THEGAYUK

Category: Entertainment

  • John Barrowman heads into the I’m A Celebrity jungle

    John Barrowman heads into the I’m A Celebrity jungle

    “Fabuuuulous” John swoons as he reveals that he’s in the brand new series of I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here

    John Barrowman
    CREDIT: KathClick

    The film, TV and West End star, John Barrowman, is joining nine other campmates down under for the latest series of the popular jungle show, which starts on the 18th November.

    John Barrowman, who is married to his husband Scott, will be embarking on a journey of a lifetime as he battles in the Aussie wilderness to be crowned king of the Jungle.

    John is probably most famous for his starring roles in Doctor Who and Torchwood.

    Last year he endured surgery after suffering agonising appendicitis. The star needed immediate medical attention at the Eisenhower Medical Center in Rancho Mirage, California.

    In 2014 Barrowman surprised audiences across the commonwealth when he grabbed a guy and gave a full-on lip smacker during his song in the opening ceremony of the Commonwealth Games. It is thought the kiss was done as a political statement as homosexuality is illegal in the majority of the 53 countries of the Commonwealth.

    John will be joining, EastEnders’ actress Rita Simons, football manager Harry Redknapp, Vamps singer James McEvey, Inbetweeners star Emily Atack and Hollyoaks‘ Malique Thompson-Dwyer, Coronation Street‘s Sair Khan, DIY SOS’ Nick Knowles, X Factor‘s Fleur East, and The Chase‘s Anne Hegerty.

  • Has anyone gay ever won the X Factor?

    Has anyone gay ever won the X Factor?

    The X Factor has become a mainstay of British weekend television and has given us fourteen winning acts. But have any of them identified as gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender?

    First off, there has never been an openly transgender winner of X Factor, there also has never been an openly lesbian or bisexual winner. There has been just one openly gay man to win the biggest talent competition in the UK – and he wasn’t even out when he took part in the competition.

    Joe McElderry is the only gay person to win the show. He won the competition in 2009 – however, he wasn’t openly gay during the competition and denied rumours surrounding his sexuality. He came out after the show in an exclusive interview with The Mirror newspaper – which called his decision to come out as “brave”.

    More worryingly the X Factor has produced more winners who have been revealed to have been homophobic or tweeted anti-gay comments than actual LGBT winners.

    In 2014 James Arthur was eventually dumped by his record label after it emerged that he released a diss track in which he used the term “f**king queer”. In 2018 it was revealed, days before she was to headline Birmingham Pride that Louisa Johnson had repeatedly used the slur “faggot” on Twitter. Birmingham Pride did not cancel her appearance, despite calls from pride goers. The first ever winner of the show, Steve Brookstein once said that he wished the openly gay gossip columnist Dan Wootton had HIV.

     

    Here’s the complete list of winners of X Factor since 2001

    2004 Steve Brookstein

    2005 Shayne Ward

    2006 Leona Lewis

    2007 Leon Jackson

    2008 Alexandra Burke

    2009 Joe McElderry

    2010 Matt Cardle

    2011 Little Mix

    2012 James Arthur

    2013 Sam Bailey

    2014 Ben Haenow

    2015 Louisa Johnson

    2016 Matt Terry

    2017 Rak Su

  • Fringe! Queer Film and Arts Fest begins!

    Fringe! Queer Film and Arts Fest begins!

    Fringe! returns for its eighth year with a diverse, provocative and outrightly political programme of film screenings alongside workshops, panels and parties, transforming venues across East London over six days.

    Founded in 2011 as a community-led response to cuts to arts funding and the detrimental impact on LGBT+ art and cultural production, the festival is committed to celebrating the best in queer filmmaking, from the DIY to the high budget. Fringe! remains entirely volunteer-run and not-for-profit, whilst having become a landmark cultural event in London’s queer calendar.

    Highlights:

    Fringe! 2018 opens with powerful and effervescent documentary When the Beat Drops, which charts the development of ‘bucking’, an energetic and competitive form of dance, through the ambitions of a group of black gay men in Atlanta.

