Ep 84 - A Star Is Born (2018)

[00:00:00] Speaker A: A star is born. 2018. When an alcoholic country singer stumbles into a drag club, the only place open, serving drinks, he happens upon an unknown talent. He takes her under his wing. And as one star begins to soar, another fades away. [00:00:23] Speaker B: Completely overrated. [00:00:25] Speaker C: Hello, everybody, and welcome back to our Rating the show. I get together with two of my friends, we take a movie franchise, break it down by individual movie, give it over a score on, throw it back up on the board. However, this week we are doing our Patreon pick, where our patrons get to decide what movie we get to do, so it doesn't have to be part of a franchise. And this week, they chose A Star is born, the 2018 Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper edition. I'm joined, as always, by Brian and Will. Will, how are you doing today? [00:00:49] Speaker A: I'm doing all right. Getting over a little bit of a cold, but happy to be here as always. [00:00:53] Speaker C: Excellent. And Brian, how are you? [00:00:55] Speaker B: I'm good. Dan had a real good day today, and I'm excited about going over this movie. [00:00:59] Speaker C: Excellent, excellent. Now, as always, for the Patreon pick, not only do we discuss whatever movie they described, but they actually have a watch party where we watch it with the audience as well that we do the Sunday beforehand. We were watching this one together and Brian, you said right off the bat, like, within five minutes, the movie started, you were like, I am so in right now. I. I might be getting your wording a little bit wrong. [00:01:19] Speaker B: Yes. 100 into this film right now. And that was like 10 minutes into the movie. I. I love the opening sequence of Bradley Cooper playing the guitar, doing the vocals, and we were talking behind the scenes. And we'll talk some more about how much work he put into this movie. That was very impressive. And then it rolls into Lady Gaga leaving work, walking down that quiet alleyway. You can hear her heels, her shoes kind of clacking on the sidewalk as she walks and kind of hums a tune. And they have that stylized a star is born that comes across the screen. And I was just like, that's just a good, classy opener. Like, it just felt. It just felt like it was professional. And I was like, I'm in, I'm in. I want to see this movie. Now, I'd already seen the movie, but I just love that opening. I just think it's good. [00:02:07] Speaker A: It. [00:02:07] Speaker B: You get a good feel for what this movie is in just a few seconds, and it's a completely stylized intro. And it was. It was just good. [00:02:15] Speaker C: Nice. Will, did it hook you quite as quickly as it did, Brian. [00:02:20] Speaker A: Yeah, I mean, it's well shot, the music is good, it's enticing. So, yeah, I think it, it drew me in quite well. This was the first time I've seen the movie, so, yeah, I was, I was game in right from the jump. The only thing I really didn't like about this movie was that during our watch party, there wasn't a lot of jokes being cracked because it was just a good movie. [00:02:42] Speaker C: How dare they make us watch an actual good movie for once. [00:02:46] Speaker A: That's rough. [00:02:47] Speaker B: That's the problem with the Patreon pick. Half the time. They're solid films, you know, and I think this one is going to be a solid film. There's definitely some things that I'm going to pick apart in this movie. [00:02:58] Speaker C: Sure. [00:02:59] Speaker B: But when one of your lead actors spends 18 months doing guitar work and vocal work so that he can play the part more realistically and does such a good job in learning that that he's actually able to do the vocals himself. I mean, impressive. [00:03:15] Speaker C: In fairness, his co host did spend 30 something years learning to play guitar and piano and learn how to sing for this role. So I think, I think credit where credit is due. Lady Gaga did put a bit more into learning how to sing and do her part. [00:03:29] Speaker A: Sure. But she, she came totally fine. [00:03:33] Speaker C: You're both just like, okay, I'll just go myself. [00:03:36] Speaker B: Sure. [00:03:36] Speaker A: They both did really great. Like, you know, her acting rose to the level it needed to be. His singing rose to the level that they could both be on screen sharing the stage, literally. [00:03:49] Speaker C: No, obviously Bradley Cooper put in a ton of work to, to come up to her level or at least close enough for the movie's sake. And I think he did a phenomenal job. I was not trying to take anything away from him. I was just making a silly joke. [00:03:59] Speaker B: I was gonna make a joke about us three guys and we're gonna brag about how good the guy was and leave the girl out of it. But you guys ruined it because you brought up the. Lady Gaga did a phenomenal job acting in this movie. She really did this. This one. I remember the first time I saw this movie and I was like, oh, this is going to be a train wreck. My. I think it was like my first wife wanted me to watch this or something. I don't remember what, but I did not want to watch this movie the first time. And I was so impressed with Lady Gaga after this. I was instant, instantly a fan. And I was not a fan of Lady Gaga before this, but once I realized this is a real person who is incredibly talented and not just music, but a wide variety of things. Did a deep dive on her and her background and all the stuff. All I knew was that she wore a meat suit to an awards assembly or something and that was it. Right. That kind of like turned me off to her. Now I'm a huge Lady Gaga fan. I think she's incredible, a wonderful actress. I hope she does more movie work because this one was really good. [00:04:59] Speaker C: Did you see joker2fadaloo or whatever it was called? No, that's like the only other Lady Gaga movie I know of. I think she had a couple and it flopped. House of Gucci, which I don't know anything about, and Machete Kills, which I didn't see. So, yeah, this is the only movie, of course, I'm familiar with. And I think she did a great job in this one. So hopefully she's as good in the other movies, but I'm not sure those other movies live up to what this one is. So. [00:05:23] Speaker A: Right. [00:05:23] Speaker C: You can only be as good as the material. [00:05:25] Speaker A: And this one, I think kind of, you know, was right in her realm, you know, more than maybe a lot of