A STAR IS BORN

Release Date: Malaysia, 18 Oct 2018

Genre: Drama / Musical

Running Length: 2:16

Cast: Lady Gaga, Bradley Cooper, Sam Elliott, Andrew Dice Clay, Ravi Gavron, Anthony Ramos, Dave Chappelle

Director: Bradley Cooper

Screenplay: Eric Roth and Bradley Cooper & Will Fetters, based on a story by William A. Wellman and Robert Carson

Note: The best way to enjoy the full experience of A STAR IS BORN is not to have watched any of the previous versions (this Bradley Cooper's take is the 4th, the last one was in 1976), read any reviews or even listen to any of the music from this soundtrack. 

I will keep my review as spoiler free as possible, but that said, please discontinue reading if you've yet to watch this movie.

What's this movie about?

In essence, A STAR IS BORN is about one comet rising while another crashes. 

Jackson Maine (Cooper) is a fading country rock music star who accidentally discovers a talented unknown, Ally (Lady Gaga). They started a whirlwind romance as he took her under his wings. 

We've seen this story many times, haven't we? Soon, Ally's singing career skyrockets, leaving Jackson behind. It doesn't help too that Jackson is an alcoholic.  

Highlights!

I'm in awe of Bradley Cooper's capability as a first time director. I could really feel his passion and raw-ness on every frame of the movie.   

The technical choices he makes; the camera angles, the sound and the very close-up shots of the characters, made me invested in Jackson and Ally at get go. It felt immersive - like I was right there next to Jackson and Ally when they were singing in front of thousands of audience.

As good as Lady Gaga's performance is (her acting and the her chemistry with Cooper's character is so very believable), I thought Cooper gave his best performance ever here. 

One can really feel him spiraling out of control and losing the battle to his inner demons. As a rock star, he is never cocky. In fact, he's a good man. That's why it was difficult to watch him struggle through his emotional agony. 

The supporting cast are all very capable too. 

And the songs - it's really good! A big portion of the movie's screen time is devoted to performances which ranges from familiar covers to original composition (some were co-written by Cooper himself). I read today that the soundtrack has held on to its No.1 spot this week on the Billboard 200 chart for the second straight week.

Lowlights

I thought the middle portion was a little flabby. I get what the filmmakers were trying to achieve, but yet, it was draggy at times. 

Also, I'm not sure if it was done on purpose but I couldn't seem to keep track of the timeline of this movie. There were moments I went, "Wait a minute, did months just passed by?" Maybe Cooper was trying to inform his audience that his character Jackson was so drunk, he just couldn't keep track of time? I dunno.  

And of course, the resolution. As emotionally heart wrenching as it was, I personally felt some people would take it the wrong way and may view it as a permissible way to cop-out. 

In summary

Bradley Cooper's A STAR IS BORN has Oscars written all over it. It has the package - strong performances, a very good soundtrack, capably directed and most importantly, it's relatable to today's social issues. 

This is a raw and heartbreaking movie man...

RATING: 8.5/10

GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 2 (2017)

Genre: Action / Adventure
Running Length: 2:16
Cast: Chris Pratt, Michael Rooker, Vin Diesel, Bradley Cooper, Dave Bautista, Zoe Saldana, Elizabeth Debicki, Pom Klementieff, Kurt Russell, Karen Gillan, Sean Gunn, Sylvester Stallone
Director: James Gunn
Screenplay: James Gunn

When Vol 1 was first released in Aug 2014, I was probably the minority who didn't really enjoy it. No doubt it was a fun and bright outing but I didn't find it as humourous and engaging as most laud it to be. That's perhaps why I enjoyed GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 2 better as I went in with very low expectations. It's still not a very good movie but it's not terrible either.

I realised it's probably because I am unable to appreciate writer and director James Gunn's sense of humour. His jokes are politically incorrect and somewhat childish (just check out his YouTube's shorts - PG Porn). Eventhough it has more pointless gags this round, fortunately, some of it does lead somewhere when it's explained at a later stage (like why Cooper's Rocket always behaves likes an a-hole)

Although Vol. 2 is significantly more CGI heavy, I'm glad Gunn also doubled down on the character development too. Vol. 1 focused on assembling a group of misfits to save the galaxy and as a result, I didn't know much back story of most of the team. But this round, there are more quite moments where the characters are given more breathing space to reveal their vulnerabilities. As a result, I care more for the characters especially Michael Rooker's Yondu and Karen Gillan's Nebula.

