Review: La La Land

-
Here's to the dreamers.

Mia (Emma Stone) is a struggling actress working as a barista on a studio lot. By chance, she keeps running into Sebastian, (Ryan Gosling) a jazz pianist who dreams of owning his own club, but is stuck in the past music wise. This musical follows their relationship as artists in LA.

Despite a few questionable camera techniques, La La Land is beautiful to look at. It's bright and sunny even when our characters are at their worst. I loved everything from the places they shot to the outfits they worse. (Seriously, can I have Mia's wardrobe?) The musical numbers are a joy to watch and are very reminiscent of old Hollywood. I love anything that throws in a tap(ish) routine.

Stone gives the performance of her career in this role. It's hard not to love Mia, she's funny and charming and you can't help but get angry for her when she's shut down while giving a good audition. Gosling is good as well, and he and Stone have wonderful chemistry. As far as the singing, neither actor is a very strong vocalist.

The story itself, aside from the musical aspect is very generic and fairly predictable, which brings me to awards season. Without the music, I don't think we would be talking about this as a Best Picture front runner. I couldn't help but be reminded of The Artist while I watched it. This is a film that's gimmick is going to take it straight to the top. But is it going to be remembered the same way The Artist is now? With somewhat of a "ehh" years later? I can't help but feel a little weird about this, despite liking it so much. Arrival and Moonlight are better films in my opinion, but they're not flashy. I can't even get behind that it was a risk making this film because look at how the Academy ate up The Artist? This isn't a risk, they love it.

I don't want to sound like I'm hating on this, because I loved it, truly. Not as much as I have loved other films this year, but I had to bring this up somewhere.

Recommended: Yes

Grade: A-

Memorable Quote: "Did you just say 'serious musician?'" - Mia (Emma Stone)

Comments

  1. Often Off TopicJanuary 11, 2017 at 8:45 AM

    Great review! There has been so much hype surrounding this movie that I'm a little scared I'm going to be disappointed.
    Really looking forward to seeing Moonlight too!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Brittani BurnhamJanuary 11, 2017 at 9:21 AM

      I definitely didn't love it like I thought I would, I think it is getting a bit overhyped. It's still a great movie but I was hoping for instant A+ lol.

      Delete
  2. Courtney YoungJanuary 11, 2017 at 8:56 AM

    I completely thought about The Artist too! Gimmicks galore! You certainly seemed to enjoy this one more than I did. People on twitter made great points about movies like The Social Network sweeping the Globes during their year, but falling short come Oscars. Could happen with this movie? The Guilds seem to lean differently than foreign press, but we shall see!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Brittani BurnhamJanuary 11, 2017 at 9:20 AM

      Maybe. I can't see a scenario where this doesn't win Best Picture at this point, it reminds me of the way they took to The Artist way too much.

      Delete
  3. AnonymousJanuary 11, 2017 at 11:19 AM

    Gimmick, sure...but a DAMN WELL PLAYED ONE!!! I just found this movie to be perfect in every way. When it slays at the Oscars, I'm going to stand up and cheer as hard as I can.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Brittani BurnhamJanuary 11, 2017 at 1:34 PM

      Oh yeah, very well played, but I still prefer Moonlight and Arrival. Don't get me wrong, I'll be happy about this winning everything (except Screenplay) though

      Delete
  4. DanielJanuary 11, 2017 at 12:16 PM

    I don't know that it's a gimmick so much as a genre: Musical. Either way, I'm good with gimmicks AND genre films when they're executed well, and La La Land is executed SUPERBLY. It's as much about movie musicals as it is a great example of one, which makes me SO happy. Glad you liked it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Brittani BurnhamJanuary 11, 2017 at 1:34 PM

      I felt the word "gimmick" applied because they keep pushing that particular part of the story when saying how risky it is. The musical genre itself isn't that daring, there's just a select taste.

