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Thread: La La Land (Damian Chazelle)

  1. #51
    Piss off, ghost! number8's Avatar
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    I kept thinking that this is very similar to Cabin in the Woods.
    Quote Quoting Donald Glover
    I was actually just reading about Matt Damon and he’s like, ‘There’s a culture of outrage.’ I’m like, ‘Well, they have a reason to be outraged.’ I think it’s a lot of dudes just being scared. They’re like, ‘What if I did something and I didn’t realize it?’ I’m like, ‘Deal with it.’
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  2. #52
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    Midnight Run (1988) - 9
    The Smiling Lieutenant (1931) - 8.5
    The Adventures of Robinhood (1938) - 8
    Sisters (1973) - 6.5
    Shin Godzilla (2016) - 7.5

  3. #53
    Administrator Ezee E's Avatar
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    I don't get it.

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  4. #54
    Piss off, ghost! number8's Avatar
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    Well, you see, old boy, the image presented is that of an audition scene taken from a gory horror movie, accompanied here by a text from a song number staged during a similarly framed audition scene from a romantic musical film, thus producing the effect of internet humor through the juxtaposition of two disparate genres.
    Quote Quoting Donald Glover
    I was actually just reading about Matt Damon and he’s like, ‘There’s a culture of outrage.’ I’m like, ‘Well, they have a reason to be outraged.’ I think it’s a lot of dudes just being scared. They’re like, ‘What if I did something and I didn’t realize it?’ I’m like, ‘Deal with it.’
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  5. #55
    Quote Quoting number8 (view post)
    Well, you see, old boy, the image presented is that of an audition scene taken from a gory horror movie, accompanied here by a text from a song number staged during a similarly framed audition scene from a romantic musical film, thus attempting internet humor through the juxtaposition of two disparate genres but failing.
    Almost perfect explanation. My corrections in bold.
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  6. #56
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    The tweeter in question also fairly disliked La La Land, so I am amused by the glibness of dismissing "Audition" in favor of this Audition (and courtesy of Aloha, this also feeds bit into "Emma Stone is Asian" meme that was very frequent for a while). Now that I typed all that I just realize this is maybe a bit too Film Twitter thing.
    Last edited by Peng; 01-03-2017 at 09:36 AM.
    Midnight Run (1988) - 9
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  7. #57
    Kung Fu Hippie Watashi's Avatar
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    Really wanted to love this, but man, Spinal is right. This made just think of better movies it borrowed from. After the opening number, the movie was almost afraid to be a full-blown musical. Outside of the wonderful dance to the LA sunrise, there really isn't any memorable choreography in this film. Anyone who has seen a Hollywood musical from the 60's can guess this movie's outcome a mile away. I don't dislike it and I can see why young people are gobbling it up. It's rare to have a modern Hollywood musical not based on a Broadway play, but there's better movies about music and Hollywood out there (see Sing Street and Hail Caesar!)
    Sure why not?

    STAR WARS: THE LAST JEDI (Rian Johnson) - 9
    STRONGER (David Gordon Green) - 6
    THE DISASTER ARTIST (James Franco) - 7
    THE FLORIDA PROJECT (Sean Baker) - 9
    LADY BIRD (Greta Gerwig) - 8


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  8. #58
    Kung Fu Hippie Watashi's Avatar
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    Also, this is some weak ass love letter to LA. I feel like Chazelle is showing what most people think LA is about (traffic! gluten-free! horrible bosses! anal casting directors!)
    Sure why not?

    STAR WARS: THE LAST JEDI (Rian Johnson) - 9
    STRONGER (David Gordon Green) - 6
    THE DISASTER ARTIST (James Franco) - 7
    THE FLORIDA PROJECT (Sean Baker) - 9
    LADY BIRD (Greta Gerwig) - 8


    "Hitchcock is really bad at suspense."
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  9. #59
    Evil mind, evil sword. Ivan Drago's Avatar
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    Quote Quoting Watashi (view post)
    I feel like Chazelle is showing what most people think LA is about (traffic! gluten-free! horrible bosses! anal casting directors!)
    Sure, but he also shined a light on a part the art scene in LA, and I hadn't been exposed to that before in media. Every mural and building exterior the characters walked in front of during outdoor scenes was flat-out gorgeous.
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  10. #60
    Winston* Classic Winston*'s Avatar
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    This was a Coca Cola commercial version of a classic musical.

