LA LA LAND (12A)

Posted by ruthmedia on January 16, 2017 in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

LA LA LAND (12A)

Run time: 2h08

Director: Damien Chazelle

Cast: Ryan Gosling, Emma Stone, J.K. Simmons, John Legend

Synopsis:  LA LA LAND tells the story of Mia [Emma Stone], an aspiring actress, and Sebastian [Ryan Gosling], a dedicated jazz musician, who are struggling to make ends meet in a city known for crushing hopes and breaking hearts. Set in modern day Los Angeles, this original musical about everyday life explores the joy and pain of pursuing your dreams.

URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0pdqf4P9MB8

Written and directed by Academy Award® nominee Damien Chazelle (Whiplash, 2014)], La La Land is his pean to Hollywood – an all singing and dancing swooning tribute that has already won seven Golden Globes.

Filmed in glorious colour CinemaScope to recreate the glamour of Hollywood’s golden age, the star crossed lovers Mia (Emma Stone – Irrational Man (2015); Birdman or The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) (2014); Magi in the Moonlight (2014) and Sebastian (Ryan Gosling –The Nice Guys, (2016); The Big Short (2015); Drive (2011) dislike each other on first sight but their fates intertwine as they pursue their creative ambitions.

The film has echoes of Coppola’s 1981 One from the Heart; references to Demy’s Les Parapluies de Cherbourg (The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (1964); Singin’ in the Rain (1952), Everyone Says I Love You (1996) and even nods in the script to Hollywood history with references to  Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman in Casablanca

With conflict, compromise and no guarantees of happy-ever-after dreams-come-true endings – even in the movies – this modern film has an old-fashioned love story worthy of the great musicals; it is unashameably romantic, emotional with a beautiful score from Justin Hurwitz.

The City of Angels is also a major star with many major landmarks featured – from the opening traffic jam scene in Century Freeway to Griffith Park, the Griffith Observatory, the Lighthouse Café, Hermosa Pier, Chateau Marmont and the Rialto Theatre

Images courtesy of Lionsgate