Haloid1177
Banned
Seeing this tonight finally. Super skeptical if I'll like it cause generally speaking I despise musicals but I gotta give it a shot.
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La La Land |OT| Not quite Mia tempo
- Thread starter shira
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shira
Member
No I mean Emma Stone's character is not a Jazz fan.
She'll be a jazz fan after the movie.
LucidMomentum
Member
cj_iwakura
Member
Of course not. She might leave as one though.
JetBlackPanda
Member
What song is the band playing
I can't remember for the life of me and its driving me nuts.
when the pool party starts? before she asks them to play I ran?
Hexxen-Panda
Member
Take on Me by a-ha (?)
JetBlackPanda
Member
shira
Member
Then make sure she watches Whiplash
Agree with all this. Just got back from seeing it for the first time.
Seb starts out as a dick but is a genuine human being in the end. Mia, though, I didn't even realize how perfect a portrayal of the typical self-centered Hollywood actress she was until I got home.
Her dream is to become a snotty big shot actress, specifically admiring and then replicating the WB lot girl. She falls for Seb out of the image of him playing piano, not really for him as a person, and then after the 5 year gap seemingly forgot he even existed or ever bothered to see if he started up his club. Oh, and she was dating some guy she clearly had no fucking reason to be with at all in the first place before going to the movie with Seb. All of the signs are there if you look for them that she's kind of a terrible person, and even though this movie is a blatant love letter to Hollywood at least it gets one truth right about actors.
I liked the movie a lot and was initially annoyed at the ending but then realized it works if you think about the kind of sneaky characterization of Mia, past the musical numbers.
shira
Member
IIRC Mia was about 20 when she dropped out of university for school, then spent 6 years doing the actor thing. It is basically a miracle to land your first role as a 26 year old in Hollywood. Same thing with Sebastien. A white jazz pianist. It's basically 1 in a million odds here for both of them.
I felt like the movie was getting more and more dreamy the later it goes, blurring the lines of reality.
It starts out morning sunny and gets darker and darker every minute until dead of night at the jazz club finale.
I felt like the movie was getting more and more dreamy the later it goes, blurring the lines of reality.
It starts out morning sunny and gets darker and darker every minute until dead of night at the jazz club finale.
Yeah, the way things turn out for them goes hand in hand with the blind love letter to Hollywood nature of the movie. Total fantasy, and basically what everyone who moves there hopes will happen to them.
Poor GRIMES
Banned
It will absolutely sweep Awards season for this very reason
Although both have given up an idyllic life together where both are happy with what they've achieved; both still are fairly well off people that just so happened to make all of their career goals come true.
sweep? lol nah. Doubt they will pull a Birdman again.
I wasn't even completely convinced by the love vs. career 5 year gap ending, but them only being together for 10 months and Mia being a deeply self-centered person were enough for it to mostly work IMO. I don't think it's some kind of profoundly true statement, though. If both people love eachother enough they can make it work. I don't think Mia really loved Seb.
Poor GRIMES
Banned
I don't think so either. Sebastian picked up on Mia's self-centeredness during their dinner conversation together as well. In the idyllic life she pictured with Sebastian, he was the only one that truly ever gave up anything for their relationship to prosper.
It's really difficult for me to buy into the fantasy that these two were madly in love and destined for one another because the relationship developed with little to no conflict.
It's really difficult for me to buy into the fantasy that these two were madly in love and destined for one another because the relationship developed with little to no conflict.
shira
Member
Bing (lul) has them winning 6/7 Golden Globes. The only ding is Ryan Reynolds beating out Gosling for Best Actor Comedy/Musical
Poor GRIMES
Banned
I truly wonder who Reynolds slept with to get that nomination and (possibly) win for that role.
I don't even like Gosling that much but if Reynolds beats him for that category fuckery is afoot.
jack_package_200
Banned
Harvey Weinstein?