    In what can sometimes feel like dark political times, Fringe! burns bright with a focus on activism in film. Criminal Queers is an astute comedy, taking aim at the prison industrial complex in the USA with a tongue in cheek charm, complete with cameos from prison activists Angela Davis and CeCe McDonald. In Obscuro Barroco, we meet an icon of Brazil’s queer subculture, Luana Muniz, who guides us through a contrasting world of protest and beauty.

    A decidedly literary theme runs throughout this year’s programme. Closing night film Wild Nights with Emily offers a comic reimagining of Emily Dickinson’s rumoured sapphic encounters, with Molly Shannon playing the famously reclusive poet and cameos from the likes of Genevieve Turner. The UK Premiere of The Rest I Make Up revisits the life of Maria Irene Fornes, arguably one of the most influential and yet least known playwrights of the 20th century as well as being Susan Sontag’s lover.

    In a new partnership, Fringe! has worked with Hackney based LGBT+ youth support group, Project Indigo, to curate a free shorts programme which will be screened at festival hub, Hackney House. Over the course of four months, a group of 13 to 25-year-olds worked collaboratively with Fringe! to create a selection of eleven shorts from over 400 submissions.

    Other highlights include a screening of 1978’s The Wiz which takes the festival’s regular late-night singalong slot celebrating campy classics from the cinematic past. This often overlooked cult gem is at turns mesmerising and downright strange, offering a magical urban reimagining of the 1900 children’s novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. With a notably entirely African-American cast, The Wiz stars Diana Ross, Michael Jackson and Richard Pryor among others, and is screened in partnership with BlackOut UK .

    As ever, Fringe! boasts a broad array of free events from zinemaking workshops to performance nights, live podcasts (including from female-focused film podcast Broad Appeal ) and queer pottery! All this in addition to eleven free short-film programmes ranging from the experimental to the sexy, and more! 

    For more information and schedule, please click here;

  • All the transgender shows available to stream on Netflix November 2018

    Looking for transgender films available on Netflix this November? Here are your options.

    Best transgender movies on Netflix

    From Hollywood blockbusters like Dallas Buyers Club to an exploration documentary on one of the Stonewall era’s often sidelined characters, Martha P Johnson Netflix has a wide variety of trans films to take a look at.

    What transgender films does Netflix currently have on offer?

    Adventures Of Priscilla Queen of the Desert (The), Comedy

    Follow the story of transgender Bernadette and her two drag queen friends as they travel across the Australian outback to perform in an Alice Springs’ casion on an old bus. Legendary comedy, iconic LGBT+ film.

     

    Dallas Buyers Club, Drama

    Matthew McConaughey stars in DALLAS BUYERS CLUB as real-life Texas cowboy Ron Woodroof, whose free-wheeling life was overturned in 1985 when he was diagnosed as HIV-positive and given 30 days to live. These were the early days of the AIDS epidemic, and the U.S. was divided over how to combat the virus. Ron, now shunned and ostracised by many of his old friends, and bereft of government-approved effective medicines, decided to take matters in his own hands, tracking down alternative treatments from all over the world by means both legal and illegal. Bypassing the establishment, the entrepreneurial Woodroof joined forces with an unlikely band of renegades and outcasts – who he once would have shunned – and established a hugely successful “buyers’ club.” Their shared struggle for dignity and acceptance is a uniquely American story of the transformative power of resilience. 

    The Death and Life Of Marsha P Johnson, Biography /Documentary

    This film reexamines the death of a beloved icon of the trans world while celebrating the story of two landmark pioneers of the trans-rights movement, Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera.

    Game Face, Documentary

    Game Face shows the quest to the self-realisation of LGBT athletes and the acceptance in society. This documentary tells the parallel story of Fallon Fox, MMAs first transgender pro fighter, and Terrence, a college basketball player in Oklahoma who happens to be gay. The film follows both athletes during their coming out process, and sheds light on the obstacles LGBT sports players deal with throughout their career.

    Growing Up Coy, Documentary

    A feature-length documentary about a young Colorado family who engages in a highly publicized legal battle and landmark civil rights case, as they fight for their 6-year-old transgender daughter’s right to use the girls’ bathroom at her elementary school.

