Skip to main content

A Star Is Born

Image result for a star is born

Lady Gaga is an absolute star. 

Before, during, and I dare say after, A Star Is Born I have loved Gaga. There’s a narrative going about during their press junket that Bradley Cooper had to push hard to get film execs on board with casting Gaga as Ally in the latest adaption and, if true, that bugs me because having seen it I genuinely feel that there is no one else that could have played her. Ally’s character has clearly been moulded around her talents - as with Barbara we have abandoned the movie star goals focussing solely on music - and I would love to know exactly how much was changed or added after casting. Bradley Coopers’ Jackson Maine cuts more of a sympathetic character than we’ve seen in previous versions of A Star Is Born, right back to the original 1937 film which inspires some of the more selfless themes in the 2018 reboot, so much so that it makes you wonder who the film is really about. 

Image result for a star is born gif

The women of A Star Is Born have always been iconic and Lady Gaga’s portrayal takes notes from all of them. With the gut punching emotional power of Judy, the self deprecating charm of Barbara, and the selflessness of Janet Gaynor, she is wonderful on screen; even if some of her characters backstory is ignored to allow for Jackson’s. This may have something to do with Bradley Cooper developing the film for himself or maybe just a purposeful twist on the tale but, to be honest, I’ve always felt that this story was more about the man that about woman; or more specifically it’s about her through his eyes and how he deals with her surpassing him. Spoiler alert: it’s not always well. 

Despite this I left the cinema having cried my heart out. We’ve seen this tale close to half a dozen times now and this is the first adaptation that has grabbed my emotions and made me feel all of them. Maybe it’s a generational thing. There is a more frenetic pace that mirrors how fast life is in 2018 and you are really led to believe that this is a whirlwind relationship. Maybe it has just been so long since I’ve watched the originals but watching Ally and Jackson make their mistakes, willing them to get it right, I was completely invested in their story and this felt like “my” version. 

Of course, has a lot to do with the music. Filled with really credible country rock songs you absolutely believe that Jackson deserves to be the rock star that he is. Aside from the leading song Shallow, written by Gaga and Mark Ronson, I’m hearing these songs for the first time and they feel like I’ve heard and loved them for years. The cinematography on stage during the live performances is beautifully done too. It made me miss my days of being on stage in sweaty bars, filming gigs in bad lighting and trying to find the best angle; although with locations like Coachella and Glastonbury they had an easy task of making it look impressive. I’ve come to the conclusion that I would happily go to a Jackson and Ally concert - if the gods of cross platform marketing could make that happen that would be swell. 


In summary, I walked in to the cinema thinking this was going to be a cute little remake and walked out absolutely blown away. There may be better versions of A Star Is Born but this is now my favourite. 

Release Date: Friday 5th October


*Preview screening courtesy of Moviehouse Cinemas


Comments

Popular posts from this blog

The Wedding Journal Show returns to Belfast (competition) *CLOSED*

Ladies and Gentlemen do I have an exciting opportunity for you and your wedding planning friends. We at FaeriWood.com have teamed up with The Wedding Journal to offer 5 pairs of tickets to this years show in Titanic Belfast. No idea what the show is? Well here's what they say... "The Wedding Journal Show returns to the  Titanic Exhibition Centre , Belfast on Saturday 1st & Sunday 2 nd  October with an action packed all-new show! With over 300 of Northern Ireland’s top wedding suppliers and businesses under one roof, this really is a wedding show not to be missed. Couples will have the chance to  Win a Honeymoon like a Celebrity  at the show; a life-changing prize for anyone. The lucky winners will go on a once-in-a-lifetime luxury honeymoon to Scrub Island in the Caribbean. Visitors to the show can enter this incredible competition for free, with the winner being revealed during the exciting live final on the main stage on Sunday. Couples can celebrate their u

Le mini macaron gel manicure kit review

Can we talk about how long it's been since I've done a nail post? Too long. Far too long! Well wait no more because I have the cutest little product to show you! I picked Le mini macaron in Sephora. It was clearly over priced at around €30 but completely irresistible to my gel obsessed self (hey, it's sort of my job so I have an excuse) especially in my Sephora daze where I went into shove-everything-in-the-basket mode.  No regrets.  The kit comes in 4 colours, I chose peach because I love saying le péché in French and I LOVE the colour peach. It's the cutest little kit that comes with a usb cable, a little nail file and a cuticle pusher as well as some remover wipes and a European plug. The latter two remain completely unused.  In Sephora itself you can buy stand alone polishes in a huge assortment of colours but to be honest, I wouldn't buy these polishes again. Single step UV polishes (no base or top coat needed) sound great but there is

Finding the prefect dress and then finding the perfectly affordable version

We've all done it. Found THE perfect dress and then looked at the price. we then spend hours, even days, going over our inner monologue: "Is it worth it?", "Can I justify that amount of money?" and "Would I wear I wear it again? Oh I'm sure something will come up". The answer is always Yes, No and probably not. Thus making the torture pointless for me as I will always end up taking the sensible option and putting my debit card back in its hole.  This was the story of my brief affair with the Eliza J - Lace Detail 3/4 sleeve ruched detail dress. From its discovery on the House Of Fraser website late last night to chatting about my love for it early this morning with the lovely Debbae from the HOF twitter account to trying it on in store this afternoon with the sales lady oohing and cooing. It was a whirlwind romance but at just over £100 it couldn't last.  And so I took to the bargain hunters paradise: EBAY . Below I've pictured 6 options