A Star is Born (2018)

[raven]

I know the basic story outline though I haven't seen the original or any of the remakes.  This trailer got me interested though; I'll probably see this because I like Bradley Cooper and it seems like maybe Lady Gaga can act?  I haven't seen her on American Horror Story.  I think she looks great here; one thing that piqued my interest was her character saying that people don't like the way she looks.

[SuburbanHangSuite]

I don't care for Gaga at all but I like Bradley Cooper enough that he balances out my Gaga dislike.

I can't speak for the earlier versions but the Streisand/Kristofferson film is one of my all time favorites.  Kick-ass soundtrack, genuine chemistry between the stars, Barbra at her very vocal best.  Check it out if you've never seen it.  I think it turns up on cable every few months or so.

[Blergh]

Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga[!] star in the fourth rendition of the tale about a rising ,talented but insecure performer being guided by an established but self-destructive performer. Can this tale be given fresh life and  have relevance in the 2nd decade of the New Millennium? Time should tell quite nicely, I think!

[Dejana]

Official Trailer 1:

 

I don't always like every remake that comes around, but I don't have a problem with them conceptually. They end up bringing more eyeballs to the older version(s) and have been around since the existence of fictional plays, really.

I think the trailer looks good, but with yet another remake of A Star Is Born, I wouldn't have minded a bigger variation on the general story—a gender flip of the leads, maybe, or a same-sex romance. 

[methodwriter85]

I don't know yet if I think Lady Gaga can fully act, but she'll probably be at least okay.

I want this to be good. I came to love Bradley Cooper in Silver Linings Playbook and I seriously wish he could have been cast in Gone Girl as Nick. (As perfectly as Ben Affleck was personality and image-wise, Bradley just fit Nick better in terms of looks. And he also has that whole "asshole high school bully" vibe to him that Nick has.)

Edited August 26, 2018 by methodwriter85

[Bill1978]

I am not familiar at all with any of the previous versions of the movie, and each time I see the trailer for this one I sit there thinking I just don't care about what I;m being shown. It just seems really pretentious and slightly Oscar baity.

[kiddo82]

I'm not opposed to it in principle.  I just have this irrational fear that Lady Gaga may win an Oscar for her version while Judy Garland did not win for hers. 

 

My life is clearly very hard if this is one of my problems,

Edited August 29, 2018 by kiddo82

[EtheltoTillie]

Bradley Cooper sounds like a real country/rock singer.  Is he doing his own singing? 

[krankydoodle]

On 8/29/2018 at 12:59 PM, GussieK said:

Bradley Cooper sounds like a real country/rock singer.  Is he doing his own singing? 

It looks like he did (in addition to co-writing/co-producing some of the songs):

https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/lady-gaga-bradley-cooper-star-is-born-soundtrack-717409/

[starri]

It's been getting absolute rave reviews everywhere.  I'm actually kind of shocked by that, but happy for both of them, especially Gaga.

[Dejana]

Reviews (Rotten Tomatoes, Metacritic)

There's been good buzz from industry insiders and other stars for months, but sometimes that doesn't pan out after the official premiere. It's about a month until opening day (October 5 in the US) and longer still until the Oscars, so I'm fully prepared for the inevitable awards season backlash/controversy(ies).

From a Venice Film Festival press conference yesterday: 

[Empress1]

On 8/25/2018 at 10:30 PM, methodwriter85 said:

I don't know yet if I think Lady Gaga can fully act, but she'll probably be at least okay.

I want this to be good. I came to love Bradley Cooper in Silver Linings Playbook and I seriously wish he could have been cast in Gone Girl as Nick. (As perfectly as Ben Affleck was personality and image-wise, Bradley just fit Nick better in terms of looks. And he also has that whole "asshole high school bully" vibe to him that Nick has.)

There were times in American Horror Story where I thought she was straight-up awful so I'm with you, I'm not sure she can act. I suspect this is more in her wheelhouse.

I tend to go back and forth on Bradley Cooper. I've seen the trailer before every movie I've seen this summer and I've been intrigued, so I'll probably see this.

[starri]

Wasn't Gaga going to be credited under her own name?

