La La Land--the return of the musical

I actually thought she was good in 'Aloha'. Then again, I'm the only person outside of Cameron Crowe and Bill Murray who likes the movie. And Bill Murray might be fibbing.

 

OMG, that was a truly horrible, horrible movie! The only reason I watched it was because of Emma Stone and even so it was a total trainwreck (because of the script).

 

I can't defend it, but I enjoyed it. CC probably envisioned a film that that was more coherent but in reality not much better. Who knows if the alleged studio changes improved it

 

I just saw it. At the risk of raising expectations too high for you guys (read on at your own risk), it's my favorite movie of the year. I was in a state of rapture throughout. Emma Stone is a marvel and fully deserves every award she gets.

That's all for now. Gonna see Manchester by the Sea now. More later.

 

Not exactly Busby Berkeley, or Cyd Charisse leg splitting stuff, even though it's trying to homage French director's Jacques Demy's "Umbrellas Of Cherbourg " the music has to connect.

 

I liked Manchester by the Sea as well. In my top five of the year for sure.

I was going to say more about La La Land, but I'll leave it at what I said before.

 

Not a fan of musicals at all but read the glowing reviews and decided to investigate, so glad i did, was swept away by it all, cinema at its best, uplifting and inspiring with a perfect ending. a film to cherish.

 

I couldn't agree more.

 

I'll go watch it again in the cinema and that hasn't happened in a long time.

 

I may do just that on Sunday when I go see the Denzel Washington film Fences because, well, there's absolutely nothing else I want to see. There's a Scorsese film called Silence that I'm interested in, but that won't get here till January. So, yeah, I may well catch La La Land again.

 

Two and a half hours of bliss.

 

I've had a screener of this for a little while. Not a musical fan, but people are telling me it's a must see. Looks like it's going on the watch list this weekend.

 

I liked it, didn't love it. Did love, however, that it's an attempt at a traditional musical in an era of hyphenated projects. Tremendously appealing actors and good chemistry.

Strikingly obvious drop of a single unnecessary F-bomb to goose a movie that would otherwise have been rated PG (if not G) to PG-13.

 

Saw LLL tonight with my family. Its not a perfect movie but it is worthy of all the praise it is receiving. Best uplifting, light hearted holiday movie since Slum Dog Millionaire.

I'm not technical but it seemed to me the impressive opening set piece was one continuous camera shot, as in Whiplash. (I learned later the two films have the same director.)

Forum members may really like the way a significant amount of jazz performance and discussion is woven into the fabric of this movie. Two thumbs up!

 

This is actually Damien Chazelle's third film as director. His first, Guy and Madeline on a Park Bench, is a jazz musical that some critics named the best undistributed film of 2009. It has a 90% score on Rotten Tomatoes.

A peek at Chazelle's bio reveals that, while filmmaking was his earliest ambition, he was a jazz drummer in high school and aspired to be a musician. So it's clear this is a case of a tremendously gifted filmmaker working out his obsessions on the big screen.

 

They have to do that. A "G" rating is death for non-animated films (see: Carroll Ballard's brilliant 1983 film Never Cry Wolf.) Mike Leigh's Topsy-Turvy would be a wonderful film to show to kids and teens to introduce them to the music of Gilbert and Sullivan, if not for one scene of nudity and possibly the most gratuitous F-bomb in cinema history.

 

Best film I've seen in last 5 years. Lots of heart and great acting.

 

Don't care much for homage as a verb.... Seems like the music & choreography served the story, rather than visa versa, as in most musicals.

 

If you enjoyed it fine.

 

The only reason I haven't "liked" your post is the part about five years. Boyhood is standing in the way (for me at least).

 

Saw it last week. Enjoyed it, but not knocked out. I need to see it again knowing the ending and see if it holds up.

 

Considering your thoughts on his last movie, I take that as a HUGE endorsement!

 

I'm a forgiving sort and willing to give a director a second chance even when his last film is a vile slander on the entire profession of music education.

The only directors I've completely written off are Lars Von Trier and Michael Henke as both are sadists more interested in torturing the audience.

 

I don't think I've seen any Henke but I agree about Von Trier -- though I found Melancholia tolerable, at least compared to Breaking the Waves. (I think those are his only two I've seen.)