Movie Parliament
  • Home
  • Reviews
  • This House
  • Articles
  • Foreign Affairs
    • Cannes 2017
    • Cannes2016
    • 2016 Oscars Predictions
    • 2015 César Awards
    • 2014 César Awards
    • 2014 French Bloggers Awards
    • Top10 2014
    • 2013 César Awards
    • 2013 Cannes Coverage
    • European Film Awards 2012
    • (50) Films of Summer
    • 2012 Cannes Coverage
    • 2011 César Awards
    • 2011 Cannes Coverage
  • Film History
    • Classic Films
    • Cult Movies
    • Foreign Masterpieces
  • Awards
    • Awards Decade 2011-2020
    • Awards2020
    • Awards2019
    • Awards2018
    • Awards2017
    • Awards2016
    • Awards2015
    • Awards 2014
    • Awards 2013
    • Awards 2012
    • Awards 2011 >
      • FYC - Best 2011 Film
  • Top 50 of the Decade
    • 2009
    • 2008
    • 2007
    • 2006
    • 2005
    • 2004
    • 2003
    • 2002
    • 2001
    • 2000
  • Summer Movie Wager
  • 2018 Most Anticipated

La La Land - They do make 'em like they used to...

12/29/2016

2 Comments

 
Writer & Director: Damien Chazelle 
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. 
​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 
Have you seen La La Land? Give us your thoughts in the comments below. 
2 Comments
Alex
12/29/2016 08:25:03 am

Great review, looking forward to seeing it! You referenced Casablanca and I was wondering what about that film La La Land is able to conjure up in your view?

Reply
Michael
12/29/2016 08:31:54 am

Thank you! Good question. Casablanca is directly referenced a few times in the film both by the characters and visually. There are other comparisons that could be made but would spoil the plot.

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Authors

    Movie Parliament Prime Minister: Michael Dalton

    Minister for Foreign Affairs: Arnaud Trouve

    Minister for History: Leonhard Balk

    Archives

    March 2019
    October 2018
    November 2017
    October 2017
    May 2017
    March 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    January 2016
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    March 2014
    December 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012

    Categories

    All
    Brad Pitt
    Chris Hemsworth
    Dredd
    Film Review
    Gangster Film
    Kristen Stewart
    New Release
    Sci Fi
    Sci-fi

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.