[Dejana]

5 hours ago, starri said:

Wasn't Gaga going to be credited under her own name?

I believe that was the plan at one point, but in following the promotional campaign so far (though it's early days yet), I think the strategy in using her stage name is to make her seem like that much more of a actress, by playing up the contrast of her image in the film vs. how extra L. Gaga is in real life. 

[methodwriter85]

7 hours ago, Empress1 said:

There were times in American Horror Story where I thought she was straight-up awful so I'm with you, I'm not sure she can act. I suspect this is more in her wheelhouse.

I tend to go back and forth on Bradley Cooper. I've seen the trailer before every movie I've seen this summer and I've been intrigued, so I'll probably see this.

Yeah, I watched American Horror Story, too, so I'm not that confident about her ability. (How the hell did she get nominated for an Emmy for that? Geez.) The original casting was supposed to be Beyonce. Lady Gaga can enunciate so she at least has that over her.

I mean, any performer though would be able to relate to the struggle to get to the top.

[Blergh]

9 hours ago, methodwriter85 said:

Yeah, I watched American Horror Story, too, so I'm not that confident about her ability. (How the hell did she get nominated for an Emmy for that? Geez.) The original casting was supposed to be Beyonce. Lady Gaga can enunciate so she at least has that over her.

I mean, any performer though would be able to relate to the struggle to get to the top.

True but how many performers would be wiling to show their insecure, vulnerable side? This was one of the failings of the 1976 Streisand remake!

On a positive note, it seems that Lady Gaga insisted that both she and Mr. Cooper actually sing all songs performed live during filming to convey the passion of live performing- as opposed to lip- synching to a perfectly edited rendition.

[kiddo82]

I went to see Crazy Rich Asians this morning and saw this trailer again.  I have to say that when her vocals kick in near the end it really does ramp the preview up and I got goosebumps.  I am interested to see where they take it because she sure can sing and I'm already buying into the whole thing more than the '76 version.

Edited September 2, 2018 by kiddo82

[methodwriter85]

I never saw the 70's version but color me SHOCKED that Babs didn't want play raw and ugly at any point of the movie.

[starri]

I guess I am a little curious about why it's being released in October and not during awards season.  It seems like they'd do the same Greatest Showman counter-programming against whatever the big Christmas release is (Aquaman?).  I know this isn't a musical in that style, but Hidden Figures also opened Christmas Day, and we saw how that turned out.

[Dejana]

5 hours ago, starri said:

I guess I am a little curious about why it's being released in October and not during awards season.  It seems like they'd do the same Greatest Showman counter-programming against whatever the big Christmas release is (Aquaman?).  I know this isn't a musical in that style, but Hidden Figures also opened Christmas Day, and we saw how that turned out.

October isn't a bad place for a "prestige" movie with commercial potential: The Social Network, Gravity, Captain Phillips, Gone Girl and The Martian were October releases. Four Best Picture winners this decade were released in October: Argo, 12 Years a Slave, Birdman and Moonlight (three more were November releases). If a movie is held back too close to Christmas, it doesn't always get seen by enough people or build enough momentum to really maximize its awards potential. Oscar voters often prioritize watching things that have won earlier critics prizes or have made tons of money, but either path requires a movie actually being seen. Funny that you mention Hidden Figures, because I think it would have doubled its Oscar nominations count if it had come on the scene just 2-3 weeks earlier that year.

Warner Bros was going to release ASIB in May and then the end of September, before settling on October 5. I think it's a good spot: it makes sure the movie is seen but lets some other, later release become the Oscar frontrunner and get the major backlash instead, plus it positions the soundtrack nicely for a Black Friday/holiday season sales boost, and it's likely to be on Blu-ray/streaming by the time the final Oscar voting takes place. WB has other plans for the holidays: their big Christmas release is Aquaman (but it wouldn't surprise me at all if A Star is Born makes more money in the end).

Edited September 3, 2018 by Dejana

[kitmerlot1213]

On 8/27/2018 at 11:19 PM, kiddo82 said:

I'm not opposed to it in principle.  I just have this irrational fear that Lady Gaga may win an Oscar for her version while Judy Garland did not win for hers. 

