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La La Land (Blu-ray Review)

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Starring: Ryan Gosling, Emma Stone, J.K. Simmons, Callie Hernandez, John Legend
Directed By: Damien Chazelle
Running Time: 128 mins
BBFC Certificate: 12
UK Release Date: May 15th 2017 (UK)

Our Score

It’s the film that won the Best Picture Oscar for a whole 90 seconds, before the Academy managed to says, ‘Whoops, sorry, it was actually Moonlight’. However, it did pick up six of film world’s most prestigious gongs, including Best Actress for Emma Stone, and Best Director for Damien Chazelle. It was also the favourite for the biggest prize going into the ceremony, having charmed audiences with its tale of two people trying to find both love and artistic success.

In LA, Sebastian (Ryan Gosling) is a jazz musician, working a dead-end job playing piano in a bar, but desperate to prove himself as a real force in a music form that many others have given up on. Mia (the brilliant Emma Stone) is a young woman who works as a waitress, but she also goes to a succession of auditions for movie and TV roles in the hope of finding success as an actress. [Read more…]

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Moonlight Takes The Best Picture Oscar, While La La Land Picks Up Six Awards

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Well, for the next few decades writers have something new to include when it comes to Oscars biggest gaffes and bloopers. Faye Dunaway read out that La La Land had won the Best Picture Oscar, the producers came up to the stage, and then, partway through the acceptance speeches, they were interrupted to be told, actually no, it was Moonlight that was the big winner.

The mistake came about due to Dunaway and Warren Beatty being handed the wrong envelope, which read ‘Emma Stone – La La Land’. It was presumably was a duplicate of the Best Actress envelope, as Stone did win for that one. Despite a pause and Stone’s name being there, Dunaway decided to read it anyway.

After the mix-up, surprise winner Moonlight went off to gets its Best Picture gong. It’s impressive for a movie few had heard of before its release, and is about the sort of character – young, black, poor and gay – that the Academy Awards usually give short shrift to. However, perhaps thanks to the Academy’s diversity drive this year, where they set out to invite people from groups traditionally under-represented in the Oscar voting pool to become members, it has triumphed. Some has also suggested it perhaps partially redresses the balance after the gay-themed Brokeback Mountain lost out on the Best Picture to the now half-forgotten Crash, despite winning Best Director for Ang Lee.

Moonlight also picked up Best Supporting Actor for Mahershala Ali and Best Adapted Screenplay for Barry Jenkins.

While La La Land had the Best Picture Oscar taken from its hands – literally – which probably tarnished the evening for them, the movie did win more awards than any other film, six in total. That includes Damien Chazelle, who becomes the youngest ever Best Director winner at the age of only 32.

Alongside Stone for Best Actress and Ali for Best Supporting Actor, the other performance gongs went to Casey Affleck who got Best Actor for Manchester By The Sea, and Viola Davis who picked up Best Supporting Actress for Fences.

You can take a look at a full list of winners below. [Read more…]

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La La Land Takes The Big Prize At The EE BAFTAs

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Do you know one of the reasons the Golden Globes and the BAFTAs manage to attract so many star names? It’s because of when they’re held. The Golden Globes come just a few days before AMPAS members have to submit who they think should be nominated for the Oscars, and the BAFTAs come just before the deadline for them to say who they think should win.

However, as the British equivalent of the Oscars, the BAFTAs are a big ceremony in their own right, and the stars descended on London’s Royal Albert Hall to see who would win.

La La Land was the big winner, taking Best Film, Best Director for Damien Chazelle, Best Actress for Emma Stone, as well as a few others. In the other acting categories, Casey Affleck took Best Actor for Manchester by the Sea, Viola Davis was given Best Supporting Actress for Fences, while Dev Patel won Best Supporting Actor for Lion.

Amongst the other awards there was a good spread of films being honoured, including I Daniel Blake, Kubo & The Two Strings, Jackie, Arrival and Hacksaw Ridge. However, notable by its absence was Moonlight, which may have won numerous Best Film accolades at other awards, but got nothing from the BAFTAs. However, the movie was hampered by the fact it’s only just being released in the UK.

