Tag Archives: Bradley Cooper
A Star Is Born
Lady Gaga is the first who becomes a movie star in front of us. When she first appears here, Gaga is worlds removed from her concert act: her hair is natural; her eyes are wide and unadorned; she speaks with a slight New York accent. Jackson Maine cautions her character Ally to be honest, and that’s advice Gaga has taken to heart. Gaga’s strongest career asset seems to be her ability to transform, to costume herself and strip herself down like a chameleon.
Oscars Week: AMERICAN SNIPER + SELMA
Say what you want about American Sniper, but it’s not a pro-war film. Clint Eastwood’s pro-troops movie shouldn’t be confused with pro-Iraq. Many critics are reading through Eastwood’s conservative politics; but it’s so easy to polarize this movie and neglect the deep uncertainty at its core. I do believe Eastwood wants to depict Chris Kyle, who amassed 160 confirmed […]
AMERICAN HUSTLE + THE WOLF OF WALL STREET
David O. Russell’s American Hustle is a fractured fairy tale of cons and corruption, starting with the epigraph, “Some of this actually happened.” What did actually happen was the Abscam scandal (short for “Arab scam”) of 1979-1980, in which the FBI used small-time con artists to bribe public officials. Not one to settle for mere facts, Russell […]
Actor in Focus: Amy Adams
During the past few years, Amy Adams has had an interesting career turnaround. When she came on the scene with her Academy-nominated supporting performance in Junebug, Adams played the role of the “perky, sweet girl,” and seemed in some ways typecast with a variety of similar roles from the singing and dancing Princess Giselle in […]
You gotta get a critic. 