La La Land
Keith: "How are you gonna be a revolutionary if
you're such a traditionalist? You hold onto the past, but jazz is about the
future."
"La La Land" is directed by
Damien Chazelle ("Whiplash", "Guy and Madeline on a Park
Bench") and stars Ryan Gosling as Sebastian, Emma Stone as Mia, John
Legend as Keith, Rosemarie DeWitt as
Laura, J.K. Simmons as Bill, Callie Hernandez as Tracy, Jessica Rothe as
Alexis, Sonoya Mizuno as Caitlin, Finn Wittrock as Greg, Tom Everett Scott as
David, Damon Gupton as Harry, and Jason Fuchs as Carlo.
Modern day Los Angeles is the place where
you want to make a name for yourself. The dog-eat-dog town is where Mia and
Sebastian's paths cross where, respectively, she wants to become and actress
and he want to run a jazz club. This romantic musical filled with dance numbers
and catchy songs is by the same guy who directed "Whiplash" so yeah,
you'll get a good amount of emotions out of this, but good ones!
In a world of the same old, same old, we
rarely get a film that brings back a once beloved genre for the modern viewer.
"La La Land" is the musical that gets people to dig musicals,
especially with names like Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone attached. With the power
of jazz at its fingertips, this film feels straight out of the 1950s where film
was more or less free of conventional cinema (that may be due to cinema history
not being that old). In any case, "La La Land"'s main point was the music
and the story. It hit the nail on the head for what this kind of film is
supposed to do, and more, but I'll get into that a little later. Chazele's
"Whiplash" gave us viewers a little taste of the dense music
knowledge that he possesses. I mean, if you are somehow in the music career or
pursuing it or even have been in your band class when you were in school, then
you know the struggle of learning to, perhaps not master, but definitely keep
up with the expectations of a conductor. While "La La Land" doesn't have
that dick of a character, Chazelle still incorporates music as being the main
element to the entire film. His direction, on top of that, is phenomenally
precise. And don't even get me started on the music itself. I can't praise the
filmmakers and composers enough for the complicated choreographed dance numbers
and the catchy as f**k songs, including what may be one of my favorite songs
made for a movie, "City of Stars". He has my vote for best director
for a motion picture. Seriously, his forthcoming films are ones to be super
f***ing excited for.
Damien Chazelle is only 30-years-old. Can you believe the talent this guy has at such a young age? Crazy.
Where "La La Land" transcends from
the good musical into one of the best films this year is in its story and its characters
(as well as acting). Although a bit cheesy and saturated in the way its
presented, it was justified to do that when portraying a modern romance disguised
as an old fashioned musical. I felt so attached to Mia and Sebastian's romantic
meets when talking about jazz and telling anecdotes about their dreams. They're
both down-to-Earth people who just want each other to succeed. This is where the
heartbreak begins because they just want each other to succeed so bad that they
may have to do things that they don't want to do. It's a sad and beautiful
story of two aspiring creative minds that I can see anybody in today's world
replacing them (aside from the dancing and music at random times). Ryan Gosling
and Emma Stone do an incredible job playing these characters. I'm not surprised
at all they are nominated for Golden Globes and are eyed for best actor and
actress, respectively, at the Academy Awards.
"La La Land" is, no doubt in my
mind, one of my personal favorite movies of the year. I saw it only once, but
I'm itching to see it again in theaters. The soundtrack is elegant and
gorgeous, the acting is superb, the directing is almost perfect in every shot
(incredibly hard to do with musicals, by the way), and, I didn't mention it,
but the cinematography is stunning. I felt like I was transported to 1952 (RIP
Debbie Reynolds) watching a musical on the big screen. I can't wait when or if
Broadway will take "La La Land" under their wing and create another
dazzling live musical.
5/5
PRO
- Damien Chazelle's natural directing skills and musical knowledge
- Music and Dance numbers
- Beautiful romance between dreamers
- Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone are great together once again
CON
- None
"La La Land" is rated PG-13 for some language
Click here to watch the
trailer
"La La Land" is in theaters everywhere now
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