I ventured out of the scorching heat last night to take my friend’s mother and myself to see La La Land. I noticed beforehand that it was from the same director of Whiplash. (Which I watched earlier this year as it is on the list of ‘1001 movies to watch before you die’, and I am working my way down the list, currently at about number 8). So I knew not to expect the boring, cliche, Hollywood ending. Which means I wasn’t surprised when I didn’t get it. Was I disappointed? Yes! I still want and expect a boring, cliche Hollywood ending.
With that said, I loved the movie, I loved the beginning, I loved the dresses, I love Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling. It doesn’t hurt that I am tone deaf so have no idea on the quality of their singing, it all sounded just fine to me.
I loved one of the audition songs she sang:
She told me:
A bit of madness is key
to give us to color to see
Who knows where it will lead us?
And that’s why they need us,
So bring on the rebels
The ripples from pebbles
The painters, and poets, and plays
And here’s to the fools who dream
Crazy, as they may seem
Here’s to the hearts that break
Here’s to the mess we make
And I really, really love the green dress and matching pendant she wore in the cinema, breathtakingly beautiful!
Poems and Petals 
There’s nothing wrong with liking whatever one can in a film, so I’m glad you did. I do sing and play though, so I couldn’t like it quite as much. The leads were charming and can dance well enough, but she can sing and he definitely can’t. It was also too obvious (for me) that he wasn’t playing the piano either. In the old days of musicals, when a star couldn’t sing well enough they would just hire somebody who could for the voice, and have the onscreen actor “lip sync”. Chazelle knows how to do this, since the drum parts were dubbed in “Whiplash”, and the editing in that film effectively disguised Miles Teller not playing at the same level of complexity.
But I did think the cinematography and the script were great, so I focused my attention on those.
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Thanks for your comments, I’m tone deaf so have no idea about the singing! It all sounded fine to an untrained ear! Apparently it was Ryan gosling playing the piano, I read it on a few sites, here is one:
http://www.dnaindia.com/entertainment/report-la-la-land-twas-indeed-ryan-gosling-playing-the-piano-through-the-movie-2287127
Why was it obvious to you that it wasn’t him?
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It looked to me like he was playing much simpler runs and notes of the same tunes, sometimes in the wrong octaves, but in the correct rhythm at the ends of phrases. That’s how you coach a non-player to make it look more convincing. (My wife is in WGA and we got a screener, so I’ve seen it several times.) You could technically say he “was playing”, and we only HEARD what an unseen pro was playing. They use prop “silent” pianos with no strings or soundboard inside. Sometimes the keys “stick” on those (don’t bounce back like a real piano) and there were shots I could see where that happened. Maybe his playing is heard on easier stuff, or on short edits. Nowadays, they can cheaply edit in someone else’s hands digitally. I doubt they did that, because the camera was usually moving, which draws attention away from the hands.
In any case it’s a big pain to record ANYTHING “live” except dialogue, though there are now more attempts to sing live too. Les Miserables made a big point of doing that, and it highlighted the same kind of problem – that Hugh Jackman and Anne Hathaway can sing “Broadway style”, and Russell Crowe can’t.
I worked in sound post-production for 20 years. It’s both a blessing and a curse. I know all the tricks and can enjoy them when done in an innovative way, but it also makes it harder for me to watch like a “normal” audience member.
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Yes even I could hear Russell Crowe sounded a bit flat (if that was the correct terminology), thanks for your comments and explanation 😊
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I have been wanting to see this for more than one month! In Cleveland, where family loves it was our in November. My youngest daughter had a birthday on December first, but we couldn’t go anywhere in Columbus to see this film. Finally, they said available “everywhere” on Christmas. But alas, still not here. I find comfort in happy endings. I realize life isn’t all sunshine and lollipops. I am trying to adjust to movies which are meaningful but sad endings. . .
Thanks for letting me know it was worth seeing but may disappoint in the end.
Have a fun, warm and safe Happy New Year, Vonita! ❤
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You will enjoy watching it Robin, will be interested to know your thoughts! Happy New Year! 🎉🎉🎉
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I love the Audition song that Emma Stone sang too! If you have a chance, would you mind checking out my La La Land review? 🙂 https://ticketsandpopcorn.wordpress.com/2016/12/17/la-la-land-2016/
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Yes, would love to, thanks, will pop over now!
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I enjoyed the film – had a family film out with 23 & 25 y.o. sons on my wife’s birthday. We all enjoyed it. And yes, I wanted the fairy tale ending, but life’s not like that. Happy New Year.
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Agreed, life is not like that, exactly why I want it in movies! It was different though, and I did enjoy it 😊 happy new year 🎉🎉🎉
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