Freyjadour
Member
This fucker knows how to end a movie.
-
Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.
La La Land |OT| Not quite Mia tempo
- Thread starter shira
- Start date
- Status
beat
Member
Yes, thankfully. All of it. Not just no more all-caps, but he doesn't even use Hulk talk.
cj_iwakura
Member
Now if only he can stop saying "To wit".
FantasticMrFoxdie
Mumber
Gonna see Star Wars tonite and this movies still etched in my mind lol
darkwing-buck
Member
Wow, finally saw this and im floored by how good that was. Seriously, my favorite movie of the year and I don't even like musicals like that. Such a great year for film.
Sidenote: I saw the film at ArcLight Pasadena which is 10 min away from the Rialto theater in the film!
Sidenote: I saw the film at ArcLight Pasadena which is 10 min away from the Rialto theater in the film!
UberTag
Member
He calls out all of the issues I noted about the film's lack of focus and the shocking lack of chemistry between the leads way back in September.
This is a very pretty movie - and it works on that level - but there's little substance beneath the dazzling surface. Thank goodness it boasts charm in spades and wound up being a hell of a lot funnier than I expected going in.
beat
Member
I think there's "soul" in it, like FCH said. There's kind of really shoddy construction to get from the soul to the surface, so we get things like how Mia's a cypher. And like Whiplash, the actual concept of creative work is not well presented*. And like Whiplash, Chazelle's understanding of jazz and music is very skewed towards technical virtuosity (weirder still given how Sebastian says the right things about the give and take of solos) and thus very off-putting. And that ends up muddying his character arc. These are all problems in the script.
* She's making a one-woman play!!! The only way it could be closer to being a movie about making movies is if she actually made a movie! It would have been really interesting to see what animates her (and him) beyond the surface-level goal of just being a star.
But as a movie, Gosling and Stone bring a lot to the screen and help paper over a lot of these holes. Same goes for basically everyone else on the creative team. And as a director, Chazelle is virtuosic.
So for me, yeah, beautiful beautiful surface but with an inchoate but beating heart. Then there are a lot of flaws in how that emotion was built and conveyed and shaped, but as a whole I think it's still more than just a beautiful surface.
The acclaim and success mean he'll probably keep doing writer-directing in the future, but it might be really interesting instead to have him pair up with a writer or just plain direct someone else's script.
cj_iwakura
Member
And after rewatching the Whiplash trailer, I finally get the thread title's meaning.
Just saw it and thought it was absolutely fantastic. My brother took me so I didn't know what I was in for. Catchy music, great acting, and great cinematography. Ending was fresh and unexpected.
My one minor gripe is the fight scene. It felt too serious and drastic of a change in tone to everything before it.
I heard this director did Whiplash. I definitely have to check it out now.
My one minor gripe is the fight scene. It felt too serious and drastic of a change in tone to everything before it.
I heard this director did Whiplash. I definitely have to check it out now.
No idea how I feel about this movie. That whole alternate timeline sequence kind of put me off.
After all this, felt to me like the two really didn't understand each other, but the movie thinks they do.
Gosling was outrageously charming and the movie oozed style. I loved that little move where they panned up the palm tree and got to the top right at a song's peak, fronds looking like fireworks. End of the day, movie felt worth seeing but not worth internalizing or holding on to.
Why do both timelines end up with a kid and a nanny?
Gosling was outrageously charming and the movie oozed style. I loved that little move where they panned up the palm tree and got to the top right at a song's peak, fronds looking like fireworks. End of the day, movie felt worth seeing but not worth internalizing or holding on to.
Bruce Springsteen
Member
Saw the movie today with the family, really liked it, love the piano theme also, Ryan Gosling is ridiculously charming
Great ending
Great ending
As someone who isn't a huge fan of a lot of musicals I was actually kind of surprised how much I enjoyed this. I loved Whiplash but I tend to be a bit meh on musicals because I find most people never really get what makes a musical work and just jam it full of song and dance numbers in areas where it wasn't needed or use that shitty sing talky back and forth, La La Land does do some of things but they're often in moderation and the film works better for it.
Overall I really enjoyed the music, the dance numbers were often affecting and excellent in their filming and composition and while I was a bit lukewarm on Gosling I really enjoyed Emma Stone in this one. Not only that but I thought the movies talk on magical realism was great and not something we see often anymore these days.
Oh and the ending sequence was wonderful and I'm glad it didn't end on a saccharine note.
Also to those complaining about the ending you have to view it as two people who were always chasing their dreams. Ones was a dream of opening a jazz club that caters to the heart of jazz and the other was becoming a respected and lauded actor. However there was a third dream and that was a dream that they would end up together and last that way forever and be happy and content in the process. The ending sequence was a culmination of a big theme of the movie which was following your dreams. They both followed their individual dreams while sacrificing the dream of them being together in the end. They chased one dream at the expense of another and by the end they both seemed distraught but ultimately fine with their fate.
