Search
Phillip McSween (751 KP) rated A Star Is Born (1954) in Movies
Jun 29, 2020
A Long Winding Road In Need of a Detour
An aspiring actress gets a her big break when discovered by an alcoholic film star.
Acting: 10
Apparently her first film since four years prior, Judy Garland makes the stage sizzle playing the main role of Vicki Lester. I loved her passion and charisma and the way she delivers her lines with a charm that just lights up the screen. There are a number of other shining roles as well, including a fun performance from James Brown playing the role of Glenn Wiliams.
Beginning: 3
Characters: 10
Although you don’t really get to fully see her development until two thirds of the way into the movie, Vicki Lester is definitely a character an audience can get behind. I rooted for her success in hopes that she would steer clear of the trap the movie was clearly setting for her. That’s the thing about movies, sometimes the audience can see from a mile away something it takes ages for the characters themselves to see. The movie would have been unbearable without solid characters to carry it through.
Cinematography/Visuals: 8
Conflict: 8
There were a lot of pitfalls Vicki had to deal with along the way, namely her alcoholic husband who continues to bring her down. Had they delved into her backstory a lot quicker, I would’ve given this category a perfect score as her upbringing provided another potential pitfall for her future. Overall, with everything going on in the film, it’s clear the winding road is only leading to one place.
Entertainment Value: 8
Memorability: 7
Pace: 4
This version is the longest of the four coming in at almost three hours. Seeing how the other three were able to tell the same story with considerably less time, there is no reason for this version to be so long. It gets boring in a few spots and had me longing for the conclusion. While there are a number of shining moments, a slow pace kept this to a one-watch movie for me.
Plot: 10
Resolution: 10
Overall: 78
A Star is Born is just unnecessarily long. I was expecting a legit reason for the length but, after watching the other three movies, I was at a loss. To hold an audience’s attention for almost three hours means you need plenty of meat for your story. The movie is good, but merely one-watch good. Unfortunately that’s not quite good enough.
Acting: 10
Apparently her first film since four years prior, Judy Garland makes the stage sizzle playing the main role of Vicki Lester. I loved her passion and charisma and the way she delivers her lines with a charm that just lights up the screen. There are a number of other shining roles as well, including a fun performance from James Brown playing the role of Glenn Wiliams.
Beginning: 3
Characters: 10
Although you don’t really get to fully see her development until two thirds of the way into the movie, Vicki Lester is definitely a character an audience can get behind. I rooted for her success in hopes that she would steer clear of the trap the movie was clearly setting for her. That’s the thing about movies, sometimes the audience can see from a mile away something it takes ages for the characters themselves to see. The movie would have been unbearable without solid characters to carry it through.
Cinematography/Visuals: 8
Conflict: 8
There were a lot of pitfalls Vicki had to deal with along the way, namely her alcoholic husband who continues to bring her down. Had they delved into her backstory a lot quicker, I would’ve given this category a perfect score as her upbringing provided another potential pitfall for her future. Overall, with everything going on in the film, it’s clear the winding road is only leading to one place.
Entertainment Value: 8
Memorability: 7
Pace: 4
This version is the longest of the four coming in at almost three hours. Seeing how the other three were able to tell the same story with considerably less time, there is no reason for this version to be so long. It gets boring in a few spots and had me longing for the conclusion. While there are a number of shining moments, a slow pace kept this to a one-watch movie for me.
Plot: 10
Resolution: 10
Overall: 78
A Star is Born is just unnecessarily long. I was expecting a legit reason for the length but, after watching the other three movies, I was at a loss. To hold an audience’s attention for almost three hours means you need plenty of meat for your story. The movie is good, but merely one-watch good. Unfortunately that’s not quite good enough.
Andy K (10821 KP) rated Darkest Hour (2017) in Movies
Jan 14, 2018
Having seen Dunkirk during the summer, I was at least partially familiar with Churchill's involvement in that action and its harrowing context within the realm of WWII.
This film focuses partially on that, but more on Churchill's doubt within himself and his party he can faithfully executive the weight of being Prime Minister during the "darkest" of times and having to make the hard decisions especially involving many human lives and the possible ultimate fate of his country itself.
Obviously, this film is mainly a character study of Churchill and Gary Oldman's transformation into him. The make up is astounding as is his portrayal. Only occasionally do you see glimpses of the cranky Oldman we know from other films like Air Force One, Bram Stoker's Dracula and JFK. Otherwise his submersion into the character is complete.
I was unaware of the doubt the country and some of its key leaders had in Churchill, so this made for an interesting watch.
I thought the film maybe could have been 10-15 minutes shorter, but this is a mild complaint for an otherwise masterful film with beautiful direction with both the art direction and cinematography shining brightly.
Highly recommended.
This film focuses partially on that, but more on Churchill's doubt within himself and his party he can faithfully executive the weight of being Prime Minister during the "darkest" of times and having to make the hard decisions especially involving many human lives and the possible ultimate fate of his country itself.
