'A Star Is Born' (2018) Review

Nominated For: Best Picture, Best Actor; Bradley Cooper, Best Actress; Lady Gaga, Best Supporting Actor; Sam Elliott, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Best Sound Mixing, and Best Original Song "Shallows" (written by Lady Gaga, Mark Ronson, Anthony Rossomando, and Andrew Wyatt).

Won: Best Original Song "Shallows" (written by Lady Gaga, Mark Ronson, Anthony Rossomando, and Andrew Wyatt).

A Star Is Born strums alongside the seasoned musician Jackson Maine as he discovers and falls in love with a struggling artist. Ally has just about given up on her dream to make it big as a singer until Jackson coaxes her into the spotlight, helping her find fame as age and alcoholism send his career into a downward spiral. 

Hot off the festival circuit, A Star Is Born has officially kicked off awards season as one of the first significant contenders to hit theaters. Believe it or not, but the melodramatic musical directed by Bradley Cooper is the third remake of A Star Is Born. In addition to making his feature directorial debut, Bradley Cooper produces, co-writes, and stars in the romantic musical, proving to be equally talented in front of and behind the camera. Though I haven't seen earlier incarnations of A Star Is Born, the plot felt very familiar. As the fourth iteration of this classic story, A Star Is Born can't help but be a bit formulaic. That's not a bad thing per say, but the film often seemed to be going through the motions. 

By extension, the pacing is off at times, and you begin to feel the length of the two-hour fifteen-minute runtime. The film rushes at the start and drags in the second act, but everything's just right towards the end. The film's tragic conclusion, unfortunately, didn’t emotionally register with me though because ironically, I found the relationship between Jackson and Ally to be a bit shallow at points. Cutting straight to the chase, I thought A Star Is Born fell short of its insurmountable hype, but that's not to say it was underwhelming per say. I liked it, didn't love it. 

With that being said, I appreciated about everything else in A Star Is Born. Perhaps, most of all would be how the narrative and filmmaking offered an honest glimpse at the pleasures and perils of the rockstar life. The camera frequently invades the actor's personal space for intimate close-ups and the sound mix is often suited to the environment during musical numbers, making the experience all the more immersive (though I'm not entirely sure if the sound mix was optimized specifically for the Dolby format or not). Whatever the case, you often feel as though you're actually at one of Jackson Maine's rock concerts as he jams out to "Black Eyes" or inside the run-down bar when Lady Gaga belts "La Vie En Rose," and that amplifies the entire experience to an eleven. Kudos to the sound team on that!

On that note, the soundtrack features almost entirely original music with a wide variety of stylings from an extensive collaboration of artists including Cooper, Gaga, and Lukas Nelson. Perhaps, the highest praise for the soundtrack is that it works in the context of the film and sounds like an assortment of songs you might hear on the radio. Off the top of my head, I'd say "Shallow" is currently my favorite track. It's fun to sing along with and pleasant to the ear.

If there's one point I must belabor, it's that Cooper and Gaga are sensational. Their interactions are authentic from start-to-finish on account of their endearing dynamic. Of course, the music plays to Gaga's strengths as a performer while the acting caters to Cooper's wheelhouse, but I was surprised to see Gaga communicate such unabashed raw emotion and hear Cooper nail the grungy country-rock vocals. I was impressed that one never overshadowed the other. Filling the supporting cast, Sam Elliott and Dave Chappelle each have fleeting, but impactful screentime. 

Like an actual star, A Star Is Born shines brightly in its most triumphant moments but remains fixed in the position of telling a formulaic story. With a killer soundtrack, assured direction, and a pair of exceptional lead performances, A Star Is Born will rightfully be a strong contender in the coming awards season. 

Film Assessment: B+

'Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2' Review

Nominated For: Best Visual Effects.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 commences shortly after the events of Guardians of the Galaxy as our heroes are tasked by an alien race of supremacists, the Sovereign, to guard some big ticket batteries from a ferocious beast known as the Abilisk. The Guardians defeat the monster, receive their bounty, and are on their way. At least till they discover Rocket snatched a few of the batteries and the Sovereign are hot in pursuit. After a series of events I won't go into, the group stumble across Peter's father and Quill begins to learn the truth behind his ancestry. I won't delve into any further plot details because that sums up the first fifteen/twenty minutes of the movie, which is almost everything that's been showcased in the marketing material.