    The film asks a universal question that any parent could face: “How far would you go to fight for your child’s equal rights?

    The Iron Ladies, Biopic

    A volleyball team made of gay and trans players surprise their competitors by winning their way to Thailand’s national championships. Based on a true story.

    Laerte-Se, Documentary

    After living as a man for nearly 60 years, Laerte Coutinho, one of Brazil’s most brilliant cartoonists, introduces herself to the world

    Made in Bangkok, Documentary

    Follow a transgender opera singer as she travels from Mexico to Bangkok to undergo sex reassignment surgery and claim the identity she’s fought for.

    Mala Mala, Documentary

    Nine members of Puerto Rico’s LGBT community share stories of their sexual transformation and insights into the island’s diverse transgender culture.

    Paris Is Burning, Documentary

    This Sundance prize-winning documentary is an intimate portrait of 1980s Harlem drag balls: a world of fierce competition, sustenance, and survival.

     

  • FILM REVIEW | Bohemian Rhapsody

    ★★★★☆ | Bohemian Rhapsody

    The life and times of Freddie Mercury and his band queen from there humble West London beginnings to storming Live Aid the biggest show the world has ever seen.

    Nutshell – Freddie meets Roger Taylor and Brian May and together latterly with John they create some of the greatest rock music of all time. Their songs still stand the test of time today and include heavy metal, disco, 50’s rock n roll, opera and film themes along the way. The film also focuses on Freddie’s sexuality, his struggles with this and inner band dynamics plus hangers-on form the basis of this excellent rock biopic. Over twenty queen songs spanning the 70s/80s and 90s and then latterly comes the spectre of AIDS to bring the third act’s somber drama.

    Running Time – 134 Minutes – Cert 12A.

    Tagline – The only thing more extraordinary than their music is his story

    The Gay UK Factor – Freddie is about as big a gay icon as there has ever been and his incredible life story is nothing more than outstanding gay folklore. His love live and decadence is fully covered here in all its horny details but the reminder to a modern young audience about how devastating HIV and AIDS was in the pre prEP era of the 80’s and 90’s is the most important factor here. So many gay men gone but should never be forgotten, Freddie was just the brightest star to be extinguished at that time and this movie brings that right home.

    Cast – Rami Malek, Lucy Boynton, Aidan Gillen from Queer As Folk, Tom Hollander, A completely unrecognisable Mike Myers and keep your eyes peeled for Adam Lambert as a truck driver.

    Key Player – Rami Malek is the spit of Freddie, and after five minutes you forget he is an actor. Likewise, Gwilym Lee is a dead ringer for Brian May and this together (The less said about the Bob Geldof lookalike, the better) with the great musicianship helps the biopic feel as real as possible. Of course it is the Queen songbook which is possibly the best that exists besides Abba and the Beatles just when you think you have heard all the best songs there are another half a dozen memory joggers around the corner.

    Budget – $52 Million… opening weekend $50 Million USA alone, so that is a result then, They are still the Champions… of the world, mic drop.

    Best Bit – 0.57 mins; The biggest concert crowd ever at the time was the mega Queen concert in Rio and when the crowd take over one of the bands lesser known songs “Love Of My Life” you will be joining in too.

    Worst Bit – 0.12 mins; The formative Queen band ‘Smile’ (one of them was a dentist) and their songs here are average, to say the least – maybe it is necessary for the structure of the film but speeding through this may have made room for “One Vision”, “Somebody To Love” or “Flash”.

    Little Secret – Partway through filming, director Bryan Singer left the production and replaced by Dexter Fletcher. Singer the director of movies such as The Usual Suspects and X-men started turning up late, leaving early and then strangely disappearing for three whole days. Rami Malek, in particular, pushed for a change of directors. Twentieth century Fox the studio behind. The Wembley Stadium set for Live Aid was one of the biggest ever and was constructed from scratch as of course the Wembley twin towers have long since been demolished.

