Question For Those Who Have Seen A Star Is Born

Does my pussy stink?

My question is: do you think he was forshadowing his suicide towards the beginning of the movie when he's in the car, looking for a bar, and they drive by a building with tons of nooses in colored squares on the building? My companion made the connection at the end of the film. I had forgotten about the nooses. But I totally noticed them in the moment, and I was like "WTF with all those nooses?"

Anyone remember the nooses from this driving scene?? Also -- what would that have been? A billboard for a suicide crisis hotline? Too morbid. A building with a broadside advertizing a movie? Like -- it was a series of nooses. It's just strange.

R2 I was so distracted by those nooses too! And that it was a rainbow background and I’m assuming they were in a gayborhood. It was....weird.

"rainbow background"

That was Brad outing himself.

OP, the movie's been remade 4 times, everyone knows the plot, how could there possible be any "spoiler"?

I saw the Streisand version so I knew he would kill himself but had no clue how before I saw the movie. Missed the nooses completely but it was deliberate for sure. I knew when he told the guy in rehab about his failed hanging attempt when he was 13 that he’d die that way. Very hard scene to watch.

Is it as good as the hype?

I think in all the previous versions he walks into the ocean. Hanging is much more violent.

He crashes his car driving recklessly (on purpose) in Streisand version.

I adore 2018 ASIB.

R7 It's pretty darn good. And I really wasn't expecting anything one way or the other. I just went for research purposes.

I came away very very surprised, and moved.

I usually don't like Bradley Cooper and I liked him in this. It was a surprisingly moving and a well-made film. I'm not crazy about the choice of "La Vie En Rose" as the song that would knock his socks off, but the movie definitely seems more "real" than the two most recent versions.

R11 the “ La Vie En Rose” was a real-life nod to how Bradley met Gaga. She was performing it at a charity event and it blew him away. I agree - it felt kind of strange in the film but knowing that is part of their actual real-life story - it works for me. I was really surprised by their chemistry.

Is she good?

I wasn’t expecting to enjoy the film as much as I did. Not a big Gaga fan but she was quite incredible and Cooper was great too (and sexy with whiskers)

OP your promised question in R1 befuddles me: Why is it important to know if your pussy stinks and what does this have to do with the film? Is vaginal odor the spoiler? Were you gagged by Lady Gaga's?

I didn't like the choice of hanging. Not only is hanging a slow, painful death it guarantees that your loved one will find you like that, which is cruel. Walking into the ocean and never coming back is far better. Even crashing your car in the mountains is better.

It's a good version but not by any means the best one, which is still the Garland version. Gaga is limited as an actress. Don't expect a Garland/Streisand calibre performance from her. She's good when she sings. Cooper is very good.

Yes - the nooses at the beginning struck me because of the rainbow. I believe they shot that drag show at Toucan's in PS.

Some of the editing was clunky - but the film was good. Bradley Cooper was excellent. Lady Gaga was good - but I wasn't blown away. Let's face it - she's playing a struggling artist who then goes on to be Grammy nominated for best new artist - not exactly a stretch from her real life.

It was a very good movie - but not great. I don't know how it could have been made great when it's been made 3x before. The movie lacked some flow - it didn't seem spliced together well in many places.

Glad I went - but it doesn't deserve a best picture nod. I would say that Bradley Cooper deserves a nomination for his acting - but everything else was about a 7.

Oh - and I recognized Andrew Dice Clay within 10 seconds. My friend was amazed.

where was Andrew Dice Clay?

Sam Elliot is also very good as the brother. Supporting Actor nod would be appropriate.

Andrew Dice Clay is Gaga's dad - he had a pretty big role.

omg. that was him? had no idea.

R20 - yeah, he looks so different - but when I heard him say a couple sentences, his voice is very unique and I knew it was him.

I Thought Those motorcycle scene was foreshadowing and he would have a wreck and die but I believe The changed Their minds....

Was not crazy about some of The supporting cast gay best friend annoyed me and I'm no a big Dave C fan.....

ADC looks the same just older....

SERIOUS QUESTION: [bold] Are the songs good?

at first listen I say no...

The songs aren't repeated enough. There are some strong songs - but nothing with enough hooks. Bradley Cooper has a good voice.

One of the songs has an intro "Maybe its time to let the old ways dies" - which foreshadows the end of the film. I think if they re-engineer some of the songs, they could be good.

The ending was sad - but I thought it was a bit cliche. Singing a sad song in front of an audience and pulling EVERY LAST TRICK in the book to get you to cry. It worked a bit for me, but I was also annoyed that it was trying so hard.

I've never seen the movie, why does he commit suicide?