James Gunn returns to write and direct Vol. 2, taking the unconventional sequel approach by providing meaningful character exploration as opposed to substantial spectacle. If the first was about bringing the team together, this installment's more about fleshing out the dysfunctional family. The characters you've come to adore are back and the team dynamic is as enjoyable as ever, but I found it interesting how Gunn paired characters we hadn't really seen together and utilized those respective dynamics to bring out their subsequent backstories. 

One example being the role reversal between Rocket and Groot. Where Groot was Rocket's muscle in the first, this time it's the opposite as Rocket (and the team to some extent) really have to watch out for Baby Groot seeing as he's just a little sapling. While this may not be one of the new pairings, it's something familiar that feels fresh thanks to the spin Gunn employs. Of course Gunn has more hilarious zingers up his sleeve and just about every scene featuring Baby Groot had me laughing my head off, one in particular left me chuckling for a good minute or two. I was most impressed that Gunn and his crew didn't exploit Baby Groot to be the sole provider of the film's levity or charm like I was expecting. 

Every character has their time to shine with a few stepping up to the plate as standouts I didn't see coming. The story of Vol. 2 navigates plenty of surprise twists and turns and creeps up with some intensely emotional moments that certainly had me welling up unexpectedly. Perhaps one of my favorite aspects of Vol. 2 though was that the story being told was never compromised to set-up another Marvel entry down the line. If you're hoping for some Avengers: Infinity War groundwork to be laid, you're going to be woefully disappointed. However, the traditional Stan Lee cameo arises with some insane implications for those of you who read Marvel comics and there are five post-credits scenes so you know the drill, stick around till the screen fades to black one last time. 

The cinematography captures the neon-florescent aesthetic to paint a breathtaking backdrop composed of hauntingly marvelous hair and makeup, professional production design, and vibrant visual effects. The tracks wound in the Awesome Mix Vol. 2 cassette tape and Tyler Bates' sensational score play just as well as the tunes featured in Vol. 1 and Bates'  prior compositions. There's a fair share of toe tappers on the mix tape like "Mr. Blue Sky," "Fox on the Run," and "The Chain" and Bates' "Dad" is epic and emotional, making the ideal accompaniment to the film's third act showdown. 

The enlightened ensemble returns and successfully elevate everything you came to love about their prior portrayals. Chris Pratt brings the star power to Peter Quill, projecting the guise of a confident criminal with an underlying tenderness. Kurt Russell... Well... He does his Kurt Russell thing... I don't want to really talk about him to stray from spoiling anything about his character but Russell's Ego the Living Planet is as charming as you'd expect Kurt Russell playing a humanized planet could possibly be so you see where Peter gets it from. Zoe Saldana and Karen Gillan have far more to do this time around with the sisterhood between Gamora and Nebula further explored. Both actresses prove up to the task of kicking butt, taking names, and occasionally wearing their hearts on their sleeves. 

Dave Bautista's Drax lets out his hearty chuckle and some self serious one-liners that bode well when juxtaposed with the naive nature of Pom Klementieff's Mantis. Their interaction is incredibly amusing because neither characters truly grasp social norms, leading to the film's funniest moments. 

As for the rest of the crew, Bradley Cooper imparts all the sardonic sarcasm to Rocket you can possibly imagine and Vin Diesel projects a soft-spoken sapling as Baby Groot that's absolutely adorable. Gunn's brother Sean Gunn not only lent himself to Rocket Raccoon's motion capture portrayal but returns as the Ravenger Kraglin and served as an amusing source of comedic relief in a larger capacity. It was also awesome to see Sylvester Stallone pop up in a minuscule supporting capacity that shows promise for future outings. Elizabeth Debicki's Ayesha and her Sovereign race were more a nuisance than actual threat as supposed antagonists and Chris Sullivan's Taserface is as big a joke as you'd imagine someone with that name to be. 

The surprise standout though was undoubtedly Michael Rooker as Yondu. Rooker's performance puts forth more of Yondu's heart and explains the gruff, hardened exterior with such a delicate balance between the two that plays out beautifully in the film's conclusion.

