A modern masterpiece … but not for everyone!
It’s strange though. The beginning of La la land is pretty weak. People left and right start dancing and singing like it’s a normal thing – it’s not, especially now with president Scumbag Trump destroying the good ole US of A – but despite all the beautiful colors and absolute spot-on choreography in the film, it doesn’t really connect with the story …
That’s because the story doesn’t really unfold until after the first twenty minutes, or so. And when it does, my God, you won’t believe your eyes! Some movies transcend their genre, like The Godfather did to crime and Star Wars did for Special Effects … well … La la land breaks through the barriers of being a normal musical.
Even if you’re against musicals, this movie touches your heart and never lets go until after the credits. The main reason is the cinematography. Kudos to Damien Chazelle, here’s hoping he wins an Oscar for Best Director!
Other than most musicals that largely depend on great actors or fabulous costumes, director Damien Chazelle jazzes up (get it? Jazz up? It’s a movie about Jazz, so …) his movie with the most astonishing camera work, extraordinary use of colorful scene dressing and a musical score that’ll have you leave the cinema on wings.
But the magic really happens in front of the camera … right? … and that’s where the movie can depend on two of today’s greatest young actors. Their collaborate genius lift the rather mundane script to incredible heights!
Actor Ryan Gosling seems like he’s just repeating his role as the lonesome hero from Drive, but nothing could be further from the truth. Not only is his acting most definitely Oscar-worthy, but the character he plays – though mysterious and even a bit offensive at first – is one that you cannot divert your eyes from.
He plays his role to perfection, both the silent man edging away in a dark room somewhere … as well as openly gay (as in happy, you schmucks!) when he starts singing and dancing under a pale moonlight.
Of course, being as great as Ryan Gosling is, he’s still nothing when compared to the ever-graceful, ever-beautiful and ever-growing-stronger actress Emma Stone.
Here’s an actress who already has a career most actresses aspire to achieve. She’s been in everything from big blockbusters like The Amazing Spider-Man to revolutionary trendsetters such as Birdman.
Her part as the aspiring actress who keeps facing a hard time in Hollywood is not just her best work yet, it’s one of the finest female performances you’ve ever seen in a musical!
One moment prancing and spinning like she’s walking on clouds, the other moment fragile like an angel with broken wings … Emma Stone shows us the full range of the emotions a young woman goes through when trying to search her ray of sunlight.
When combining these two actors, needless to say, you’ll get something really special. Their togetherness is both sweet and raw at the same time. Sometimes it feels like a dream … sometimes it’s dire reality that hits you hard in the face!
So, is La la land one of the best movies ever made? And does it actually deserve its 14 Oscar nominations? The answer is: no and no!
La la land is without a doubt one of the very best musicals in the history of filmmaking … but 14 Oscars? Let’s face it – that’s only because Hollywood doesn’t reward anything other than drama and there’s not a whole lot of dramas anymore.
Plus, despite being a wonderfully colorful and charming movie, it still is a musical! There’s the soft-silent singing that allows the drama to flow beautifully … but it’s the cheerful, overzealous and unrealistic singing & dancing in the street with more colors than a rainbow like in a ’50s Hollywood movie that, unfortunately enough, breaks the rhythm of this musical masterpiece.
Without those big-colorful, silly scenes that don’t connect with the inward-humble drama, La la land would’ve been a true masterpiece for everyone involved. Now it’s just a masterful movie for people who like musicals … and a good solid 2 hours of entertainment for the rest of us!
Did you know?
John Legend, singer and pianist, had to learn how to play the guitar for his role.
Give it to me short:
La la land is one of the greatest and very best musicals ever made, period! The acting of Ryan Gosling and especially Emma Stone is beyond great! The cinematography and overall dressing of the scenes by director Damien Chazelle has been done with the most intimate care. And the musical score is one that’ll stick with you for days to come. There’s also – this IS a musical after all – some singing and dancing in the movie, and that’s where the movie splits in two different directions: the good and the bad.
The silent singing by both actors complements the drama in a wonderful way. In those scenes, there’s real chemistry flowing between the actors … and you can actually feel their love for each other transcending the silver cinema screen. It’s these silent scenes and the broken voices softly singing that makes up for the best moments.
However, when everyone starts dancing like crazy down the street and chanting like some cheap Hollywood musical of the 1950’s … that’s when the movie tends to lose focus on its story … that’s when you stop caring about the intimacy between both actors … and that’s when La la land stops being a masterpiece and becomes nothing more than a good movie. Fortunately, silly scenes like that are very rare!
THE 4TH WALL 