I usually write about t.v. and movies on my other blog, moviejingo.blogspot.com (shameless self-promotion), but I've been neglecting this blog ever since my last post, where I tried to warn America about "Mr. Orange". Since then, I've mostly been alternating between reading Lemony Snicket books, working with my kids, and trying to write my next script.
And I voted for president. In June and November. The Empire won, so now I've Star Wars-edly joined the resistance. Not much of a resistance, though. It consists mostly of gawking incredulously at endlessly ghastly news articles and spending twenty to thirty minutes at a time starting at Twitter, trying to think of a good comeback to anger Pepe the Frog.
This usually leads to me calmly closing my laptop and walking away. Usually.
Today was different. I stayed home after learning my new buddy, sore throat, was here to stay at least all day. But rather than staying home, I went to see La La Land, one of the best decisions I've ever made.
The movie is solid gold. Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone are perfect together. And Director Damien Chazelle made it feel like a modern film from the 1950's. So while it is nostalgic, it's also unique enough to be its own thang (yes, "thang"). They set the bar high for every movie we'll ever see from here on out.
I'm not exaggerating. It's like the show Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, the movie The Artist, and Chazelle's Whiplash all rolled in one. But here's the twist-- La La Land contrasts the romanticized idea of "Hollywood" with the drab reality of Hollywood.
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| You will love them. |
Funny enough, I saw the movie in the heart of Hollywood, and I felt very close to the film, which made it feel more and less spectacular. For example, I recognized the Warner Brothers lot in the movie from my time working there, which is always fun. But when I recognize where a movie was filmed, it feels less mysterious. Nothing wrong with the movie. Something wrong with me.
On my drive home, I listened to the radio and kept thinking about La La Land, the chemistry between Gosling and Stone. I thought about the romances I've had, my old friendships that could have been something more, and the beautiful women I've met whom I was too diffident to admit I adored (say that ten times fast).
The song I was talking to myself over ended and the DJ mentioned today's electoral college results, and the fact that the one person who should never be president now legally has to be inaugurated.
I went from flying through the clouds to trudging through the swamp.
On the plus side, I got to see this movie and I hope you do, too.
I will warn you that there are some loud moments in the film. And I mean LOUD. A fire alarm goes off in a scene where Gosling and Stone are having dinner and some of us were left wondering if it was the theater's alarm. Then Ryan Gosling went to the stove and we were all relieved because we didn't have to die.
