Here's what I think of "A Star Is Born" (SPOILER ALERT!)

[RickMonster98 7,304]

                                                                                

Okay guys, I've finally watched "A Star Is Born"!  Here's my thoughts of it, feel free to comment your thoughts below. Attention, it could contain SPOILERS!

Okay, it was really a beautiful movie. Amazingly written and directed, with a breathtaking cast. I was expecting Gaga to be very great, but she was phenomenal. I'm not saying this because I'm a fan, I've been watching and analyzing films since I was 13 (no joke there ) and if something related to a movie fails me I'm the very first one to tell. She couldn't have been better. The rest of the cast is no less and, apart from a wonderful Cooper, Sam Elliott surprised me in a particular way. Dave Chappelle's character was less memorable instead, in my honest opinion. 

Speaking about the movie itself, I have to say the first half was undoubtedly perfect. Nothing I would have changed, every sequence felt absolutely at the right place. The whole scene at the drag bar (when Ally performs "La Vie en Rose" and her subsequent  meeting with Jack) is my favourite in the whole movie. 

My second favourite scene of the movie is Ally and Jackson first time singing together: the goose bumps.  You can feel "Shallow" is going to become a classic, it will certainly be remembered (along with "Always Remember Us This Way" and "I'll Never Love Again").

The second part of the movie starts approximately when Ally begins to do pop and more shallow songs, but  I honestly felt like this passage was a little too hurried. She is suddenly making pop music and the audience had to "imagine" what happened in between. 

Jack's last scene was literally heartbreaking, but not as tragic as I thought it would have been. I knew it was coming tho because I know the original story but it managed to break my heart anyway.  Cooper's directing choices were admirable by the way, he could definitely get that Oscar. 

My main criticism tho goes to the ending, when Ally's singing in that theater "I'll Never Love Again". Don't get me wrong, it was an amazing scene, I cried the hell out of it and the flashbacks broke my heart. But it could have been better. I honestly think that she should have performed the song in the same drag bar of the beginning, with all of her friends watching her, with the same flashbacks obviously. It would have been way more emotional and stunning, just imagine that. 

                                                

RATING: 8,5/10 

To sum up, I can definitely see Gaga getting nominated for Best Actress and Best Original Song ("I'll Never Love Again").

This is my first response to this wonderful movie, I'm definitely watching it again as soon as possible. What do you guys think? Do you agree with me or is there something else you noticed/liked/didn't like? 

[Ada 1,665]

I think the pace is gonna kill its Oscar changes  

Nobody is speaking about the rehab scene, when she goes see him. That's when I was about to get up and scream really how the **** can you act like that!? What did you think of that one?

I would've liked if they showed Jackson while he was actually hanging himself, and then regret it but it's too late. I think that's more truthful to what a person struggling with codependency would go through, and it's also much more powerful and messy (closer to his life experience). He was done with life at first, then found a possible way out, then killed himself after realizing something that could easily be proven wrong; he had just gotten sober, which would've helped their relationship so so much. I can't picture Jack just believing suicide is what he MUST do.

[Reality 72,126]

I pretty much agree with everything you said.

Your change to the final scene though is really interesting. I like the idea of her performing back at the drag bar to make the story go "full circle," as a nice homage to how they began as a couple. 

[RickMonster98 7,304]

10 minutes ago, MrA said:

I think the pace is gonna kill its Oscar changes  

Nobody is speaking about the rehab scene, when she goes see him. That's when I was about to get up and scream really how the **** can you act like that!? What did you think of that one?

I would've liked if they showed Jackson while he was actually hanging himself, and then regret it but it's too late. I think that's more truthful to what a person struggling with codependency would go through, and it's also much more powerful and messy (closer to his life experience). He was done with life at first, then found a possible way out, then killed himself after realizing something that could easily be proven wrong; he had just gotten sober, which would've helped their relationship so so much. I can't picture Jack just believing suicide is what he MUST do.

THIS, you're totally right i agree. 