 

My life is clearly very hard if this is one of my problems,

 

I hate the idea of this remake more then I can say, specifically because you can't get a better version then the Judy Garland/James Mason film.  It also doesn't help that Lady Gaga can't act, so if she wins an Oscar, it will be an even bigger insult.

Edited September 5, 2018 by kitmerlot1213

[methodwriter85]

On 9/5/2018 at 5:36 PM, kitmerlot1213 said:

I hate the idea of this remake more then I can say, specifically because you can't get a better version then the Judy Garland/James Mason film.  It also doesn't help that Lady Gaga can't act, so if she wins an Oscar, it will be an even bigger insult.

I'm going to give her a chance, because sometimes mediocre actors hit on something that just fits them so well and they knock it out of the park, like Melanie Griffith in Working Girl. Bradley Cooper and the director might manage to coax something out of her.

I get it, though. I'm still pissed that Sophia Lauren has Natalie Wood's Oscar for Splendor in the Grass.

[AimingforYoko]

9 hours ago, methodwriter85 said:

Bradley Cooper and the director might manage to coax something out of her.

You know that's the same person, right?

[methodwriter85]

I need to be paying more attention, lol

[NutMeg]

This review is making me confident that the film might be worth it: https://www.theguardian.com/film/2018/aug/31/a-star-is-born-review-lady-gaga-bradley-cooper

It's not often that I see a 5 star review there.

In particular, the part about 

Quote

sensationally good Lady Gaga, whose ability to be part ordinary person, part extraterrestrial celebrity empress functions at the highest level at all times

gives me hope, because I think she's one of the few people I can think of who can both be very ordinary but also totally believable as an out-of-this-world superstar persona, or "extraterrestrial celebrity empress", as the article calls it. Also, she CAN sing, which some might not be aware of.

(I've seen her in concert. She's a beast. She jump and sings and plays the piano and does many weird things. While keeping singing, in key and with power. There's the occasional loss of breath, so you know she's live, but it's short, she gets her voice power back really quickly.)

[Dejana]

Clips:

One Reason:

 

Songwriter:

 

A Way Out:

 

12 Notes:

 

 All together now:

[Spartan Girl]

This...is the greatest thing ever.

https://mobile.twitter.com/KevinTPorter/status/1042467450141339648/video/1

[Mabinogia]

That was awesome. Oddly, I bought Kermit with that voice, LOVED Fozzy with that voice, but I was taken out of it by Miss Piggy with that voice. Miss Piggy's voice is so distinct that it is odd hearing her sound different. lol That said, I would totally see that movie. 

[enoughcats]

Am I the only one who saw the image of the two of them at the Venice Film Festival and wondered how Harrison Ford had time traveled?

[Dejana]

[TVFan17]

I think that when this movie is officially released to the public at the end of next week, a lot of the pre-release hype will backfire and some people will respond unfavorably to the movie (just because I think that a lot of hype tends to have a counter-intuitive effect).  People will say it's not that great.  People will say they were expecting something different.  People will say they don't understand what all the fuss is about.  People will say it is boring.

It is interesting that all the reviews from critics who have seen it thus far have been so positive.   I've barely even read a slightly negative observation within one of these reviews.   It seems too good to be true.    There's no way this movie can be as good as it is being built up to be. 

Although... not that this means much, but it is worth noting that, sometime within the last several months, I saw a clip of Sean Penn speaking on some panel somewhere.  I can't recall what the panel was about or why Sean Penn was there, but in the middle of something he was talking about, he brought up A Star is Born (I suppose he was able to see an advance copy of the movie) to give it high praise.   My first thought was, "Well, Sean Penn is grumpy, and he has never struck me as the kind of guy who will rave about a movie at all, let alone a movie he didn't really like, especially out of the blue, on a panel that has nothing to do with that movie -- so, for some strange reason, his opinion seems to mean something!  It has some merit!"  lol

I saw the Hotel season of American Horror Story and I agree that Gaga's acting was hard to get used to.   But, in all the clips I have seen from A Star is Born, she seems more natural and the acting doesn't appear to be as awkward as it was on AHS.  I think she is much more in her element here, and, with Bradley's help, she might do all right.   And she certainly has the right musical chops for the role.  She is a very talented singer and musician, and she is versatile enough that she can adapt her voice to different styles of music.