  11. #61
    Piss off, ghost! number8's Avatar
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    Quote Quoting number8 (view post)
    I kept thinking that this is very similar to Cabin in the Woods.
    I keep trying to write another post that elaborates on this, but there's really nothing more to it than that. This endeared itself to my familiarity of Hollywood musicals and French musicals (which I actually think is the bigger influence here) almost the exact same way CITW played with horror.
    Quote Quoting Donald Glover
    I was actually just reading about Matt Damon and he’s like, ‘There’s a culture of outrage.’ I’m like, ‘Well, they have a reason to be outraged.’ I think it’s a lot of dudes just being scared. They’re like, ‘What if I did something and I didn’t realize it?’ I’m like, ‘Deal with it.’
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  12. #62
    In the belly of a whale Henry Gale's Avatar
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    Quote Quoting number8 (view post)
    I keep trying to write another post that elaborates on this, but there's really nothing more to it than that. This endeared itself to my familiarity of Hollywood musicals and French musicals (which I actually think is the bigger influence here) almost the exact same way CITW played with horror.
    Yeah, I keep considering to ask you to expand on this, since I think I know what you're getting at, but I wanted to wait until I saw it a third time before I came back to confidently back such ideas up (since it's now been 4 months since I last it).
    Last 11 things I really enjoyed:

    Speed Racer (Wachowski/Wachowski, 2008)
    Safe (Haynes, 1995)
    South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut (Parker, 1999)
    Beastie Boys Story (Jonze, 2020)
    Bad Trip (Sakurai, 2020)
    What's Up Doc? (Bogdanovich, 1972)
    Diva (Beineix, 1981)
    Delicatessen (Caro/Jeunet, 1991)
    The Hunger (Scott, 1983)
    Pineapple Express (Green, 2008)
    Chungking Express (Wong, 1994)

  13. #63
    Not a praying man Melville's Avatar
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    Really disliked the opening two musical numbers. Why was the freeway dance number shot so tightly? What should have been a big, sunny, open scene felt cramped.

    Also strongly disliked the ending. [
    ]

    Mildly disliked how it avoided showing us any of Stone's character's work, whether the one-woman play or her big successes.

    Really liked everything else. It's light, colorful, airy and endearing. It's a great ode to romance and the Hollywood dream. The flights of fancy were delightful---the silhouetted dance across the stars, the montage of their lives that could have been[
    ]---and Gosling and Stone were very charming.

    (Context: I came to this as someone with no affection for classical musicals. Except those by Busby Berkely.)
    Last edited by Melville; 01-14-2017 at 08:07 PM.
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  14. #64
    Guttenbergian Pop Trash's Avatar
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    Ratings on a 1-10 scale for your pleasure:

    Top Gun: Maverick - 8
    Top Gun - 7
    McCabe & Mrs. Miller - 8
    Crimes of the Future - 8
    Videodrome - 9
    Valley Girl - 8
    Summer of '42 - 7
    In the Line of Fire - 8
    Passenger 57 - 7
    Everything Everywhere All at Once - 6



  15. #65
    Moderator TGM's Avatar
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    As a direct follow-up to my post on the effectiveness of music in movies (found here, in case you missed it), I take a look at the effectiveness of the music in La La Land, pretty much going down the line and breaking down in-depth why each piece of music in La La Land is absolutely brilliant in its inclusion and execution, and what it all brings to the full package as a whole for the film, for those who might be interested. http://cwiddop.blogspot.com/2017/02/...a-la-land.html

  16. #66
    Moderator TGM's Avatar
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    This is playing in IMAX this week, so I took the opportunity to see it again.

  17. #67
    Once is more than enough for a lifetime
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  18. #68
    Shocking Seductive Spiral Thirdmango's Avatar
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    I really didn't like this. I felt it would have been better if it had taken place in the 80s. I feel like characters should I always play to the height of their intelligence and if you have a smart phone which they clearly gave you at the beginning, made sure to show it was cracked. Why can't they search the internet? How bad of a relationship is it if while at dinner the guy runs into john legend and they're awkward. He says he's an old musician he used to know. But suddenly he's playing with him and the movie even shows them doing interviews on youtube and then the girlfriend sees him playing synths for the first time at the concert? Seriously? Never at any point did she in this whole time look on youtube? Even though the movie showed us youtube she just didn't look up the person her boyfriend was working with and they never had a conversation about this stuff? Of course they're going to have a break up fight, they clearly don't talk in the first place.

    "Will you come to Boise with me?"

    "No, but you know what we could do since we have smart phones, we could Skype! Whoa, problem solved. No need to have our fight we're destined to have."

    Then there's the what if ending. So you mean to tell me, if he had kissed her in the bar after getting fired, a girl he's never met except flipped her off earlier that morning than he would not only fulfill his dream of being a bar owner but also her dreams and they'd live happily ever after! Of course! Kiss random women!

    I love musicals. This musical made me mad.

  19. #69
    Quote Quoting Thirdmango (view post)
    Then there's the what if ending. So you mean to tell me, if he had kissed her in the bar after getting fired, a girl he's never met except flipped her off earlier that morning than he would not only fulfill his dream of being a bar owner but also her dreams and they'd live happily ever after! Of course! Kiss random women!
    The ending really is manipulative and hollow. In reality, Gosling owns a club and Stone is famous, so the only things that her self-indulgent reinvention really changes is that (a) Gosling defaults to her opinion about what is valid artistic expression (i.e., he doesn't play in a band that uses synths [OMG!]) and (b) everyone recognizes her genius from the start, rather than later.

