La La Land

La La Land was one of the best films showcased at the 2017 Oscars. Popularized not only by its quality of work but for accidentally winning the Oscar for Best Picture. Which was one of the greatest Oscar moments in recent years and it absolutely blew up the internet. Even though the film did not win Best Picture it was still nominated for twelve awards and won five. They took home Best Actress, Best Original Music Score, Best Director, Best Cinematography, and Best Production Design. The film is a work of art and utilizes a tremendous amount of technique. This is a film that deserves to be seen, and I think it shines as a great piece of cinema.




I’m not the biggest fan of musicals but I love this film. It is artistic and truly beautiful to watch. The film utilizes colour in a way that is unlike any other film I’ve seen. The colour really is everything. The cinematography for this particular film is a work of art. I found it really creative, especially the way they used the movement of the camera to enhance shots. Every scene has a unique camera angle or camera movement. For example the opening scene which does a good job of immediately drawing you into the film. Then again with the pool scene where the camera is in constant motion. Another thing I like is how they made use of their transitions to new scenes. It never just cuts out to the next scene; they always find a way to change scenes smoothly, and I find that it’s a very unique aspect of this film.




The film is about love and music, specifically the dying of jazz music. In this film they use music in such a stylistic way that you really fall in love with it. It definitely helps to tie the whole movie together. I also like the repetition of the use of this one melody that stands out. It is used as Mia and Seb’s song and it represents their relationship. It is played throughout the film at given times, adding emphasis to the more monumental points of their relationship. I love Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling’s work in this film. They have a great friendship on and off screen and I think this duo really helped to enhance such a great film.




Story wise I really liked how their stories are intertwined and how they switch perspective between the two characters. I loved the introduction to the film as it really sets the film up very well. I liked the ending to the film however, I don’t like that they didn’t actually end up together. They do a look at what their lives would have been like if they had done the little things differently, but it’s just not the ideal ending for what is supposed to be the end to a love story. They both reached their goals and obtained their dreams, which they encouraged each other to achieve. Yet, they picked their dreams over each other.




I originally saw this film in my communications technology class, where we watched about 70% of the film and never finished it. So I had to find it myself in order to finish it, which I’m glad I did. For such a great film it appeared I was one of the only people in my class paying any attention, but I guess that was because it was basically a free period. I have part of the soundtrack downloaded from the film as well because it’s just that good. I don’t say this very often but I really liked the musical numbers in this film as well.




Therefore, I think everyone should go see this movie. Especially if you have a love for cinematography and cinema, but I feel like it’s truly a film made for people. It has something for everyone and it’s just a great quality film. It is one of those happy films that make your day just a little bit better. It makes you feel like you are there every step of the way with these characters. I don’t think there are enough nice things to say about this movie. My only negative on the whole film is that Ryan Gosling can’t sing, which is actually pretty funny and it’s fine because he makes it up in the rest of his performance. La La Land is available on Netflix and I hope you take the time to check it out.