Writer & Director: Damien Chazelle
Starring: Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone
Review Written By: Movie Parliament Prime Minister, Michael Dalton
Starring: Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone
Review Written By: Movie Parliament Prime Minister, Michael Dalton
They don’t make 'em like they used to. It’s a common criticism of contemporary cinema, and most apt when referring to the musical and romance genres. Modern audiences are supposedly too cynical and studios too demanding, lessening the opportunities for originality, and robbing the movies of their magic. No musical can allow its characters to burst into song anymore, without there being some dollop of post-modern, self-referential irony. Meanwhile, romance films all either follow the same sanitized formula, or are dreary indies. It’s not just that we can’t imagine many recent films being as esteemed as, ‘Singin in the Rain’ or ‘Casablanca’, we can’t even imagine a film today being made in the same tone. However, with La La Land, Damian Chazelle not only offers an ode to that era of cinema but also makes the case for its revival. The film follows Ryan Gosling’s struggling musician Sebastian, and Emma Stone’s struggling actress Mia, both of whom pine for a bygone era in their respective fields. As their paths continue to cross, they start a love affair, which will inspire them both to chase their dreams. La La Land opens with a grand song and dance number during a traffic jam on the freeways of Los Angeles. Made to look like on continuous take, it’s quite the opening statement of an opening scene, and an immediate litmus test for the audience. As the film progresses through the seasons of the year, that energy never dissipates, even if it is eventually diluted with a dose of melancholy.
Writer/director Damien Chazelle truly burst onto the scene with 2014’s, 'Whiplash', a film that brought the brutality of the war, or boxing, movie to a story about drumming. It was an absolute thriller of a film, with one of its posters boasting how its effect on your heart rate was comparable to that of riding a rollercoaster. Chazelle brings all the force that was on display in that film, and re-channels it into something that evokes an altogether different range of emotions. Where Whiplash had a dark, brooding intensity, La La Land has a light and dreamy melancholy. Perhaps more so than any other director working today, Chazelle knows how to film music. His intimate understanding of both art forms allows each to complement the other beautifully, as his camera races to keep up with the film’s stars and soundtrack but never disorients the audience in the process. Proving Martin Scorsese correct that cinema is a matter of what’s in the frame and what’s not, the movement of the camera constantly blurs the line between reality and fiction, as living amongst the self-proclaimed dream factories of L.A., lends the everyday life of the film both an artificiality and grandeur. The film’s old-school trappings are also playfully interrupted, as well as augmented, by the film’s modern setting. In fact, the film’s modernity is one of its biggest virtues. My main critique of the Netflix series, ‘Stranger Things’ was that I wanted to see 80s style child adventures that were set in the here and now for this generation, not doused in nostalgia. Whilst Chazelle is bowing down to a certain era of films and filmmaking, he doesn’t set La La Land in the past but the present, and delivers a thoroughly modern experience for modern audiences. It’s an incredibly ambitious work for a filmmaker’s third film, and we can only hope that this is a sign of even greater things to come.
In front of the camera, Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone are the perfect duo upon which to rest a film like this. Their range of talents and crackling chemistry, mark them out as movie stars who could have been successful whatever the era. They can sing, they can dance, they can wisecrack, and they can do the big and the subtle. Scenes of them spontaneously bursting into song are just as enchanting as scenes of them having down-to-earth dinnertime arguments are heartbreaking. Coupled with his performance in this summer’s, ‘The Nice Guys’ Gosling has shown he is a far more versatile performer than some gave him credit for after his earlier, broodier performances. Meanwhile, Emma Stone gives one of the best performances of her career, with her character’s journey allowing a full display of both her power and vulnerability. However, the strength of any musical ultimately rests on the music itself, and if there is a supporting cast in La La Land, then it’s the songs. The evocative, ‘City of Stars’ is particularly catchy, whilst, ‘What a Lovely Night’ perfectly captures the screwball nature of those old Hollywood romances. In a year that has given us great film soundtracks, from Portishead’s cover of S.O.S in High-Rise to David Brent’s, ‘Slough’ in Life on the Road, La La Land stakes a late claim to be the best of the lot.
