A Star Is Born [split from RMP]

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A Star Is Born

Some of it works I guess, but some of it REALLY doesn't. There are some cringe'y scenes and some that makes no sense what so ever. Lady Gaga is good, Bradley Cooper grunts. Meh.

Ghost Stories

I had higher hopes for this, for sure. A movie that thinks it's so much smarter than it actually is.

Re: Recent movie playlist

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It's well made, well acted, I like most of the music. It creates a convincing world with rounded characters. Films are about endings and Cooper nails the end.
The suicide scene is very well handled.
. In terms of what it sets out to achieve it barely sets a foot wrong.

Re: Recent movie playlist

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klimov wrote:It's well made, well acted, I like most of the music. It creates a convincing world with rounded characters. Films are about endings and Cooper nails the end.
The suicide scene is very well handled.
. In terms of what it sets out to achieve it barely sets a foot wrong.
Well acted for sure, and the music is mostly good and often very well shot. But... There are some huge, sinking holes in the movie that I couldn't make peace with.
1. Why does she like him at all? They make it oh so clear why he adores her, but her feelings for him are blurry at best. It's just "oh I guess I love him and can't live without him now". The way they set it up, it's a one way relationship. And that makes the rest of the movie fall short, since their relationship is what everything hinges on.
2. There are some scenes that are just baffling to me. The first one being her spontaneous sing-a-long in the parking lot after they've first met. Like something out of a bad musical.. The second one is the entire part with Dave Chapelle. First off - you do NOT introduce a character played by Dave Chapelle with THAT weird close-up. I didn't know he was in the movie and I honestly thought the film had cut to commercial or something right there in the theater. And Jackons entire relationship with this character from out of the blue made absolutely no sense beyond being a pure plot device. And they go from Alli being pissed of at Jackson to her marrying him in literally five minutes of story time? C'mon, you can't be that lazy. You need to set up that stuff, not just throw it in the movie and move on.
3. I don't buy her character arch, or at least they way she goes from an amazing singer to being pretty much Lady Gaga over the course of the film. For all the talk of talent before looks and being yourself, they sure don't abide by that when they make her into the biggest star in the world. Would have liked to see her protesting against the image they create for her, at least, not just Jackson.
4. The suicide scene was fine, but the dog was just a bit much wasn't it? ;)
I have more gripes with the film but this is what came to mind right now.

Re: Recent movie playlist

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I think what you're saying is that the relationship is "problematic", but for me that's to the film's credit. Re: the music: this is left somewhat ambiguous, which again I see as a strength. Mark Kermode interprets it as Jackson failing to appreciate Ally's true Gaga-esque creative self. Another interpretation would be that
Ally taking the dye out of her hair and dropping the dance-pop shtick in the final scene signifies that she has re-connected with that true self and become a fully realised artist thanks to Jackson's sacrifice. Sob! :sob: :clap:
Chapelle - I don't know who he is TBH, as such his presence in the film didn't trouble me at all.

Re: Recent movie playlist

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klimov wrote:I think what you're saying is that the relationship is "problematic", but for me that's to the film's credit. Re: the music: this is left somewhat ambiguous, which again I see as a strength. Mark Kermode interprets it as Jackson failing to appreciate Ally's true Gaga-esque creative self. Another interpretation would be that
Ally taking the dye out of her hair and dropping the dance-pop shtick in the final scene signifies that she has re-connected with that true self and become a fully realised artist thanks to Jackson's sacrifice. Sob! :sob: :clap:
Chapelle - I don't know who he is TBH, as such his presence in the film didn't trouble me at all.
Well there's a difference between "problematic" (which I agree can be to a films credit) and "illogical", "one-sided" or something like that, which I felt is what the film suffered from.
Also, I wouldn't say it's ambiguous at all. It's a clear, fast path that she walks on from the moment the label signs her. Going from "can't play this song without a piano and Jackson next to me" to full Lady Gaga in that short space of time and without hesitation felt wrong to me.
Chapelle is one of the most famous stand-up comedians in the world, btw ;)

Re: Recent movie playlist

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It's not illogical though, is it - he's a handsome, charming, rich and powerful older man... And he needs saving into the bargain! If the relationship didn't make sense, the film wouldn't be a huge hit with female-leaning audiences.