The final emotional scene with Cat Steven's Father And Son soundtrack - that was where everything landed beautifully.

There are a few standout action set pieces especially the introduction scene with Baby Groot doing an impromptu dance routine and Yondu's escape. As I'm not too familiar with the songs used here compared to Vol. 1, I didn't really dig it much here. In conclusion, eventhough Vol. 2 delivers more of the same provided by its predecessor, it doesn't feel like a retread. 

RATING: 6.5/10

GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY (2014)

Genre: Science Fiction/Adventure
Running Length: 2:02
Cast:Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Vin Diesel (voice), Bradley Cooper (voice), Lee Pace, Karen Gillan, Michael Rooker, Djimon Hounsou, John C. Reilly, Glenn Close, Benicio Del Toro, Josh Brolin
Director: James Gunn

I was so looking forward to GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY and really wanted to enjoy this film – it seems to be a fun movie, has quirky characters, looks visually good but most of all, I was extremely curious to know more about this non-"household name" group of superheroes from the Marvel universe. But it's over-frenetic and not as witty as I imagined it to be. The CGI was over powering. And the plot involves some all-powerful orb which everybody wants is riddled with inconsistencies and a tad bloated. Thankfully, the characters develop a nice rapport and the '70s and '80s songs used was a nice touch. Speaking of characters, the cast is well chosen except the main baddie (Ronan played by Lee Pace) who isn't as nasty as I wished him to be. However, Josh Brolin's interpretation of Thanos (who makes a short appearance here) made me wish that he, instead of Ronan, had been the main villain. And finally the resolution; some may argue that it's anti-climatic and corny but I thought that was genuinely the funniest (and smartest) scene in the movie. (It reminded me of the same kind of irreverent humour used in Stephen Chow's Out Of The Dark climatic scene. Sue me...I'm corny)

Rating: 6/10

AMERICAN HUSTLE (2014)

 

Genre: Thriller/Comedy/Drama
Running Length: 2:09
Cast: Christian Bale, Bradley Cooper, Amy Adams, Jeremy Renner, Jennifer Lawrence, Louis C.K.
Director: David O. Russell  

AMERICAN HUSTLE is such a letdown especially after just watching David O. Russell's last effort, Silver Linings Playbook. And this film was marketed as a comedy - really?! I only chuckled once or twice. Despite its stellar cast and great production creds, the film didn't hold my interest at all and I was bored for most of it. This movie is all about the con; from small jobs to big time operations but Russell never loses focus on the small group of characters and their relationship with one another as the center of his story. Christian Bale is memorable as a sympathetic (or pathetic) con artist. The costumes and hair/make-up is effective circa 70s. The song choices are appropriate. Everything reminds me of the award-winning Boogie Nights. But why then didn't I enjoy this film?? It's actually driving me up the wall not liking this effort when established movie critics are raving about it. Maybe it's the heavy dialogue. Maybe it's the length. Maybe it was trying too hard to be clever. Maybe it's just me.

Rating: 3/10

SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK (2012)

Genre: Comedy/Romance
Running Length: 1:57
Cast: Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence, Robert DeNiro, Jacki Weaver, Chris Tucker, Julia Stiles, Brea Bee
Director: David O. Russell

I'm never a fan of Hollywood romantic comedies because it's just so..."templatized". But SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK is such a quirky adult romantic comedy it goes beyond the standard of this genre. Although it's a funny movie, the underlying premise is actually quite sad. Its characters and the relationships they are in are all broken and dysfunctional to various degrees. What's interesting is that the film makers use mental illness as a catalyst to romance (thankfully it was treated with respect ie. they didn't "Adam Sandler" it). Our couple, played by Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence are so well-matched as a screen couple their chemistry is electrifying! Whenever the two appeared on screen, I was completely engaged. And there's Robert DeNiro who reminds us why he is among the greatest actor of his generation (and it's actually possible for him to appear in a comedy without making a fool out of himself). There's this moving scene where DeNiro's tough character opens up to his son (Cooper's character) and breaks down in the middle of it. And the song choices used is a standout as it establishes the setting and enhances the scenes. Good thing is that despite the doom and gloom theme, the film ends (oh, and what a moving ending!) on a hopeful and life affirming note - a silver lining indeed. "This is what I believe to be true. You have to do everything you can. You have to work your hardest. And if you do, if you stay positive, then you have a shot at a silver lining."

Rating: 8.5/10