“City of stars, are you shining just for me?” Ryan Gosling’s character, Sebastian, sings these words on a boardwalk over the ocean just after meeting Emma Stone’s character, Mia. In the newly released movie La La Land, directed by the acclaimed Damien Chazelle of 2014’s Whiplash, music comes alive in the modern day take on the old-fashioned musical.
Set in present day downtown Los Angeles and Hollywood, a struggling actress meets a struggling pianist after the opening number on a traffic blocked freeway. This is where the romance begins. The two characters keep running into each other, until they finally go on a date to the movies and sneak into the Griffith Observatory at night. Here, they waltz in the stars.
Literally.
They rise up into the projected night sky, their silhouettes, two moving figures in the silver and dark blue sky. This movie is purely magic. It’s quirky and innovative. It takes a spin on the grand musicals of today. It’s very soft and subtle, which makes it even more powerful. Emma Stone shines. Predictions are saying, she will be nominated for an Oscar and could even win. The colors are bright and and music is sad, yet hopeful at the same time. Everything about Damien Chazelle’s direction is perfect. I give this movie an A+.