Discotheque
Banned
No thanks. I loved this film, moreso than whiplash as well. But the worst part of it was when Ryan Gosling went jazz nerd and was like "you don't understand it maaaan, it's power it's momentum the feeling is electric" etc.
I'm so glad Chazelle is making a Neil Armstrong biopic next because it's a man that deserves a film monument first off (and I think Damian won't fall into making such a conventional biopic either) and also because I was worried he'd be shoehorning his career into jazz movies for so long
Edit: also the soundtrack to this movie will be very memorable. Hurwitz instrumental compositions in someone in the crowd and another day in the sun are so fun. One of the best movie soundtracks in the last few years imo.
Seb was right though jazz is dying and Chazelle has found a great way to bring attention to it. Two movies with jazz but completely different. That is what makes it so amazing. He is a talented and young so if he lives a long life I think we will both get the movies we want from him.
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Edit: Reynolds is just as deserving as Gosling for that award. This is coming from a Gosling fan boy
Discotheque
Banned
Gosling should have been nominated for nice guys instead. Either way I think he deserves the award over Reynolds. But still good on both of them.
jack_package_200
Banned
That I can agree with.
I don't think this is the worst time for jazz right now. Gossling mansplaining the importance of Jazz to Emma Stone wasn't really all that great either. I also don't really care for Chazelle's idea that jazz+sequencer = bad jazz.
Loved Whiplash, disliked La La Land. I'm looking forward to seeing him do something completely different than these music focused movies.
EatinOlives
Member
Saw this a few days ago. I liked it but didn't love it, thought sometimes it leaned a little too much into its "cutesy" demeanor, almost a bit to a fault. I recognized and appreciated the attempt to stylize it in a classical way, with little touches here and there. Maybe some might find it gimmicky but they were so small that I don't think it's detrimental to the film as a whole.
Some spoiler talk:
Anyway, that's my piece. I liked it quite a bit, but sadly I'm stopping just short of "magical" unlike many others. It comes real close but doesn't quite stick the landing for me.
Some spoiler talk:
The two halves of the film were very distinct. The first is a wide-eyed, almost naïve view of the world and that translates to the style, pace, dialogue, and more frequent musical numbers. The second half leans into the "set in modern times" struggles. The dinner scene is very memorable not only because I felt it was a very well constructed and acted scene, but because it was real. A close-quarters back-and-forth dialog about real shit, a very different tone from, say, the opening 20 minutes of the movie with the pomp and circumstance of musicals complete with ensemble dance numbers and literal fireworks, where even the struggle of both Mia and Seb are presented as whimsical.
At the same time, while I appreciate the change in style conceptually, I have to say the first half of the movie feels just so much better. Better paced, better written, the back-and-forth between Mia and Seb is written better, the songs were peppy enough and frequent enough to move the film in a very tight way. Right after the planetarium scene when they kiss and "officially" become a couple I feel the movie loses steam hard. And, again, the film feels more sober on purpose. I see what they're doing, I just think it's a less enjoyable film, and while the tonal shift feels warranted it still feels a little jarring and disorienting.
Ending I felt was well constructed as well, and I know that the whole movie is an homage to classic films and musicals, but it's so, so similar to endings like Memphis (the musical) that it didn't really do much for me. For me it was more along the lines of "ooh yeah I totally get what they're going for here, the classic 'we can't be a thing, but here's to the memories' trope" rather than being swept up in it.
At the same time, while I appreciate the change in style conceptually, I have to say the first half of the movie feels just so much better. Better paced, better written, the back-and-forth between Mia and Seb is written better, the songs were peppy enough and frequent enough to move the film in a very tight way. Right after the planetarium scene when they kiss and "officially" become a couple I feel the movie loses steam hard. And, again, the film feels more sober on purpose. I see what they're doing, I just think it's a less enjoyable film, and while the tonal shift feels warranted it still feels a little jarring and disorienting.
Ending I felt was well constructed as well, and I know that the whole movie is an homage to classic films and musicals, but it's so, so similar to endings like Memphis (the musical) that it didn't really do much for me. For me it was more along the lines of "ooh yeah I totally get what they're going for here, the classic 'we can't be a thing, but here's to the memories' trope" rather than being swept up in it.
