La La Land, that’s what, boosted by no fewer than 14 Oscar nominations.
It’s the story of Sebastian (Ryan Gosling) and Mia (Emma Stone) who are drawn together by their common desire to do what they love. But as success mounts they are faced with decisions that impact their love affair: will these dreams end up by ripping them apart?
Swapping 0C and icy rain on the cours Mirabeau for the warm and colourful ambiance of south California is a delightful experience; and the film has some lovely sequences of song and dance. Good sound-track too. The story was, perhaps, a little slight, but so much hype is hard to live up to. Coincidentally, Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone are in a film from 2011, ‘Crazy, Stupid, Love’ tonight on French TV, HD1 at 20:55. It will be interesting to see how they interact in this earlier outing.
Coming up next week from Wednesday:
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- Jackie Kennedy biopic with Natalie Portman oscar nominated. At the Renoir
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- Golden Globe-winning story of young man growing up in poor Miami suburbe. Renoir
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- One for the kids. Premiere at Cezanne Sunday 5 Feb. Release from Feb 8th
LaLaLand is yet one more example of Hollywood navel-gazing. What ever technical virtuosity the film displays is fatally weakened by the Hollywood narcissism in which the film wallows.
I would have liked a stronger storyline….but it is proving very popular here. I think people like the colour and escapism right now.