La La Land

— This is one of the more tightly controlled films I’ve seen in a while—its kind of Wes Anderson meets Baz Luhrmann. The opening scene alone was worth it from a technical perspective—Any edits are so well done that it looks like a continuous camera shot. By the end of that first scene, you know you’re in for something different and fun. It’s essentially a love story and a story about dreams and reality. It’s also a contemporary musical that manages to have the feel of classic musical films and the technique and pizzazz of today. Since it’s a Hollywood story, Hollywood naturally is engaged in a love fest with it (remember “The Player”, “Singin’ in the Rain”, “A Star Is Born”, “The Artist”, “L.A. Confidential”, “Gods and Monsters”, etc.). The truth is, the first part of the movie was a little too much singing and dancing and not enough character development for me but that may just be me. Once everything got established, it really worked on me. Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling have great chemistry and, aside from one number at Griffith Observatory that was just too much, it really worked. I was worried about how the story might end but things unfolded exactly as I wanted, leading us to a place where memories and the present overlap and co-exist, and reminding us that there isn't just one right path in life. Given all the hype, I was expecting something great. What I got was something darn good. Our audience applauded and I did too.

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[2016. 1228 min. Written and directed by Damien Chazzelle. Starring Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone.]
http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2016/12/12/dancing-with-the-stars