movies that you would do. So I think that helped kind of really seal that away for her so [00:05:36] Speaker B: much in her realm. Dan, I think you kind of made a comment during the watch party that you said it. This movie kind of turned into, you know, like how 8 mile is kind of like a spin off of Eminem's real life kind of thing. Like a inspired by kind of thing. It felt like this was inspired by Lady Gaga kind of thing. It felt like it was a documentary about her almost. I think he made that comment. [00:05:59] Speaker C: Well, I don't know anything about Lady Gaga's background, so I. I have no idea how she came up. She could be a Nepo baby or she could have been a hard knock life, I have no idea. But the movie felt true. Not necessarily to her, but just to life. Right. Like, it just felt like this could have been something that really did happen. And even to the point where, like, she starts off wanting to be one thing and then once that fame comes in, she kind of changes her looks, what she's singing, how she's singing, like almost. I don't say everything about herself, but like, most of what we know about her. [00:06:33] Speaker B: Yeah, she does all the time. She's challenged by that. She talks about in the beginning how she wants to be herself, and you see her giving into it to a degree. And I don't know if it was intentional, that she was supposed to like completely change and that's what they were trying to showcase or that she was just compromising a bit, which is what I felt it was more of. She was making some compromises, but trying to maintain what she was true to. And then of course there's the whole theme about her big nose. And I guess this was an issue in previous films where there were some stars. I think this is like the fourth remake of this or third remake of this movie. There was a previous stars that had a big nose and I think this is something she dealt with in her own personal career as a musician. So lots of things going on here with who she is, who she wants to be, and its relations to real world events. [00:07:24] Speaker C: Yeah. This is the fourth A Star Is Born. Going back as far as I want to say, like the 30s or something. [00:07:29] Speaker A: Yeah. 1937 was the first a star is Born and it involved Hollywood actors, one older gentleman, drunk, kind of falling off and picks up a young female actress and, and makes her a star. 1954 was a re do and it was more like a cabaret, singing like Broadway almost style. And then 1976 was like rock singers. And that's the one with Barbara Streisand, I believe, which Brian mentioned. She also has like a, A, A different nose than maybe the societal beauty standard. So that's when that one, I think that one kind of got the least critical acclaim though. [00:08:17] Speaker C: I love how delicate you're being. And Brian's got a big nose. [00:08:22] Speaker A: She's got a real Roman nose. It's Roman all over her face. [00:08:26] Speaker C: You know, you're trying to be so calm. I love it. Yeah. I have not seen any other ones previous to this one and this was. I, I. So I mentioned this before on the podcast, but, you know, every episode somebody's first. My wife and I have historically tried to watch like all of the Oscar nominated movies. So in 2018, when this one was nominated, we did try to go through these ones. We made it like halfway through this one. And then not because we were not enjoying it, but just because life happens. We ended up having to turn it off halfway through, probably go to bed or whatever we were doing and we just never got back to it. So I've never seen the ending until this watch party. [00:09:04] Speaker A: Right. [00:09:07] Speaker C: I don't know, I might villainize myself here a little bit. I'd always assumed we just got busy doing other things. Having seen the entire movie though, I feel like the first half is electric and the second half I kind of [00:09:20] Speaker B: tuned out of, yeah, 100. I was wondering. [00:09:23] Speaker C: I'm not alone. I'm so glad I'm not alone. I was like, oh, I don't know what's gonna happen when I say this. [00:09:27] Speaker B: Will, what do you think of the closing argument of this film and how it wraps up? [00:09:33] Speaker A: Well, I mean, just as I'm gonna, I'll speak on a whole here. I think the beginning and like them meeting and the love story story and her kind of, you know, into famedom is all exciting in that part of it. But I think because this movie is, you know, the fourth or whatever remake and there's been popular movies like Bohemian Rhapsody, whatever the Alton John one is the Doors. There's, there's all these like, famous movie, I don't know, almost autobiographies where you see the, the fame and rise of all these stars and then their, you know, fall from grace due to drugs or what have you. This movie just felt predictable in the second half. You just kind of know what's going to happen. And I feel like because they spent so much time taking their time with the beginning and building an amazing relationship, they kind of just have to rush the ending. And so you just kind of like are going through the motions. That's what it feels like by the end. [00:10:37] Speaker C: I think I, I can't quite tell you when I checked out. Like when I just stopped caring. I, I, I've been trying all week to try and put it together. Like, where, where did my brain just kind of go? Like, I think it was the SNL scene where you see her come out and she's not really herself anymore. She's down this like, product. And he sees it and he's just like, well, I guess I'm going back to drinking. And he just like goes backstage and starts and I'm just like, okay. So I know kind of where this is going now. Like, we've seen her like, skyrocket to fame and like the first couple scenes, like when she the shallows for the first time on stage, like, Brian, I think you said, like, just goosebumps. Like, I am so invested in her character and like she's such an incredible performer. And then you see her on stage just dancing with like a wig on or like different hair. And like, the song is so forgettable. I'm like, I don't care what this is like. And that wasn't the point. That was the thing that drove me insane. Like, after building her star up, it felt like maybe the point is going to be that he's gonna redeem himself and, like, inspire her more or inspire her to go back to being her true self instead of this pop star or something, or she's gonna, like, confront him and, and can make him a better