La La Land [DVD] [2016]

What is worth more? Where does ambition measure when compared to reflection? Or...how does one know when to quit? When that ambition outweighs or cannot be met by the pure skill or natural talent possessed? La La Land is a movie about Hollywood and the Hollywood system and how it all flows in and out of making and breaking stars, but La La Land is also a movie about dreams and the ugly side of those dreams no one likes to talk about when they tell you to chase them-compromise. Compromise is what must be obtained if one is hoping to have their cake and eat it too. There is compromise in life no matter what professional or personal route one may choose to take, but when dreams are big enough to take you around the world and on extended stays in places away from home that require long or odd hours such as, say, when someone is a musician or film actor-compromises are unavoidable and typically made by the half of the relationship not actively participating in such a career. With La La Land director Damien Chazelle (Whiplash) follows up his Academy Award-nominated feature debut with an out and out musical in the vein of those golden age Hollywood musicals from the forties and early fifties that personified stardom, celebrity, and a certain type of lifestyle most could only hope to obtain. This goes well with the plight of the story as we follow two young aspiring artists-the girl an actress and the guy a jazz pianist-as they navigate modern Los Angeles in hopes of achieving their dreams even if the odds seem stacked against them and despite their closest friends and family not exactly holding out hope for success to find them. The standard structure of boy meets girl combined with that of a few song and dance numbers that pay homage to those aforementioned golden days of Hollywood aren't enough for Chazelle though. The writer/director isn't simply looking to recreate images and feelings afforded him during his youth as he watched Gene Kelly dance across the screen, but more he is interested in exploring the consequences of having such aspirations; the dark side of fame that doesn't necessarily have anything to do with addiction or other harmful habit forming activities, but more with the decisions such individuals have to make without knowing the answer as to what they'll regret more twenty years down the road. Can I be the person I want with the person I want? Is it worth more to make a life as I so desire or with the one I desire? La La Land doesn't prescribe to know the answers to these heavy questions, but its musings on the subject are infectious and reaffirming in that they capture the struggle one in a handful experiencing the film will have come face to face with at some point in their past.

La La Land was at the top of my most anticipated films of 2016 (never mind not seeing it until January 2017) since I first heard of it months ago. I am so happy that it was fully able to live up to my high, high expectations. It's kind of funny, because up until about four years ago, I wasn't much of a fan of (any) musicals. Then I delved into classic Hollywood musicals, and while most full movie musicals weren't what I'd classify as 5-star movies, there were enough amazing individual scenes in many of them that made me appreciate musicals so much more. And then finding out the director of Whiplash was making a musical in the tradition of old Hollywood musicals, but with modern sensibilities and techniques, let alone staring Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling, made me chant "please be great" over and over. Luckily, it is. It starts off great with "Another Day in the Sun." "Someone in the Crowd" is a great quick followup. "City of Stars," both versions are great as well. The rest of the music is all very good to good. While La La Land isn't wall-to-wall music, the music that's included is all good and works well with the movie. Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone aren't the best singers out there, but they are two of the best actors, and that more than makes up for any singing/dancing deficiencies (which with all the work they put into it, is very minor for the most part). I've seen it said (and agree) that Gosling and Stone are no Fred and Ginger, while trying to evoke Fred and Ginger, but that it's hardly their fault because Fred and Ginger (or their equivalents) don't exist any more. Not that there aren't many professional level singers and dancers that could amaze audience with their skills in movies, but as those movies don't exist anymore those roles don't either, which is kind of sad. La La Land is a beautiful looking movie, Luckily Damien Chazelle (with his cinematographer) seems to have had a lot of great ideas of how to shoot it. Another film released in 2016 that was a love letter to classical musicals (specifically the whole old studio system) was Hail Caesar, and it approaches its homage to musicals by trying to actually recreate a couple of old Hollywood style musical numbers (memorably played by Channing Tatum and then Scarlett Johansson). La La Land instead plays lots of homage to them visually and through the style of some of the songs. Damien Chazelle successfully blends the old with the new, and has created a classic of his own.

“LaLaLand” is that SPECIAL PLACE where your DREAMS collide with LIFE! I dreaded the Idea of another “Tacky” modern-day musical. After all, my standards are quite high for a musical; my favorites being “Singing in the Rain”, “West Side Story”, “The Sound of Music”, well, you get the picture. After hearing all the commotion about “LaLa Land” I convinced myself to go see it but spared myself from the embarrassment of taking my wife or a friend with me. So here I go to the movies alone, was going to skip the Pop Corn but after all, I thought at the very least I’ll entertain myself during the movie eating an x-large, overpriced, artery-clogging Pop Corn. I went in with kind of low expectations, knowing ahead of time that as much as I liked Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone, they were not Gene Kelly and Debbie Reynolds. As far as the acting goes, Emma Stone is in a class by herself. Wow! “LaLaLand” Knocked my socks off! If not the best, one of the best music scores of this decade, and definitely the best use of lighting and color I have seen in my lifetime. “LaLaLand” will be one of those movies I’ll watch over and over!