      Delete
  5. BirgitJanuary 11, 2017 at 4:15 PM

    This just sounds like a really great musical that, for once, the academy is taking seriously. Aside from Singing In The Rain, American in Paris and Gigi, most musicals were overlooked and the actors were definitely overlooked. Can't wait to see this

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Brittani BurnhamJanuary 12, 2017 at 6:56 AM

      Les Miserables definitely got a lot of love the year it came out. But yes, most of them don't get recognition. I wonder if Les Mis helped change that?

      Delete
  6. thevoid99January 11, 2017 at 6:31 PM

    I'm hoping to see this film this weekend as I've been trying to last weekend as it's getting harder to get the chance to see films in the theaters for me lately.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Brittani BurnhamJanuary 12, 2017 at 6:55 AM

      I'm sorry :( I hate when that happens. I hope this weekend works out for you.

      Delete
  7. Candice FrederickJanuary 11, 2017 at 11:06 PM

    yes, it is an enjoyable film. But it's not a great film, and the narrative is severely lacking. Though Emma gives the best performance of her career, it does not compare to Viola Davis, Ruth Negga, Annette Bening or other far more powerful performances from women last year.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Brittani BurnhamJanuary 12, 2017 at 6:55 AM

      I haven't seen 20th century woman but I do agree that Davis and Negga are better in their films. Stone and Negga I'd say are close though, nothing touches Davis this year.

      Delete
  8. s.January 12, 2017 at 12:35 PM

    I loved The Artist but this just seems so...meh? I mean I'm sure it's well directed but 7 Golden Globes, what the fuck...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Brittani BurnhamJanuary 12, 2017 at 2:10 PM

      I wasn't a fan of The Artist so I liked this one a lot more. It's a great film, I just think that it's going to win for a pat on the back over other films that I thought were better.

      Delete
  9. joeJanuary 13, 2017 at 3:32 PM

    i loved this movie the first time i saw it, but the second time it was more like...eh. i mean, it's a beautiful to look at and certainly well-acted, but it's pretty connect-the-dots plotwise (although the ending i thought was great). i'd be fine if it wins best picture, but best original screenplay?? really? also, i'll be pissed if emma stone wins an oscar for this. she was good, but nowhere near isabelle huppert in elle or annete bening in 20th century women imo

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Brittani BurnhamJanuary 14, 2017 at 6:54 AM

      Yeah, I will absolutely be happy for it if it wins Best Picture but it shouldn't touch Best Original Screenplay. I haven't seen Elle or 20th Century Women, but Natalie Portman was phenomenal in Jackie. She should have that Oscar, imo.

      Delete
  10. Kevin PowersJanuary 14, 2017 at 12:05 AM

    Great review!

    I like The Artist. This movie eats The Artist for breakfast, chews it up, and spits it out, just to spite it. La La Land is not gimmicky at all. Song and dance numbers are not gimmicks if your purpose is to make a musical. Making a silent film set in the silent film era for present day audiences is. This, to me, is a totally original, confidently made ode to things people (especially every person who collaborated to make it) love...classic movies, Jazz, and love itself, nodding but not ripping off. And I find it really charming (and totally original as well) that Stone and Gosling don't sing and dance to perfection. The plot is definitely thin to make way for the music, but that's forgivable when there's so much love flowing through every frame.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Brittani BurnhamJanuary 14, 2017 at 6:53 AM

      I agree La La Land devours the Artist. I'm just saying in terms of what the Academy likes, it's gimmicky, not risky. That's my only issue is how risky everyone says this film was when it doesn't feel that way at all.

      Delete
  11. KatyJanuary 14, 2017 at 5:50 PM

    Nice review! I loved The Artist and La La Land, but The Artist didn't feel like a gimmick as much as La La Land did. Michel Hazanavicius' use of silent era felt intricate and intentional, but Damien's direction felt like a contemporary drama with some decent musical scenes thrown in here and there. The Classic Hollywood angle felt over-hyped by critics too. :/

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Brittani BurnhamJanuary 16, 2017 at 4:45 PM

      I agree with the classic Hollywood thing too. I don't think this was a risky film at all. I kind of hope it's stops being referred to as such.

