Poll: What's Gaga's Best Leading Lady Turn?

by Cláudio Alves

Have you ventured into the movie theater to watch the bomb of the season? Joker: Folie à Deux has confounded film critics and fans alike, leading many to point fingers at its creators in hopes of finding someone to blame. Some hate its moroseness, others can't stand the showtune numbers or the entire song and dance idea. Still, in the middle of this ruckus, one name should be left out of the discussion. Lady Gaga is the best thing about the DC Comics musical, even if she's terribly underutilized by Todd Phillips. Indeed, many Little Monsters have taken to social media to catalog every shot seen in the trailer or behind-the-scenes footage that centered on Mother Monster but somehow didn't make it to the finished flick. One can only imagine that more Gaga would have done Folie à Deux a world of good.

Regardless, the singer turned movie star's latest production seems to consolidate her screen siren status. A Star Is Born was no fluke, and though House of Gucci didn't nab her a second Best Actress Oscar nomination, it didn't blemish her filmography too much. Which leads one to ask – what's Gaga's best leading lady turn? You can vote, after the jump…

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Review: "Joker: Folie à Deux" needs double the Folly and more Gaga, too!

by Cláudio Alves

Back in 2019, Todd Phillips accomplished the seemingly impossible, taking a DC Comics movie to the Venice Film Festival and walking out with the Golden Lion. Predicted to be a dangerous provocation by alarmist critics, Joker soared to brilliant box office results and Oscar glory to boot. From its eleven Academy Award nominations, it won two – Best Original Score for Hildur Guðnadóttir and the Best Actor trophy for Joaquin Phoenix. Sure, there were naysayers, but the project's success was undeniable by most metrics. Cut to 2024, when Joker: Folie à Deux was received with polite dismissal at the Lido before clumsily dancing its way to theaters where it's bound to disappoint just as many people as its predecessor entertained—maybe more.

Philips does all but spit in the face of the first movie's fans and comic book aficionados, too. Musical maniacs may well balk at the reedy vocals and uninspired staging, while Little Monsters have plenty of reason to ask for more Gaga. It comes to a point where one almost has to respect the director for his commitment to displease. If only he did anything worthwhile with it…

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Yes No Maybe So: "Joker: Folie à Deux"

by Nick Taylor

Remember the fucking hubbub around Joker when it premiered at Venice back in 2019? Stephanie Zachareck fearing MRA riots? Lucrecia Martel giving it the Golden Lion? Leading the Oscar nominations with a whopping eleven citations, with Mark Friedberg’s incredible sets somehow left out in the cold? Winning Best Actor for Joaquin Phoenix and Original Score for Hildur Guðnadóttir? Wild times!

Although Joker: Folie à Deux was first announced roughly two years ago, it feels as though the spectre of it has been haunting us for so much longer. At long last, the sequel is on its way, in just over two months. The first full-length trailer dropped less than 24 hours ago, and we here at The Film Experience are ready to dig in to whatever the hell is going on...

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Hello, Gorgeous: Best Actress of 2018

A new series by Juan Carlos Ojano

Happy New Year, fellow actressexuals! To start 2024, we return to this series with a banger of a year. 

One thing noticeable in this lineup is that the majority of these actresses are in films with clear auteurial vision. Two of them (Aparicio, Colman) worked with established directors that, by this point, have signature sensibilities and visual choices that are now being associated with them. Two of them (Lady Gaga, McCarthy) are in films directed by (relatively) new filmmakers that are beginning to hone their technical and directorial inclinations by this point. One of them (Close) worked with a director that is well-known and recognized in his home country.

Another thing to note: Lady Gaga marked her feature film debut as a lead actor while Aparicio was nominated for her first acting role ever.

Are you ready? The year is 2018...

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Oscar Volley: "Naatu Naatu" vs Pop Divas for Best Original Song

Team Experience is discussing each Oscar category in the lead up to the ceremony. Here's Baby Clyde and Chris James to talk Costume Design.

CHRIS: A round of APPLAUSE for my volley co-host, Baby Clyde. Now, let's Tell It Like A Pundit - what is going on with the Original Song race? On the surface, it seems like "Naatu Naatu" has this category in the bag after winning this prize at the Golden Globes and Critics Choice Awards. RRR's grand dance number is one of the most memorable scenes of the year and would make for a worthy winner. However, one can't forget that it is against some heavy hitters, such as Rihanna and Lady Gaga, both for films that made over a billion dollars at the box office. Are we underestimating them?

And do you have any favourites that weren't nominated?...

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