person or something. And neither of those things happen. He just becomes a worse and worse and worse person. And, and she becomes more and more and more fake. And then it just ends. And it's just like, oh, I don't know what half of the plots in this movie were supposed to lead us to, but this was not where I thought we were going. [00:12:04] Speaker B: I, I, I think I, I kind of agree with you there, Dan. They got to a point where he was, he, he even said it to her face. He, you know, he, he was embarrassed by her and he didn't like what she was doing, and he said it to her in not a very good way. You don't ever want to break bad news to a woman in any circumstances. And he did a terrible job of it. But he was being honest. Like, he, he was telling her, you're, you're fake. You're, you're going down a fake road. And then he gets to drinking and he kills himself. And I didn't like how we see him with the belt. We heard the story about, he tried it one time before, so, you know, he's gonna hang himself in the garage. You see the dog outside. That was a good scene. I, but I, I wanted to see a scene where somebody didn't have to be gaga, but somebody walks in and maybe sees the legs dangling in the shot or something like that. So it really brings it home that he's dead. And then I wanted to see her do another performance after all this stuff, after she's dealt with, you know, putting him to burying him or something, and you see her be real and do a stellar performance. And at the end, you do see that. But she's still kind of dressed up and she's still kind of like the, it still kind of looks like maybe she's on the set of an SNL show. Not so much as the first one, but it didn't feel as authentic as some of the stuff in the beginning. And I wanted to see her, because of his death, rebound back to who she really was. And I didn't see that happen. And so he just kind of died and she sang him a song, and that was it. And that really is bringing down the total score for this movie for me. [00:13:55] Speaker C: Agreed. Because if there's been an extra 10 minutes and we see her, like, fire her agent and go back to who she was and start doing, like, for lack of a better term, songs that matter. Like, that'd be like, oh, okay. So in his death, he inspired her at very least. Yes, but I don't get the impression she's changing who she is in that last scene. She's putting on a show at his funeral, which was weird. Not his funeral. I know obviously it's a benefit show or whatever, but, yeah, I. I didn't get the impression she was better because of it in any way, shape, or form. You know, like, it's just. I don't know. I don't know what half the mess. Like, what this movie, okay, we talked before about, like, a throwaway line, right? Like, the one that I keep going back to is the lycine contingency in Jurassic Park. What was the point of that one line? Whatever. We can discuss that another time. What is the point of him going deaf? Does that pay off in any way, shape, or form? And we get multiple scenes of them talking about it, other than he's just not willing to look after himself in any capacity. Is there any point to that? Is there any payoff to that that I just missed? [00:14:59] Speaker B: I don't know. I forgot about that now that you mention it. [00:15:02] Speaker C: But it's multiple scenes. Like, they bring it up often. He's at the doctors at one point, but, like, it's not like it's hurting himself. So he's drinking to numb the pain or it. That was never construed. It's just a thing that's happening for a reason. [00:15:17] Speaker A: I. I think it. I don't know. I. I haven't thought about it that much either. But I think his loss of hearing, he knows he. He can't continue because eventually he just won't be able to hear the music, won't be able to do what he's been doing. And so it's forcing him out. Whether he still has something to say or not is irrelevant. And maybe that's why he feels she should be saying something with her music. Because, you know, not everybody gets that. Even though he had, you know, good years of doing it. But maybe he feels like he can't do it anymore. So he's trying to pass that torch and pass that knowledge on to somebody worthy of that knowledge. But, yeah, it didn't, like, come to a fine point at all in the messaging for. For his loss of hearing by any means. [00:16:07] Speaker B: I think that's a great take, Will. I just wish that the director would have made me feel that on my first watch through you know? [00:16:14] Speaker A: You mean Bradley Cooper? [00:16:16] Speaker B: Yeah, I, I just, I just didn't get what it was all for. You just you. The star was born and she was great and I loved everything about the film and. And then it just starts going downhill until it ends. And it was like, what was that for? [00:16:36] Speaker C: Even if he like has a. Like he breaks down to her maybe in the, in the rehab area. Like, I've been drinking because I'm depressed. Like I'm losing it. Like, I can't hear the music anymore. The music that defined who I was. Not only from a. I get to play for people, but also, like, I just love music. Most musicians do, I would assume, right? So, like, I don't. I can't hear music anymore. I can't make music as well as I used to. I know it's. And it's killing me inside. Like anything, right? I just get nothing. And like you can, you can take those away, but you are, you are putting you a lot. You have to take those out yourself. It's not giving you that. And I get that there's like show, don't tell, where sometimes that's a really good thing. But if you have to like extrapolate it that hard, that's a problem with storytelling. [00:17:22] Speaker A: Bringing it back. Bradley Cooper's first time directing. Bradley Cooper helped write this script or rewrite it. It's a remake, but. And he also starred in the movie. And as Brian mentioned, he spent copious amounts of time learning to play guitar and sing. And not only that, Lady Gaga convinced him to perform live instead of pre recording the audio for the song. So all of the performances are done live. They went to different concerts and things and filmed in front of live audiences. And I think it definitely benefited the movie because you can always tell and it felt, you know, like live performances. So I thought Bradley Cooper is a giant, a hole who's got way too much talent. And I'm going to dock this movie hard because of it. [00:18:11] Speaker B: I just hate the man. [00:18:16] Speaker C: Okay, Jokes aside, he