Maybe it's time to let the old ways die......

Rating: 9/10 (3 November 2018)

Seasoned musician Jackson Maine discovers-and falls in love with-struggling artist Ally.
She has just about given up on her dream to make it big as a singer... until Jack coaxes her into the spotlight.
But even as Ally's career takes off, the personal side of their relationship is breaking down, as Jack fights an ongoing battle with his own internal demons........
For a first time director, Cooper really makes it look like he's been making films for years. Maybe he got a lot of advice from Eastwood or O'Russell, but this is cinema on a grand scale.
The film denotes tragedy from the very beginning, Cooper is a drug addicted alcoholic, and with the bluntest use of foreshadowing I have seen in a film in a very long time (look for the neon sign just before the car pulls into the bar where GaGa is singing) you can tell that it's not going to end well.
The chemistry between the two leads is good, especially in the second act when the narcissist comes out of Maine, Ally stands by him, even though he is pointing out her fears she described in the first act, she is loyal and his rock.
But the real chemistry comes with that of the Maine brothers, I really wish there were more scenes between Elliott and Cooper. They are just so believable as bickering brothers, and the scene where Elliott is pulling away from Cooper is one of the most emotional scenes I have seen this year.
And Dice Clay is brilliant as Ally's father, again the chemistry between those two is paramount to the films success.
It's a bonafide classic, touching in places, funny in others, but the element of despair the film has is a little to rife for me.
But all in all, it's wonderful