La La Land
Director: Damien Chazelle
Cast: Emma Stone , Ryan Gosling , Rosemarie De Witt , John Legend , J.k Simmons
Genre:
Musical, Comedy, drama, Romance
Released
date: 7th December 2016
Los Angeles, the city of angels, tinsel town,
the home of Hollywood, this La La Land where so many people flock to to make
their dreams come true. No other city is as synonymous with the silver screen
as L.A., director/writer Damien
Chazelle
A good sign of a musical is if the songs
linger in your mind long after the credits finish rolling. La La Land definitely offers music that can resonate deeply. The
songs (composed by Justin Hurwitz, lyrics by Pasek and Paul) vary from big sweeping
joyful numbers (another day of sun)
to the more romantic fare (City of Stars)
each and every song comes into the scene so naturally you would almost
forget you are watching a musical film. While STONE and GOSLING aren't the best
singers, the tempos of the songs they sing (together and on their own) do not
push their vocals into areas that feel unnaturally suited to their vocal
ability. The melody of the music scores also is quite fantastical often lifting
the scene and capturing the mood like a dream made real. The only tune that
felt out of place was John
Legend Sebastian
becomes a part of in order to make a living) it still doesn't feel like something
that fits in organically with music as a whole unit.
Having a story that revolves around the two
lovers Mia and Sebastian, it is key to flow of the story that the leads need to
have good enough chemistry to be believable as a couple. The fact that this is
STONE and GOSLING'S third movie playing each other's love interest it certainly
shows. Their easy chemistry allows their banter to surface effortlessly; you
can easily accept them as two people who fall in love. Out of the two leads, STONE
in particular shines. Mia 's make or
break audition in the third act showcases the raw vulnerability that Mia is feeling at this point in her life and these
emotions just surge out of her as she tells a story that perfectly flows into a
song. You can see how STONE cleaned up during the awards season with just that
one scene alone.
After GOSLING and STONE, the next big star is
the city itself. Director CHAZIELLE and cinematographer Linus Sandgren highlight some of the beautiful and historical areas of Los Angeles that in
particular have played as a backdrop to many movies and TV series such as the Warner Bros Studio
This is a film that from beginning to end
shows why it did so well in the awards season in areas such as music,
cinematography, acting, and production design. While it may not be an easy film
to get into (as it isn't based on a famous musical or involve acapella versions
of pop songs) for those who are more familiar with films from a golden age of
Hollywood you will find plenty to enjoy. La
La Land feels fresh yet familiar in its world full of the hopeful dreamers
driven by their passions in life and in love set in a city that epitomises the dream
to reach for the stars.
4 ½ Stars