I'm sure it will be a source of contention to decide whether Vol. 2 reached the heights of its predecessor but I personally enjoyed it more. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is a blast! Vol. 2 amplifies everything you loved about the first; the characters, the sights, the sounds, and most importantly, the story. Vol. 2 rocks and rolls its way into your heart with the cheeky charm and ostentatious enjoyment of the original, deepening your love and appreciation for these characters along the way.

Film Assessment: A-

Recollection Reflection Review: 'Guardians of the Galaxy'

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is nearly upon us and while I won't have a review for that installment up till later this week, I figured this would be an appropriate time to revisit the original. Keep in mind this review will be include some spoilers though considering it's been nearly three years since the film's release. The review's a bit long but I promise it's a significant improvement over my last attempt.

'Guardians of the Galaxy' Review

Nominated for: Best Visual Effects and Best Makeup and Hairstyling.

Recollection- Guardians of the Galaxy Review

Reflection- I remember around Guardians of the Galaxy's initial release when it was predicted to be Marvel's first flop yet caught the world unawares, bursting onto the scene and becoming an instant pop culture phenomenon! I love the first Guardians but I'm admittedly not over-the-moon on it as many other people I know seeing as it's not quite my favorite MCU film (read more about this at my most recent Marvel Cinematic Universe Ranking). That's one of the reasons I thought it would be fun to revisit this one on-top of the fact I reviewed it back in 2014 when I was relatively new to blogging. Really, the most interesting part of these Triple-R Reviews, as I like to call them, is that I can show how much I've improved and grown as a writer and critic. I plan on introducing other new review formats soon that will be more akin to short essays on behalf of a detested film and against ones I consider over-rated.

Review- Guardians of the Galaxy opens in the year 1988 as a young Peter Quill must watch his terminally-ill mother pass away and is immediately abducted by a crew of space pirates known as Ravengers. Fast-forward to 2014, Quill now goes by the monicker Star-Lord and has stolen an ancient intergalactic artifact resembling an orb for an intermediary broker. Quill soon discovers about half the galaxy wants the orb, including the militant Kree fanatic Ronan the Accuser, and winds up working alongside a rag-tag group of misfits to save the galaxy when the orb ends up in the wrong hands.

Guardians of the Galaxy was something no-one expected to succeed, making it all the more exciting when it was launched to interstellar heights at the box office for a property practically no-one was familiar with. For starters, the team included a talking raccoon and a tree whose vocabulary consists of the three words "I am Groot." Writer-director James Gunn had to sell audiences on these obscure characters if he was going to pull this off, and fortunately he did. Gunn understands that these characters are weird and kinda messed up but finds touches of humanity within them all so that these characters can not only be likable but relatable. Gunn succeeded in spades on delivering Marvel's most outlandish property yet by trusting in the unconventional nature of the cosmic characters.

The script penned by Gunn and co-writer Nicole Perlman focused first and foremost on bringing out character and succeeded in making the most of a roguish outlaw, an assassin, a vengeful maniac, a smart-aleck raccoon, and a walking, talking tree. Every character has his or her own arc that plays out beautifully, the only flaw lies in Ronan the Accuser coming across as yet another forgettable baddie. However, I must credit the duo for crafting heaps and heaps of quirky quips and hysterical one-liners, resulting in Marvel's consistently funniest entry to date. I've seen Guardians of the Galaxy countless times yet still find myself chuckling at just about every single joke the Guardians have at their disposal.

Another element that makes Guardians of the Galaxy so great is that Gunn and Perlman never lost sight of an emotional through-line when striving for a light-hearted affair, I'll even admit to welling up at the film's devastating outset and towards the stirring conclusion. Not only are the characters and story in the far reaches of Marvel's cosmic space interesting but the sights and sounds of Guardians of the Galaxy are simply out of this world! The visual effects remain among Marvel's best-to-date with stimulating space battles and motion capture that's probably the closest you can get to bringing a talking raccoon and amiable arbor to life. The unique production design meshes with the visual effects seamlessly to make numerous wacky worlds plausible and the hair and makeup team responsible for the looks of Drax the Destroyer, Gamora, Yondu, Nebula, and Ronan the Accuser do an exceptional job.

