to some extent. When Lady Gaga began performing, I couldn't stand her. My old fogieness caused me to find her pretentious and doing anything for attention. Over the last couple years I have grown to really enjoy what she does. At an advanced age, I would love to see her in concert. Being able to here her great range and depth in this movie was a very pleasant experience. Also, the chops of Bradley Cooper were quite amazing. We all know the plot. I've seen all but one of the previous incarnations, so the big picture stuff was no an issue. There were a few slow moments but I think it worked very well.

The storyline of "A Star Is Born" is great with the story of the rise of a new star and the fall of the old one, who is her beloved alcoholic man that discovered and promoted her career. This 2018 version and fourth famous remake has the excellent Bradley Cooper not only singing but also directing and a surprising Lady Gaga in the lead role. Sam Elliott completes the magnificent cast. In addition, great screenplay, music score, cinematography and edition that make this romance one of the favorites to the Oscar. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "Nasce uma Estrela" ("A Star Is Born")

I must be on a streak with the amount of excellent films that I have been seeing lately, because A Star is Born is fantastic. If this film does not get nominated for Best Picture or Best Actor, Best Actress, or Best Original Song, then I will literally be stunned, because every single aspect found within the film was perfect. I would really love to see Lady Gaga win the Oscar for Best Actress because she totally nailed it here. She went from poking faces in 2007, to make the audience's heart sink in 2018.

Honestly, the one thing that I love the most about this film is the fact that the chemistry between Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga is so genuine and authentic. Their relationship is so perfect, so real, and I honestly felt like I was getting a realistic perspective of a couple, with all of their happiness, struggles, and everything in between. It is so funny that I thought Bradley Cooper was absolutely awful in American Sniper, so I was incredibly shocked to see how well he did here. Like in American Sniper, Cooper is also suffering from an alcohol addiction and relationship, but in A Star is Born, it is handled much more brilliantly. You see, we actually get to feel for his character. He is such a likable guy, that even when he makes a horrible decision, we understand why he is doing it, and we sympathize with in throughout it all. I loved both his character and Lady Gaga's so much. They were so damn perfect together.

As for the music, on its own it may have not been my cup of tea, but in the context of the film, it was outstanding. From country, to pop, to a little bit of rock and roll, I was sold on every song. Even with the final song, which totally wrecked my heart, along with everybody else's in the theater (who was sobbing like I was), I was hooked all the way through. The music was so perfect and I loved the transition in the tone of the music from the one-man show of Bradley Cooper at the beginning of the film, the duo of Cooper and Lady Gaga towards the middle, and the one-woman show of Gaga at the end. It was just outstanding.

You know, as much as I love La La Land, I started to understand why some people disliked that film after watching this one. A Star is Born is far more realistic, grounded, has better chemistry, and is just much more powerful. I loved this film, not only more than La La Land, but more than any other movie I have seen this year. This was excellent, without flaws, and if anything, really started to make me feel that love might be real.

So many soundtracks to continue listening to: A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night, Mid90s, and now A Star is Born. I love it!

I did not want to watch this movie but took my wife to see it, because we both saw the one with Kris Kristofferson and Barbra Streisand, growing up. The crowd was a lot older than we were(we are almost 50) it was the biggest screen they had at our theater and seats a lot but it was maybe half full on Sunday afternoon. Not one dry eye in the place, it had a great tempo and didn't drag on or have any lulls in the story. We were both very pleased and are still engaging in conversations about the movie. It's my opinion to highly recommend to everyone go out and watch a great movie and a heartfelt movie that redefines love in this time and age we live in. That is my two cents, hope you enjoy as much as we have.

This is the 4th version of A Star Is Born I've seen - 5th if you count What Price Hollywood - each version had a life of their own and reflected the times of the time in which it was made. The 2018 version is no exception. For me represented also the revelation of Lady Gaga as a phenomenal film presence. She is, quite simply, superb. Moving, powerful and real. Janet Gaynor had brought a form of overwhelming innocence, Judy Garland exploded in heartbreak in a Hollywood that doesn't exist anymore and she was, unquestionably, memorable. Barbara Streisand was tough with a strong sense of self even during her tribulations. Lady Gaga brings a little of each of them as well as something profoundly personal. Kudos to Bradley Cooper. His Norman Maine has a new name and a totally new presence. At times this version seems more about him than about her. In any case, I loved them both - Bravo!