Haven't seen it yet, but have listened to the Isbell track and Shallow on Spotify. Both are really good songs, but Isbell's song is so so good. Cooper does a really good job.
*** A Star Is Born ***
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Last: 1 mo ago by bam02
I know this happens all the time, it just seemed out of character for *Ally* not to push back at all or express more ambivalence than just a "uh I can't dance very well"
I listened to Shallow a half dozen times on my 4 hour drive today. The concert scenes in the first half of the movie really stuck with me.
I listened to Shallow a half dozen times on my 4 hour drive today. The concert scenes in the first half of the movie really stuck with me.
Clarke95 said:
I know this happens all the time, it just seemed out of character for *Ally* not to push back at all or express more ambivalence than just a "uh I can't dance very well"
I thought the same thing at first, but her character never seemed that confident or headstrong to begin with. Yes, she bossed her dad and his buddies around, and eventually quit her job, but she had self esteem issues, wouldn't perform her own songs, and had been taking sh*t from her boss for who knows how long prior. We - and that producer - caught her at the very beginning of her finally starting to gain confidence. Had she spent another year on the road with Maine, finding her voice, before the producer approached her, it might have been a different story. But she was still in that whirlwind-finding-her-voice phase, and that's why she was so easily manipulated. Also, if you look closely at the final scene when she's performing onstage, her hair is back to its normal color, her "arc" back to who she was now complete. Had she "been herself" too soon, she wouldn't really have had any where else to go in the end, character-wise.
Did the scene where the dog lay down in front of the garage door remind anyone else of Jurassic Bark from Futurama?
Spoiler Alert:
Very big spoiler ahead!
I thought the suicide scene with his legs visible in the window and his dog whining outside the door was a bit over dramatic. You know how any scene using an animal evokes extra emotion? Just felt a bit too much. Too easy to yank the heartstrings.
And, we were a bit surprised. He had recently come out of rehab and thought he was far from taking his own life. I know he had mentioned an attempt when he was 13. Did this mean he never got any better? That all this time he was barely hanging on and she actually gave him the will to live? That's what I think. I don't really know. Some of you on here are excellent film critics; what do you think?
Very big spoiler ahead!
I thought the suicide scene with his legs visible in the window and his dog whining outside the door was a bit over dramatic. You know how any scene using an animal evokes extra emotion? Just felt a bit too much. Too easy to yank the heartstrings.
And, we were a bit surprised. He had recently come out of rehab and thought he was far from taking his own life. I know he had mentioned an attempt when he was 13. Did this mean he never got any better? That all this time he was barely hanging on and she actually gave him the will to live? That's what I think. I don't really know. Some of you on here are excellent film critics; what do you think?
I wasn't surprised at all by that, especially after her manager came and made Jack feel like **** for embarrassing her.
I agree. Remember he had not gotten out much and judging by their house didn't seem very connected to outside.Junkhead said:
I wasn't surprised at all by that, especially after her manager came and made Jack feel like **** for embarrassing her.
Exactly. The manager absolutely decimated him. From that moment on, Maine realized he could only hurt Ally's career, and that they could never be truly happy together.
Saw it yesterday, very good movie. Very good.
What was the connection between Cooper's character and Chappelle's character? I took it that Chappelle was some sort of musician, maybe an old street blues guy in Memphis or a session player and that maybe their paths had some significant beginning but I didn't pick up on it being explained if it was.
What was the connection between Cooper's character and Chappelle's character? I took it that Chappelle was some sort of musician, maybe an old street blues guy in Memphis or a session player and that maybe their paths had some significant beginning but I didn't pick up on it being explained if it was.
He was an extremely fragile person. And used alcohol and drugs to cope. He finally gave it up because of his love for Ally, but I don't think he believed he could sustain being sober and would eventually hurt and embarrass her again and that thought was too much to handle. He was on the verge of suicide most of his entire life. And I think the interaction with Rez at the end just confirmed everything he had already thought and feared. And that was the nail in the coffin for him.Southlake said:
Spoiler Alert:
Very big spoiler ahead!