[Toph 374]

Jackson believed suicide was the only option because of what Rex told him moments before. "We both know it's only a matter of time before that's replaced by the real thing." Think about it. 

I totally agree about the pacing issues with the movie though. It's my only gripe

[Reginald 13,835]

I just saw it today too 

I LOVE LOVE LOVED hearing members of the General Public / regular adults in the audience's responses to William and Shangela. Eternal kudos to Gaga and Bradley for such a positive and normal example of queer culture 

[Clip 5,100]

40 minutes ago, MrA said:

I think the pace is gonna kill its Oscar changes  

Nobody is speaking about the rehab scene, when she goes see him. That's when I was about to get up and scream really how the **** can you act like that!? What did you think of that one?

I would've liked if they showed Jackson while he was actually hanging himself, and then regret it but it's too late. I think that's more truthful to what a person struggling with codependency would go through, and it's also much more powerful and messy (closer to his life experience). He was done with life at first, then found a possible way out, then killed himself after realizing something that could easily be proven wrong; he had just gotten sober, which would've helped their relationship so so much. I can't picture Jack just believing suicide is what he MUST do.

That would've been great. A while ago I read an article where they mentioned that every single person who had tried to kill themselves by jumping off the Golden Gate bridge and had survived regretted having jumped (while they were falling, not years later or anything)

[adamsenigma 9,520]

39 minutes ago, MrA said:

I think the pace is gonna kill its Oscar changes  

Nobody is speaking about the rehab scene, when she goes see him. That's when I was about to get up and scream really how the **** can you act like that!? What did you think of that one?

I would've liked if they showed Jackson while he was actually hanging himself, and then regret it but it's too late. I think that's more truthful to what a person struggling with codependency would go through, and it's also much more powerful and messy (closer to his life experience). He was done with life at first, then found a possible way out, then killed himself after realizing something that could easily be proven wrong; he had just gotten sober, which would've helped their relationship so so much. I can't picture Jack just believing suicide is what he MUST do.

It was all Rez fault tbh, Jackson was goimg through the right direction, but Rez made Jackson feel terribly guilty and scared of his addiction. REZ ade Jack think he could end Ally's career and he knew the chances of becoming alcoholic again were high, so he just could not bare the pressure of his thoughts and his past, he couldn't bare thinking he was ruining the lives of who he loved, especially Ally.

I hate how at the end it all resumes to Jackson killing himself because of what his girlfriend's mamager told him.. But, once again, he was in a really weak emotional state of mind so he just took that decision. 

[noisullitcefrep 3,871]

I think your changes are very interesting, but in my opinion everything was perfectly fine.

It made sense for the last scene to be in front of a huge audience. Not only the song was basically made to be performed in front of an audience like that, but because we see Ally being in public without all the make-up and with her brown hair again. It's like she has found herself again in a sense and I assume it takes a lot to change your appearance so drastically while the public has perceived you differently for a long time, that just shows how deeply Jackson's death affected her. However, I like the thought of her performing in the Drag bar again, but I just don't see her perform INLA there.

I also think the second half was made rather fast and with many gaps on purpose. I think Gaga herself said that everything goes extremely fast once you become a popstar. One day you're here, the other day you're there, it's a kind of overstimulation. I think Ally isn't able to process all those impressions and is a little overwhelmed. It's cool to translate this into the editing of the movie in my opinion! But I agree that some things are very fast, like their wedding came out of nowhere and happened extremely fast, almost randomly. It was difficult to follow from time to time.

Also the suicide scene was very well handled. Not even hearing the sirens and just seeing the lights and the dog sitting in front of the garage was heartbreaking enough and probably hurt more like anything else. It felt like all the joy in the movie just died and... ahhhhh it was so sad. 

 

But in the end the movie is absolutely great the way it is! It's fun talking and thinking about what could've been made differently, nevertheless! Get those Oscars now

[Free My Mind 2,180]

the point in the last scene is that is supposed to mark the star being 'born' and shows that Jackson dying is not the end of her career