A Star Is Born (2018)

Directed by Bradley Cooper 

Screenplay written by Eric Roth, Bradley Cooper and Will Fetters 

Based on the 1954 screenplay written by Moss Hart and the 1976 screenplay written by John Gregory Dunne, Joan Didion and Frank Pierson

Starring Bradley Cooper, Lady Gaga and Sam Elliott

          A Star Is Born is arguably the best film of 2018, hands down! I went into this movie a bit hesitant with Cooper's first time directing and Lady Gaga's first big acting gig outside of American Horror Story- but I can now say that my pre-screening worries were shattered after the first 15 minutes of the movie. 

     Jackson Maines (Bradley Cooper) is fresh off his most recent concert when the alcoholic rock-star stumbles into the closest bar to get his next drink. This bar happens to be a drag bar where Ally (Lady Gaga) is performing a sultry cover of "La Vie En Rose." After being moved to tears over the amazing voice behind this mystery girl, the two spend the night getting to know each other, where Ally discloses to him her struggles in becoming a musician. The next day, Jackson invites her to join him at his next gig, where she reluctantly gets on stage with him and performs everyones favorite, "Shallow." From there, the two go on tour together and their love story unfolds with many things trying to get in the way like drug addiction, alcoholism, jealously and one career sky rocketing as the other faces its downfall. 

     If I could pick a new tagline for this film it would be, "Who knew Bradley Cooper could direct and Lady Gaga could act?" I mean, we all had a feeling after her AHS days that she had the chops, but that was a very different project then this. Gaga did a fantastic job portraying this budding musician starving for fame turned mega pop-star. The most remarkable part is that Ally is nothing like Lady Gaga herself. A challenge you run into with an actual mega pop star playing a pop star on camera, is that the two are too similar. But Ally's music and overall look is different from that of Lady Gaga's actual music career and persona. Cooper not only does a fantastic job directing, but also playing an addict country/rock star. Who knew he was a decent singer? Sam Elliott deserves an honorable mention, as he plays Jackson's older brother/manager, Bobby. All three stars got acting nods at the Academy Awards while Gaga deservedly so took home the little gold man for best original song for "Shallow." 

     9/10

      

  

Arrival (2016)

Directed by Dennis Villeneuve

Written by Eric Heisserer 

Starring Amy Adams, Jeremy Renner and Forest Whitaker

     Ever since the beginning of the film age basically, Hollywood dramatized these movies about human interaction with extraterrestrial activity. These films always involved destruction, chaos, danger and battle. Dennis Villeneuve brings us a compelling, intelligent film about humans first contact with these strange "visitors" on our planet. 

     Shortly after the film begins we see the arrival of mysterious ships which hover just above the ground, in 12 random locations across the globe. No one is aware of the alien's nature, considering communication is pretty impossible when they first arrive. Are they hostile? Do they come in peace?We don't know. Soon after, Dr. Louise Banks (Amy Adams), a world-renowned professor of linguistics, is recruited to assist in the communication with the seven-legged foreign species. Louise is wandering around her beautiful lake house, remembering her teenage daughter she lost to cancer- when the government sends in Colonel Weber (Forest Whitaker). Alongside physicist Ian Donnelly (Jeremy Renner), Banks begins the arduous task of deciphering the complexity of this alien language. The film expands to much greater depths in understanding the alien's (or as they call them, "heptapods") language- but to review where it goes would spoil the viewers full experience of this movie. 

     To play a character with this level of sophistication and intelligence is quite the task- but Amy Adams steps up to the plate and hits the role out of the park. Adams character is quite reserved and often sad about the memories of her deceased daughter that we always see her reminiscing over. She is an extremely intelligent linguistics professor who is given an unthinkably difficult task in understanding this never before encountered language. What makes her character so real however, is that she's no icon of calmness and stability. We often see her hands trembling and her shaky breath over entering the ship. This is by far one of Adam's most complex roles, and to say she was snubbed of an Oscar nomination for this role is the understatement of the year. Renner and Whitaker give solid performances which strongly compliment Adams. 

     This science fiction film provides for a deep first encounter story with these aliens. We get to see the way in which the world reacts to their arrival. What made this movie so compelling was the lengths Dr. Banks goes to to understand the heptapods language. Banks is forced to look deep into her own soul to discover the mystery behind why the aliens are here- and what do they want? This is an amazing journey worth taking- especially for the ending. A very powerful film. One of Adams best roles, and one of my favorite films of 2016. 

I give Arrival a...

8/10