Smaller indie films are rarer on the Cape, and, other films I chose not to see for various reasons including budget. I missed LOVING and SULLY which I'll see when released on Blu-Ray/DVD.
(All posters above from Google Images)
- LA LA LAND
- MOONLIGHT
- HELL OR HIGH WATER
- CAPTAIN FANTASTIC
- ARRIVAL
- LION
- JACKIE
- LOVE & FRIENDSHIP
- DR. STRANGE
- DEADPOOL
Honorable mention: CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR, DEEPWATER HORIZON, FANTASTIC BEASTS (3-D), FREE STATE OF JONES, HAIL, CAESAR!, THE JUNGLE BOOK, MANCHESTER BY THE SEA, MISS PEREGRINE'S HOME FOR PECULIAR CHILDREN, & X-MEN APOCALYPSE. (Note: listed in alphabetical order and not weighted.)
What separates La La Land (2016) from the others in my list is the marked re-invention of the movie musical. The director, Damien Chazelle, elicits dynamic performances from his actors (Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone) whom you wouldn't normally see dancing or singing. The score, which pays homage to jazz but includes ear-worm-inducing songs like "City of Stars" that continues to happily pound my eardrum, carries us along without producing a sour note.
Some have compared La La Land to The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (1964). Yes, the director does pay homage to other musicals, such as this French classic starring Catherine Deneuve. [SPOILER ALERT] I ask that reviewers avoid this comparison especially when alluding to La, La Land's ending (spoiled it for me). Seeing La La Land with two other friends, I didn't show surprise when they shared their emotions. I had been prepared but as the end approached, I felt assured Chazelle, who also wrote the screenplay, had chosen wisely. You will have to see why.
Every choice the director makes dazzles. He walks a tightrope where each step could be disastrous. Instead, Chazelle balances anger, disappointment, hope, joy, love, nostalgia and wonderment without resorting to grandstanding, obvious melodrama or sappiness.
More so, the techniques he blends like the perfect milkshake. One example, a palette of primary colors for the women and earth tones for the men never smudges or loses its luster. Chazelle's team of artisans--Mary Zophres (Costume Desiginer), Austin Gorg (Art Direction), David Wasco (Production Design) and Sandy Reynolds-Wasco (Set Decoration) avoid clashes and errant contrasts.
The performances, including J. K. Simmons in a devilish moment as a nightclub owner, never become subsumed by the visual display. Gosling and Stone, like their director, command attention without shouting, "See me!" They're the sum of the whole and to isolate their performances from the film would be to suggest otherwise. For one to receive an award and not the other, as I see it, would be wrong. Making the argument for La La Land to win Best Picture at the Academy Awards because all its pieces fit together as a completed jigsaw puzzle.
Those who avoid musicals should overcome your pre-conceived notions because La La Land will surprise you with its occasional bawdiness, a fresh take on a story that all can relate to, i.e. aspiring to fulfill your dreams vs. making a living, and startling realism when you least expect it. Very few films teach without preaching. If you leave this movie without having learned something new--whether you're a critic, filmmaker or movie-goer--then you will have not opened your mind or your heart.
We live in uncertain times when many people have little to buoy their spirits. La La Land provides a refuge from the fray without disconnecting the audience from the world outside. In that way, Damien Chazelle has created a masterpiece. The film deserves all the accolades it has received plus mega-box office success.
What separates La La Land (2016) from the others in my list is the marked re-invention of the movie musical. The director, Damien Chazelle, elicits dynamic performances from his actors (Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone) whom you wouldn't normally see dancing or singing. The score, which pays homage to jazz but includes ear-worm-inducing songs like "City of Stars" that continues to happily pound my eardrum, carries us along without producing a sour note.
Some have compared La La Land to The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (1964). Yes, the director does pay homage to other musicals, such as this French classic starring Catherine Deneuve. [SPOILER ALERT] I ask that reviewers avoid this comparison especially when alluding to La, La Land's ending (spoiled it for me). Seeing La La Land with two other friends, I didn't show surprise when they shared their emotions. I had been prepared but as the end approached, I felt assured Chazelle, who also wrote the screenplay, had chosen wisely. You will have to see why.
Every choice the director makes dazzles. He walks a tightrope where each step could be disastrous. Instead, Chazelle balances anger, disappointment, hope, joy, love, nostalgia and wonderment without resorting to grandstanding, obvious melodrama or sappiness.
More so, the techniques he blends like the perfect milkshake. One example, a palette of primary colors for the women and earth tones for the men never smudges or loses its luster. Chazelle's team of artisans--Mary Zophres (Costume Desiginer), Austin Gorg (Art Direction), David Wasco (Production Design) and Sandy Reynolds-Wasco (Set Decoration) avoid clashes and errant contrasts.
The performances, including J. K. Simmons in a devilish moment as a nightclub owner, never become subsumed by the visual display. Gosling and Stone, like their director, command attention without shouting, "See me!" They're the sum of the whole and to isolate their performances from the film would be to suggest otherwise. For one to receive an award and not the other, as I see it, would be wrong. Making the argument for La La Land to win Best Picture at the Academy Awards because all its pieces fit together as a completed jigsaw puzzle.
Those who avoid musicals should overcome your pre-conceived notions because La La Land will surprise you with its occasional bawdiness, a fresh take on a story that all can relate to, i.e. aspiring to fulfill your dreams vs. making a living, and startling realism when you least expect it. Very few films teach without preaching. If you leave this movie without having learned something new--whether you're a critic, filmmaker or movie-goer--then you will have not opened your mind or your heart.
We live in uncertain times when many people have little to buoy their spirits. La La Land provides a refuge from the fray without disconnecting the audience from the world outside. In that way, Damien Chazelle has created a masterpiece. The film deserves all the accolades it has received plus mega-box office success.
