A Star is Born (2018) Review

I'll I admit I went into this thinking it was gonna be some hokey feel-good film, I mean how can you not with a poster and title like the one above and with the way it's been marketed.
So of course to my pleasant surprise it was instead a strong emotional drama that was actually great and quite far-way from feel good or happy.

The film is lead by two fantastic and genuine feeling lead performances from Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga. I'd says it's probably the best performance I've seen from Cooper thus far and Gaga really fits in so naturally with her role with them both having tremendous chemistry together.
They are also back up by a good supporting cast with Sam Elliott in particular being the other stand out of the film.

The soundtrack is also really good performed beautifully by Gaga and Cooper who collaborated with a bunch of different country musicians among other personnel to compose and produce it. The songs feel very genuine and fit perfectly with the story and characters.

there are a couple of odd moments and things feeling a bit rushed but overall I think Cooper has done fantastic job with his debut and shows a lot of promise as a director. Crafting a drama that has a lot of heart and is just as much as bout a star on the decline as it is about one on the rise and the conrtast between them.

I'll be very surprised if this don't pick up any Oscar noms. ****

La La Land (2016)

What a an absolute wonderful film this is, a jazz musical full of charm and heart that is thoroughly engaging throughout. It takes inspiration from classic Hollywood musicals and blends that influence  into a more modern, real life setting. Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone play the lead roles and their performances are great, with Emma Stone being a particular stand out especially during her one solo song towards the end.
Speaking of music the score is fantastic and works perfectly with the film and considering this is a musical it actually has quite a minimal amount of sung songs and the ones that there are have great purpose and never less than good.
The film also also beautifully shot with some great cinematography and set design that brings the films world to life incredibly well.
This was a project that Damien Chazelle had been wanting to make for a good few years and thanks to the success of his previous film Whiplash, he was able to and you can really see the passion and love that has been poured into making this, translating into a film that is truly wonderful film. A magnificent musical that is worthy of its awards buzz. ****

Moana (2016)

Here's the latest animated offering from Disney, a beautiful musical adventure with a Polynesian setting. Visually the film is stunning, the vibrant CGI really makes the locations come alive with everything looking top notch. The voice acting is also solid, with a great debut for Auli'i Cravalho and Dwayne Johnson bringing his usual likeable charisma, as well as a good support cast including the much welcomed talents of Jemaine Clement.
The musical score is also really good and consistent and fits in super well with the film overall, with none of the character songs ever feeling like a chore to get through.
Now the films plot is formulaic and doesn't cover much new ground, but it's so well executed with all it's other elements that the films stays super enjoyable from start to finish, also I'm sure it's message of female empowerment is sure to resonate well with audiences. Overall another solid effort from Disney.