I had the extreme pleasure of being able to see “A Star is Born” a few days before the official release date, which is this Friday, October 5th. I had already gotten goosebumps watching the preview and I am a huge Bradley Cooper fan so it must be said, I went in with high expectations. I can honestly say, I was not disappointed in the least. I knew that this is the 4th remake of “A Star is Born” but I have not seen any of the previous versions. The closest I come to knowing the other versions is I can recognize the cover of the 1976 version starring Barbra Streisand and Kris Kirstofferson. I actually appreciated being able to go into this version without knowing anything about the plot or trajectory of the story (other than what I had seen in the previews). The overall plot is simple, at the core it is a love story. A deep and powerful love story that is so believable because of the intense chemistry between Cooper and Lady Gaga. It felt so personal to watch their story and love develop.

Bradley Cooper opened up to Barbara Walters several years ago about his experience with alcoholism and drug addiction and why he decided to get sober in his late 20s. It feels very much like Cooper was pulling from his own experience to create Jackson Maine. The struggle his character has with alcoholism is so painful to watch but so realistic and how that level of addiction is like an earthquake, impacting all the relationships around the person. Balancing the alcoholism though was the Cooper charm and smile and you instantly saw how someone would love this man.  “A Star is Born” is Lady Gaga’s first leading role. In life, Lady Gaga is larger than life but here, she is almost unrecognizable due to her simplicity and barebones beauty. Many of her early scenes have her in little makeup with natural brown hair.

You will not find covers from any of the previous versions of “A Star is Born” in this version, you will only hear original music co-written by Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper. Most of the songs are recorded live on-set as that was something Lady Gaga specifically requested. The songs are powerful and dynamic, especially “The Shallow” the song featured in the preview, which most likely will walk away with Best Original Song this year.

“A Star is Born” is not a perfect movie. My husband and I found ourselves asking why certain things were never said or done and if “this or that” was realistic. In the end though, it seemed more authentic that not everything was said or shown and it didn’t tie up every end neatly. Life and love are not like that. They are intense and raw and sometimes, a little messy. Finally, like a river running through the movie, there is the solid message about raw talent and creativity and how fame (and possibly pop culture today) destroys everything good and true and real. I for one will be seeing this movie again in the theatre and I recommend you don’t wait for DVD or streaming as the musical performances alone are worth the ticket price. At times I felt like I was in a concert watching Cooper and Gaga perform. It was absolutely amazing!

Grade: A

A cynical adult may look at Mr. Rogers (full name Fred McFeely Rogers which is a bit off-putting considering he has a show for children) and think, “he can’t really be that nice, there’s got to be something wrong with him?” Because of all that cynicism in the world there were a variety of rumors floating around about Mr. Rogers including that he had several tattoos and was a NAVY seal in Vietnam (both inaccurate). In reality, or at least the reality that is portrayed in “Won’t You Be My Neighbor”, is that Mr. Rogers really was the thoughtful, sensitive and caring human being he portrays himself to be on television. He was often sick as a child and had a lot of insecurity and so he decided to make a show for children to help them understand all the intense and very real emotions children feel but often can’t explain or understand. In this time of turmoil in our country, it was comforting to think that someone could actually be the person they are on television without some seedy underbelly of despair and depravity. The overall documentary was a bit choppy at times and didn’t always flow smoothly as it was trying to weave in historical references of the time along with Fred’s history and the history of “Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood.”  That being said, “Won’t You Be My Neighbor” was still an enjoyable look into the show I spent many hours watching as a child. It was also interesting to note that Mr. Rogers didn’t really care for most television that was out there for children and I kept wondering to myself what he would think today. Would you be impressed with shows such as Wild Kratts and Octonauts that work on being educational and fun? Would he be saddened by other shows that seem to undermine children’s intelligence and capacity to understand.

Grade: B+

Eighth Grade is such an authentic and genuine movie. It is heartbreaking to watch as most of us can relate to those awkward years when you are trying to figure out who you are, connect with friends, separate from parents (all the while still needing reassurance that they will be there for you no matter what) and having your body ravaged by hormones. Ugh! It’s the worst and this movie perfectly captures the entire excruciating experience like a 2-hour Polaroid picture. The movie follows Kayla, through her last year of middle school. She has a vlog (video blog for those who are not in the know) preaching about issues and topics that she does not herself embody. It’s almost like a way she can try on a different hat and see if it fits or it’s a way to express who she wishes she were or could be if only she weren’t so self-conscious/anxious/nervous. She receives a time capsule from when she was starting middle school and is shocked to find that she hasn’t changed that much. She is preparing to make a new time capsule to read when she graduates and feels stuck, as we all would, to who she is and who she is going to be in 4 years. In many ways Eighth Grade is timeless because even though I was in eighth grade many, many years ago (I just celebrated my 20-year high school reunion), I could still very easily relate to this young Kayla. I saw it with several girlfriends and we all kept turning to each other and acknowledging that we remember that feeling/moment. Eighth Grade is also modern and today with a key player in the movie being social media. I am SO glad that social media and cell phones were not around when I was younger. I struggle now, as an adult, with comparing and feeling like everyone is living a bigger, better, more exciting life than I am. I can’t even imagine how a teenager or pre-teen would feel seeing friends post about parties they weren’t at or beautiful selfies which have been heavily altered and enhanced and wondering, why don’t I look like that and they do???  I have two quotes from Eighth Grade that are too amazing to not share, both come from Kayla while she is doing her vlog. The first quote is about being yourself, “What does it mean, being yourself? Aren’t I always myself” I guess being yourself is about not changing yourself.” And the second quote is about confidence, “A big part of confidence is being brave, and you can’t be brave without being scared.” Words to live by Kayla, words to live by.

There is very little not to love about Eighth Grade. It is and sweet and lovely ode to a time we all want to forget but will always remember.

Grade: A

The story is simple, a Manhattan NYU professor heads to Singapore with her boyfriend to join him for a vacation and a wedding. Upon arrival she finds out that her boyfriend is basically the son of one of the richest families in Singapore…practically Asian royalty. Think about Meghan Markle unknowingly going to visit London with Harry only to discover he’s a Prince. The movie deviates only slightly from the book, but the deviations, for the most part are okay, and probably make for a smoother movie viewing experience. One character is changed drastically from the book, probably for comic relief, but this ends up being an enjoyable change because this character truly makes the film great. She is hysterical! I love that this is the grist American movie with an Asian led cast in 25-years (the last film being “The Joy Luck Club”). If this story were set in LA and filmed with the typical white cast, it probably would be an average to okay movie. The type of rom-com that you’ll watch on a Saturday night when you’re bored at home. However, setting the film in Singapore with an all-Asian cast and adding in the history and visuals of that world suddenly make it not only fun (and beautiful) to watch, but it also is a more interesting and dynamic story suddenly. I had a smile on my face the entire film and am already planning on watching it again.  A fun, dazzling and heartwarming experience all around.

Grade: A