Obviously doesn't mean you have to like it but I found it was a rather refreshing reflection on the well tread and often tired trope of chasing your dreams by acknowledging that not all dreams do come true especially at the expense of another bigger dream. It felt very well earned and very much in tune with the themes of the movie and the characters.
Overall I really enjoyed the music, the dance numbers were often affecting and excellent in their filming and composition and while I was a bit lukewarm on Gosling I really enjoyed Emma Stone in this one. Not only that but I thought the movies talk on magical realism was great and not something we see often anymore these days.
Oh and the ending sequence was wonderful and I'm glad it didn't end on a saccharine note.
Also to those complaining about the ending you have to view it as two people who were always chasing their dreams. Ones was a dream of opening a jazz club that caters to the heart of jazz and the other was becoming a respected and lauded actor. However there was a third dream and that was a dream that they would end up together and last that way forever and be happy and content in the process. The ending sequence was a culmination of a big theme of the movie which was following your dreams. They both followed their individual dreams while sacrificing the dream of them being together in the end. They chased one dream at the expense of another and by the end they both seemed distraught but ultimately fine with their fate.
Obviously doesn't mean you have to like it but I found it was a rather refreshing reflection on the well tread and often tired trope of chasing your dreams by acknowledging that not all dreams do come true especially at the expense of another bigger dream. It felt very well earned and very much in tune with the themes of the movie and the characters.
killertofu
Member
This is like eating a PB&J if the ingredients were pessimism and romanticism
I loved it but I need to munch on it for a while
I loved it but I need to munch on it for a while
It's pretty great. Had a chance to see it earlier today in a packed theatre.
The movie really hits me, particularly the ending. That really sat with me. I'm still digesting, but on the surface, it's just a wonderful movie to watch. Doesn't miss a beat, isn't afraid to change up its style.
The movie really hits me, particularly the ending. That really sat with me. I'm still digesting, but on the surface, it's just a wonderful movie to watch. Doesn't miss a beat, isn't afraid to change up its style.
Bruce Springsteen
Member
When it showed it was 5 years later and she had her different husband and kid with him, the theatre gasped, like the entire audience was heartbroken
great moment
killertofu
Member
Im just realizing that this is a pretty close ending to the Umbrellas of Cherbourg
Infernostew
Member
Just took my Grandma to see it for part of a Christmas gift. She loved it but the poor woman cried nonstop through the last 30 minutes of the film.
Speaking of the ending,
that little moment J.K. Simmons is one of my favs in the entire movie.
ViewtifulJC
Banned
all of the ending was :mjcry:
like I just cried at everything, help
like I just cried at everything, help
Trigonometrize.
Member
This is FINALLY playing in a theater not on the other side of the globe from me.
Bruce Springsteen
Member
I was sitting next to an old couple, they were upset
shira
Member
Heard a lot of sniffling from people around me, lol.
I was worried I'd be crying but I was good.
Same thing happened in my theater haha
Saw it!
Liked everything but
In a theater with crappy phonograph-like mono sound, PERFECT for a 50's-style musical!!!! Slash S!
Liked everything but
the plot and non-singing dialogue
Good ending, I THINK. It really shows that "true love" only exists in fantasies, nevermind coexisting with career aspirations. If that's what they were saying.
crazy monkey
Banned
I hated the whiplash. I did not enjoy the story. I loved the acting by old dude. I like the looks of this. I hope story is substantial.
I gotta admit I'm surprised how much the movie stuck with me after seeing it yesterday. I really love a lot of the music which is saying a lot as I'm not a fan of most musicals actual music. Combine that with the love of old style Hollywood movie making from everything from the lighting to the sets (real or not) and it was such a passionate movie. Even just the scene were Gosling gushes about Jazz and what it is and why its worth saving was great.
I still not sure what my favorite bit was but the initial song and dance bit on the freeway was excellent.
I still not sure what my favorite bit was but the initial song and dance bit on the freeway was excellent.
I absolutely adored it. Probably my favorite movie from the past number of years -- maybe since Midnight in Paris. Just an absolute joy to watch.
John Legend was a nice addition.
Obviously I was very sad about them not ending up together but the little alternate reality sequence was fantastic.
John Legend was a nice addition.
I was teary many times during the entire second half of the film. It was so emotional. Wistful.
ActStriker
Member
Saw this with the gf tonight. I liked it and she liked it alot. Went in with zero expectations and not really knowing it was a musical and came away pleased.
The singing itself felt kinda flat, but with a bunch of just instrumental songs thrown in it felt right. Ending was bittersweet, though.
The singing itself felt kinda flat, but with a bunch of just instrumental songs thrown in it felt right. Ending was bittersweet, though.
It's a bit rough around the edges and could be better but I like it.
