Movie: La la land Director: Damien Chazelle Starring: Emma Stone, Ryan Goseling It tells the story of an aspiring actress/cafe barista Mia and a jazz purist Sebastian in the backdrop of dreamy Los Angeles and exuberant foot tapping musical numbers. The first act takes us through Los Angeles traffic, poolside parties, jazz clubs, cinema hall, lovely nights and out of the world planetarium where they meet, argue, flirt and finally fall in love. Director also invests enough time to establish their characters and their passion for respective careers. Second act pans out like a usual drama where their love and caring for each other go head to head with success, failure, and ego. Love wins over ego and the act culminates in an audition scene where the director takes it to another level of cinematic experience. 'Story of her aunt' is a beauty in itself. Music and philosophy make love in a world created by Chazelle. When we think all is good and it's a happily ever after, the magician was actually warming up. In the third act, he takes us to an another level of storytelling. Music takes the center stage and takes us through a ride of dreams, reality, and decision making in life. Creative and thoughtful climax served with music makes a lasting impression and takes the movie to a whole new level. Art along with cinematography takes us to a cinematic world where scenes looked like expensive paintings straight from an art gallery. The scenic beauty of Los Angeles was captured like never before. Lighting and coloring go hand in hand and makes it one of the most beautiful movies on a screen. The Cinematography was top notch from the word go.There are numerous shots that stay with us a for very long time. long shots in opening musical number, moments of beauty in the lovely night, emotion and beauty created in 'here's to the ones who dream' are few of the many. The thing which makes it brilliant is how he managed to excel in both extremes. one where he needs to be extravagant and other where he needs to be emotional. Musical numbers are the soul of the movie. starting from a silly but foot tapping opening number in traffic to 'someone in the crowd', 'lovely night', 'City of stars', 'here's to the one who dream' it is an album to be savored. Each number tells a story within a story and sync with the feel of the movie and emotions of characters. Emma stone and Ryan Goseling stepped into the shoes of Mia and Sebastian with ease. Their histrionic skill along with singing and dancing made them the perfect fit for the characters. Now coming to the magician himself, Damien Chazelle. If whiplash was perfect, this is imperfect and magical. Layered screenplay and brilliant execution make this a movie to be savored. Right from the beginning, he knew what he is doing and came up with an execution which is going to blow us away with pure visual and cinematic experience. It is impossible not to be in awe of the magic he created on screen. All in all, if you are looking for a "Magical" experience or in a mood of watching a classic, you don't want to miss it. My Rating: 4.5/5
