REVIEW: A Star Is Born Encore Blu-Ray Combo Pack

Published on June 4, 2019

by johnadeleon

First and foremost, thank you to Warner Bros. Home Entertainment for allowing me the opportunity to review A STAR IS BORN ENCORE!

If you’ve happened to see A STAR IS BORN already, the ENCORE edition is worth it for the EXTENDED and ADDITIONAL MUSIC PERFORMANCES. If you haven’t seen A STAR IS BORN, then this might be the best version to watch! The music and the singers played by Bradley Cooper (Jack) and Lady Gaga (Ally) are what this movie is about. The extended performances include “Black Eyes, “Alibi” and “Shallow” sung a cappella by Ally. Bradley Cooper also directed the movie. The way he performs with Lady Gaga, he definitely fleshed out the characters, so much so, he even directed the Oscars performance you can check out below.

Lady Gaga Bradley Cooper – Shallow Oscar performance:

I understand folks hesitating to see a special edition, usually the special edition’s ruins whatever “magic” the original had. To me, A Star Is Born is about music and secondarily about the life of a rock star. Said rock star finds a diamond in the rough unintentionally. He then helps polish the diamond and gives her a sound of her own. The areas of the movie that make you “buy in” are the scenes that show vulnerability. Ally doesn’t want to hang out with Jack after her performance. But it leads to her go into more depth, showcasing her songwriting talent along with her voice. The connection between the two works, Jack is good with putting music to Ally’s words. The next day, after meeting each other. Jack invites Ally to a concert. She declines. She goes to work as usual, dealing with her prick of a boss. She had already been frustrated with him contemplating looking for another job. Her boss has some words that set her off and she walks out. Jack had someone waiting with a car to take Ally to a waiting jet to fly her to his performance.

The concert is where everything changes for Ally. She gets to venue and expects to just stand on the side of the stage and watch Jack and his band perform. Jack calls Ally on stage and she’s absolutely shocked. Those words that Ally had sung to Jack the night before while they were hanging out, Jack arranged music for. Where alcohol is Jack’s vice, making music and being on stage becomes Ally’s. Jack tells Ally this one line that stands out for the remainder of the movie: “Having something to say and a way to say it, so that people listen to it.” Ally joins Jack in touring, writing and then even recording. The twist here, is Ally is offered a deal of her own and changes the sound of her music and the stories her music told, to music that is more along the lines of pop music. This becomes a not so subtle issue to Jack. He feel that she should put more into the stories she’s telling through the lyrics of her songs than what is required in a pop song. Some of the problems that were already prevalent expand to an embarrassing size and become public in the most gigantic of ways, at the GRAMMY Awards.

I like A STAR IS BORN ENCORE a little more than the original, because of the expanded music scenes and the fact it shows the back and forth on the couple writing a song together.

RATING: A++

Order the Blu-Ray Combo Pack from Amazon:

Warner Bros. Home Entertainment has announced A STAR IS BORN ENCORE will be hitting (Blu-Ray Combo Pack/Digital HD) in June!

This special edition of the film contains extended performances of such songs as opener “Black Eyes,” “Alibi,” and Lady Gaga’s Ally in her impromptu a cappella performance of “Shallow,” which received the Oscar for Best Original Song at the 91st Annual Academy Awards, following Cooper and Gaga’s moving performance during the ceremony. Fans will also be treated to never-before-seen footage of Ally singing to Jack “Is That Alright?” in the wedding sequence, Jack in his studio singing “Too Far Gone,” Jack and Ally writing a new song together, entitled “Clover,” and much more, totaling nearly 12 additional minutes.

“A Star Is Born Encore” will be available on Blu-ray Combo Pack for $29.98 and features a Blu-ray disc with both the theatrical version of the film and the Encore version of the film in hi-definition, along with a DVD of the theatrical version of the film and previously released special features. Fans can also own “A Star Is Born Encore” via purchase from select digital retailers beginning on June 4. Fans who have already purchased “A Star Is Born” on iTunes and Vudu will be able to watch “A Star Is Born Encore” under Extras of “A Star Is Born” starting June 4.

The Blu-ray disc of “A Star Is Born Encore”will feature a Dolby Atmos® soundtrack remixed specifically for the home theater environment to place and move audio anywhere in the room, including overhead. To experience Dolby Atmos at home, a Dolby Atmos enabled AV receiver and additional speakers are required, or a Dolby Atmos enabled sound bar. Dolby Atmos soundtracks are also fully backward compatible with traditional audio configurations and legacy home entertainment equipment.

Cast:

Lady Gaga, Bradley Cooper, Sam Elliott, Andrew Dice Clay, Rafi Gavron, Anthony Ramos, Dave Chappelle, Alec Baldwin, Marlon Williams, Brandi Carlile, Ron Rifkin, Barry Shabaka Henley, Michael D. Roberts, Michael Harney

Synopsis:

Seasoned musician Jackson Maine discovers — and falls in love with — struggling artist Ally. She has just about given up on her dream to make it big as a singer until Jackson coaxes her into the spotlight. But even as Ally’s career takes off, the personal side of their relationship is breaking down, as Jackson fights an ongoing battle with his own internal demons.

Trailer: