I Saw It!!!!!!!!!!!! But It Did Not Blow Me Away!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                   Neither David, or I, were blown away by "A Star Is Born," when we finally saw it, yesterday.

                                    That said, I have to say Lady Gaga does have a voice.  The best moment in the entire film is what I call her "Man That Got Away" sequence.  As Ally, (no last name, unlike Esther Blodgett/Vicki Lester) a former server in a drag bar, who has been elevated to second tier singer, she does a scorching version of Piaf's "La Vie En Rose," in a place that should have taken her nowhere.  Except addicted rock star Jackson (not Norman) Maine walks in, and the story begins.

                                        Or does it?  For me it just stopped.  There is no buildup to Jackson's addiction; he is already full throttle, and Ally does not gradually fall into marital problems, they are there long before he pops the question. In this version, I found myself asking, "Why the hell are you marrying him?"  Both exude the sexiness of the rock world milieu in which the once Hollywood story is now set--and I get that--but there is no romance, no warmth, between these two, except when they are performing.  What makes them bound to each other offstage, and Ally risk her career, and Jackson end his life, is never as clearly delineated as in the warmth exuded by Judy Garland and James Mason in the 1954 gold standard.  The only time they seem to love each other is when they are on stage, and performing, a series of repetitious sequences with generic music that suggests a kind of mutual musical narcissism between them.  You call this a tragic love story, darlings???????????

                                         The biggest tragedy for me, is that it went on too long.  The whole "Mrs. Norman Maine" thing is dismissed, and while Ally gets the last shot, the final sequence seemed less an expression of a timeless love than a self congratulatory version of "My Man."  That worked once, in "Funny Girl," but let's face it, Lady Gaga is NOT Barbra.  No way, Jose!!!!!!!!!!!  Who had the idea that she might be, as that is what the ending conveys!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                            Honestly, I had a better time yesterday morning, watching excerpts from "The Black Scorpion" on YouTube.  Those tremendous closeups of the face, piercers, and dripping venom, are truly frightening.

                                            Everyone acts well, especially Andrew Dice Clay and Sam Elliott.  As Jackson's brother, Bobby, his is the only performance with any emotional juice.  If he had played Jackson, he might have taken this "Star Is Born" into the emotional stratosphere it pretends to be in, but really is not.

                                               The Freddy Krueger franchise ended.  So did Chucky. Now, it is time to put "A Star Is Born" to rest.

                                                 After all, when considered, the true remake of the film was the 1967 "Valley Of The Dolls!"  And THAT cannot be topped, darlings!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!