Anyway, that's my piece. I liked it quite a bit, but sadly I'm stopping just short of "magical" unlike many others. It comes real close but doesn't quite stick the landing for me.
UberTag
Member
I don't have a problem with Reynolds winning for Deadpool. I'd have a problem with it if Sam Neill was nominated for Hunt for the Wilderpeople. But he wasn't so I'm good with it.
wtf is that?
Jzero
Member
http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Mansplain&defid=6788599
He should be nominated for the "Made a straight man think he's dreamy award"
Is that even the case though? Gosling's character obviously hated it, but I never got the sense that it was being portrayed as 'bad'.
I know some people hate the John Legend track and some believe it was purposely made to sound awful.. but I loved that track.
Had he been nominated for nice guys then yea gosling on lock. But right now Reynolds all the way
Haloid1177
Banned
Saw it last night. Nope.
Like I'm watching it and I see the quality in the technical aspects. It's gorgeous, and some of the takes, specifically the opening, are jaw dropping in execution. Chazelle deserves Best Director. On that same foot, I think Gosling deserves Best Actor, as whenever he played piano I was enamored with the fact he was really playing. Emma Stone gave a good performance, but part of my dislike for it comes in my overall dislike of the film. And I think Natalie Portman was much better in Jackie.
My issue with it all is I just don't like musicals. I went in thinking this would be different, that I liked the director and actors well enough that this one was gonna be good. Nope. I always find it weird of breaking into song, but I liked the music well enough to where I forgave a lot of in the movie. But when [end of fall spoiler]
Not to mention I felt the final season in the film to be unnecessary, especially going through the
I don't think I dislike it as much as I'm thinking I do right now if that makes sense. It was a fun movie, but this isn't one that I'd put on my top 10 list, and I'm honestly shocked it's such a strong Best Picture contender.
Like I'm watching it and I see the quality in the technical aspects. It's gorgeous, and some of the takes, specifically the opening, are jaw dropping in execution. Chazelle deserves Best Director. On that same foot, I think Gosling deserves Best Actor, as whenever he played piano I was enamored with the fact he was really playing. Emma Stone gave a good performance, but part of my dislike for it comes in my overall dislike of the film. And I think Natalie Portman was much better in Jackie.
My issue with it all is I just don't like musicals. I went in thinking this would be different, that I liked the director and actors well enough that this one was gonna be good. Nope. I always find it weird of breaking into song, but I liked the music well enough to where I forgave a lot of in the movie. But when [end of fall spoiler]
Emma is telling her story, and it's supposed to be this huge emotional thing, it just fell completely flat for me because it's in song. It was a beautiful song, but narratively it just took me out of the moment, and I just appreciated the music instead of feeling the intended emotional beat.
Not to mention I felt the final season in the film to be unnecessary, especially going through the
what if of if they were together that seemed overly long.
I don't think I dislike it as much as I'm thinking I do right now if that makes sense. It was a fun movie, but this isn't one that I'd put on my top 10 list, and I'm honestly shocked it's such a strong Best Picture contender.
Haloid1177
Banned
Why in the world are you so defensive in this thread good lord.
I like the movie, and I am discussing it. This is a OT mane
My review.
La La Land 2016
★★★★ Watched 01 Jan, 2017
If Whiplash is a great movie then La La Land is a good movie. The visuals are stunning, theme is beautiful, and the characters are lovely. Yet something is kinda missing that keeps it from being a great movie. It doesn't hit you like previous greats do. It is more of a reminder, like a call back to the greats. La la land blends harsh reality with the romanticism of Hollywood and jazz for a lovely film. I am looking forward to seeing what Chazelle does next since he is clearly talented.
As you can see I thought it was a good movie. but it has flaws.
shira
Member
Cortana
Go on...
Yeah, it's actually the first John Legend track I like.
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