MARJORIE MAYO recommends an accessible and unsettling novel that uses a true incident of death in the Channel to raise questions of wider moral responsibility
Going Gaga
MARIA DUARTE sees the pop star give a tremendous performance in A Star is Born
MIK SABIERS wallows in a night of political punk and funk that fires both barrels at Trump
Reasonable radicalism, death in Abu Dhabi, locked-room romance, and sleuthing in the Blitz
SIMON DUFF recommends a new album from renowned composer and oud player Anour Brahem.
JAMES WALSH has a great night in the company of basketball players, quantum physicists and the exquisite timing of Rosie Jones
A New Awakening: Adventures In British Jazz 1966 - 1971, G3, and Buck Owens
JAMES WALSH is moved by an exhibition of graphic art that relates horrors that would be much less immediate in other media
A Star is Born (15)
Directed by Bradley Cooper
THIS third remake of A Star is Born is a true revelation in its ingenious and powerful on-screen coupling of Hollywood star turned film-maker Bradley Cooper and the iconic Lady Gaga.
The two are extraordinary together. Who knew Cooper could sing or play the guitar as well as he does, while Lady Gaga, stripped of make-up and gimmicky paraphernalia, shows what a talented actor and tremendous singer and artist she truly is.
The film opens with Cooper as the great rock star Jackson Maine performing at an open-air gig and having to take booze and pills before going on. On his desperate hunt for a drink after the concert, he enters a drag bar where he watches wannabe singer Ally (Lady Gaga) sing La Vie En Rose in a goose pimples-inducing performance and realises that a star is about to be born.
More from this author
MARIA DUARTE recommends a tough love story that unfolds among mental health issues, drug addiction and inadequate housing
The Star's critic MARIA DUARTE reviews Sebastian, Four Mothers, Restless, and The Most Precious of Cargoes
The Star's critic MARIA DUARTE recommends a drama that explores the formative years of Richard Burton’s life
The Star's critic MARIA DUARTE recommends a deliciously dark thriller that explores the complex loyalties within a marriage
Similar stories
The Star's critic MARIA DUARTE recommends an impressive impersonation of Bob Dylan
New releases from Hannah Scott, Porridge Radio and previously unreleased Jimi Hendrix
Healthcare evangelism; Rajneesh child-abuse; an unwanted musical; and an un-Elephant man: The Star's critic MARIA DUARTE reviews Medicine Man: The Stan Brock Story, Children of the Cult, Joker: Folie A Deux, and A Different Man
WILL STONE picks up the political vibes running through a vintage festival