    Such bullshit.
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    Run
    (2020) 64
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    (1976) 61
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  20. #70
    Replacing Luck Since 1984 Dukefrukem's Avatar
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    Quote Quoting Ezee E (view post)
    Well, this will certainly get some discussion on the Match Cut boards come December I think.

    For me, it's a delight from beginning to end. Expectations for many will be a modern Singing in the Rain. Instead, I'd say to look for a modern love story with the traditional approach. I don't want to spoil it, but there's a key scene that compares my expectation to the music of the movie.

    Many will be wowed by the first unbroken take, but it's the final montage that will stick with you.
    Read the first post in here. My reaction: How dare you compare this to Singing in the Rain on any level. Even if it's implied to be expected.
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    Uwe Boll movies > all Marvel U movies
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  21. #71
    Piss off, ghost! number8's Avatar
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    Quote Quoting transmogrifier (view post)
    The ending really is manipulative and hollow. In reality, Gosling owns a club and Stone is famous, so the only things that her self-indulgent reinvention really changes is that (a) Gosling defaults to her opinion about what is valid artistic expression (i.e., he doesn't play in a band that uses synths [OMG!]) and (b) everyone recognizes her genius from the start, rather than later.

    Such bullshit.
    I don't get your criticism. The fact that the fantasy doesn't change the career trajectory was the point. The fantasy is strictly about their romance, which was implied to be the sacrifice they made so they could achieve those dreams that they were previously compromising in order to be a good romantic partner. The reason I found it incredibly moving was because they both acknowledged their respective real life happiness that they achieved through selfishness, but shared that brief moment fantasizing movie happiness where things are easier and what they wanted for themselves isn't in conflict with what they wanted for each other.
    Quote Quoting Donald Glover
    I was actually just reading about Matt Damon and he’s like, ‘There’s a culture of outrage.’ I’m like, ‘Well, they have a reason to be outraged.’ I think it’s a lot of dudes just being scared. They’re like, ‘What if I did something and I didn’t realize it?’ I’m like, ‘Deal with it.’
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  22. #72
    Quote Quoting number8 (view post)
    I don't get your criticism. The fact that the fantasy doesn't change the career trajectory was the point. The fantasy is strictly about their romance, which was implied to be the sacrifice they made so they could achieve those dreams that they were previously compromising in order to be a good romantic partner. The reason I found it incredibly moving was because they both acknowledged their respective real life happiness that they achieved through selfishness, but shared that brief moment fantasizing movie happiness where things are easier and what they wanted for themselves isn't in conflict with what they wanted for each other.
    (a) it wasn't a shared fantasy at the end, it was hers alone
    (b) the actual romance that is mythologized amounts to basically 5 minutes of montage in the middle of a series of meet cutes and some atrociously conceived conflicts
    (c) the movie shies away from what that sacrifice actually was with the "Five years later" convenience. She had to sacrifice the relationship so she could sleep with someone in Paris? He had to sacrifice the relationship because synthesizers don't play themselves? Or did the romance just naturally fizzle because that's what they do sometimes? Who knows, because Chazelle wants to have his cake and eat it too; it's important to keep the characters spotless in order for the forced ending to work.
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    Run
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  23. #73
    Replacing Luck Since 1984 Dukefrukem's Avatar
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    Gosling and Stone are charming as fuck. Gosling, once again in 2016, proves he has excellent comedic timing. And Stone is just an overall great actress. However, the dance numbers DO NOT hold up with other musicals. In fact, this was barely a musical. More apt description is: a film with music. The Gosling/Stone tap dance duo was a little sad. I realize it's 2016, and Hollywood is focused primarily on super heroes, but you cannot force new dogs to do old trickss. That being said, the story is absolutely fine. It's fun. It's simple. It's sad! The opening one shot is perfection with direction. The music was a let down.
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    Quote Quoting D_Davis (view post)
    Uwe Boll movies > all Marvel U movies
    Quote Quoting TGM (view post)
    I work in grocery. I have not gotten sick. My fellow employees have not gotten sick. If the virus were even remotely as contagious as its being presented as, why haven’t entire store staffs who come into contact with hundreds of people per day, thousands per week, all falling ill in mass nationwide?

  24. #74
    Since 1929 Morris Schæffer's Avatar
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    I want this to win best picture. I haven't felt this joyful and exuberant after seeing a movie since I don't remember fucking when!!
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  25. #75
    Replacing Luck Since 1984 Dukefrukem's Avatar
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    This doesn't deserve best picture.
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    Quote Quoting D_Davis (view post)
    Uwe Boll movies > all Marvel U movies
    Quote Quoting TGM (view post)
    I work in grocery. I have not gotten sick. My fellow employees have not gotten sick. If the virus were even remotely as contagious as its being presented as, why haven’t entire store staffs who come into contact with hundreds of people per day, thousands per week, all falling ill in mass nationwide?

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