RITA DI SANTO assesses the winners of the most politically charged festival to date
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Going Gaga
MARIA DUARTE sees the pop star give a tremendous performance in A Star is Born
KATARZYNA KOSMALA introduces a retrospective by one of the most significant figures in contemporary US photography
MAYER WAKEFIELD is entertained but let down by an audacious production that, sadly, doesn't ring true
MARY CONWAY is disappointed by drama that, despite accomplished performances, cannot overcome an unfocused script
New releases from Sam Carter, Spell Songs and Les Thomas
A Star is Born (15)
Directed by Bradley Cooper
THIS third remake of A Star is Born is a true revelation in its ingenious and powerful on-screen coupling of Hollywood star turned film-maker Bradley Cooper and the iconic Lady Gaga.
The two are extraordinary together. Who knew Cooper could sing or play the guitar as well as he does, while Lady Gaga, stripped of make-up and gimmicky paraphernalia, shows what a talented actor and tremendous singer and artist she truly is.
The film opens with Cooper as the great rock star Jackson Maine performing at an open-air gig and having to take booze and pills before going on. On his desperate hunt for a drink after the concert, he enters a drag bar where he watches wannabe singer Ally (Lady Gaga) sing La Vie En Rose in a goose pimples-inducing performance and realises that a star is about to be born.
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