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    Movie Review

    Bradley Cooper's A Star is Born loses luster with choppy storytelling

    Alex Bentley
    Oct 3, 2018 | 1:00 pm
    Bradley Cooper's A Star is Born loses luster with choppy storytelling
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     A Star is Born is such a popular property that, counting the latest version starring Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga, it has been produced no fewer than four times. They each follow the same general plotline where an older actor and/or singer with an issue with alcohol helps a younger woman achieve her dreams of stardom.

     

    The devil, of course, lies in the details. The 1937 version starring Janet Gaynor and Frederic March and the 1954 version starring Judy Garland and James Mason still hold high approval ratings, but the 1976 version with Barbra Streisand and Kris Kristofferson has not held up as well. History will likely be equally unkind to this latest version.

     

    Cooper plays Jackson Maine, a grizzled country-rock star who can still draw a crowd, but too often lets booze rule his life. On one of his hunts for drinks following a show, he happens upon a bar where Ally (Lady Gaga) is performing. Enchanted by her voice and her looks, Jackson takes Ally under his wing, giving her a bigger platform than she ever could have dreamed.

     

    Directed by Cooper and written by Cooper, Eric Roth, and Will Fetters, the film starts off well, with a nice emphasis on the beginning of Jackson and Ally’s relationship as well as their intimate, soulful music. But right about the time that Ally gets the first hint of fame, the movie starts to go off the rails.

     

    That’s mostly because Cooper and his team fast forward through almost every significant plot development the film has to offer. Instead of taking their time and actually showing how everything that’s happening in Jackson’s and Ally’s lives is affecting them, the story yada-yadas the “boring” parts to get right to the pivotal moments.

     

    The problem with that is it all but removes emotion from the equation. At a crucial moment, Jackson implores Ally to remain true to herself, both in her look and her music. Ironically, Cooper doesn’t follow his character’s advice, taking the film from one that is very personal to one that has little connection to the story it’s trying to tell.

     

    Cooper seems to have a disdain for the music industry as a whole, and it shows with the arc of Ally’s character. The music she starts to put out is antithetical to Jackson’s worldview, and the fact that she starts to see success because of it is maddening to him. However, the way in which Cooper depicts Ally’s rise and the ridiculous nature of her songs come off as amateurish at best, undercutting any gravitas the film had built up.

     

    The lone award consideration that the film deserves is for the songs that come in first 45 minutes or so. Cooper and Gaga worked with established musicians like Lukas Nelson, Jason Isbell, and Mark Ronson on the soundtrack, and that experience comes through on songs like “Maybe It’s Time” and “Shallow.”

     

    Cooper, making his writing and directing debut, is in full self-indulgent mode as an actor. Utilizing a deep growl of a voice — possibly to match Sam Elliott, who plays Jackson’s brother — goes all out in the role, often making the movie more about Jackson than Ally.

     

    Gaga does relatively well in her first major film role. Any qualms that her off-screen fame would inform her character are quickly dispelled, but her lack of acting experience comes through on occasion. If Cooper had showcased her more or not sped through parts of the story, she likely would’ve been even better.

     

    The latest version of A Star is Born goes big when it would have been much better off staying small. Some of the music is great, but the poor storytelling keeps the film on the ground.

    Lady Gaga and Andrew Dice Clay in A Star is Born.

    Lady Gaga and Andrew Dice Clay in A Star is Born
      
    Photo by Clay Enos
    Lady Gaga and Andrew Dice Clay in A Star is Born.
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    Film Fest News

    Top picks of the 2025 Asian Film Festival of Dallas coming in July

    Teresa Gubbins
    Jul 3, 2025 | 11:27 am
    Baby Assassins: Nice Days
    AFFD
    Asian Film Festival's Baby Assassins: Nice Days

    The annual Asian Film Festival of Dallas — a nonprofit dedicated to celebrating Asian and Asian-American filmmakers — returns in 2025 with more than two dozen films including action movies, comedies, thrillers, and short films.

    The four-day festival will take place July 24-27 at the Angelika Film Center Dallas, 5321 E. Mockingbird Ln. #230, and will include award-winning films, premieres, and red carpet action.

    Highlights include:

    • Opening Night July 24: Shinji Araki's Japanese thriller Penalty Loop
    • Centerpiece July 25: Johnny Ma’s comedy-drama The Mother and the Bear (Johnny Ma will also be in-person at AFFD to participate in the post-screening Q&A.)
    • Women's Showcase July 26
    • Closing Night July 27: Yugo Sakamoto's Japanese action-comedy Baby Assassins: Nice Days

    AFFD will also host a special Saturday Women’s Showcase spotlighting female filmmakers from across Asia—South Korea, India, Singapore, and Vietnam—as well as the U.S.

    "For the festival as whole, while fans can still count on the high-energy action films we’re known for, a deeper theme emerged as I programmed the lineup — the power of connection," says Programming Director Paul Theiss in a release. "This year’s festival explores the deep human need to reach out, be seen, and never go it alone. And what better place to celebrate that spirit of connection than at a film festival, which brings us together through the shared experience of storytelling.”

    Women's Showcase
    Highlights include:

    • Mye Hoang's 25 Cats From Qatar. Film about an American flight attendant and cat cafe owner who reacts to a homeless cat crisis in Qatar by coming up with a plan to fly 25 cats to Milwaukee, with her cat cafe providing the way for people to adopt them.
    • Dương Diệu Linh’s Don’t Cry, Butterfly. Focuses on a wedding venue staffer who learns of her husband’s affair while watching live TV. Instead of confronting him, she uses a voodoo spell to reclaim his love.
    • Nelicia Low’s Pierce. Thriller follows the push and pull between a young fencer and his estranged older brother, recently released from juvenile prison after serving time for killing an opponent during a fencing match.

    All three filmmakers will be in Dallas to participate in Q&As following their screenings.

    Sunday will feature films with attending filmmakers leading up to the Closing Night screening of Yugo Sakamoto's Japanese action-comedy Baby Assassins: Nice Days, including:

    • Jeff Mann’s Paper Marriage finds comedy and drama in the story of a Chinese immigrant facing deportation, who pays an unemployed and directionless man to marry her.
    • Lee Jong-min and Yeum Moon-kyoung’s South Korean comedy The Last Woman on Earth looks at a female screenwriter who finds tension with her fellow film students due to her script’s anger toward men.

    Also noted for its singular party presentations, this year the Asian Film Festival of Dallas will complement the screenings and filmmaker appearances at AFFD with Opening Night, Centerpiece, and Closing Night parties at the Angelika Film Center with Asian cuisine and crafted drinks by George Kaiho, featuring Suntory Japanese Whisky, as well as themed presentations, filmmaker meet-and-greets, and photo opportunities for film fans who have come out to enjoy the great AFFD programming during those evenings.

    To purchase badges, tickets, and find a full list of all the films, go to asianfilmdallas.com.

    Over the last 20+ years, the festival has provided opportunities for more than 400 Asian and Asian-American filmmakers to share their vision, often providing the only venue for their films to be shown in Dallas. The films have also allowed festival goers a chance to experience other lives and cultures without leaving their seats.

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