Sweeties, I'm back with the first blog post of the year. I went to see La La Land recently and with the abnormal hype surrounding it, I thought that I would share some of my thoughts on it. La La Land seems to be this year's massively hyped blockbuster and everyone seems to be on their way to the cinema to see it. I won't spoil anything for those of you that haven't seen it, I will simply share some of my thoughts on it.
(Normally I pack my blog posts full of high quality, colourful images, but bizzarely enough, all La La Land promo photos seemed to be copyrighted this time.)
First of all, let me just say that it isn't worth the tremendous hype it has received. I wouldn't call it a bad film- it just really isn't anything out of the ordinary. Boy meets girl, they fall in love, a curve develops their relationship, a complication develops and a conclusion occurs. This can be guessed just from the trailers and movie posters, by anybody who has seen any rom-com or romantic musical ever. There isn't anything in this film that is a breath of fresh air into the cinematic universe, something revolutionary or unseen before. It has all been done, dusted and La La Land just repacks old ideas into some pretty wrapping paper.
Don't get me wrong, it's a good watch- the cinematography is beautiful, the writing is good, the whole thing looks pretty and is edited extremely well. The editing is probably my favourite aspect of the film- scenes flow like a steady river and are strung together like a necklace of pearls. Each scene follows the other in a chronological order and tells a clear, coherent story. The overall movie is pretty, but that is it really. It gives off vibes of superficiality, demonstrated right from the opening scene, where LA inhabitants find the need to burst into a song and dance in the middle of a hot traffic jam. It's a fine opening, but it isn't the best. It seems to be thrown in as the last resort, something haphazardly put together. It would work great on stage, but it isn't.
And what about Gosling and Stone themselves? I was never a big fan of Emma Stone and my mind hasn't been changed. She is a mediocre actress and performs in mediocre films. Failing to properly grasp the concept of her character or the dance moves themselves, she seems to lack dialogue in the film and hence leaves traces of being expressionless or emotionless at times. Gosling, however, delivers exceptionally. He plays the role of a pianist in the film and he learned to play the piano just for his role. This is clearly evident in the film as he is a fantastic piano player and rumour has it that he played each piece by himself. If I hadn't known before, I would have never guessed that he didn't play beforehand. His singing isn't great, but he certainly brings more life to the screen than Stone in terms of charisma and acting. He expresses the most emotion and love in the film, outweighing Stone by miles.
Overall, I didn't deeply dislike or hate the film in any way. It's a good watch and it's worth the admission fee. It just isn't anything remarkable and isn't really worth any of its hype. It's a fine film, it looks pretty but that's really it. The acting, storyline and overall writing of the film are the lacking areas in this film. Although everyone who has gone to see it loves it, the movie doesn't put forward any new ideas and simply recycles material. The editing and cinematography are what make the film better than average, but it really isn't what it's set out to be.
If you haven't seen it yet, go see Split instead.
Thank you for reading as always and please remember that this is just my opinion.
All my love
Gaby x
At the beginning of each new year, I like to write an ode to the year just gone past, in memory of the good times, the bad times and the times which made me especially grateful. This year is no exception, so I invite you to have a peek into what I got up to in the year that probably changed my life more so than others ever have.
Dear 2016,
Dear January, the realisation of mocks, the Leaving Cert and life itself hit me like a flood that i wasnt expecting. I was a frequent Tinder user back then, spending nights talking to weird but strangely extremely attractive lads. Dear February, thank you for the stress. Thank you for making me flip out when I got a card on Valentine's Day, something that hadnt happened to me in six years. Dear March, thank you for the ultimate Paddy's Day [read: day drinking]. Dear single life, it was great to have you, but I'm glad you're gone.
Dear April, thank you for letting me spend it with someone I wouldn't have survived 2016 without. Study breaks meant going to see my boyfriend.
Dear May, thank you for turning me 18, for my secondary school graduation. My 18th birthday saw me get very excited over a trip to Ibiza in the summer and Brown Thomas vouchers. Dear secondary school, I'm very, very happy to be done with you. Not only did you leave me with experiences and points that were left to be desired, my favourite year was my sixth year, which says something. Dear lockers, sweaty hallways and anxious classrooms- I outgrew you a long time ago.
Dear June, you brought the Leaving Cert. Dear anxiety, you didn't peep. I left my secondary school mid-June knowing I had gotten my points, knowing all the hard work was finally over. I spent the rest of my summer torn between anxiety, unbelievably hot climates, the sun burning my skin, pacing burning pavements in thin soled flat pretty shoes.
Dear August, thank you for being harsh. the slowest month of the year. I got my results, I got my first choice university. I got on campus accommodation and unbelievably, my boyfriend was coming to college with me.
Dear September, thank you for making me a college student. Thank you for all my new lovely friends, who drink too much, ramble too much, doss too much and sesh too much and make me feel better about myself. Dear NuBar, thank you for your €3 cans of Jack Slatterys, chicken goujons, chips, shite nights on Tuesdays. Thank you for the many hours of socialising, day drinking, night drinking, friend making and in general a bomb af time. Dear Slatterys, I thought my true love was Jack Daniels, but it seems that I left the whiskey behind in Leaving Cert and moved on to the cider Jack, Jack Slatterys. Thank you for being abnormally cheap and getting college kids wasted off a four pack since '89.
@DavidGannonPhotography
Dear November, you're always harsh. Dear December, thank you for the end of my very first semester and a turkey dinner I look forward to 365 days of the year.
Dear skin, you gave me ultimate grief this year. Dear seborrheic dermatitis, kindly go away now. Dear The 1975, I'm sorry I didn't go to see you in March. Thank you for I Like It When You Sleep.
Dear Vilnius, I'm sorry I didn't get to see you. Dear Amsterdam I love you as always. Dear boys that hit on me in clubs, I'm sorry but it's always gonna be a no.
Dear blood fam, thank you for always being home when I come home. Dear non-blood fam, thank you for for some reason being friends with me. Dear bae, thank you for listening to my insanities and breakdowns and for some reason not leaving me.
Thank you for reading.
Love always
Gaby x