Writer/director Damien Chazelle truly burst onto the scene with 2014’s, 'Whiplash', a film that brought the brutality of the war, or boxing, movie to a story about drumming. It was an absolute thriller of a film, with one of its posters boasting how its effect on your heart rate was comparable to that of riding a rollercoaster. Chazelle brings all the force that was on display in that film, and re-channels it into something that evokes an altogether different range of emotions. Where Whiplash had a dark, brooding intensity, La La Land has a light and dreamy melancholy. Perhaps more so than any other director working today, Chazelle knows how to film music. His intimate understanding of both art forms allows each to complement the other beautifully, as his camera races to keep up with the film’s stars and soundtrack but never disorients the audience in the process. Proving Martin Scorsese correct that cinema is a matter of what’s in the frame and what’s not, the movement of the camera constantly blurs the line between reality and fiction, as living amongst the self-proclaimed dream factories of L.A., lends the everyday life of the film both an artificiality and grandeur. The film’s old-school trappings are also playfully interrupted, as well as augmented, by the film’s modern setting. In fact, the film’s modernity is one of its biggest virtues. My main critique of the Netflix series, ‘Stranger Things’ was that I wanted to see 80s style child adventures that were set in the here and now for this generation, not doused in nostalgia. Whilst Chazelle is bowing down to a certain era of films and filmmaking, he doesn’t set La La Land in the past but the present, and delivers a thoroughly modern experience for modern audiences. It’s an incredibly ambitious work for a filmmaker’s third film, and we can only hope that this is a sign of even greater things to come.
In front of the camera, Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone are the perfect duo upon which to rest a film like this. Their range of talents and crackling chemistry, mark them out as movie stars who could have been successful whatever the era. They can sing, they can dance, they can wisecrack, and they can do the big and the subtle. Scenes of them spontaneously bursting into song are just as enchanting as scenes of them having down-to-earth dinnertime arguments are heartbreaking. Coupled with his performance in this summer’s, ‘The Nice Guys’ Gosling has shown he is a far more versatile performer than some gave him credit for after his earlier, broodier performances. Meanwhile, Emma Stone gives one of the best performances of her career, with her character’s journey allowing a full display of both her power and vulnerability. However, the strength of any musical ultimately rests on the music itself, and if there is a supporting cast in La La Land, then it’s the songs. The evocative, ‘City of Stars’ is particularly catchy, whilst, ‘What a Lovely Night’ perfectly captures the screwball nature of those old Hollywood romances. In a year that has given us great film soundtracks, from Portishead’s cover of S.O.S in High-Rise to David Brent’s, ‘Slough’ in Life on the Road, La La Land stakes a late claim to be the best of the lot.
La La Land’s earnestness and precociousness makes it easy to mock or dismiss, with the awards-fuelled hype sure to result in an inevitable backlash. However, what makes the film such a success is how it doesn't just bow down to the classics, but ultimately stands shoulder to shoulder with them. A scene where our star-crossed lovers visit an observatory and literally dance amongst the stars is one of the year’s most beautiful sequences, and when the film stops pining for movie magic and actually starts to create some of its own. Whilst perhaps more attuned to those who share the sensibilities of its leading characters, La La Land has an infectious enthusiasm that is sure to enchant even those who care not for jazz or classic cinema. When the film reaches its bittersweet conclusion, and the lights come up in the theatre, it’s hard to resist that urge to quickstep your way back to the real world. For once, they’ve made one like they used to…
Closing Remarks
An unashamed slice of old-school movie magic for the modern world.
Movie Parliament Rating: LA-LA-LANDSLIDE
By Movie Parliament Prime Minister,
Michael Dalton
Movie Parliament Rating: LA-LA-LANDSLIDE
By Movie Parliament Prime Minister,
Michael Dalton
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