La La Land

Am I supposed to feel touched by a stupid romance between two unlikeable, narcissistic elitarians? Am I supposed to suffer because of their first world problems? All because of a film with a plot disguised as a ridiculously banal allegory of the four seasons that is more see-through than Casper the ghost? Fuck no! There is plenty to praise (the random stage sets, a couple of cute moments, the last ten minutes or so – that would have worked better with more likeable characters), but if this is supposed to be an unrivalled favourite for this year’s Oscars, kiss my ass! No LA-LA here for me, massive disappointment. PS: I’m still thinking why this film didn’t work for me (because I really thought I would like it). The main reason I see is that the initial musical build-up of the relationship doesn’t manage (at least for me) to lay down a sufficiently strong foundation for the feelings in the ambitious non-musical ending. (04/01/2017)

Here's to the ones who dream. About the fact that the factory of dreams can give everything or take everything. About dreams that sooner or later must collide with reality. And finally, about the fact that when someone says they will never stop loving you, it is possible that they really mean it. From the first published image of the dancing couple, I knew that Damien Chazelle was making this film for people like me. And with the epilogue, he proved that he left a considerable part of his heart in La La Land. (05/01/2017)

I'm not denying that it has the intrinsic energy and impressive technical processing, but I'm not willing to deal with the fact that the musical interludes actually hurt it (the second half, which more or less gets by without them, is much better than the first). In addition, the lavish kitsch framing the story of the supposedly naive but in many ways self-centered narcissists is actually annoying. What I want from Chazelle is any genre film where the music will be a means, not an end. Given his age, he has unique skills. (05/01/2017)

A charming update of a classical musical, which, in the captivating rhythm of jazz, tells the sensual story of two souls whose paths were supposed to come together, but they just intersected. It made me so sad and was hard on my soul that I wanted to poke my brain with a needle from a turntable in front of all that technicolor beauty. Do you love jazz this much too? (04/01/2017)

A gem where Damien Chazelle beautifully led me as a viewer. It all looks and sounds beautiful, but I had a problem adjusting to the fact that La La Land is too retro and a tribute to old musicals. But the director saves the strong emotions, the brutally truthful moments, and a slightly harsher treatment of the protagonists for the last third. That truly broke me. And it is precisely the contrast between the beautiful dreamlike world full of color and love and the reality that can be very cruel to dreamers that places La La Land among the films that simply must be seen. (15/05/2017)