My Movie of 2018.

Rating: 10/10 (8 October 2018)

I was ignorant to the storyline of A Star Is Born and the previous renditions of it when I went to see this last night. I went to watch it mainly because I was curious to see how Lady Gaga would perform in a full-length film, having enjoyed her performance in American Horror Story. 2.5 hours later, I emerged from the depths of the silent cinema, tears still rolling down my face. This was such a powerful film and a triumph for Bradley Cooper. He can act, direct, sing, play guitar - what a talent. As for Gaga - she is a revelation. I'm sure this is the first in a long line of main acting roles for her, and it's not hyperbole to say her performance could be Oscar-worthy. Cinematically it was also a delight - close camera angles put you into the intimacy of the scenes, whilst the final fifteen minutes had the entire audience holding their breath (and crying). When the credits rolled, everyone in the packed cinema just sat motionless, stunned into silence. I drove home with tears still rolling down my face!
This is the best film I've seen this year by a hundred miles, and possibly the best film I've seen in the past five. It's stuck with me in a way films rarely do and my husband and I were still discussing all the details this morning. A probable and worthy contender for the awards season. If you're still reading reviews on IMDb just stop, and go and see it!