Review of A Star Is Born (2018) by First L — 11 Oct 2018

GREAT MOVIE and GREAT MUSIC, two of my favorite things in the world, put them together and you can imagine how AWED I am in the theatre.

A Star is Born is the directional debut of Bradley Cooper, who also happens to be the producer and co-writer of this film. This is the third remake of the original 1937 film, the last one was the 1976 rock musical which stars Barbra Streisand. It follows the story of Jackson Maine (Bradley Cooper), an alcoholic rockstar who discovers and falls in love with a very talented singer-songwriter named Ally (Lady Gaga). I thought this film was really great. Bradley Cooper did an excellent job as a director and as an actor. I am fascinated by his work as an actor (The Hangover, Silver Linings Playbook, American Hustle, American Sniper and of course the voice of Rocket Racoon in GOG) and I assure you that he is a promising director as well. What surprised me is that he can actually sing. In fact, he wrote some of the songs for this film. Lady Gaga was magnificent. I'm not a fan of her music to be honest, but I've always admire her talent and powerful voice, which she showcases in this film. Every time she appears on screen and start singing, it's instant goose bumps for me. That's how great her performance is. Their chemistry is very natural and realistic, as if they were not acting. Sam Elliot was also in this film. He plays the older brother and manager of Jackson and he gave one of the emotional moments of the film, that car scene in particular with no dialogue just pure excellent acting. The music was also fantastic. It has some of the best songs that I've heard in a film, written for a film. The last 15 minutes of this film really moved me. It was emotional and powerful that it resonates not just to me but to other audiences as well. There are five to six people sitting behind me and when the after credits rolled, they all applauded the film, which is very nice. Although there are few narrative issues in the 2nd half of this film because it felt rushed, I wouldn't be surprised if this will be nominated for an Oscar. Also, it is noteworthy that a Filipino-American, Oscar-nominated cinematographer named Matthew Libatique. So proud of you KABAYAN!! ? A Star is Born is definitely a must see movie, with its great performances, music and direction. 9 out of 10.