At a top secret research facility in the 1960s, a lonely janitor forms a unique relationship with an amphibious creature that is being held in captivity.
Director:
Guillermo del Toro
Stars:
Sally Hawkins,
Octavia Spencer,
Michael Shannon
A promising young drummer enrolls at a cut-throat music conservatory where his dreams of greatness are mentored by an instructor who will stop at nothing to realize a student's potential.
Director:
Damien Chazelle
Stars:
Miles Teller,
J.K. Simmons,
Melissa Benoist
A poor yet passionate young man falls in love with a rich young woman, giving her a sense of freedom, but they are soon separated because of their social differences.
Director:
Nick Cassavetes
Stars:
Gena Rowlands,
James Garner,
Rachel McAdams
Aspiring actress serves lattes to movie stars in between auditions and jazz musician Sebastian scrapes by playing cocktail-party gigs in dingy bars. But as success mounts, they are faced with decisions that fray the fragile fabric of their love affair, and the dreams they worked so hard to maintain in each other threaten to rip them apart.Written by
Eirini
West Coast Jazz was represented at The Lighthouse in the 1950's when Shorty Rogers, Bud Shank, Shelly Manne and Max Roache all played in the club. Several jazz greats also made live recordings in The Lighthouse including Art Pepper, Cannonball Adderley, Art Blakey, Elvin Jones. Mose Allison. See more »
Goofs
When Sebastian and Mia are walking on the Warner Brothers Lot when she leaves work, there are a few audio/visual mismatches during the medium shots of them walking along the sidewalk. See more »
Did someone say last year's Oscars were too white ? So let's award most of this year's Oscars to something that looks like an explosion in a paint factory where every primary colour is splashed across the screen . LA LA LAND was being touted as the film to beat even before most of the other contenders were announced and its domination at the Golden Globes confirmed everything . Looks like the 2017 Oscars will be the most predictable event of this year
Romantic musicals aren't my thing so my dread was realised in the opening scene with a California highway turning in to a song and dance scene so camp I thought I was watching a forest of pink tents which hints at what you're going to get - feelgood factor whether you want it or not . It was at this point I seriously considered giving up on the movie and going on youtube to listen to proper love songs by the likes of The The and Joy Division
As the film continued the narrative did expose itself to being what you expect , two young people , a man and a woman , who are embarking on fulfilling their careers in respectively jazz music and acting . There's not a lot here we haven't seen before but what sells this movie is the visual work director Damien Chazelle has put in to it . The language of cinema is very much to the fore especially the stunning cinematography and my abiding memory is the scene where the two protagonists meet and an impact aesthetic is instantly created by the way the lighting changes . Many scenes are similarity beautiful but if there's a fundamental problem remains that no matter how well made a film is if you've no interest in the genre then you won't become a convert . As it stands LA LA LAND will dominate the Oscars like the French film THE ARTIST did five years ago then become quickly forgotten
79 of 149 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful to you?
| Report this
Did someone say last year's Oscars were too white ? So let's award most of this year's Oscars to something that looks like an explosion in a paint factory where every primary colour is splashed across the screen . LA LA LAND was being touted as the film to beat even before most of the other contenders were announced and its domination at the Golden Globes confirmed everything . Looks like the 2017 Oscars will be the most predictable event of this year
Romantic musicals aren't my thing so my dread was realised in the opening scene with a California highway turning in to a song and dance scene so camp I thought I was watching a forest of pink tents which hints at what you're going to get - feelgood factor whether you want it or not . It was at this point I seriously considered giving up on the movie and going on youtube to listen to proper love songs by the likes of The The and Joy Division
As the film continued the narrative did expose itself to being what you expect , two young people , a man and a woman , who are embarking on fulfilling their careers in respectively jazz music and acting . There's not a lot here we haven't seen before but what sells this movie is the visual work director Damien Chazelle has put in to it . The language of cinema is very much to the fore especially the stunning cinematography and my abiding memory is the scene where the two protagonists meet and an impact aesthetic is instantly created by the way the lighting changes . Many scenes are similarity beautiful but if there's a fundamental problem remains that no matter how well made a film is if you've no interest in the genre then you won't become a convert . As it stands LA LA LAND will dominate the Oscars like the French film THE ARTIST did five years ago then become quickly forgotten