The story hits too close to home in regards to desire vs reality. It's partly frustrating because it mimics life so closely where misunderstanding happens so easily between two people, even if they care about each other.
I absolutely lost it when Mia did her Audition (Fools Who Dreams). The song sums up my lousy past 2 years. I'm not sure if I'd do the same thing again if I had the choice though. I can't help but thinking what could have been if I had taken different choices.
The story hits too close to home in regards to desire vs reality. It's partly frustrating because it mimics life so closely where misunderstanding happens so easily between two people, even if they care about each other.
I absolutely lost it when Mia did her Audition (Fools Who Dreams). The song sums up my lousy past 2 years. I'm not sure if I'd do the same thing again if I had the choice though. I can't help but thinking what could have been if I had taken different choices.
Psychoward
Banned
Just got back, thought overall it wasn't as consistent as whiplash even if the cinematography was better, just didn't find the plot/problem as compelling. Additionally I liked the whiplash music better,I just didn't find emma stone or Ryan gosling vocally talented enough to carry a movie.
That being said holy fucking shit at topping the whiplash ending
It probably ranks behind kubo and arrival as my third favorite movie of the year but I still need to see the nice guys, moonlight (which has left theaters) and Manchester by the Sea so idk
However the more I think about the movie the more I like it.
That being said holy fucking shit at topping the whiplash ending
WHOEVER FUCKING LIED TO ME AND SAID IT WAS A HAPPY LOVE STORY CAN SHUT THE FUCK UO, I WATCHED THIS WITH MY GF A FEW WEEKS BEFORE WE LEAVE FOR A COUPLE THOUSAND MILES AWAY AND WE'VE ALREADY PLANNED TO BREAK IT OFF
FUCK
FUCK
It probably ranks behind kubo and arrival as my third favorite movie of the year but I still need to see the nice guys, moonlight (which has left theaters) and Manchester by the Sea so idk
However the more I think about the movie the more I like it.
Psychoward
Banned
The main character of whiplash also
thought the same thing albeit a lot more bluntly. The director must have some pretty fucking cynical views of relationships haha
cj_iwakura
Member
Except the main character of Whiplash
did it in the most immature, cruel way possible. At least in La La Land, it was consensual.
Psychoward
Banned
I know, I meant that when I said bluntly.
I was just pointing out how the themes in both movies can be connected.
Psychoward
Banned
Although thinking about it re: the themes I'm talking about regarding la la land and whiplash, I'm not sure if
they're as connected as the original poster thought. In La La Land yeah the split up is consensual and mutual but I don't think it was solely because relationships hinder dreams. As they realized in the epilogue it could have been possible for Seb to move to Paris for a while. You also look back on the relationship and realize that they both pushed each other to actually achieve their dreams.
So while they split up because they had conflicting futures, I don't know if the takeaway is that relationships hinder dreams, even if that's what Chazelle was going for
So while they split up because they had conflicting futures, I don't know if the takeaway is that relationships hinder dreams, even if that's what Chazelle was going for
jstevenson
Sailor Stevenson
Best movie I've seen in years. Wow
adamsappel
Member
Gorgeous movie. Great songs, dancing, chemistry. No real desire to see it again or get the soundtrack (I think my wife and I who grew up in the '80s probably liked the cover band songs more than was intended). I thought Emma and Ryan's singing was fine. Gosling did a good job with the piano, though there were a couple of moments it looked like he was playing a simpler version of the notes. Could have used a couple more songs in the 2nd half.
Someone mentioned 500 Days of Summer? I think Zooey Deschanel and JGL could also have played these parts well.
Theater was packed for us, but was a mixed-ages crowd. The older couple in the seats next to me couldn't hear the woman's phone that rang for a bit in her purse two different times, even when I pointed it out to them.
Most of those were such awful-looking movies. Lots of positive mutterings around the theater, though.
To be fair, John Legend said the same thing. He was good in his role. Did Mia
actually like his band's music? I couldn't tell if she was disappointed in Seb because she'd come to really love jazz, or if she was lying when she said she liked it.
I don't agree with her much during the first part of her review, but I thought she made many good points after the spoiler section began.
The relationship was very slanted towards Mia. Seb wanted to be a real musician, but he was willing to sacrifice his dreams for her. She had no creative aspirations; she was more than willing to be in the crappy tv show. She just wanted to be a star.
I thought the ending was happy enough. Mia got to be a huge movie star, Seb got his club. It's not like either one of them fell on hard times. Seb was alone (same apartment?), so it's more likely she never made an effort to get back together.
I thought the ending was happy enough. Mia got to be a huge movie star, Seb got his club. It's not like either one of them fell on hard times. Seb was alone (same apartment?), so it's more likely she never made an effort to get back together.
Someone mentioned 500 Days of Summer? I think Zooey Deschanel and JGL could also have played these parts well.
- Status