      Delete
  12. MyerlaJanuary 16, 2017 at 5:27 AM

    Yeah...as much as I liked the film you can tick off things that appear to critics and academy members.

    I did enjoy it though, thought the camerawork was stunning and Stone and Gosling did a decent enough job.

    Good review.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Brittani BurnhamJanuary 16, 2017 at 4:45 PM

      Yes, the cinematography in this was spectacular. Everything about it was gorgeous.

      Delete
  13. Paskalis DamarJanuary 17, 2017 at 4:08 AM

    Oh I'm in love with this movie! Forgive my lack of references, but this one got me hooked in and through, although I must admit, the plot is non that grand size.

    ReplyDelete
  14. m.brownJanuary 20, 2017 at 6:27 AM

    I'm all in on this one and loved just about everything about it. It may be a little by-the-numbers, sure, but I cared so much about Mia and Sebastian (this is a guy I wish I could be more like...shit) all is forgiven.

    I'm pretty much with Fisti on this one (no surprise there).

    Loved the review, Brittani.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Brittani BurnhamJanuary 20, 2017 at 6:36 AM

      I definitely forgive it for being by the numbers because it's very good, they just need to stop talking about how risky it was. lol

      Delete

Post a Comment

Thanks for stopping by, let's talk movies!
(comments are moderated to reduce spam)

Popular posts from this blog

Random Ramblings: The Radio Flyer Conundrum

-
Image
Recently, I was talking to someone about who I thought were the best child actors when I was also a child.  Two that really stood out to me were Elijah Wood and Joseph Mazello, and one film those two were in together was called Radio Flyer.  Then I was reminded about the uniqueness of this film. Instead of reviewing the film, I wanted to have an open discussion about the ending. It deals with a tough issue; child abuse. What I’ve noticed is the way that the film ends is interpreted many different ways, and the filmmakers never came forward to say what was right and wrong. I’m interested in hearing everyone’s opinions on it. How did you interpret the ending? Obviously spoiler alerts will follow.. For those of you who haven’t seen the film, the basic premise is this: Two young boys, Mikey (Wood) and Bobby (Mazello) move in with their single mother and her boyfriend, who refers to himself as ‘The King’. It doesn’t take long for The King to start physically abusing Bobby, and the
Read more

Indie Gems: Behind The Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon

-
Image
Passionate about your profession? I had never heard of this film until it ended up on one of Jason's favorite horror movie lists around Halloween. It immediately sounded interesting to me, so of course I threw it in my Netflix queue. (and if I'm just now watching it after adding it around Halloween, you know how ridiculous my queue is) Taylor (Angela Goethals) is a journalist who, along with a film crew decides to follow around a serial killer named Leslie Vernon. (Nathan Baesel) He plans on doing the typical slasher thing - getting a bunch of drunk teens in an abandoned house and knocking them off one by one. He gets advice from a retired serial killer, Eugene (Scott Wilson) and is threatened by a man who's on to him, Doc Holloran (Robert Englund) Taylor and crew are there capturing it all. Leslie Vernon is fucking hilarious to start with, and clearly very passionate about what he does. He tells Taylor all of his secrets and can barely contain his excitemen
Read more

Please join me in my Favorite Movie Titles Blogathon!

-
Image
Earlier this week I made a post where I ran through the letters of the alphabet with my favorite movie titles. There were a few people that suggested I turn it into a blogathon, and I've never done that before. So here goes nothing! Since this is my first attempt at a blogathon, it's all pretty simple, and it's hopefully a quick post that everyone can join in. Rules: 1) Going through the alphabet, list your favorite movie title beginning with each letter.  2) You don't have to necessarily  like the movie to use it's title.  3) Use the banner at the top of this post in yours. 4) Please have submissions in by Friday, May 30th*. (But I'll be honest, if you send them to me after that date, I'll still add them to my post.) You can either leave a link to your post in the comments here or tweet it to me, ( @ramblingfilm )  Thanks everyone! :)  *I had to move the date back a week due to Photobucket threatening me with bandwidth issues. But
Read more