is a ridiculously talented and good looking dude. We were talking this movie how like Lady Gaga, for me personally, I won't put anybody else's words in anybody else's mouth. Like, this is the prettiest I think she's ever looked. And it's probably the most natural she's ever looked. But also like, this is one of the best. [00:18:36] Speaker B: Pretty. No, she's smoking. Let's be honest. Okay, yeah, sure, she's hot in this film. Just a straight up. Yeah, she's the perfect showstopper yeah, that's true. I don't like the red hair, and I think that was the point. [00:18:50] Speaker C: No, I know that. I, I get it. I'm just saying, like a person, the more natural she looks, the prettier she was. [00:18:55] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:18:56] Speaker C: But also, like, Bradley Cooper looked really good in this movie. Like, they are a hot couple for sure. [00:19:01] Speaker A: Abs don't lie. [00:19:03] Speaker C: And he's talented. He's directing, he's acting, he's on voice acting like there's nothing. [00:19:07] Speaker B: This man, his voice, his accent that he adopts for this film is so good. It, I look at him in this film and I don't see Bradley Cooper. I don't think the Hangover. I don't, I think this is whatever that character's name, I forget, but I forget Rocket Raccoon. That's it exactly. No, I, I, I'm in there like, like Jackson, Maine. Jackson Maine. Thank you. He's Jackson, like a hundred percent. And I think that's an amazing feat on his part to do all that stuff and play this character and all the music. Top, top scores for him on this. And Lady Gaga as well. Acting was just phenomenal. Here's somebody that we haven't talked about, and I want to know how come this guy didn't get hit by a bus? Her manager, who literally sets Jackson on the path to suicide and kill, gets him killed. And we never hear anything about her manager again. He doesn't get fired. [00:20:14] Speaker C: Well, because nobody knows, nobody knows that he did that. Right. Only he would know that. I, I, I'm not going to dock the movie any points for it, but that is one of the things that drives me insane in a lot of movies is when somebody does something atrocious and completely gets away with it. I'm gonna go one further. I bet he doesn't feel bad about what he does. I bet nobody blames him for what he does because Bradley takes drugs and then kills himself. So from everybody's perspective, including his own, oh, drug addict's gonna drug addict. And he just fell off, relapsed and killed himself. Of course he's gonna do that. He always was. I, I bet he doesn't. The character obviously doesn't even put together the fact that he was healthy and you pushed him over the edge. [00:20:59] Speaker A: Yeah, absolutely. I mean, that's the character. Right. Like, he is there to make money and Jackson, Maine is not making money anymore. So it's all about Ali. And so if Ali wants him on tour, he's got to prevent that from happening. [00:21:15] Speaker C: We see him at the awards ceremony where he embarrasses himself. And we never really see anything about him after that. Like, like as a performer, I mean, but everything we saw before that, he's selling, like, sold out stadiums. Like, I don't know where this is coming from. Like, he doesn't make money. I mean, from. From the character's perspective, from Res Gavron's perspective. Like, everything we see in this movie, Jack is very profitable. [00:21:39] Speaker B: Yeah, right. [00:21:41] Speaker A: I mean, I. Yeah, sure, but compared to what? Right, to you and me, him going to. We see him at his concerts, which people are obvious fans of, but maybe he's only booking two or three a year instead of the 20 or 40 a year. [00:21:54] Speaker B: Maybe he's not writing any new music. [00:21:56] Speaker C: That's fair. [00:21:57] Speaker B: He's not winning any awards. She's the one that went to the Emmys or Grammys or whatever that was. [00:22:01] Speaker C: I mean, at the beginning of the film, he's playing a concert and then he meets her at a bar and he's going to a concert the next day. Right. Like, that's like. He's trying to, like, convince her to go with him. So, like, I. You're right. The movie takes place over the course of, I don't know, eight months or something. Who knows where he's at by the end of it, but we don't ever see him falling off. [00:22:21] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:22:21] Speaker C: From a. [00:22:22] Speaker A: They just. They just talk about it. [00:22:24] Speaker B: That. Yeah, well, two months in rehab was about all we knew and that was it. And. And then we have the manager saying, you know, he's an embarrassment. You can't do anything with him. He's toxic. He's going to ruin your career. That's all we really hear. So, I mean, we have to go by that. That's. And obviously Jackson believes it as well, because once the manager puts that thought in his mind, he's like, yeah. And she tells him the lie that she canceled the. The thing because she wanted to. And he knows that's. He knows that he's holding her back. He feels guilty. He needs to get out of her way and let her flourish or whatever. I understand it all. I just wanted some more. I wanted her to find out that the manager pushed him over the edge and that she cancels him. She gets back to being herself and we have a stellar performance like we saw in the beginning of the film, as, you know, a tribute to him. That's kind of the ending I was looking for. Instead, the manager gets away with it. She has a mediocre kind of throwaway song and dance she does for him. That didn't really impress me, and it still felt a little fake. It still felt like a Saturday Night Live kind of thing, and I wasn't happy with that. [00:23:38] Speaker C: I. I agree. I agree with pretty much everything you just said, actually. [00:23:40] Speaker A: Yeah, I. I don't. I see where you're coming from. I don't know if it hit me as hard. To me, it was just. It's not about the manager. No, it's this. It's the story about. Of their relationship and her stardom and where they leave it is on a path of choice. Is she going to choose to sing songs that matter to her, or is she going to choose to be this pop icon? Because that's what's sells tickets. And I'm. I was okay with that because the story to me was their relationship and what went between them. All the other things, outlying things, didn't matter as much to me. And so it. I guess it just didn't. It didn't rub me quite the wrong way as it did you