All I know is that I love me some Bradley Cooper.  I have loved him for years -- going way back to his appearance in a Sex and the City episode.   I usually don't see movies in actual theaters anymore, but the trailers have sucked me in and I might  trot myself into a theater to see it.

[UMAngela]

I haven't seen any of the previous iterations of this movie (shame... should I catch up in the next week?), but I've been watching this on repeat and I am amped for October 5.  

Shallow

[Blergh]

10 hours ago, UMAngela said:

I haven't seen any of the previous iterations of this movie (shame... should I catch up in the next week?), but I've been watching this on repeat and I am amped for October 5.  

Shallow

 

 IMO, while I definitely think this latest incarnation will have fresh, new insights into the original barebones plot; it can't hurt to at least get some background research by watching the previous three- and finding out for oneself why previous generations considered classics at least the first two movies. IOW, it's not necessary to see the others but it can't hurt if one has the opportunity (perhaps even to consider how the protagonists' interests and goals evolved via changing expectations of their individual peer groups).

[NutMeg]

16 hours ago, UMAngela said:

I haven't seen any of the previous iterations of this movie (shame... should I catch up in the next week?), but I've been watching this on repeat and I am amped for October 5.  

Shallow

 

Haven't seen all of them either, but was just reading this article that compared them and I found it interesting (some people might find it slightly spoiler-isn for the 2018 version - I usually hate spoilers and didn't mind, for what it's worth):

https://www.theguardian.com/film/2018/sep/28/female-success-and-male-decline-what-a-star-is-born-tells-us-about-fame-fear-and-feminism

The title is a bit misleading. I found the background of the previous movies to be a very good read.

[JustaPerson]

I've seen the 1955 version with Judy Garland and I wasn't very interested in this one, but it is getting good reviews so I'm curious. Judy Garland famously lost the Oscar to Grace Kelly for this role...I don't know how to feel if Gaga managed to snag it (and she would be the first to win an Oscar for the role since Judy and Janet Gaynor both lost and Barbra Streisand wasn't nominated). 

Edited September 29, 2018 by JustaPerson

[SimoneS]

I like Lady Gaga's voice and public persona although I am ambivalent about much her music so I hope this movie does well and she gets lots of critical acclaim. I saw the version of this movie with Barbra Streisand years ago. I can't even remember my opinion about the movie so it must have been unimpressive. I only remember being surprised by the ending.

Edited September 30, 2018 by SimoneS

[SmithW6079]

On 9/5/2018 at 5:36 PM, kitmerlot1213 said:

I hate the idea of this remake more then I can say, specifically because you can't get a better version then the Judy Garland/James Mason film.  It also doesn't help that Lady Gaga can't act, so if she wins an Oscar, it will be an even bigger insult.

I'm partial to the original 1937 version with Janet Gaynor and Frederic March.

[Rilla-my-Rilla]

I just got back from seeing this. I did like it, but whew it could be uncomfortable in some parts. I guess that's not really surprising given the topics, so I just sat there in my head going oh no, oh no, oh no.

[magdalene]

I don't believe any movie or any actor is such a "sacred" thing that there can't be remakes for new and different generations.  So Judy Garland was "robbed" of an Academy Award for this role?  So were probably quite a few other actors over the years for a variety of roles.

In general I am not a fan of Lady Gaga's music - her tribute to David Bowie for example didn't wow me to put it mildly.  But this movie and the performances are getting good reviews and I will go see it and judge for myself.  And if they win some awards, more power to them.

[Enigma X]

The 70s version is one of  my top movies.  I just saw this version and was not disappointed. I think Gaga has a great voice but not a fan of her music, but the classic rock /rock country songs that were mostly sung by Cooper and Gaga were great. Acting was great. Who knew Cooper is not only sexy but has a voice too.