    Further Viewing – A Star Is Born, any of the Beatles, Elvis or Cliff films, Mamma Mia, Rock Of Ages, Spiceworld, What’s Love Got To Do With It, Can’t Stop The Music, Jersey Boys, Straight Outta Compton, The Pet Shop Boys Movie, Whitney, TGIF but most of all next years Taron Egerton Elton John Biopic Rocket Man which looks incredible.

    Any Good – Go for the music alone it is the very best. This is well put together and the live performances especially the mock-up of Live Aid with four songs alone here is sensational. A very enjoyable, exciting, thought-provoking, tuneful entertainment with a sad twist in the tail.

    73/100

  • Theatre Review | The Messiah – National Tour and West End

    ★★☆☆☆ | The Messiah

    The Messiah unfolds as a travelling theatre troupe of two actors and an opera singer arrive by camel to masterfully enact the Nativity, albeit through personal breakdowns, misguided scenes and direct address to the audience in this comedic three-hander.

    Hugh Dennis (TV’s Outnumbered and Mock The Week) effectively plays Maurice Rose, the kind of guy you wouldn’t want to sit next to on a long train journey, and who is the relatively straight man to John Marquez’s innocently naive fall guy, Ronald Bream. The humour is subtle, if repetitive at times, centring mainly on the deadpan delivery of the multiple characters and the mispronunciation of words and phrases, with a few trips and blunders thrown in as the characters struggle to get through the play.

    The quality of the production overall is more than functional, with a versatile set, a decent lighting design and two fine central performances from the male leads.

    But where the show itself stumbles is in its portrayal of a deliberately bad performance by the amateur company, which is so convincing, it actually just feels like watching a badly acted play. Furthermore, an underused Lesley Garrett looked slightly uncomfortable and out of her depth at times as the demanding diva; although to be fair to her, she did so with her tongue planted firmly in her cheek.

    Sadly short on laughs, the handful of jokes stretch thinly over the show’s running time and even some forced audience participation can’t conjure up enough Christmas sparkle to elevate the show to a “must see”.

    The Messiah is currently on Tour at Sheffield Theatres, before heading to Chichester, Cheltenham and Richmond; and arriving at The Other Palace in the West End on 3rd December for Christmas.

  • Cameron Cole becomes the fourth and final LGBT winner of Big Brother

    Cameron Cole becomes the fourth and final LGBT winner of Big Brother

    Cameron Cole has been crowned king of Big Brother 2018, he is also the fourth LGBT person to win the reality show.

    Cameron Cole.

    Cameron Cole, who, came out during his time in the house said that he was “utterly shell-shocked” when he found out that he was crowned the winner, revealing that he actually thought he’d be out in the first week.

    Speaking to the show’s host, Emma Willis, Cameron said, “I am completely and utterly shell-shocked. I can’t even put into words…I just can’t describe it. I never in a billion years did I expect that. I thought I’d be out the first week…I just didn’t think I’d be liked, I thought I was going to be irritating, annoying. I moan a lot….So I just didn’t think I was going to fit in. The Housemates have been incredible. They have been so incredibly supportive. It’s been the most incredible house.”

    Cameron Cole looked tearful as he learned he was crowned king of the final ever series of Big Brother.

    He added: “It was a dream to get in…I don’t know what to say…I got what I expected and a hundred times more in an unbelievably positive way…It was the most life-changing, incredible experience.”

    Cameron Cole became the first male Big Brother UK contestant to come out as gay on the programme. The 18-year-old vlogger opened up about his sexuality with his coming out broadcast on TV on the 5th October.

    He came out during a discussion with fellow housemate Lewis Flanagan.  The reveal came after openly gay housemate Cian explained to other housemates, the previous night, that he had a crush on Cameron and would “eat him alive”.

    Cameron Cole looking shocked as Emma Willis walked him through his time of the final series of Big Brother in the UK.

    He follows in the footsteps of Brian Dowling, Nadia Almada and Luke Anderson, all who identify as part of the LGBT+ community. Brian Dowling became the first gay man to win (during the second season) while Nadia was the first transgender winner. There have been no Lesbian or openly bisexual winners of the show in its 18-year run.