Obviously, this film is mainly a character study of Churchill and Gary Oldman's transformation into him. The make up is astounding as is his portrayal. Only occasionally do you see glimpses of the cranky Oldman we know from other films like Air Force One, Bram Stoker's Dracula and JFK. Otherwise his submersion into the character is complete.
I was unaware of the doubt the country and some of its key leaders had in Churchill, so this made for an interesting watch.
I thought the film maybe could have been 10-15 minutes shorter, but this is a mild complaint for an otherwise masterful film with beautiful direction with both the art direction and cinematography shining brightly.
Highly recommended.
Stephen (210 KP) rated Isn't It Romantic (2019) in Movies
Mar 18, 2019 (Updated Mar 18, 2019)
The good thing about a rom com is that even if it’s not that good, there’s still always something to like in there somewhere.
‘Isn’t It Romantic’ sets out to lovingly spoof the rom com formula, and does this perfectly, but still ends up delivering everything a good rom com should do.
It’s lovely to see the wonderful Rebel Wilson getting a starring role, normally she just gets to inject a bit of her talents here and there, but she really gets her teeth into this role. She comes across as a really lovely person, her natural self shining through the character she plays.
There are lots of references to other much loved rom coms (e.g. Bridget Jones and 13 Going On 30), all done with an obvious passion.
One touch of genius was the way Rebel Wilson’s character’s expletives were drowned out by an assortment of background noises - a really simple idea but so refreshing and also hilarious.
The karaoke scene, in which the cast sing along to Whitney Houston’s ‘I Wanna Dance With Somebody’ is superb, and equals the magic of ‘13 Going On 30’s outstanding ‘Thriller’ scene.
Overall, I adored this movie, great cast, great music, and loads of love poured into the film by all those involved.
‘Isn’t It Romantic’ sets out to lovingly spoof the rom com formula, and does this perfectly, but still ends up delivering everything a good rom com should do.
It’s lovely to see the wonderful Rebel Wilson getting a starring role, normally she just gets to inject a bit of her talents here and there, but she really gets her teeth into this role. She comes across as a really lovely person, her natural self shining through the character she plays.
There are lots of references to other much loved rom coms (e.g. Bridget Jones and 13 Going On 30), all done with an obvious passion.
One touch of genius was the way Rebel Wilson’s character’s expletives were drowned out by an assortment of background noises - a really simple idea but so refreshing and also hilarious.
The karaoke scene, in which the cast sing along to Whitney Houston’s ‘I Wanna Dance With Somebody’ is superb, and equals the magic of ‘13 Going On 30’s outstanding ‘Thriller’ scene.
Overall, I adored this movie, great cast, great music, and loads of love poured into the film by all those involved.
Kevin Wilson (179 KP) rated Ready Player One (2018) in Movies
Jul 17, 2018
So many references to games and movies (2 more)
Great story
Visually beautiful
Perfect movie for gamers and movie buffs!
I want to start off by saying I've never read the book so I can't make comparisons like so many have. For the movie it's self it's incredible.
Visually it's beautiful. So much action and set pieces. It felt like a video game most times but as it kept going back to the real world, the CGI ended up being a little distracting at times but it never put me off. They did an amazing job with it. It was probably even intended to keep reminding you it wasn't real. To differentiate between was was real and what was not.
So much references and it's fun to spot them. I saw the back to the future delorian, iron giant, tracer from overwatch, master chief.....I can keep going. I was quite surprised at a lot of them though, especially of the shining.
The cast is great, the plot was great, the environments were great. It makes you want this world to be real.
I really hope a sequel is considered. I'd be happy with the same cast as long as the story is right. I had a lot of fun with this movie.
Visually it's beautiful. So much action and set pieces. It felt like a video game most times but as it kept going back to the real world, the CGI ended up being a little distracting at times but it never put me off. They did an amazing job with it. It was probably even intended to keep reminding you it wasn't real. To differentiate between was was real and what was not.
So much references and it's fun to spot them. I saw the back to the future delorian, iron giant, tracer from overwatch, master chief.....I can keep going. I was quite surprised at a lot of them though, especially of the shining.
The cast is great, the plot was great, the environments were great. It makes you want this world to be real.
I really hope a sequel is considered. I'd be happy with the same cast as long as the story is right. I had a lot of fun with this movie.
Forward ...
Book
Coming to London aged thirteen from desperate poverty in Jamaica; pregnant at fifteen after being...
My Psychic Casebook: The Amazing Secrets of the World's Most Respected Department-Store Medium
Book
Have you ever wondered what goes on behind closed doors at a psychic reading? Meet 'Selfridges...
Do Not Become Alarmed
8.3
Rate It
Book
The sun is shining, the sea is blue, the children have disappeared. When Liv and Nora decide to...
The British Knight
10.0
Rate It
Book
When I’m offered the chance to leave New York to live in London for three months, I can’t pack...
romance
The Table of Less Valued Knights
Book
This book is longlisted for the 2015 Baileys Women's Prize for Fiction. Sir Humphrey du Val of the...
Killing Crazy Horse
Book
The latest installment of the multimillion-selling Killing series is a gripping journey through the...