two. I guess I would have been okay [00:24:31] Speaker B: with the choice scenario, but I don't feel like that was really showcased again. That's a great idea. Well, I would have loved that, but, like, could she just have been sitting down at the coffee table and been writing some lyrics to a new song and, like, be looking over at the wardrobe and see, like, the sequin dress crap stuff and just see her, like, close the door to the dresser and go back to writing her song? Like, that would have been like, okay, enough of this poppy shit. Let's get back to what I was doing where she's faced with that choice. Something that shows me what you were just talking about. I would have loved that. I just didn't see that at the end. [00:25:06] Speaker C: I don't remember what movie it is. It might be Rockstar with Mark Wahlberg. It's been a very long time, but essentially, like, he hits peak. [00:25:15] Speaker A: Right. [00:25:15] Speaker C: Like, he is the massive rock star, but he realizes, like, I'm just singing other people's songs. I don't really care about what I'm doing. Passes the buck. And then the last scene we see is him playing an acoustic guitar in, like, not a dive bar, but, like, a coffee bar or something like that. [00:25:28] Speaker B: A smaller venue. [00:25:30] Speaker C: Right. But he's doing something he cares about. [00:25:33] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:25:33] Speaker C: That would have been a much more impactful ending to me. [00:25:35] Speaker A: Right. [00:25:36] Speaker C: For Lady Gaga to be like, no, this is what I care about. I still love music. I'm still gonna do my thing and. And maybe get famous. But it's gonna be on my terms. That would have hit me a lot harder than her, like, performing at some celebrity Gaga for her dead husband who apparently we're being told the whole world hates, but her. So, like, yeah, okay. Like, even her words at the end, like, oh, this is for my husband, who I loved so much. And, like. Yeah, but are we being told that everybody thinks he's a piece of, like. [00:26:04] Speaker A: I. I don't know if the majority of, like, fans knows that, but, yeah, I get what you're saying. I. I think, again, it comes down to, like, a pacing issue or maybe the story issue that the. The beginning was, like, so well developed and the end just was kind of rushed. And maybe that's why a lot of those things kind of fell flat for you guys. And. And that totally makes sense to me. [00:26:24] Speaker B: Yeah, I could have had another 10 or 15 minutes of footage that would have wrapped things up a little better for me. I think this was, like, a directorial kind, and I didn't agree with it. It felt rushed. It felt like they just kind of closed things out. And I didn't get a feel for what the director, what Bradley Cooper, wanted to show me as the finale of this film. I just didn't. I don't know. I don't know. And it wasn't like, it's. Hey, it's up to you. How do you want to perceive it? It was more like, I made this too vague and didn't give enough for you to understand the choices that she could or could not make or what she was going to choose or whatever. [00:27:02] Speaker C: It is very possible he did show you exactly what he wanted to show us. It's just not necessarily what I wanted to see. I would have loved a stronger push in either direction. Either she sells her soul and is like, no, fame is what I'm after, or she gives it up and goes for where her heart really is. Either of those would have been better than the just kind of androgynous, like, life keeps going. [00:27:24] Speaker B: Or even just show me that she is considering that choice. That's. I would have been happy with her just considering that choice. It was brought to her attention because of his death that she could be who she wants to be, the woman that he wanted her to be, or she could be the fame and fortune that the manager and the. The money wants her to be. And she was faced with that choice. If I felt like that scene was delivered to me, I would have been a lot happier with that. Instead, I'm not sure what was delivered to Me with that ending song, it felt like a little bit of both, and it didn't feel great. Well, so that's it. [00:28:01] Speaker C: If nothing else, I can tell you what the first song they sang was. I can tell you what the first song we see her sing at the drag bar is. I can tell you some of the songs they sang together throughout. [00:28:09] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:28:09] Speaker C: I can't tell you any song past the halfway mark. I could not for the life of me tell you what song she sings at the very end as soon as [00:28:15] Speaker B: she goes on snl. I don't know. The music sucked from snl. [00:28:19] Speaker A: I think that was purposely done, but it made for a harder second half, right? [00:28:24] Speaker C: Yeah, I agree that it was on purpose. I am not fighting that. And I. I think. I think that's intelligent. If it ended in a place that I cared about, if they had stopper [00:28:33] Speaker B: song at the end, it would have been worth it for me. I would have been like, oh, she's coming back to her roots and what a great finish. What a blowout musical. You know, they had me so hard [00:28:43] Speaker C: at the beginning, and they just completely lost me somewhere. And, like, if they brought me back [00:28:49] Speaker A: in somewhere, I must spit my cup my drink out, man. [00:28:54] Speaker C: Just. [00:28:54] Speaker A: Your phrasing was impeccable. [00:28:58] Speaker B: Don't worry, it'll get clipped. [00:29:00] Speaker C: Oh, sure. I was in from the very beginning. [00:29:05] Speaker A: Thank you. [00:29:06] Speaker C: Until somewhere halfway through, and then I just stopped caring about these characters. And nothing at the end made me care more. Like, we were in the Watch party and she was saying she was ugly crying at the end. And I am stone faced, stoic, like, all right, Like, I don't care about Bradley Cooper's character, but I was goosebumps. And I was. I. Look, I have ptsd. Music is a massive trigger for me. There are points at the beginning of this show where I was verge of tears, not because we cared about the characters, but because the songs were so powerful. And at the end, when we're supposed to care, could not have given a crap. [00:29:42] Speaker A: Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. But is that. Is that the cost of. Of fame? Is that the cost of being a star? Is that. Is that the point that they're