     

     

  • THEATRE REVIEW | The Lovely Bones – The Birmingham Rep

    ★★★★☆ | The Lovely Bones

    – a chilling and sombre affair

    A lot of people celebrated Halloween dressed up in fancy and harrowing costumes while others chose to visit The Birmingham Rep to watch The Lovely Bones adapted by Bryony Lavery.

    This production was a visual marvel with versatile, complex sets and effects that made you jump. It was 1 hour and 45 minutes long without an interval, so you were drawn to the story and scarcely had a chance to breathe.

    Based on the novel by Alice Seabold, it depicted well the account by Susie Salmon as a ghost, and the frustration of the book though the intensity of the book was way more gripping. Adapting a novel with nail-biting tension and translate it to the stage was always going to be a big ask. This play, however, did a great job with multi scenes going on at once which helped cancel out really drawn out scenes which can happen when an adaptation is too literal.

    Charlotte Beaumont played Susie and she was very believable. Her growing anger and annoyance were superbly achieved. Mr Harvey played by Keith Dunphy was exactly how you would imagine him to be in the book, said my friend. His voice and slow movement made for a very sinister character – the audience felt on edge whenever he appeared on stage as he was getting away with murder, literally. Jack Salmon played by Jack Sandle was very captivating with his passionate and energetic portrayal. Karan Gill was a dexterous multi-part player and was brilliant at playing Holiday, having the whole auditorium in stitches with embodying typical characteristics of a dog. Abigail Salmon player by Emily Bevan performed her last speech with emotion and sincerity, but there was some inconsistency with emotion when finding out about her daughter, or it was perhaps the very fast changes of time that did not allow for Abigail’s grief to be fully explored. Pete Ashmore played Detective Fenerman, and he was brilliant in this role really adding to the frustration of the unsolved murder. As a teenager, it was not as convincing, for his voice was too mature. I struggled to imagine him as Lindsey Salmon’s boyfriend. Susan Bovell brought out the comedy in this dark story with her bad-mother act and stirring issues within the family. Her portrayal of Lynn was a great fete.

    The set, designed by Ana Inés Jabares-Pita, really was the highlight for me with chalk becoming luminescent and the ingenious mirror effect, so it looked as though Susie was looking down from heaven as the scenes unfolded.

    Running: 30 October – 10 November 2018

  • 9 of the ultimate horror films for Halloween

    9 of the ultimate horror films for Halloween

    Fancy a scare fright night? Here are the ultimate horror films for Halloween

    Clker-Free-Vector-Images / Pixabay

    Now the clocks have gone back, there’s only one day left till Halloween. As the leaves are blown from the trees and dance across the road in the breeze, rain pelts against your windows and the wind howls, it’s the perfect time to settle in, open a bottle of red and creep yourself out with a good horror film. So in this special extended edition of Six of the Best, we have a few suggestions for something you can watch from behind the cushions…

    Halloween

    Let’s start with an absolute classic. Malevolent monster Michael Myers has become a horror icon, but it all started with this low budget slasher. Laurie Strode (played by Jamie Lee Curtis) is stalked by a seemingly unstoppable man who lurks in the shadows before attacking her and her friends on Halloween night. This film slowly winds up the tension by crafting a feeling of paranoia before culminating in a memorable ending. What makes this film so good is its urban setting and it’s “this really could happen” this story. Forget the inferior remake and stick with the original and best.
    Buy it here

    Maniac

    Elijah Wood gives a brilliant performance in this exceptional remake of an 80’s slasher flick. A young man struggles with his mental health which leads him to stalk and murder women on the streets of LA. But he falls in love with a beautiful young photographer, which slowly develops into an obsession. This excellent film is shot entirely from the point of view of the murderer and has an outstanding soundtrack, graphic violence and is beautifully filmed. This hidden gem is a more cerebral horror which plays on primal fears.
    Buy it here

    The Strangers

    A young couple (played by Liv Tyler and Scott Speedman) find themselves trapped in a nightmare when their home is invaded by a group of strangers in masks. Who they are and why they are terrorising the couple is unknown, but this film proves that you are not even safe in your own home. This tense film is full of suspense and will make you check you have locked the door before you go to bed.
    Buy it here

