The fall was a funny time for me. It seemed that time wasn’t on my side, and a few movies that I had wanted to get out to see just fell by the wayside. Venom was one of them, and when I finally had a chance to see it at home, I was surprised at how much I genuinely enjoyed the critically maligned movie.
The other film I missed on the big screen was A Star Is Born, which I had been interested to see ever since I had heard out was premiering at the Toronto International Film Festival. I like Bradley Cooper, I like Lady Gaga, the trailers had been outstanding and ‘Shallow’ was an incredible song. When I finally had my chance to catch up, it was at home on my television, on Blu-ray, and I wasn’t disappointed at all. In fact, I was emotionally involved from the very beginning, thanks to the outstanding work of all of the lead actors, including Sam Elliot.
It’s no surprise that Cooper, Gaga, and Elliot are up for Best Actor, Actress, and Supporting Actor at the Oscars tonight. The trio are all captivating on screen. Does it mean I think they’ll win? That’s tough to predict. Elliot, who plays the older brother of Cooper’s character Jackson Maine, has an excellent chance of taking home the award on his first nomination, partically as a reward for long and excellent career. Lady Gaga’s main competition comes from Glenn Close, who won the Golden Globe for her work in The Wife. Again, I think Close is a shoe-in, based on this performance and her body of work. Either one of these actors deserves the accolade for their amazing performances.
And then there’s Bradley Cooper. While he may have been passed over for a Best Director nod for his debut feature (and I do think he deserved a nomination), his brilliant performance onscreen wasn’t forgotten. I didn’t expect to be as blown away by his work as I was when I watched A Star Is Born. The majority of press had been directed at Lady Gaga, but from the moment Cooper arrived, I was absolutely captivated by his work. The low growl of a voice, the body language of a rock star on stage, the vulnerability. I just thought he was remarkable.
The main thought is that Rami Malek will nab the Oscar for his own rock star performance, that of Freddie Mercury in the Queen biopic, Bohemian Rhapsody. I was all Team Malek, until I saw A Star Is Born. While Malek did a superb job in imitating Freddie, I feel as though Bradley Cooper created a character from scratch with Jackson Maine. Both are deserving in my mind, but tonight I’m Team Cooper all the way.
Of course, there are other names in the running in all categories, and there’s always the potential that neither Malek or Cooper (or Elliot, for that matter), will end up winning. I suppose we’ll just have to tune in and find out.
The Oscars are tonight, so we won’t have to wait any longer to see who wins their rewards. A Star is Born is out now on Blu-ray.