Edited October 5, 2018 by Enigma X

[SeanC]

I haven't quite decided if this is a five-star film for me, but it will be for many people, I expect, and it's a very good piece of work.  Cooper, Gaga, and Sam Elliott (the latter in a supporting role) are all superb here.  Cooper is a much better singer than I would have guessed, while Gaga is a creditable actress, and the musical sequences are all great.

As a director, Cooper makes some interesting choices, particularly in the climactic scene, where he eschews pretty much all of what a conventional approach would take as the key shots for depicting such a scene.

Watching Cooper's former Alias co-stars show up one by one (Grunberg!  Rifkin!), I was getting my hopes up that Victor Garber would appear at some point, but alas.

[Miss Slay]

I really enjoyed it. I could see it on VH1's "movies that rock" in a few years. ;)

But seriously, Bradley and Gaga were great together. The story was predictable but I still enjoyed the ride. I liked that it was set in the modern era but had a 70s vibe to it. A by gone era where people played instruments.

[SallyAlbright]

Loved it. Gaga was excellent, but Bradley Cooper absolutely blew me away. Hope he wins Best Actor, though I haven't seen the other contenders yet. He was just so good, and I'm not usually a huge fan of his - kind of lukewarm on him, generally. 

Edited October 6, 2018 by SallyAlbright

[AimingforYoko]

To add to the astonishing for Mr. Cooper, he played Bernie Taupin to Lukas Nelson's(Willie's boy) Elton John for all of Jackson's songs. (Lady Gaga wrote or co-wrote all of Ally's songs.)

[Silver Raven]

Quote

I think that when this movie is officially released to the public at the end of next week, a lot of the pre-release hype will backfire and some people will respond unfavorably to the movie (just because I think that a lot of hype tends to have a counter-intuitive effect).

I think a lot of people decide to criticize anything that's hyped because they want to come across as cooler than the ordinary critic.

This movie absolutely blew me away, and Bradley Cooper was just amazing.  I keep seeing hype for an Oscar for Gaga, but I wouldn't be surprised to see four nominations for Cooper - actor, director, Best Picture and Best Song (though there is a plethora of great songs in this movie to choose from).

Andrew Dice Clay surprised me.  I hated his comedian persona, but he did well here.

One thing that stood out for me was the way the acting was so naturalistic.  People talking over each other, people repeating each other, people interrupting each other.  It wasn't the typical script where one actor says all he has to say then the other actor responds.  I enjoyed the hell out of that.

[Enigma X]

1 minute ago, Silver Raven said:

One thing that stood out for me was the way the acting was so naturalistic.  People talking over each other, people repeating each other, people interrupting each other.  It wasn't the typical script where one actor says all he has to say then the other actor responds.  I enjoyed the hell out of that.

I noticed that too and wondered if the direction was to free flow those scenes.

[Spartan Girl]

I have never actually seen the three previous movies, and maybe it's better that I didn't before seeing this one, but in any case was great. Deserves to go down as one of the best remakes ever.

Bradley Cooper sure can sing! And Lady Gaga was so raw and real; it was so refreshing to see her stripped of all the makeup and costumes so that her fantastic voice is the standout.

Sam Elliot was also great as the older brother. His scenes with Bradley were so heartbreaking.

And that dog! Standing by the garage because he knew what happened! ?????

If nothing else, "Shallow" should win the Oscar for Best Original Song.

[AimingforYoko]

18 minutes ago, Silver Raven said:

Best Song (though there is a plethora of great songs in this movie to choose from).

They'll probably nominate "The Shallow" for Best Song and that was Ally's, therefore Lady Gaga's. He'll probably get the other three though.

[Luckylyn]

Anatomy of a scene

[SuburbanHangSuite]

Really, really good movie.  It deserves the hype it's getting.  I totally believed their love story and how smitten he was with her.  And how cute was Jack around a bunch of Queens?

LOVED the little homage to the '76 version with them in the tub.

Don't know the actor who played her scumbag manager but I'll say he did a helluva job because he had me feeling all kinds of stabby.  

Hurtful as it was, Jack was right.  That SNL song and performance was pure cringe knowing her level of artistry.