That's not even to mention the stunning cinematography capturing all the cosmic craziness, the aesthetic is astounding from start-to-finish, and I absolutely adore the full aspect ratio that enlarges during some of the film's key action sequences. On that note, the action to be found in Guardians is a stirring spectacle that's only enhanced by the film's rocking Awesome Mix Vol. 1 soundtrack and Tyler Bate's incredible score. The Awesome Mix Vol. 1 has plenty of retro-hits that will get your mouth moving and your toes tapping like "Hooked On A Feeling," "Spirit in the Sky," "Escape (The Pina Colada Song)," "Cherry Bomb," and "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" to name a couple. Don't count out Tyler Bates' sensational score though, because none of his compositions miss a beat!

While all the aforementioned components are crucial to the film's success, none of it would have worked if it weren't for the correct cast. Chris Pratt lends the ideal mix of charisma and space swagger to Peter Quill that makes his Star Lord alias click perfectly with his personality. Pratt's leap to stardom basically began here and he exhibits all the qualities of a memorable movie star audiences have come to appreciate. Pratt's able to serve as the unlikely hero, but simultaneously exhibited roguish charm that made it seem like it couldn't have happened any other way. Zoe Saldana brought the right mix of sentiment and grit to Gamora that makes the claim she's a killer with a conscience seem all the more real. I appreciate that her character doesn't fall into the camps of being subservient sex appeal or the conventional love interest but rather something in-between that stands apart from the archetypal heroine. My one gripe about Gamora is that her character doesn't come across to be nearly as complex as the source material, but I guess that could change in Vol. 2.

Dave Bautista hits it out of the park in his feature film acting debut, I truly believe he will stand alongside Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson as one of the best wrestler-turned-actors in Hollywood. Bautista's got the bulk that you'd imagine would accompany someone going by the designation Drax the Destroyer and gets so much mileage out of being the moronic muscle. Bautista's blunt, straightforward line delivery matches Drax to a tee and allows some of the film's funniest dialogue exchanges to occur.

Bradley Cooper's snarky demeanor matches the wisecracking Rocket Raccoon eloquently, while Vin Diesel lends his oaky voice to Groot. If it weren't for these two, the entire enterprise would have fallen apart, but luckily Marvel's casting department haven't floundered yet. On that note, I've gotta credit Sean Gunn and Krystian Godlewski for providing the motion capture element to the portrayal of these two character.

Among the supporting ensemble, Micheal Rooker injects a sleazy, roughness to Ravenger captain Yondu Udonta, Benicio Del Toro lets loose as the eccentric Collector, Laura Haddock will bring tears to your eyes as Meredith Quill, and John C. Reilly, Peter Serafinowicz, and Glenn Close play straight laced space cops known as the Nova Core. Lee Pace's Ronan the Accuser makes for another vaguely-motivated Marvel menace with Djimon Hounsou and Karen Gillan by his side as cyborg Korath and the inscrutably freaky Nebula.

Oh, and Josh Brolin sits in Thanos' throne for a bit as the Mad Titan. Maybe we'll see him get up from that chair in a little indie called Avengers: Infinity War coming next May but only time will tell.

To sum it all up, none of the individual elements of Guardians of the Galaxy could work independently and they actually rely on one-another to collaborate as one grand, booming superhero space opera that's forever fervent fun. Guardians of the Galaxy may not be the best Marvel Studios release in my eyes, but for the time being stands as their most amusing and entertaining effort yet!

Film Assessment: A-

'War Dogs' Review

Wednesday evening I attended an early screening of War Dogs with no idea what to expect seeing as the film was marketed as a crime drama based on a true story and came from the director of The Hangover, Todd Phillips. Would it be serious or would it be hilarious? I had no idea and now that I've seen it, I can shed some light for those apprehensive to checking it out.

'War Dogs' Review 

War Dogs tells the real life story of a pair of friends, David Packouz and Efraim Diveroli, who became arms dealers, bidding on smaller military contracts for a large profit margin. War Dogs wasn't as lighthearted as I expected judging on the  marketing material that made War Dogs appear as though it would take the true story concept and show the outrageous things these arms dealers would get themselves into and it delivers on that promise, to an extent. 

