"My aunt used to live in Paris..."

If you love classic cinema full of passion, heart, and beauty, it's nearly impossible to not fall in love with La La Land. Every single moment of La La Land is simply magical. It's a remarkable achievement, and its beauty lies in both its pure ambition and its intelligent and thoughtful story. Damien Chazelle is the greatest director of this generation, and La La Land is one of the most astounding filmmaking achievements of the 21st century. La La Land takes everything that was unquestionably great about classic cinema, and it infuses it with so many modern ideas and themes to make it timeless and constantly refreshing. A masterpiece in every sense of the word.

Damien Chazelle's direction in La La Land is utterly spellbinding. It's a visual magic trick the way he pulls off so many of these shots. It's dazzling, yet human. Precise, but emotional. The technical splendor on display always serves to elevate the emotions and put you with the characters. From the opening sequence alone, I already felt transported from the real world into the world of La La Land with "Another Day of Sun." Much of this film does an amazing job as easing viewers away from the realism of Hollywood and into the fantasy of Hollywood. The beginning of "A Lovely Night" is a simple conversation that escalates into singing genuine thoughts all the way until it crescendos into a full-blown musical dance number -- all in one shot.

The music in La La Land matches the genuine beauty of the rest of the film. Justin Hurwitz dazzles just as much as Damien Chazelle and cinematographer Linus Sandgren do. The ethereal instrumental moments are so powerful on their own, but woven throughout Damien Chazelle's vision of Los Angeles, they're purely magical. Something as simple as a whistle or piano melody can bring to the surface a world of emotions. The "Audition" scene and "Epilogue" are some of the most entrancing and hypnotic moments in cinema. They're simply dreams visualized. Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling are not traditionally great singers, but they have more than enough heart and passion within their voices that it's impossible to criticize any of the music. It's the imperfections that bring the life and humanity to a film so full of technical and cinematic perfection.

One interesting thing that I noticed was just how many similarities to Boogie Nights there are in La La Land. From the countless coordinated and fabulous long takes to the LA parties and showbiz dreams, there's a certain energy that both films possess in similar ways despite being wildly different movies. A camera tracking a woman diving into a pool and climbing out of it. The palpable energy and passion of characters in pursuit of their dreams, and the heartbreaking realism when you realize those dreams might not be attainable. Both are amazing films by young and ambitious auteurs, and I don't think these similarities are too intentional, but Damien Chazelle can only dream of following in the footsteps of a filmmaker like Paul Thomas Anderson, so here's to the fools who dream.

Watching La La Land is the closest I'll ever come to experiencing true love, and it's a love that extends far beyond simple romance and relationships. It's a love of cinema, and a passion that I hope will never die within me.