Search - LA LA Land [Blu-ray] on Blu-ray

B.J. W. (analogkid01) from CHICAGO, IL
Reviewed on 7/5/2025...

So I FINALLY watched "La La Land."

Let me start by saying I have a special affinity for movies about movies. Robert Altman's "The Player" is at the top of my list, followed by Giuseppe Tornatore's "Cinema Paradiso." La La Land is less about the process of making (or projecting) movies and more about the struggles of everyday artists trying to make it big in L.A., but I'm still wondering why I waited so long to see it.

The second thing I want to talk about is Emma Stone. Is it too early to call her this generation's Meryl Streep? Four Oscar nominations and two wins...I don't think it's too early at all. Her third collaboration with Yorgos Lanthimos (The Favourite, Poor Things) is coming this summer and I will be first in line. She knows how to keep it low-key. She knows to emote without overdoing it, and then knows how and when to dial it up. She makes it feel incredibly real.

The third thing I want to talk about is Damien Chazelle. This young man has made some *impressive* films - Whiplash, La La Land, First Man, all bangers. Chazelle embodies the undeniable truth that in film, sound is more important than the visual. People much smarter than I have analyzed in sheer wonder the sound design and editing in Chazelle's films. You can see a scene from a Spielberg film and know immediately it's a Spielberg film just from the style; you could probably do the same thing listening to an audio clip of a Chazelle.

So, about La La Land. Did it deserve the six Oscars (of 14 noms) it received? I'll say yes, but I definitely think it should've won for Sound Mixing and Sound Editing as well (which it lost to Hacksaw Ridge and Arrival respectively). I'm no expert, just biased (although I love Arrival and think it should've won Best Picture over Moonlight).

La La Land is, at points, more spectacle than story, and the "conflict" that arises between the two main characters is again something that two normal people would just have an adult conversation about and go on with their relationship. The film is certainly an enjoyable "throwback" to Hollywood musicals - "they don't make 'em like this anymore" - but you could probably trim a good 5 to 15 minutes from the film and not lose much. If you're into musicals (and I can take or leave 'em) then you'll love La La Land, but for me there's not much of a "rewatchability" factor here.

Can't deny Chazelle and Stone's skills, though.

Grade: A-minus

K. K. (GAMER)
Reviewed on 11/15/2017...

Watched this tonight. It was an unexpected hit for me and not surprising that it won six academy awards. Well deserving of those awards for its creativity and unexpected twist. A must watch for Ryan Gosling fans. Do not let the beginning fool you with it being different since it takes off later.

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