La La Land comes to you in the form of a Best Buy Exclusive Steelbook and is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Lionsgate Films with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in the good old CinemaScope ratio of 2.55:1. Chazelle continues his retro tendencies by shooting on film, and with director of photography Linus Sandgren delivers a really gorgeous looking film which looks fantastic in high definition. This is a film full of the kind of bright colors and patently artificial lighting that were part and parcel of both the Freed unit and the Demy films, and this transfer preserves a really appealingly varied palette beautifully. The film tends to ping pong between naturally lit and/or graded material (as in the opening freeway number) and more "artistic" choices, as in some of the nighttime material or the big planetarium sequence. Detail levels are routinely high, especially in brighter lighting, as should be expected. While the nighttime and club scenes don't have quite the same detail levels, there's surprisingly good shadow detail and definition throughout these sequences as well. The transfer looks appealingly organic and encounters no compression issues. Wish it had the 4K Disc like Best Buy Canada but still a winner.

La La Land is one of the best films of 2016. Its seamless combination of music and storytelling is reminiscent of classic musicals from the 50s and 60s. The performances are top-notch and the two leads have an unmistakable chemistry together (helped by their previous on-screen romance in Crazy, Stupid, Love.) Their characters are flawed, but that's what entices the viewer to join them on this emotional journey. The score and musical numbers are absolutely memorable, even after one viewing. City of Stars and Another Day of Sun are my personal favorites, but there are many others that are, not only fantastic songs in their own right, but combined with some potentially iconic scenes in the movie, paint a picture that's difficult to forget. The cinematography is beautiful, the choreography is stunning, and the camerawork is breathtaking. And that's what La La Land is; breathtaking. No, it's not perfect, as the film does peak towards the middle and the second half re-uses music and ideas from the first half, and personally I found there to be a couple of questionable casting choices, but those are minor nitpicks in what is otherwise a miracle production. I am very thankful that, in a world where superhero films and action blockbusters rake in the most dough, there are still producers out there willing to fund risky projects that can either fall and be forgotten, or rise and become instant classics. La La Land is fire. See it.

LA LA LAND is a disappointment to us oldsters who have seen the old Hollywood musicals of about 1935 to 1965 whether "live," in revival or in the home theater. Two popular actors who are non-singers and non-dancers were cast as the leads in this musical, with weak results not usually seen from Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling. Much of the film seems like a watered-down version of SINGIN' IN THE RAIN (1952), about a rookie who wants to make it in the movies, with dashes of WEST SIDE STORY's (1961) choreography and an ending straight out of the bittersweet UMBRELLAS OF CHERBOURG (Les Parapluies de Cherbourg; 1964). There was very little truly new in this movie, and what there was, was unconvincing. I know that people who saw this film with enthusiasm and pleasure (after all, it DID almost win an Oscar) may be tired of hearing us oldsters carp about the good old days; the proof is to stream or buy such movies as I've listed above, also AN AMERICAN IN PARIS, GENTLEMEN PREFER BLONDES, GIGI, and even THE ARTIST, to name only a few. Perhaps the first two THAT'S ENTERTAINMENT anthologies are the best way to start. Technique: Very good Blu-Ray sound and minimal lateral distortion, good motion and color transition from indoor to outdoor shooting helped immeasurably by modern C.G.I. and green-screen techniques. On the whole LA LA LAND is cutting edge, but the story, acting and songs do not go straight to the heart.

Huge fan of this film. This film was not on my "must watch" list of last year but ended up being a pleasant surprise. I kept hearing how amazing this movie was and it seemed like there wasn't a single negative review so when it finally came out in my home town theater I rushed to see it. I enjoyed the songs and the whole theatrical production of the film. Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone share such amazing chemistry that their emotional connection feels real and their characters' passions for jazz and acting radiate from their performances. After the movie I found myself singing the opening song on my way home with a huge smile. However, my girlfriend hated the film. She said there was too much singing and she did not like the performances. Her final critique was "Hollywood should stop trying to make musicals happen again." I thought it was important to note that this movie is not for everyone but there are those of us (a whole lot of people actually) who really enjoyed it. Don't listen to her, take my advise and see this film, it is definitely worth a watch. As for the steelbook, I believe this is actually NOT a steelbook priority. It does not provide any other incentives other than having the steelbook. I purchased the steelbook only because I am a collector of the steelbook sets but the cover design does not push this too a must have. Save a few bucks and get the regular box set, unless of course you are like me and want all the steelbooks.

La La Land is one of the best films of 2016. Its seamless combination of music and storytelling is reminiscent of classic musicals from the 50s and 60s. The performances are top-notch and the two leads have an unmistakable chemistry together (helped by their previous on-screen romance in Crazy, Stupid, Love.) Their characters are flawed, but that's what entices the viewer to join them on this emotional journey. The score and musical numbers are absolutely memorable, even after one viewing. City of Stars and Another Day of Sun are my personal favorites, but there are many others that are, not only fantastic songs in their own right, but combined with some potentially iconic scenes in the movie, paint a picture that's difficult to forget. The cinematography is beautiful, the choreography is stunning, and the camerawork is breathtaking. And that's what La La Land is; breathtaking. No, it's not perfect, as the film does peak towards the middle and the second half re-uses music and ideas from the first half, and personally I found there to be a couple of questionable casting choices, but those are minor nitpicks in what is otherwise a miracle production. I am very thankful that, in a world where superhero films and action blockbusters rake in the most dough, there are still producers out there willing to fund risky projects that can either fall and be forgotten, or rise and become instant classics. La La Land is fire. See it.