trying to get across? That maybe they didn't fully get to the. [00:29:54] Speaker C: If it works for other people, that's awesome. It. It just did not land. [00:29:58] Speaker B: I think that's the. I think that is the question, Will. Is that the point they were trying to make? Or did that just become the ending of the movie? And I don't know. And I think that's a problem. I think that the viewer should have a feel for what they were trying to explain at the end of the film. And I'm not sure. And that's what bothers me the most about this film. It's the biggest takeaway from it that I have. It's probably the only real flaw for it because, yeah, even though the second half music sucked, it was intentional and I was okay with it because I knew what was happening there. So, yeah, music went downhill, but the [00:30:33] Speaker C: performances were phenomenal all the way through. We've only really praised Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga, but honestly, even the manager being a weasel, he was good. Sam Elliott, though, like, I think you said it will. I could just listen to Sam Elliott all day. Like, he's phenomenal in this. We don't get a ton of him, unfortunately. I could have used more, but I liked him while he was there. I like that he's the older brother who can kind of seek. [00:30:56] Speaker B: It was great. [00:30:57] Speaker C: He tries to, like, put him on the right path, but, like, Bradley just doesn't. Or Jack, sorry, just doesn't want to go on it. And it had one of. I, I don't think it was supposed to be funny and I'm sure I'm. I'm probably one of the few people who found it really funny. But when he's driving Bradley Cooper, he's still a drunk at this point, I think. I don't think it's post rehab. Or maybe it is. Maybe it's post rehab. Anyways, Sam Elliott is driving Bradley Cooper home and they're having a little heart to heart. And Bradley Cooper says something like, oh, I never wanted to be down. I always idolized you. And he's like full on cheering and he runs away and Sam Elliot's backing out of the car and he's in full tears. It's just these two grown men who, like, God forbid, have feelings and run away from each other because they can't show anybody that they've got feelings. I don't know why I found that so funny, but it was just like, you're allowed. You're allowed to cry, guys. It's fine. You'll be okay. [00:31:50] Speaker B: See, I was raised like that. My father and I have that kind of relationship. And now, of course, they're brothers, but so I understood that and that was heart wrenching for me. I didn't find it humorous at all. I was starting to tear up because one, it's a stellar performance by both. And yes, that was post rehab. And he says, I didn't idolize Dad. I idolized you. And you know, he's choking up. And I. I thought that was one of the better scenes in the film. Really enjoyed it. And I could relate to their emotional experience in that moment. [00:32:23] Speaker C: I think it was well done. It just something, you know, when you see something and it's good, but it still just strikes a nerve with you. You're just like, ah. Like, you just find it kind of humorous, that's all. Okay. I'm not taking anything away from the scene. It was well acted, it was well written. I liked the line. Just something about it, especially Elliott specifically driving away. Just something about that just got me. [00:32:44] Speaker B: Don't. Don't backpedal, Dan. You're laughing at grown men crying. We understand you. Evil. [00:32:49] Speaker C: No, no, no, no, no. The opposite. [00:32:52] Speaker A: He's laughing. [00:32:52] Speaker C: I'm allowing gr. [00:32:54] Speaker A: Yeah, he's laughing at toxic masculinity. That's what he's. [00:32:57] Speaker C: Thank you, Will. Yeah, thank you, Will. [00:32:59] Speaker A: Which is well played, Dan. Well played. Now, this might be a clippable moment. Say what you will, Sam Elliott. I will take mustache rides from him any day of the week. That guy. Love him. Love his mustache. Everything I've ever seen Sam Elliott in, I love and adore. But not only him, there was a couple other comedic actors in this movie that I was like, why are they in this movie and why are they doing such a good job? And why were they cast? Like, what's going on here? That specifically, we're talking about Dave Chappelle and Ali's dad. What's his name again? [00:33:38] Speaker C: Andrew Dice Clay. [00:33:40] Speaker A: Andrew Dice Clay, specifically. Andrew Dice Clay was phenomenal in this movie. [00:33:45] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:33:46] Speaker A: What did you guys think? [00:33:48] Speaker C: I liked Andrew Dice Clay. It took me a while to recognize him. Like, I didn't get him. I didn't clock him right away, but I didn't see Dave Chappelle's character the first time I watched half the movie, so he was, like, way out of left field for me. I was like, whoa, okay. Dave Chappelle, say what you will about him as a comedian, is a pretty good actor in the few films we've got him in. And I really liked his performance in this one. It's kind of like the childhood friend, you know, like, they don't get the impression that they're super close nowadays, but he's kind of a nice, safe home for him to come back to whenever he's around. [00:34:16] Speaker A: Yeah. He's always going to be there for his buddy. Right. [00:34:19] Speaker B: And. And he did such a phenomenal job of explaining how you're going through life trying to find something, and pretty soon you reach a point where you're no longer trying to find something and you realize you found what you wanted. He does a much better job explaining that little thing. I really liked that sequence from him. I thought he was great. Andrew Dice Clay was phenomenal as the role of the father. I didn't quite catch. So he pisses himself on stage and her father is carrying him back to the shower and he says something and I missed it. And later, Jack was very embarrassed by her dad. What her dad said, it embarrassed him and his. For his own actions. What. What was that little trend? What did I miss there? [00:35:02] Speaker A: I think he was just calling him out on, like, how could he do this to his daughter? And because he was a recovering alcoholic himself, he knew exactly what Jack was going through. [00:35:14] Speaker B: So he was just. So. So Jack was just embarrassed because he respected her father. That was it. [00:35:19] Speaker A: Exactly. [00:35:20] Speaker B: Okay. [00:35:20] Speaker