I thought the suicide scene with his legs visible in the window and his dog whining outside the door was a bit over dramatic. You know how any scene using an animal evokes extra emotion? Just felt a bit too much. Too easy to yank the heartstrings.
And, we were a bit surprised. He had recently come out of rehab and thought he was far from taking his own life. I know he had mentioned an attempt when he was 13. Did this mean he never got any better? That all this time he was barely hanging on and she actually gave him the will to live? That's what I think. I don't really know. Some of you on here are excellent film critics; what do you think?
My wife twisted my arm to get me to go to this show; this was not a movie I would ever watched on my own. I thought it was great!!! From the music to the chemistry between the actors.... this is an excellent film. The story itself is interesting as it follows two classic archetypes simultaneously: Lady Gaga's character is plucked from obscurity in a "rags to riches" scenario, while Cooper experiences the reverse: tragedy/fall from grace. Maybe that's why the story is so damned compelling....
Lady Gaga's acting ability surprised me as much as Cooper's singing.. both very good. Conversely,
Gaga's singing & Cooper's acting were off the charts. In a nod to FastFred's tastes in cinematic nudity, seeing Gaga's Tata's was appreciated as well.
Loved seeing Dice in a "straight" role... a far cry from The Adventures of Ford Fairlane. I've been a fan of his since I saw him at the old Palmer Auditorium in Austin back in '91.
Agree with others that Chappelle was a little mishandled. I would have liked to have seen him utilized a little more or perhaps more explanation of his relationship in the grand scheme of things.
Another minor nitpick is time frame. A 60 second montage showing Jack & Ally on a tour bus, multiple concerts, the dog getting bigger, etc. would have helped convey the amount of time that had passed. I was also lost quite a bit as to what city they were in or where Jack's character lived. Arizona? That bugged me as well.
I had a feeling Cooper wasn't going to live through the movie, but man that really sucked seeing it happen. I couldn't help but think of Chris Cornell ending his own life as Cooper's character hung himself.
Lady Gaga's acting ability surprised me as much as Cooper's singing.. both very good. Conversely,
Gaga's singing & Cooper's acting were off the charts. In a nod to FastFred's tastes in cinematic nudity, seeing Gaga's Tata's was appreciated as well.
Loved seeing Dice in a "straight" role... a far cry from The Adventures of Ford Fairlane. I've been a fan of his since I saw him at the old Palmer Auditorium in Austin back in '91.
Agree with others that Chappelle was a little mishandled. I would have liked to have seen him utilized a little more or perhaps more explanation of his relationship in the grand scheme of things.
Another minor nitpick is time frame. A 60 second montage showing Jack & Ally on a tour bus, multiple concerts, the dog getting bigger, etc. would have helped convey the amount of time that had passed. I was also lost quite a bit as to what city they were in or where Jack's character lived. Arizona? That bugged me as well.
I had a feeling Cooper wasn't going to live through the movie, but man that really sucked seeing it happen. I couldn't help but think of Chris Cornell ending his own life as Cooper's character hung himself.
Glad to see others have the same feeling about location. Other than the old family place in Arizona and the Grammy Awards location, I have no idea where anything else took place. I suppose it's not that important, but for me nice to have a mental map of where things are taking place.
I think the house they had together was in Memphis.
See, I thought that was LA, because they were getting ready for the Grammy's at that house, and the Grammy's are in LA. Plus, Jackson was going to meet Ally at that concert at the end, which was in LA as well.
So many things wrong with this movie. It was good but I'm surprised how many people think it's going to win a ton of awards.
Care to expand? Sure, ambiguous locations where a minor issue (though ultimately irrelevant), Ally's rise to stardom might have been a bit too fast (but can easily be accounted for in edits), and Chappelle was somewhat random. I'm not here to start an argument or anything, I'm just genuinely curious as to what else you thought was "wrong" with this movie? I get it not being everyone's cup of tea, but that speaks more to personal preference than objective issues.
As for awards, it's far and way the current favorite for Best Picture according to nearly every "expert" in the field. And it will absolutely be nominated for far more. Cooper himself may even set a record for most individual nominations for a single movie in a single year. Nearly every Oscar movie this year has already screened, the field is starting to come into focus, and this is simply how the chips are likely going to fall.
