A fifties Technicolor look to it, a ‘Golden Age’ Hollywood musical soundtrack, Damien Chazelle’s La La Land is nailed-on to triumph at this year’ Oscars. Co-stars Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone are a perfect match: jazz pianist Sebastian and aspiring Hollywood star Mia fall in love, dreaming of fame and fortune. Sebastian plays piano in LA’s cocktail lounges, longing to play jazz, to run a jazz club. In between auditions Mia works in a diner, despairing of ever getting a break.
As their romance blossoms, Mia tells Sebastian she hates jazz. Our pianist determines to take Mia to a jazz club – hearing the music live she’ll ‘get it’, won’t she? Sometime later Mia ventures: Kenny G? Sebastian tears his hair out!
A long-time musician friend makes Sebastian a $1000 a week offer to join his successful – though not quite jazz – band. Money talks, they tour the world. Mia struggles to make ends meet until finally, an audition wins her a starring role. Fame and fortune is hers. The couple split up. Five years later in a twist of fate, their paths cross – it’s too late, surely, for a reunion?
The jazz in La La Land is great, but, there isn’t much of it. Whiplash it ain’t. But as a film, Chazelle’s La La Land knocks spots off Whiplash.
Russell.
13 comments :
Thought you were resting after your sterling run in the lead up to X Mas, with no lapse in the usual high quality, but it seems you've been in La La Land.
I too reckoned nowt to Whiplash and not just the Buddy Rich worship which should be restricted to the rock drummers who saw him on the Ed Sullivan Show. There's only one Gene Krupa, one Kenny Clark, one Max Roach, Elvin Jones, Tony Williams, Billy Cobham.
However, I'm always sceptical about a film(or anything else)where the whole of the media close ranks because they always seem to turn out to be mediocre or rubbish.
It's a badly kept secret that the Sound of Music changed my life and I've never had any interest in the charts since. I saw it 4 times during a wet holiday in Whitley Bay as a six year old in 1968 - nothing to do with Lisl. But apart from being great films, stuff like King and I, My Fair Lady and West Side Story also had great singers like Julie Andrews and Gertrude Lawrence and great songs by the likes of Rodgers and Hammerstein and Bernstein.
The trend now seems to be towards people who have trained as actors, singers and dancers, like soapstars and general TV personalities in this country. And nobody seems to be talking about the music in La La Land.
Years ago I saw Miss Saigon and just found it boring until the helicopter turned up. For that reason I bought a cassette of Les Miserables ahead of seeing it and it made a huge difference, not just the several songs I really liked, but because I was familiar with the rest.
On the basis that I'd take more notice of Russell than anybody in the BBC etc, what's the word on the music in La La Land.
I'm looking forward to seeing La La Land although I seem to be the only one who did enjoy Whiplash - apart from those who nominated it for the Academy Awards.
It must have been the monsoon season in Whitley Bay to have watched The Sound of Music 4 times - once was enough for me!
I did see Buddy Rich 4 times. Once at Ronnie's, once at the Dominion Theatre and twice at the City Hall although I didn't see him on the Ed Sullivan Show.
I saw Gene Krupa with JATP and wasn't impressed, nor did Elvin Jones float my boat - Kenny Clarke did - Buddy remains the greatest drummer I've ever heard live.
I'd probably put the Academy with the BBC; I didn't hate Whiplash but I don't think it lived up to the hype.
Perhaps you weren't the correct age for the appeals of the lovely Lisl. Is that a 'polite' way of putting it?
I still think Sound of Mucous is the best of the musicals, certainly from that period. West Side Story is considered cooler but it's a bit like saying E(ast) 17 were cooler than Take That.
Cobham is the best drummer I ever heard live, with Mahavishnu in 73. I've seen him twice since but there was no comparison. John, at the same gig, was the best guitarist I ever saw (by a mile). I've seen him 3 times since and no comparison.
Musicals? Pal Joey and Guys and Dolls. Drummers? Well, after Buddy, Art Blakey and Joe Morello were the guys although let's not forget Ronnie Stephenson from South Shields.
East 17 and Take That are just names to me.
Spoiler in that review! For those that want to see it without knowing too much.
No more than in the advance publicity and paper media reviews.
Some of us avoid all of that stuff. Just pointing it out for those wanting to see the film knowing as little as possible about how the plot unwinds.
You've just broken thousands of female thirty something hearts. Take That were the (allegedly) squeaky clean pretty boys while E17 were (allegedly)the edgier, uglier underbelly(they changed their name after boasting they took ecstasy). The point was neither were/are cool.
Don't think I've heard of Pal Joey so it's going in the basket.
never heard of Pal Joey? on my,you have a treat in store Steve!
PS: I forgot to Add Kiss Me Kate, An American in Paris and.. perm any from a 100 plus!
My mistake, I did know Pal Joey. I think of SinAtra films as something else; like they're . SinAtra films before they're musicals.
good point Steve, I guess in that context, it is not a true musical!
From Ann Alex, To get back to La La Land, I enjoyed it today but don't know if it deserves Oscars. I also liked Whiplash, and don't think you can fairly compare the 2 films. Whiplash had far more jazz, and was a story about musical sadism; La La land is a musical love story with a fascinating ending which I don't believe has been given away by anything in any of these comments.
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