4. La La Land

La La Land is my first 'real' post of 2017. The film has had lots of attention recently, both winning and receiving nominations for a plethora of awards at the Golden Globes, BAFTAs and talk of Oscars in the upcoming Academy Awards Nominations, on the 24th January. This may have contributed to the fact I was desperate to see La La Land on its opening night.

I'm going to cut to the chase... I completely loved every second of this movie. From the underlying story line, the way it made you think, the fact the songs are actually good, to the fact it stars Ryan Gosling, all of these score high in my book. One of my favourite romantic comedies has to be Crazy Stupid Love, and it's undeniable that Emma Stone and Gosling work more than well together, and are both great actors.

I loved the production of the film, and how it worked with the story. The fact that our characters are actors and musicians made the whole set up work, in a way that didn't seem cheesy. Lesser known fact, but I danced from age 4 - 18, and I loved the choreography. I have a love hate relationship with Musical Theatre, but even these elements I fell in love with. I was especially enthused by the tap routine!

The story was actually really believable, and I felt invested in both Gosling and Stone's characters. The plot isn't traditional in that they get together, something happens and then everything works out, it's far more realistic, and I was a big fan of the ending (NO SPOILERS!).  I liked the use of humour in the film, and the fact that it was contemporary. I think sometimes musicals are too try hard and end up being a bit forced, or out of date, but this was just perfect. Perhaps it is similar to a modern day Grease (or am I the only person who loves Grease?) You really end up routing for the leads, and I left the cinema feeling like I loved jazz and that I wanted to be on the stage (and that I wanted to marry Ryan Gosling). I don't think a film has made me feel like this in a long time.

Another thing you will probably guess from my reviews is that I love a film with a good message and moral. La La Land certainly does that, and it really made me think about who I am, and who I want to be. But that's a story for another day.

I think if you go to see La La Land with an open mind, you won't be disappointed. It's a film with laughs, songs, love, dances, jazz and Chicken on a Stick, what more could you want. I'm going to go in with the big dogs and give this film a 9.5/10. I really honestly loved it, and could watch it again now! I tried to think of how I would improve the film and the only answer was to feature some puppies, so perhaps I'll come back and edit this post and give it the 10/10 it deserves. Everything can be improved with puppies.