movie thoughts: La La Land (2016)

[orangerful]

Yup, finally watched this. I had hoped for so much more but I knew it was overrated when the Oscar buzz started flying around.

I mean, it was a movie about making movies. It homaged lots of classics. But it never even gets close to the level they were. Heck, John Legend's character even chides Gosling's for being obsessed with OLD jazz and not embracing anything new, asking how they can save the music by holding on to the past? Yes, those movies are classics, they were groundbreaking, but when you just try to recreate them, you can't hold a candle to them - we don't have a Fred and Ginger now. We don't have a Gene Kelly. Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling are both great but they are not that multitalented.

Don't get me wrong - the only reason this movie was so well liked it because of Stone and Gosling. I adore both of them, it made watching the whole thing a lot more fun. I mean, they really are not singers, they are barely dancers, but I didn't care because THOSE EYES. On both of them - THOSE EYES!

And this scene was, by far, my most favorite scene:

Watch on YouTube

But, yeah. I can't deny it had some beautiful cinematography so I'm okay with that award. I'm also okay that it didn't win best picture because it was no where near as good as 'Moonlight'. It's a pretty forgettable movie. Even the songs didn't do much for me. Or maybe it was just one song?

But, yeah, since I adore Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling, I didn't mind spending two hours in a dark room with them.

But, yeah, pretty much this:

Watch on YouTube

Comments

[rhoda_rants]

LOL wow, I had not seen that SNL skit before. Thanks for that. Also, without the swearing and breaking of things, sounds about how my conversation with Dad went about Passengers.

[orangerful]

I still haven't seen Passengers. I think I *might* have been spoiled for it but I didn't want to google and find out if it was true. I think I'm still on the wait list at the library LOL. Sucks when a movie has two of my top actors in it and I know it's probably going to suck. :\ But I wanna see it anyway LOL

[alix]

Dooooooon't see it. It has a terrible underlying message.

[yourlibrarian]

I still have this in the Netflix queue but it sounds like the Oscar went to the right film.

[orangerful]

It really did. 'Moonlight' has so many scenes that stuck with me after I watched it. (And I'm realizing I don't think I blogged about that one LOL, so much easier to blog and complain when it is fresh in my mind while movies I like I tend to sit and think about them more to myself).

Did you see 'Moonlight' yet?

[yourlibrarian]

I haven't, no, though I expect I will. I know what you mean about critiques though -- when something is disappointing me I am often cataloging its problems as I watch so it's much easier to write about than something I liked but don't have anything specific to talk about. And unfortunately I generally don't find stuff I'm enormously enthusiastic about. Even things I love tend to grow on me more slowly.

[rahirah]

Yeah, I... liked it OK, but it doesn't hold a patch to the movies it was pastiching.

[orangerful]

LOL exactly! My hope is that people who like this movie and are not familiar with those will go back and watch them, but I highly doubt it.

[alix]

Hollywood is in love with movies about itself. Even while enjoying the hell out of The Artist, I recognized that was likely part of the reason it won Best Picture that year (but it was also a really good, clever film). I watched Chaplin with the same realization.

[orangerful]

I remember watching 'The Artist' and kinda feeling the same way as La La Land. Plus, we had watched his French movies before, where he is this French James Bond and those were freakin' HILARIOUS so 'The Artist' was also a big let down after laughing so hard at those. Plus, it was just 'Singin in the Rain' without any singing! Or rain! (well there might have been rain, I don't remember...)

But, yeah, Hollywood loves Hollywood stories.