Take a look at the full list of winners below (winners in bold): [Read more…]

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La La Land Scores Record-Tying 14 Oscar Nominations

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The Oscar nominations are here, and while many expected La La Land to do well, few expected it to tie for the record of most noms ever. It now matches All About Eve and the all-conquering Titanic with 14 nominations. As expected La La Land’s nomination haul included Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor for Ryan Gosling and Best Actress for Emma Stone, as well as a raft of nods in everything from Best Original Song to Best Cinematography.

It was the only movie that did exceedingly well, with Arrival and Moonlight both scoring eight. It’s a particularly impressive achievement for the gay-themed, African American drama Moonlight, which many thought that despite being deserving, might struggle to get noticed in amongst the studio titles with much larger marketing budgets. It’s haul includes both Best Picture and Best Director nominations, and Best Supporting Actor for Mahershala Ali, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Editing, Best Cinematography, and Best Original Score.

Hacksaw Ridge, Lion and Manchester by the Sea followed them with six nominations apiece, and Fences and Hell or High Water with four each. It ensures that while La La Land has cemented its position as the frontrunner, there’s still plenty of space for others to win.

There were some surprises though, as while Arrival may have gotten eight nominations, Amy Adams – who many thought was a shoo-in – wasn’t among them. It’s also a bit odd that Suicide Squad (Best Make-up and Hairstyling) and Doctor Strange (Best Visual Effects) scored nominations, the best received superhero movie, Deadpool, got nothing.

Take a look at the full list of nominations below: [Read more…]

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La La Land (Cinema Review)

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UK Release Date: January 13th 2017
Starring: Ryan Gosling, Emma Stone, JK Simmons
Directed by: Damien Chazelle
Certificate: 12A
Running time: 138 mins

Our Score

If you’re going to be brave enough to make a two-hour homage to the golden days of the Hollywood musical you’d better make sure you get it right. So many films have fallen into the trap – Frankenweenie, The Man Who Wasn’t There and The Good German are just a few examples of films that have tried so hard so pay tribute to great movies, that they forgot to be a film in their own right. What Damien Chazelle (whiplash) has done here is produce a beautiful, witty, warm homage, but manage to take it in a completely unexpected direction without spoiling the film’s internal logic. It’s fun, yes, but there is a sting in the tail – a nasty sting.

From the opening sequence we know we’re in safe hands. Hundreds of cars are stuck on the freeway, so what else to do for the drivers but to burst into song and dance. It’s brilliantly choreographed and filmed, in what appears to be a single shot. It’s full of joy and sets the scene for the story to come. Somewhere in the traffic jam is Ryan Gosling’s Seb, and Emma Stone’s Mia, and their first meeting is not a romantic one. [Read more…]

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La La Land Leads The BAFTA Nominations Pack With Eleven Nods

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A day after picking up a record seven Golden Globes, La La Land solidified its status as the Oscar frontrunner by picking up 11 nominations for this year’s BAFTA Awards. That included a Best Picture nomination, along with nods for Ryan Gosling, Emma Stone and director Damien Chazelle.

The next highest number of nominations were Arrival and Nocturnal Animals, which scored nine each. However there was a bit of a surprise that Martin Scorsese’s Silence was shut out entirely.

Some were also surprised that Moonlight, which won Best Picture (Drama) at the Golden Globes, only scored four nominations, including Best Film, Best Original Screenplay, Mahershala Ali for Best Supporting Actor, and Naomie Harris for Best Supporting Actress. It was fewer noms than some had expected for the release – especially as Barry Jenkins didn’t get a Best Director nod – although it may have been hampered by the fact that it’s not due for release in the UK until mid-February – a good time to make the most of Oscar buzz, but a little late for the more British-based BAFTA voting cohort.

Take a look at all the BAFTA nominations below. [Read more…]

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