Todd Phillips brilliantly submerges the viewer into an uneasy state the further these arm dealers get into these larger government contracts. I found myself more and more engrossed with the film as the running time wore on as the protagonists actions and morality became increasingly more questionable. This was in large part to Phillip's exceptional direction and the incredible screenplay penned by Phillips and co-writers, Stephen Chin and Jason Smilovic. The writers expertly explain the logistics of complex military contracts and the greedy perspective of actual "war dogs", emphasizing that they see war as a prime opportunity to make profit. 

As for the performances, Miles Teller makes for a fascinating entry point into the film, David Packouz is the more relatable of the two leads. As he gets nearer and nearer to the grungy side of arms dealing, the audience becomes more anxious and I feel that Teller's performance did a great deal to channel these feelings. His character lends voiceover narration somewhat reminiscent of that to be found in The Big Short or The Wolf Of Wall Street and War Dogs is similar in nature to both films. 

However, Jonah Hill steals the show bringing a complex shifty demeanor to Efraim Diveroli that only makes his character more and more intriguing as the events proceeded. Diveroli is edgy, sarcastic, and only a short fuse away from blowing up and Hill brilliantly captures that characterization. His chemistry opposite Teller is virtually unmatched as they have electric charisma onscreen together and have some tense scene that will leave you on the edge of your seat as you worry for their safety despite their questionable decisions. 

Bradley Cooper also gets a great supporting role as a shady middleman and is terrific in the capacity used. Don't expect too much screen time from him though as the nature of the role means he's quite elusive. 

While War Dogs wasn't quite what I was hoping for it to be, I can say I was pleased with the end result and that my reflection upon the film has only made it more engaging. War Dogs features two remarkable leads, a thrilling unbelievable story, and precise direction making for one of the summer's biggest surprises as the summer blockbuster season draws to a close.  

Film Assessment: B+

'Joy' Review

Nominated For: Best Actress; Jennifer Lawrence.

Joy is the third film directed by David O. Russell starring both Jennifer Lawrence and Bradley Cooper that tells the underdog story of a woman who rose in an industry creating many household inventions. I was taken aback by Joy because I wasn't expecting too much upon entering the film but I really enjoyed it. I've noticed that this film's Rotten Tomatoes score as well as it's other reviews are somewhat low for a film that is obviously trying to be an Academy Award contender and I can say that's due to a clunky beginning and a few minor flaws. Some little nitpicks I noticed took me out of the experience were the lack of attention to Joy's son and one little awkward lip-sync that wasn't dubbed over very well. There was one moment where Joy was supposedly speaking to her son but he was hidden behind a door and didn't really say much that I just sat and thought to myself "Hmm I guess they didn't want to pay a child actor for this?" and I would have rather the film makers just ignored the fact she had a son and written him out of the film rather than try to force him into the story. However despite its' flaws, the final two-thirds of Joy are very enjoyable and really hooked me as the story becomes much more engaging. David Russell wrote and directed Joy and nothing he provided quite stood out to me as impressive or noteworthy but rather very reserved in his style. Joy s strength is that it bolsters many great performances. Jennifer Lawrence is terrific stepping into the role of the everywoman struggling to find their true self and really comes across as a strong, independent female character, which leads to some feminist undertones amongst the film's message. These messages don't overtake the film and rather help to service the story. The supporting cast were all serviceable but only a few slightly stood out to me in Joy. Bradley Cooper doesn't have too much to do in the film but is quite serviceable and does well in his role. Robert De Niro gives a great performance as well adding quite a bit of comedic relief to the film. I also enjoyed Edgar Ramírez's interpretation as Joy's ex-husband. As a whole, I can say the cast in Joy are all effective but primarily function as a support system for Jenifer Lawrence boosting her performance. Overall, I can say that Joy is a great film that really surprised me and I would strongly suggest it for those who have already seen Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens and are looking for a new film to watch this weekend.