    The Descent

    In this claustrophobic British horror, a group of friends go caving and discover more than they could ever have imagined when they find themselves trapped following a tunnel collapse. As they head deeper and deeper into the cave system, they are clearly not alone as they are set upon by something in the dark.
    Buy it here

    Trick ‘r’ Treat

    Four tales of Halloween are intertwined in one night of horror. A group of children play a trick on a young girl based on a local legend which goes horribly wrong, some teenage girls are stalked by a masked man through a Halloween street carnival, a school principal has a secret life and a man is terrorised by a very special Trick-or-Treater. The stories all combine in this enjoyable anthology horror.
    Buy it here

    Hocus Pocus

    In this camp classic, three witches are accidentally resurrected on Halloween by a group of teenagers. With the help of a talking cat called Binx, the friends battle the witches in an attempt to save the town. With the entire cast camping it up and Bette Midler singing “I Put a Spell on You”, this family film is great fun.
    Buy it here

    Frankenweenie

    When Sparky, a young boy’s beloved dog, dies, his grief stricken owner bring him back to life in his makeshift attic laboratory. But when his friends find out, the young boy is blackmailed into bringing other pets to life, which escape and cause havoc. Using beautiful stop motion animation, this gentle Tim Burton animation is both touching and funny. If you loved The Nightmare before Christmas, then you’ll love this too.
    Buy it here

    La Horde

    In this French new wave horror, a group of people are trapped at the top of a high rise building which is besieged by the living dead. Making their way down the levels, they are relentlessly attacked by the fast moving monsters. This film is like “28 Days Later” on speed and is full of gore, fast paced action and terrific set pieces.
    Buy it here

    The Hills Have Eyes (2006)

    In this modern remake of the 1970’s shocker, a family on a road trip across the dessert find themselves besieged by a group of cannibals. When their baby is stolen by the cannibals the family revert back to their own tribal instincts to fight back. This graphic and violent film is one of the better remakes of the last few years and has blood, guts and shocks aplenty.
    Buy it here

  • THEATRE REVIEW | Company, Gielgud Theatre, London

    ★★★★☆ | Company

    The stage legend that is Patti Lupone is gracing London’s West End with her presence in a new revival of Stephen Sondheim‘s Company.

    Lupone is not just a star, she is a STAR, having played Evita in the first New York City production in 1979 (Elaine Paige was the first Evita in London’s West End in 1978).

    In Company, Lupone is not actually the star and lead of the show, but every time she is on stage the audience seems to gasp and hold their breath.

    But Company is not at all about her character (an older wiser woman who doles out advice), it’s about Bonnie (played by Rosalie Craig, recently seen in the mega-critically acclaimed The Ferryman), who seems to live in a world full of couples (and of course in this modern society one of the couples is gay). All of her friends are in a relationship, but it’s her, who at her surprise birthday party (which is not really a surprise as someone tells her about it) at the tender age of 35), that she realises that she is single and alone in a couples world.

    Originally a musical about a single man (Robert), showcasing a single strong professional woman is just the message that is needed right now in this #metoo time.

    While Bonnie trots along, there are clever sets (by Bunny Christie) that float in and out of the stage like picture frames. And a scene-stealing moment takes place when, right before his gay wedding, Jamie (a superb Jonathan Bailey – give him his own show NOW), starts to hyperventilate and talk 100 miles a minute as to whether he will go through his wedding – it’s a brilliant turn.

    But the show stealer is none other than Patti Lupone; when she sings the classic ‘The Ladies Who Lunch’ you just want to lick your lips and savour each second. Sitting on a cocktail chair, she sings absolutely delicious, and when she says “I’ll drink to that,” you just want to melt. For me, her song is the most memorable part of the show, and it is an absolute gem.

    Marianne Elliott’s production of this 1970 show is as modern and up to date as possible, but please, more more more Lupone next. Here’s to the lady who steals the show!

    Company plays at the Gielgud Theatre until March 2019, Book tickets now (with no fees)

  • FILM REVIEW | A Star Is Born

    ★★★★☆ | A Star Is Born

    The 4th version of this movie is all very up to date but how does Lady Gaga shape up in the ultimate diva battle against her predecessor’s madams Streisand and Garland?

