Notable and notorious IndieWire film critic David Ehrlich recently put out a social media call for film critic peers to join a weekly survey to discuss movie topics, answer questions, and highlight their work.  Representing Every Movie Has a Lesson, I, along with over 60 other emerging and established film critics including some of my fellow Chicago Independent Film Critics Circle members, accepted the invitation to participate.  I'm honored by the opportunity, and I hope my responses are chosen each week.  

THIS WEEK'S QUESTION: What is the best performance by a musician in a movie?

The theme of this week’s question from Ehrlich comes in the wake and response of Lady Gaga’s powerful film debut to lead Bradley Cooper’s A Star is Born. She herself is a legitimately fair answer to this question and, sure enough, she did garner a few selections. For my vote, I went to a person I really don’t care for in a staggering performance in a revered film that I couldn’t deny. I detail it in my posted answer, but compliments from me to Mark Wahlberg don’t happen. Boogie Nights is a whole other story, though. Other considerations were Frank Sinatra in The Man with the Golden Arm and Madonna in Dick Tracy. Enjoy the article and picks!