As for awards, it's far and way the current favorite for Best Picture according to nearly every "expert" in the field. And it will absolutely be nominated for far more. Cooper himself may even set a record for most individual nominations for a single movie in a single year. Nearly every Oscar movie this year has already screened, the field is starting to come into focus, and this is simply how the chips are likely going to fall.
In addition to all those things, why the hell would he stop at a gay bar (or any other bar for that matter) if there was a cop bar nearby where he was a regular. The first time he brought her on stage was completely unbelievable. No way they're going to do an unrehearsed song like that in front of a crowd that big. That's a few more issues I have off the top of my head.
Did he mention a cop bar? I don't remember any reference to a cop bar. He and the driver both made it sound like they didn't know the area very well. But even if he did, maybe he just didn't want to go there that particular night? Maybe he wanted to try something new?
That's the first "issue" that popped into your head?
As for performing the unrehearsed song, sure, it may have stretched believability a bit, but it was in service of an absolutely electric, catalyst moment. That, and it's THE scene that so many people seem to love the most.
To each his own, but I'd choose the sheer emotion of those two scenes over absolute believability any day of the week.
That's the first "issue" that popped into your head?
As for performing the unrehearsed song, sure, it may have stretched believability a bit, but it was in service of an absolutely electric, catalyst moment. That, and it's THE scene that so many people seem to love the most.
To each his own, but I'd choose the sheer emotion of those two scenes over absolute believability any day of the week.
First of all, are you questioning the motive of an alcoholic? He wanted a bar to get his booze and he chose the first one he saw. Don't you remember him saying something like, "is this a drag bar?". Sounds to me like he didn't know it was one.Junkhead said:
In addition to all those things, why the hell would he stop at a gay bar (or any other bar for that matter) if there was a cop bar nearby where he was a regular. The first time he brought her on stage was completely unbelievable. No way they're going to do an unrehearsed song like that in front of a crowd that big. That's a few more issues I have off the top of my head.
And I would much rather go to a drag bar than a cop bar. If you haven't seen a drag show live then you wouldn't understand how much fun it actually is. Not all people are the same so questioning why someone would choose something you wouldn't necessarily choose doesn't make their choice unrealistic.
The bar where she punched the guy out was a cop bar. He specifically mentioned it when he took here there because they served after hours. And someone mentioned that he was a regular in there.
And I know it's a dumb complaint but what celebrity ever signed an autograph by writing their first name in all caps? Maybe John Lee Hooker because he was illiterate.
Quote:
The bar where she punched the guy out was a cop bar. He specifically mentioned it when he took here there because they served after hours. And someone mentioned that he was a regular in there.
Right, but why do you think it was near the drag bar? The whole point of going to a random (drag) bar was to wait out the traffic. Traffic let up and he took her to "his" bar, wherever that was. Doesn't mean it was close. They were out literally all night. They could have gone anywhere.
I give the guy a pass because it's late, he's drunk and on pills, and he's signing a drag queen's fake plastic rack.Quote:
what celebrity ever signed an autograph by writing their first name in all caps?
Then they should have done a much better job making that clear just like they should've done that with the timeline of the movie. We still have no real clue the amount of time that lapsed from the start of the movie to the end. You're the expert but that's poor storytelling IMO.
I understood the bar timeline & reasoning just fine. He popped into a random bar because of traffic. Met a gal he hadn't expected to & didn't want the night to end. The couple then went to a new after-hours bar he was a regular at which was not in his original plans.
I've done the exactly the same thing when I was younger. I do agree with you on the overall time frame. Definitely didn't "break" the movie for me.
I've done the exactly the same thing when I was younger. I do agree with you on the overall time frame. Definitely didn't "break" the movie for me.
Nothing "broke" the movie for me. I enjoyed it but I had issues with several parts. And I get the concept of bar hopping but it didn't seem like they were very far from the 2nd bar when they left the first yet he acted like he didn't know that area. Maybe the 2nd bar was 30 minutes away. Who knows? They did a poor job of explaining that IMO.