C: Yeah. [00:35:20] Speaker A: Okay. [00:35:21] Speaker B: That's what. [00:35:22] Speaker C: And he doesn't sound like he had a great relationship with his own dad. So this is kind of his second chance, having a father and proving himself to him. And instead he literally falls down and pisses himself. Like, he embarrasses not only Ali and himself, but Also, by extension, Mr. Ali, I don't know, whatever his name is. There's also something to be said about, like, Lady Gaga says early on, she doesn't care about fame, she doesn't care about famous people. But he does. Like, he always brags about the famous people he drives around with his limo service. So the fact that I don't remember. Was he in the room? Was he at the Grammys with them? I'm not sure. But embarrassing her in front of these famous celebrities might have hit him even more so because he likes that. I. I don't know. I think it's mostly the first one, but, like, I wonder if the dad was that much more. [00:36:13] Speaker B: Yeah, I think there's. I think there's 10 minutes more of footage that we could have squeezed out of. Of that dynamic, that father son dynamic and father in law dynamic there. That would have been really interesting and I would have enjoyed, too. So I think we're up to another 20 minutes that I would have liked added onto this film because there was good content and I feel like the end was rushed. I feel like we missed out on stuff and. And I think those were good pieces that could have stayed in the movie. I'm wondering if there is a director's cut with a little bit more of some of these things. [00:36:46] Speaker A: Yeah, I'M not sure. I'm not sure about that. [00:36:49] Speaker C: I don't. I've never heard of a director's cut of this film. And the further and further we get away from physical media, the less likely those things are. [00:36:58] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:36:58] Speaker C: With very few exceptions. Like, you know, the Spider man movie got an extra two minutes or something on Disney plus, but, you know, mostly that was reserved for, like, the DVD copy or something, so I don't know. But I, I, I guess it's a. I'm ragging on this movie a little bit, but I enjoyed it so much that I would take an extra 20 minutes to iron out the things that I didn't love. [00:37:22] Speaker B: And that's what I'm saying, too. Yeah. [00:37:24] Speaker C: So I think that is a good sign, like, because there are a lot of movies where I'm like, I didn't like this that much. I don't want another minute of this. I'm just good to move on with my life. I would take another couple minutes of this to make it what I would love it to be, because, I don't know, the first hour. Ish. I was in love with this film, and I couldn't believe that I didn't finish it back in the day. I just, just didn't connect with the later half. [00:37:51] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:37:52] Speaker C: If you like what we do and you want to help support us, head on over to our Patreon. There's a link down below. Shout out to our producers as well as our executive producer, Dino, and a huge shadow to our head writers, Elder Jam990, Ms. Hillary, and Real Bubba Hotep, who chose this movie for us and made all this possible. Thank you all very much. [00:38:12] Speaker B: All right, so I don't have much more to say about this film, so I'm just gonna go into it. I gave this film an 82. I think it was really phenomenal film. An excellent watch for anybody. It falls short at the end. I wanted more. I wanted a better, clearer explanation of what the director wanted me to feel at the end because I was unclear about where Lady Gaga's character stood at the end of this film. And I don't think that should happen. I think you should always leave the theater or the watch party knowing for sure that you're supposed to be confused about something or knowing for sure this is what was supposed to happen. And for me, I wasn't sure where this landed at the end. And I wasn't sure if I was even supposed to be sure or not. Like, it just wasn't very clear. It was a little too Vague. And I wanted a show stopping song at the end. So 82 for me. Still a phenomenal film recommend to anybody. The first half is the best half but you know you'll end up watching it all the way through. [00:39:19] Speaker C: Honestly, Brian and I are ridiculously in step on this one. I agree with pretty much everything he just said. I. I like it when a movie has a question at the end and that leaves you with ambiguity and you're not sure where you're supposed to be. And this one just felt like, I hate to say it, it was just a little bit of poor writing at the very end. Or at least for me, the writing just didn't quite connect. The first half of this movie, I can't stress enough, is electric. It is so incredibly well made. The acting all the way through is phenomenal. The music, I'm not even a country person, but the music was giving me chills. Them on stage together performing was so incredibly well done. I didn't know that they were performing it live. That does add to the performance obviously. Bradley Cooper directing, learning how to play guitar, learning how to sing, talking with the Sam Elliott style accent. Like all the props in the world to him. Lady Gaga. I don't know if this is her first time acting or, or one of her first times acting. Phenomenal job. Like all the praises to them. I just didn't connect with these characters in the last half. So when we get to the tragic ending it just, I just didn't care about the character. It felt so obviously such a foregone conclusion. What was going to happen that when it happened you're just like, yeah, that, that's, that's how this goes. I also gave this an 82. That's hilarious. [00:40:35] Speaker A: Yeah, I agree with a lot of things these guys are saying. Yeah, big, big props to the acting and the directing. Bradley Cooper knocked it out of the park for a first time director like and. And taking on this huge project. It says wonders about this guy as a talent and I think it shows in the end product of this movie. What we didn't mention is Bradley Cooper actually struggled with alcoholism in his life. So I think that also helped bring some of the real energy to this movie and his character specifically. And I think maybe that's why there's more focus on that. I'm not sure. Again, I haven't seen the other Star is Born movies but I feel like there was a lot of focus on that in this movie which isn't bad by any means. But