My Summer Scavenger Hunt: Film #4
Prompt #7: Watch a film in Des White's top 20

It's colorful, it's vibrant, it's emotionally captivating, it leaves you grinning from ear, it leaves you devastated, it's gorgeous, it's got great music, it's got one of the best openings of all time, it was thought to have won best picture but actually lost to Moonlight, it's got Ryan Gosling, it's got Emma Stone, it's directed by the Whiplash guy, it's freaking La La Land! And it's pretty great. I didn't know what to expect going into this. I tend to really like musicals, and they always put me in a good mood, and Chazelle's 2016 masterstroke is no exception. The songs aren't just really great from a musical perspective, but they contribute to the tone, atmosphere, and story as well. Are they always worked in naturally? Ehhhh not always, but the songs themselves are so good it makes up for it. In particular, "Another Day Of Sun" is an absolute bop. The performances here are absolutely fantastic! This was, shockingly, the first movie I've seen Ryan Gosling in. And his performance here is wonderful. He plays a character who I connect with in a lot of ways, and he does it to perfection. His odd sense of humor, his humbleness, and most importantly, his want for purity are all things I can relate to, making for a wonderful character to follow. As good as Gosling is though, it's Emma Stone who really stood out to me. She's so many things in this movie. She's confident, yet doubtful. She's aspiring, yet limits herself. She's quirky, she's cute, she's charming, she's relatable, she's everything. And to be able to do that so seamlessly, well, that's incredible.

If Whiplash didn't establish my faith in Damien Chazelle's directing abilities, this sure did. His direction was great in Whiplash, but it's even better here. With a bigger budget, Chazelle is able to create one of the most vibrant, colorful worlds I have ever seen. Chazelle is completely in control with the camera, production design, and performances, and he manages to make something that allowed his mad directing skills to shine. The aforementioned production design is absolutely incredible, immersing you into the City Of Stars. The colors are gorgeous, the cinematography is gorgeous, the entire movie is gorgeous. A stand out on the technical side of things

But what stood out to me the most is the emotions this movie can make you feel. As I said in my long anaphora earlier, this film can make you feel very up beat and happy, yet very sad and empty at the same time. The first 90 minutes or so are an absolute delight, melting my heart with people treating each other very kindly, and making life seem wonderful. But the last 40 minutes just.... ugh. They left me devastated, and with a sense of hollowness. But the most interesting thing is that I didn't even realize how broken I was until after the movie ended. And I don't know why that is to be honest. Hell, the entire way this movie manages to emotionally captivate you is a big mystery to me. Because Chazelle doesn't inherently make a story that's filled with everyday obstacles. I think what he does do though, is that he takes those every day obstacles and expands on them, making a movie that's almost a blown up, exaggerated version of our lives. I don't know, that's just my take on it. Whatever the case is, Damien Chazelle made a movie that captured like few have before, one that I plan on re-visiting many times. Even if I didn't like this movie, I will always respect how much it's helped musicals have a return to form in the modern world of cinema. Damien Chazelle's a mad lad, and La La Land rules!