LA LA LAND (Dir: Damien Chazelle, 2016).

LA LA LAND (Dir: Damien Chazelle, 2016).

I am writing this almost a week after watching so apologise in advance for a review which is light on insight and heavy on vague observations (when are they ever anything but?).

This widely acclaimed homage to the golden age of Hollywood musicals was a first watch for me. It’s somewhat simple plot concerns the rollercoaster romantic and professional trials of aspiring actress Emma Stone and struggling jazz pianist Ryan Gosling. While proudly declaring its love of classic Hollywood, this often low-key film feels much closer in spirit to Jacques Demy’s French language classic The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (1964) than any actual Hollywood musical.

Where La La Land most strongly recalls the Hollywood musical is in it’s lovely saturated colour palette which would befit a 1940’s MGM Technicolor extravaganza and in the staging of musical numbers, A Lovely Night in particular and in its climax, a clever ode to those extended modern ballet numbers popular in 1950’s musicals, most famously An American in Paris (Vincente Minnelli, 1951). For me it also strongly recalled the finale of The Muppet Movie (James Frawley, 1979), but that might just be me!

The score is strong, notably the beautifully melancholic recurring theme City of Dreams. The dancing skills of Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone was rightly acclaimed. Neither are singers, but their pleasant vocals recalls the non-singer casting of Jean Simmons and Marlon Brando in Guys and Dolls and works fine in context.

For all its vintage Hollywood flourish, La La Land has a slightly melancholy almost anti-Hollywood musical narrative and feels less like a traditional musical than its more pop music oriented contemporary The Greatest Showman (Michael Gracey, 2017). Whether it will be as fondly remembered in 65 years time as the musicals of 65+ years ago to which it pays homage, I am not sure but I did enjoy it. It’s a good movie, nicely performed and beautifully made.

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RIP Stanley Donen

RIP Jan Michael Vincent

Movie number 29: The Nutcracker and the Four Realms (Lasse Hallström & Joe Johnston, 2018). I could easily fill this review with superlatives about the amazing production design of this movie. It is exquisite, as are the beautiful costumes. The effects work is also top quality. The estimated $120-130 million budget is right up on the screen for all to see. The entire film is a truly sumptuous feast for the eyes and is easily one of the best looking movies I have ever seen, if not the best. The Nutcracker and the Four Realms is loosely based upon E T A Hoffman’s ‘The Nutcracker and the Mouse’ and the Tchaikovsky ballet which also serves in part as the basis for the James Newton Howard score. It concerns a young girl (Mackenzie Foy) who travels Narnia-style from Victorian London to the otherworldly Four Realms in search of the key to an egg gifted to her by her late mother. Here she must re-unite the warring realms aided by the titular nutcracker and a fantastic cast including Helen Mirren, Richard E Grant and Keira Knightley hamming it up to great effect as the Sugar Plum Fairy. In spite of the excellent cast and stunning production Nutcracker is not entirely without its problems. Extensive re-shoots resulted in the duel director credit for Hallström and Johnston and at only 99 minutes it could easily withstand being a little longer. Indeed, the ballet itself is less prominent than expected and the Four Realms of the title are barely visited save for the Land of Amusements where most of the action takes place, possibly a sign of some hasty editing. Yet, this aside, I found much to enjoy in this extravagant fantasy and am baffled by the poor reception it received upon released. It isn’t perfect but it is beautiful to behold. With its Yuletide setting and general Christmassy vibe it may well find its audience through future festive television screenings. It is certainly a movie that deserves to be seen.

Reblog if you appreciate him

THE LAND BEFORE TIME (Dir: Don Bluth, 1988).

In 1979 director Don Bluth famously led an animators walk out at the Disney Studios to form his own company Don Bluth Productions. Their first feature length venture The Secret of NIMH (Bluth, 1982) while critically well received was a commercial disappointment and it wasn’t until after Bluth released the groundbreaking coin operated video game Dragon’s Lair that Hollywood once again came calling.

The Land Before Time was to be Bluth’s third feature and his second, following An American Tale (1986), for Steven Spielberg’s Amblin Entertainment, co-produced by Lucasfilm. This surprisingly downbeat dinosaur adventure is something of a prehistoric Bambi meets The Incredible Journey as longneck Littlefoot, after the death of his mother and separation from his grandparents, teams up with a band of similarly lost young dinos to find their families in the fabled Great Valley.

Just as An American Tail was pitted against Disney’s Great Mouse Detective on original release, The Land Before Time found itself competing against Disney’s Oliver and Company in late ‘88. Unlike the previous meeting, Disney’s movie was box office champ on this occasion. However, I would argue that, on this occasion, Bluth’s movie is superior. Unlike the numerous made for video sequels, the original Land Before Time features some beautiful animation, and while its plot is quite basic and occasionally saccharine, it is sophisticated enough to engage adults as well as children.

At little over an hour The Land Before Time is short and sweet. Stick around for the end titles for Diana Ross’ lovely ballad ‘If We Hold On Together’.

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