yeah, like the other guys, I just felt like this movie was predictable and maybe because of the rise of these like autobiography type movies that have been coming out of the last 10, 15 years, they just become all kind of the same watch. And I felt this one felt that way as well. The first half is. Is amazing. The second half is like, oh yeah, stardom sucks. So get ready if you ever want to be a star. But yeah, I, I can't like really ding this movie for a lot. I give it an 87 out of 100. Right in the ballpark with these other guys. Great watch. [00:42:09] Speaker C: And with that we see A Star Is Born coming in at 6. Second place. As far as our non franchise list go, this includes the Patreon picks and March Madness where we get to choose our own ones. Coming in at an 84, tying it with A Sound of Music. Another musical. Guys, I think it's safe to say we love musicals on this channel. [00:42:27] Speaker A: I think you're right. [00:42:28] Speaker B: Apparently so. [00:42:30] Speaker A: Sing us out, Brian. [00:42:32] Speaker C: Please don't. Please don't. I will. [00:42:35] Speaker B: No, sorry, no. So, Dan, I noticed that you put A Star is Born above the Sound of Music. Was that a true. What's that, Dan? [00:42:45] Speaker C: I figured just the average overall is higher. Like they're all in the 80s where Sound of Music had something in the 70s that was going real bad. But I guess technically, alphabetically, it's also above with a star versus the Sound of Music. [00:43:01] Speaker B: Okay. [00:43:01] Speaker C: I don't know. Richie saw us here. I do have something else though, I want to show you guys. And this is the first time this one's come up. As you can see here. We do also have our first ever top 10 nomination with Stars born coming in at 10th place, tied for 84. No logic why. It's below Knives out or Good, Bad and the Ugly. But regardless. What do you think about our R rating now? This is individually, this is not franchises. Our top 10 list. 1. This is not the Kill Bill franchise. [00:43:35] Speaker B: This is new. All right. [00:43:36] Speaker C: This is the first time. Almost two years going. [00:43:40] Speaker B: Going down the list for the podcast. For those of you listening in the car ride, first place is Kill Bill, Volume 1, followed by City, tied with City of God. Not alphabetical there, Dan. [00:43:54] Speaker A: You also put the low score above the high score on that one. [00:43:57] Speaker B: Dan. [00:43:57] Speaker C: I said it wasn't scientific. [00:43:59] Speaker A: I called you for me. [00:44:02] Speaker B: So we'll just say that Kill Bill and City of God are tied for for one and two. Jurassic park followed by Aliens. That's the second movie in the franchise. Mad Max Fury Road, then Prey, then comes Alien. That's right. Two from one of my favorite franchise make the list, followed by knives out at eighth, good, bad and the ugly at ninth. And at 10th place, a star is Born. [00:44:30] Speaker A: Wow. [00:44:31] Speaker C: I do like that we've got Jurassic Park, Aliens, and Mad Max all, like, favorites of all of ours right there. [00:44:39] Speaker A: I don't like that Mad Max is the last place on that list, but it's fine. [00:44:44] Speaker C: I apologize. It was also the first one we. It's also the first one that we rated. Right. Like, we were still kind of finding our footing a little bit at the very beginning there, so. [00:44:53] Speaker A: That's true. [00:44:53] Speaker C: Doing Mad Max as the very first episode still may or may not have [00:44:58] Speaker A: hindered it a little bit, though. [00:44:59] Speaker B: Pretty good, honestly. Like, this is a solid list. I think this is really good. I'm kind of surprised that Knives out is on this list, but at the same time, that's an accurate score for the film. It was well put together. Great plot, great dialogue. We loved that Knives out movie. I guess it's just because it's a mystery who done it where. Most of this list is action, sci fi stuff, you know, with a western, dinosaurs, you know, ninjas. [00:45:31] Speaker C: Yeah. [00:45:32] Speaker A: Let me ask you this, Dan. [00:45:33] Speaker C: Sure. [00:45:34] Speaker A: Are you content because Jurassic Park's on the list. That majority of this list is your low score. [00:45:44] Speaker C: I. I don't know if content is quite the right word. I don't, I don't mind it. Like, none of the movies on this, on this list are bad by any stretch. The imagination. There are other things. [00:45:56] Speaker B: Green scores. [00:45:58] Speaker C: There are things I like better than some of them based off of what my average viewing habits are. [00:46:04] Speaker A: Right. [00:46:04] Speaker C: Like, I'm not a person who's going to go in my way for a western movie. But as far as westerns go, good and bad, the Ugly is phenomenal. [00:46:10] Speaker A: Right. [00:46:11] Speaker C: So, yeah. I don't know. [00:46:13] Speaker A: It's odd that there's three Alien movies on this list. [00:46:19] Speaker C: Well, okay, Prey is Predator, but I [00:46:21] Speaker B: get what you're saying. [00:46:22] Speaker A: Yeah, yeah, yeah, I guess, I guess. Same world really nowadays, but. And literally Prey is in the same world, Right? [00:46:31] Speaker C: I guess, kind of. They are merging those a little bit. Depends on how you want to look at it. [00:46:34] Speaker B: Okay, so. So aliens are canon in the Predator universe, but Predator is not canon in the Alien universe. [00:46:44] Speaker A: Right, right. [00:46:45] Speaker C: I said that in a short at one point and somebody's like, you go get to decide that. I'm like, no, but Fox did. They said it a couple of times, so calm down. Yeah, yeah. [00:46:53] Speaker A: Which. Which might not be true anymore either with Alien Earth and all the other things that are happening. [00:46:57] Speaker C: I don't. I don't know of anything. I can't think of anything off the top of my head that that puts Predator directly in the alien list, but. [00:47:04] Speaker A: Right. Right. [00:47:05] Speaker C: I'm not sure. All right, that's our rating of A star is born, but what's yours? Leave a comment down below. I'd love to hear what you have to say. We record this live over Twitch TV slash themonguly show every Thursday night at 9pm Eastern Standard Time. So if you want to hang out with us, you can can head over there and hit the follow button. Or if you made it this far in the video, you probably enjoyed it. Make sure you hit like and subscribe so that we see you in the next one.