Showing posts with label Bradley Cooper. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bradley Cooper. Show all posts

Sunday, 28 April 2019

Avengers: Endgame (2019)

Spoilers ahead! I never cared much about superhero movies, but then the Marvel Cinematic Universe happened and, every year for the past eleven years, they've been the movies I was looking forward to seeing the most. No matter how disappointingly awful some were, I was still excited to see what would come next. And after Avengers: Infinity War ended with that huge cliffhanger, Avengers: Endgame became my most anticipated Marvel film ever. And boy, I was not disappointed. 

The story picks up after the devastating events of the previous film, with the remaining Avengers — Steve Rogers (Chris Evans), Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo), Natasha Romanoff (Scarlett Johansson), Rocket (voiced by Bradley Cooper), James Rhodes (Don Cheadle), and Thor (Chris Hemsworth) — joined by Captain Marvel (Brie Larson), Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.), and Nebula (Karen Gillan) to track down Thanos (Josh Brolin), steal the Infinity Stones and reverse his action. Unfortunately, they learn upon finding him that he had destroyed the stones, and Thor kills him. Five years later, Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) comes back from the Quantum Realm and proposes the others to travel back in time and prevent Thanos from finding the stones in the first place.

While it's a bit convoluted and confusing, the time travel plot not only makes perfect sense — and even if it didn't, I still wouldn't get why many people are vigorously complaining about it being nonsense. Have these people forgotten its a superhero movie involving time travel they are talking about? — as it manages to combine the storylines of the twenty-two previous movies beautifully, but it pays tremendous homage to the fans who have been following the Marvel Cinematic Universe for more than ten years, and to the characters — Captain America gets to reunite with Peggy — I don't get why people are complaining about this, Cap deserves a happy ending and him staying in the past doesn't mean he changes the past/future, it simply means that he created another timeline and that at present time there are two Steve Rogers, one old and one young as he's been defrosted as he was supposed to be —, Tony Stark gets to see his father, Thor his mother and Jane, and Bruce is finally at peace with the Hulk.

As for the characters, many viewers didn't appreciate the treatment some of them got, especially Thor who, according to some people, has been reduced to a pathetic comic relief as he's now a fat alcoholic other characters, specifically Rocket, often make fun of. I, on the other hand, think that the writers wouldn't have done anything better than that with him. Sure, we are so used to seeing this muscular, powerful and confident man, it feels weird seeing him in this as he's the opposite of that. But keep in mind that he has lost everything — his father, his mother, his brother, his best friend, the woman he loved, Asgard — and on top of that, he blames himself for failing to kill Thanos when he had the chance in Infinity War. So much has happened to him, it's only natural that he has become the man he is here. And what the did with the character of Tony Stark over the years is beyond impressive — not only he's no longer the selfish, arrogant he used to be and has taken the young Peter Parker under his wing, but he gets to the point of giving up his happiness, his chance of having a family to save the universe. With Endgame, we also get to see more of those characters who either weren't in the previous film, such as Hawkeye and Ant-Man or were barely in it, such as Captain America. I was a little disappointed with how little they used Captain Marvel though.

Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
The cast does an excellent job, from Chris Hemsworth who embodies to perfection this new Thor with an incredibly humorous performance to Scarlett Johansson who finally gives a strong, compelling performance as Black Widow to Tom Holland who is barely in the film and yet manages to still the scene as he shares a touching moment with Robert Downey Jr.. There are also many wonderful and unexpected cameos from Natalie Portman (Jane Foster), Rene Russo (Frigga), Tilda Swinton (the Ancient One), John Slattery (Howard Stark), Robert Redford (Alexander Payne), Hayley Atwell (Peggy Carter), James D'Arcy (Edwin Jarvis), Michael Douglas (Hank Pym) and, of course, Stan Lee.

The film is also filled with memorable scenes from Captain America finally grabbing Thor's hammer — the reaction of the audience was insane! — to the scene with all the Marvel women — I actually cried at this point because a boy sitting right next to me was very excited as he said, "it's all the girls".

The film is, as always with Marvel, visually spectacular, it has a killer soundtrack's and it's wonderfully paced — the three hours running time flies by — but most of all, it's rollercoaster of feelings and emotions with its homages, and the graceful combination of moments that make you laugh, moments that give you goosebumps and moments that will make you cry.

Saturday, 26 January 2019

A Star Is Born (2018)

I am one of the few people who were not hyped at all about Bradley Cooper's A Star Is Born mainly because the trailer didn't appeal me at all —I found it to be very cheesy. Then I read the reviews, and they really made me want to see it. Unfortunately, my cinema only showed the dubbed version and since I don't find the dubbing to be as effective as the original, specifically when it comes to dramas, I had to wait for home release to watch it. 

The story follows Ally (Lady Gaga), a young waitress with a great voice who's been told she's never gonna make it because of her nose, and Jackson Maine (Bradley Cooper), a famous rock country singer battling an alcohol and drug addiction. After one of his concerts, Jackson is looking for a drink and ends up in a drag bar where sees Ally perform. He is amazed by her and soon becomes both her mentor and her boyfriend and brings her into the spotlight. As Ally's career takes off, Jackson's spirals out of control.

Cooper's A Star Is Born has the simple and predictable story dealing with fame, addiction and depression that has been done several times before. However, unlike the 1954 version, which is the only I've seen, it handles each one of its themes incredibly well, it's compelling from start to finish and, thanks to Cooper's superb storytelling, it has a devastating and powerful impact on the viewer as it makes you experience happiness, hilarity, sadness and anger. 

Of course, it's not just the storytelling that makes A Star Is Born as effective as it is. The characters indeed play a huge role in that as they are interesting, have a backstory —specifically Jackson who isn't the cynical and jealous man James Mason played, but a more fleshed-out and sympathetic character—, and convey a sense of authenticity that really makes you fall in love with them. The connection you develop with them is so intense, you don't feel sorry for Ally when Jack yet again hits the bottle despite the promises, but you feel her pain. It's Jack you feel sorry for because he's throwing away his life and taking away a huge piece of Ally with it.

Warner Bros. Pictures
The leading performances are nothing short of extraordinary and deserve to win every single award —I'm pretty sure it won't happen though. Bradley Cooper gives the performance of his career as Jackson Maine, the once-great musician on the decline due to alcohol and drugs. Lady Gaga is beyond incredible and exceeded my expectations, which were pretty high considering how praised her performance is. Her portrayal of Ally is so genuine, charming and believable, and it's because of her if Ally, who has always had to take care of the men in her life —first her pathetic father, then her alcoholic husband—, isn't defined by them. The chemistry between Cooper and Gaga is terrific right from the start, and it's one of the most if not the most authentic chemistry I've seen on screen. As for the supporting cast, Sam Elliot shines as Jack's older brother and manager.

The songs are spectacular. I listened to the soundtrack several times in the past months but I loved only two songs, The Shallow, a Cooper and Gaga duet, and Always Remember Us This Way, a Gaga solo. It's a completely different story in the movie. Each song gives you the chills and has an emotional impact on you. The cinematography, although it isn't always consistent as at times the shots are not well framed and doesn't feel like they belong, is gorgeous.

If you haven't seen this masterpiece already, I urge you to watch it. Just make sure you have tissues at hand because you will cry, during the film and especially at the end. The ending made me cry so much, I got a headache. And I'm usually not a crier.