I agree that they did a poor job of explaining it, but I don't think it was necessary to "explain" in the first place. That whole bar "issue" never even crossed my mind, and I can't understand how/why it would even remotely take away from the overall flow/emotion of the story. It's so utterly inconsequential and seems like something really random and pointless to get hung up on. Same with signing his name in all caps on the fake, plastic cleavage of a drag queen.
It's a combination of many of those things that are frustrating to me. It's sloppy storytelling.
I loved the drag bar scene. Willam and Shangela were hysterical, and "I don't care what you sing just look at me while you're doing it" was my favorite line of the movie. They only left the drag bar for the second bar because the drag bar was closing.
I've been thinking a lot about the movie since seeing it. It was nice to go see a movie and feel something, and not just see a spectacle. I want to go back and watch it again, but check out once her hair turns pink.
I've been thinking a lot about the movie since seeing it. It was nice to go see a movie and feel something, and not just see a spectacle. I want to go back and watch it again, but check out once her hair turns pink.
Junkhead said:
It's a combination of many of those things that are frustrating to me. It's sloppy storytelling.
This sums it up for me too. Great, great acting but sloppy, loose storytelling.
A lot of the dialogue was cheesy and eyeroll inducing too. I'd have to watch again to give specific examples, though.
Just saw it. There were some great scenes, like:
- Her performance in the drag queen bar
- When he gets her out on stage for the first time
- Hammered at the Grammys
- His last words to his brother in the truck, with Sam Elliot backing it out of the driveway
- Him hanging in the garage with the pup outside. Sad, but not unnecessarily graphic
Of course, the music in this movie should clean up at the Academy Awards. Aside from that, Cooper might win Best Actor, but I think everyone else should be satisfied with being nominated.
- Her performance in the drag queen bar
- When he gets her out on stage for the first time
- Hammered at the Grammys
- His last words to his brother in the truck, with Sam Elliot backing it out of the driveway
- Him hanging in the garage with the pup outside. Sad, but not unnecessarily graphic
Of course, the music in this movie should clean up at the Academy Awards. Aside from that, Cooper might win Best Actor, but I think everyone else should be satisfied with being nominated.
Trident 88 said:
Just saw it. There were some great scenes, like:
- Her performance in the drag queen bar
- When he gets her out on stage for the first time
- Hammered at the Grammys
- His last words to his brother in the truck, with Sam Elliot backing it out of the driveway
- Him hanging in the garage with the pup outside. Sad, but not unnecessarily graphic
Of course, the music in this movie should clean up at the Academy Awards. Aside from that, Cooper might win Best Actor, but I think everyone else should be satisfied with being nominated.
Lady Gaga was amazing.... but that might be from a "that's lady gaga and she is not an actress perspective".
I'm going to have to watch it again because I was so mesmerized by that - but she had some incredible moments of insecurity about performing. Perhaps that was drawn from her past or all performers innate insecurity but... it was amazing. Kudos.
But yes she might simply be nominated and not win it... lot of movies still to come and big names.
On the other hand I will be severely disappointed if Andrew Dice Clay is not nominated for supporting actor - just flat out perfect. Don't know if he will win either but he better be nominated.
G Martin 87 said:
As soon as I saw the father, I recognized him as Andrew Dice Clay. He was superb! I honestly wouldn't be surprised if he gets a supporting actor nomination.
Lady Gaga steals the show, as expected. But Bradley Cooper was amazing.
Ditto...about him being superb. but I saw and read nothing before going into this and watched the entire movie not knowing it was him.
In retrospect I should have known from the voice... but when the credits rolled and I saw the name my jaw hit the floor.
All were incredible.
As impressed as I was with Bradley Cooper I was more impressed with his directing. there were such perfectly quiet moments and lingering moments and first time directors just don't get that right like that. Perfection. Tender stuff, moving stuff, emotional, powerful, lighting, framing, angles, etc....all done so well.
If I don't see these noms I'll be really upset:
Director
Picture
Actress
Supporting Actor
Actor would be a plus. And then I expect several technical awards that could include any/all of editing, sound, cinematography and adapted screenplay. And of course song.
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