R27- numerous reasons. Troubled childhood that he never got over, depression from his youth (he tried to commit suicide at 12 but wasn't successful), losing his hearing as a musician - and then a speech from Gaga's manager that tells him how awful he is for her and her career and that he humiliated her.

Mason was superb in the 1954 version.

All 4 versions are completely different movies with only the basic plot line in common. I thought this one was excellent, did not care for Bab's version... Judy's is iconic.

I recently watched Barbra's ASIB and enjoyed It....

Actually, there are five versions, the first one being called "What Price Hollywood?" It was directed by Cukor, who 20 years later did the Garland. The male lead was Lowell Sherman, who had a bad drinking problem.

I thought the music was very well done but I wasn’t overly impressed with the other aspects of the film. The story, which I know has been done repeatedly now, felt creaky and cliche. I wasn’t wowed by either Cooper’s or Gaga’s acting. There were people in my audience sobbing loudly. I was rolling my eyes violently.

I allowed myself to get swept away in the film. I went in pretty cynical, but I ended up loving it.

I agree that the editing made the film not flow as well as it could have, and knowing he’d off himself sucked, but oh well. Most of us have seen one version or more of this, so what can you do?

I enjoyed the music. It was difficult to see Cooper, or Jackson, as a huge star, since his audience seemed to be a bunch of Deplorables. That was... odd.

I really enjoyed the music. It wasn’t fantastic, but it was OK. I’m gonna find myself a rose embroidered, snap on cowboy shirt.

That was another thing, btw. I got a Joe Walsh vibe from Jackson, but I couldn’t really pin country, or rock on him. Sort of like The Eagles, I guess.

Go see it if you’re bored, or just wait to watch it at home. I give it a strong 7 or moderate 8.

There was no "The Man That Got Away" or "Evergreen" in the movie. Whatever you may personally think of those songs, they became iconic and brought attention to their respective versions. There were some nice songs in this film but nothing that immediately grabbed you and made you think, "Wow, this will be a smash hit!"

I'm with R22. I thought the motorcycle was kind of a foreshadowing.

R17, my thoughts exactly.

What I found odd was the Ally character. I never really believed she was head over heels in love with him, so when she immediately jumped on board with that sleazy producer it seemed like she was just using Jackson to get ahead. That was new to this version.

I love all these gay mem supporting Brad Cooper! I LOVE IT.

Ally sold out fast. I wish her character had been a little more resistant to all the cheesy shit she had to do. It would have made her more relatable. They lost me with her character when she started singing about ass in jeans.

The film is good for what it is but it has some serious shortcomings. Ally is a character is paper thin, we rarely see her point of view or her having meaningful conversations with anyone who isn't Jack and even then she only really talks to him about their relationship. I don't know if Ally did sell out or if that was always the artist she wanted to be because I don't know shit about her or her inner life. The pacing and editing is bad. I have no idea how much time passes between their first meeting and the ending. Felt like one minute Ally was singing a song as a guest on stage with Jack one day and nominated for 3 grammys the next. Very bizarre. Going in in 2018 I had hoped that finally the starring woman would have more agency in her life and career, but instead her entire life pivots around decisions made for her by men. It's a bit of a sexist mess actually.

All good points, R41.

The songs suck, not one memorable or sing along-able number. Totally forgettable.

I heard "Shallow" on the radio. Meh.

Did anyone else notice that in the sex scene, he was on the bottom with his legs wrapped around her waist?

R41 I totally agree. I was not really carrying about her and her supposedly lost soul because we never knew who was true Ally. The songs she sings with Jack were written by her but arranged by him but people are supposed to automatically assume it is not a sell-your-soul type of music because it has guitar? Ironically the ‘true Ally’ is discussed mainly with regards to her look - her nose, hair colour or him asking her to remove make up - so we know he wants her to be her true self but Cooper reduces it to how she looks.

There are some really lovely scenes - the supermarket parking lot for example and the first 20 minutes do a great job of humanizing celebrities, but the weight of the movie evaporates with time.

The dog is great though;)

Shallow has totally won me over. Thought it was okay at first, but now I really, really like it. Always Remember You This Way is off the charts great. I don't understand why it isn't the first single. A few other songs I like well enough, but Shallow and ARYTW are the standouts for me.

I couldn't find a recent thread on this due to the new crappy search. We are watching this now and good god the Streisand version is better than this.

And Bradley, as much as I like him, is no Kris Kristofferson

I refuse to see this remake but I have a question: Does GaGa walk out on stage at the end and say "This is Mrs. Norman Maine"?

R49 not at the end yet but will let you know. And I wish I had done the same; I'm longing for "Just Watch Me Now" or whatever it was called

Watch Closely Now (Take a Look at Me Now)

R49. "Hello, I'm Ally Maine"

Of course.