Second viewing, and will probably return for a third.

The latest reiteration of A Star is Born is possibly the most self-aware yet. In a story that has long been about the trials and errors (and overall propagandizing) of the concept of fame, what better casting decision in the contemporary age than Lady Gaga? It’s already a stroke of genius in its casting, and it only helps that Gaga is up to the task in delivering a knockout of a…

There’s not much that can be said that most aren't already raving on about...

It’s one of the most perfect Hollywood popcorn movies (and actor-to-director debuts) to come around in a long time. From the opening scenes with Libatique’s cinematography, to the fractured editing, I was engrossed in this atmosphere of life in the spotlight. The concert scenes are mixed so fucking well, and they are alive in ways I can’t recall musical numbers being. The live vocals are just…

"Death is for the living and not for the dead so much."

The juxtaposition of one brother's "model of success" with the other brother's ripping of the electric guitar in the San Francisco hills sits so powerfully alongside the father's ideas of success, and theory for why pets are so necessary in the family unit. In many ways, this plurality is why Morris' debut resonates without really prying into its subject any deeper than it really could have. Instead, it's…

A premonition to the styles and form of reality television. A middle finger satire to Welles’ successors. Our protagonist is presented like a sort of demigod, people talking and talking about him, bringing up his name, his film being shown to us in brief spurts. He drives his car from studio to home with cameras surrounding him, where the film-within-the-film shows a sequence where a motorcycle pulls up next to a car. There’s a bit of dialogue from those watching…