Film Assessment: A-

Ranking of Top 10 Marvel Cinematic Universe Actors

Given that Avengers: Age Of Ultron is only a week away from release and it is one of my most anticipated movies this year, I thought I would make a series of Top 10 lists starting with this one about the Marvel Cinematic Universe so I thought I'd kick it off with the 10 best actors in the MCU. I'm basing these off of who I think fits the role best, has given an enjoyable performance, and this is based off of movies prior to Avengers: Age of Ultron so my opinions may change following that film. If an actor isn't on here that you enjoy on screen doesn't mean I dislike the actor or the character they just didn't make the list. 

10. Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury- I enjoy watching Samuel L. Jackson in most of his performances on screen and particularly like him as Nick Fury. He is literally the inspiration for the Ultimate universe version of Nick Fury in the comics, and seems to pull off the role quite well as a director of a secret organization who must compartmentalize everything.

9. Chris Hemsworth as Thor- Chris Hemsworth really broke out and became a big actor after signing on to be Thor and I think Hemsworth handles the role well as a god who doesn't quite understand Earth's customs, etc. which allows for some humorous moments and Hemsworth looks and acts very similar to Thor in the comics.

8. Vin Diesel as Groot- Vin Diesel may not say much as Groot other than "I am Groot" but I think his voice even sounds quite wooden. This is very fitting since Groot is a tree and Diesel says each line with different emotion behind it that really helps to understand the character and I think it's pretty amazing that his character was able to make me cry the first time I saw Guardians of the Galaxy.

7. Bradley Cooper as Rocket Raccoon- Bradley Cooper provides a perfect snarky voice for Rocket Raccoon and his voice fits with what I would imagine Rocket to sound like while reading a comic book.

6. Chris Pratt as Peter Quill (Star Lord)- Pratt really dominates this role of a comedic outlaw and seems to embody it quite well. He may be Marvel's third actor named Chris but portrays Starlord perfectly. I can't wait to see Chris Pratt in other projects such as Jurassic World.

5. Scarlett Johansson as Natasha Romanov (Black Widow)- Scarlett Johannson really portrays Romanov well and is definitely the best MCU female character at the moment and I can;t wait to see the character further developed in Avengers: Age of Ultron.

4. Mark Ruffalo as Bruce Banner (The Hulk)- Mark Ruffalo was without a doubt one of the highlights of The Avengers and in my opinion the first actor to really portray Bruce Banner and seem to be a convincing scientist. I believe he is also the first version of the Hulk to use motion capture to also act as the Hulk and I anticipate the Hulk to seem much more real after Ruffalo's training with Andy Serkis for Avengers: Age of Ultron.

3. Chris Evans as Steve Rogers (Captain America)- Chris Evans like every actor on the list has really grown and developed the role and I think Captain America The Winter Soldier was the movie that had Chris Evans really embody the role and sink his teeth into it. He only gets better with each appearance and I can't wait to see what he does in Avengers: Age of Ultron.

2. Tom Hiddleston as Loki- Tom Hiddleston really portrays the sick twisted villain quite well and so far seems to be the best villain in the Marvel Cinematic Universe but we'll have to wait and see how he fares against Ultron.

1. Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark (Iron Man)- Robert Downey Jr. is Iron Man. He embodies the billionaire playboy philanthropist so well and his charisma and humor is one of the highlights of many of the films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. There's no denying Robert Downey Jr. was a perfect casting choice as he is Tony Stark as though he leapt right off the page.

'American Sniper' Review

Nominated for: Best Picture, Best Actor; Bradley Cooper, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Film Editing, Best Sound Editing, and Best Sound Mixing.
Won: Best Sound Editing.

American Sniper will be the first of my reviews of the films nominated for Best Picture. This is a great film and Bradley Cooper gives an amazing performance depicting Chris Kyle. His performance is the best aspect of the film and I am not surprised he received an Academy Award nomination. Sienna Miller also gives a good performance as his wife conveying what it is like to have a husband inverses and the stress and worry they continually struggle with. The film is edited well for very smooth transitions between Chris Kyle's tours as well as a really cool transition at the beginning of the film that I won't spoil.  It's one of the greatest military action films that I have ever seen and highly recommend it if you are interested in Chris Kyle, his story, the military, or action movies in general.