    Nutshell – A well-trodden story of a male superstar whose career is on the skids who falls for a nobody whose star then goes stratospheric. 1937/1954 and then 1976 this exact story has been filmed all very successfully with the first two focusing on movie stars and the last one moving it to the music industry so as Barbra Streisand can belt out her top three hit ‘Evergreen’. The success of the 2018 film depends on the talent on show namely Bradley Cooper… fucking hot as hell and Gaga who is the current queen of our gay stratosphere plus the quality of the songs. With ‘Shallow’ now atop the singles chart and the album alongside it, we very definitely have all three massive ticks in the movies credit column. Yep, this is good stuff indeed.

    Running Time – 136 Minutes – Cert 15. This is a long drawn out affair maybe some of the middle songs could have been ditched.

    The Gay UK Factor – Lady Gaga‘s first full length starring roll including over a dozen new great anthems what could be queerer than that? Well just to make sure that plenty of pink pounds get handed over the cinema counter we get hunky Bradley Cooper topless too for many of the scenes – maybe the first movie ever where you will wank and lip sync at the same time.

    Cast – Bradley Cooper, Lady Gaga, Sam Elliott, Andrew Dice Clay, David Chappelle and far too briefly, Alec Baldwin.

    Key Player – Although this is Bradley’s directing debut and he co-wrote it and starred in it as well as singing adequately many of the songs the movie always comes to life most when her ladyship is on the screen. This is a one-woman show. She is completely stunning and steals every single scene she is in and others sag without her regal presence. Never has a movie been so aptly titled… maybe a Megastar is born here certainly a new triple threat at least.

    Budget – $60 Million and its already made twice that back in just America alone – a bonafide hit plus CD sales, massive DVD sales, merchandise and with touring conglomerate Live Nation finance here this probably even a tour and stage show. This will run and run.

    Best Bit – 0.44 mins; The first time Bradley forces Gaga onto a stage in front of her first big audience is a real showstopper and it’s the fantastic big new number one hit ‘Shallow’ she sings and sings fucking well.

    Worst Bit – 1.25 mins; When Gaga makes it big and starts performing her own music we get a disappointing run of three sub-Ariana Grande type rejected album tracks when the film is crying out for another ‘Poker Face’ or ‘Bad Romance’. This section of the movie is as about as limp and as unfortunate as your cock after 10 pints when Tom Daley out of the blue offers you a booty call.

    Little Secret – Bradley Cooper sang and recorded some scenes live from the Pyramid stage at Glastonbury in 2017 immediately before he introduced the booked act Kris Kristofferson who was the male lead of the 1976 A Star Is Born opposite Streisand. This reboot was planned by Clint Eastwood in 2011 starring Beyonce until she became pregnant then it was Rihanna, Shakira & Selena Gomez; male leads were those well-known singing talents Christian Bale, Leonardo DiCaprio & Tom Cruise. Not only does Bradley write, direct and star in the film but one of his kids appears and the dog is his own hound, Charlie.

    Further Viewing – A Star Is Born 1-3, and musicals like Mamma Mia Here We Go Again, The Greatest Showman, La La Land, Bohemian Rhapsody etc plus Moulin Rouge, My Fair Lady, The Bodyguard, Strictly Ballroom and every romantic musical back to The Golddiggers Of 1933 belting out the ‘Lullaby Of Broadway’.

    Any Good – A stunning directorial debut by Cooper and a film that will make Gaga into a movie legend… it could have been written for her if it wasn’t 81 years old. This just works from start to finish and the 98% new songs (Only ‘La Vie En Rose’ you will recognise) are mainly memorable and downloadable. Well acted, beautifully shot and with an earth-shattering finale and climatic number. Gaga may have just missed out on the Oscar for best song two years ago but she is now the bookies favourite for Feb 2019. This is a great original musical applied to one of the oldest and oft-repeated stories in cinema. Never mind ‘Born This Way’ it appears she was Born to act.

    Rating- 77/100