Today I saw La La Land, starring Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling.
I wish my expectations hadn't been so elevated going into this—I went thinking it would be the second coming of films; that the musical was "back." Instead I viewed a film that couldn't decide what it wanted to be and felt more like a series of scenes than a free-flowing story. I'll get to the music in a bit.
Mia (Stone) is a stereotypical aspiring actress in Hollywood. She works as a barista on the Warner Bros. lot and juggles the hours at the coffee shop with a series of dismal auditions. She meet-cutes Sebastian (Gosling) who is a passionate jazz pianist, stuck in the wrong era, longing for a time when the classics were what everyone wanted to hear.
Though their flirting is more like bickering in the beginning, these two definitely have chemistry working in their favor and they're all-of-a-sudden partners in life. To be clear, my dislike of this film has nothing to do with its leads; Stone and Gosling are very appealing and believable in their roles. It's just the rest that's the problem.
The music: With the exception of the lonely piano tune that first draws Mia to Seb in the first place, none of the songs struck a chord with me. There were no earth-shattering notes hit or incredible infusions of emotion to make me want to run out and buy the album. For a musical, that's not good.
The dancing: Though Stone and Gosling are both fine dancers, the choreography seemed like a mash-up of the most basic sequences from classic movies. Nothing terribly original.
The story: There were moments of sweetness in the romance, and humorous elements in their attempts to follow their individual dreams, but it felt like the big build up led only to a giant letdown.
I hated, hated, hated the ending.
Instead of resulting in the magic that could have redeemed some of the weaker elements, this went completely wrong, leaving me feeling cheated and longing to watch one of the films that served as inspiration for this tale.
~~~
Showing posts with label dance. Show all posts
Showing posts with label dance. Show all posts
Wednesday, December 28, 2016
Saturday, February 18, 2012
Pina 3D
Last night I saw Pina 3D, a documentary directed by Wim Wenders.
Years ago, while on vacation in Venice, Wim Wenders girlfriend dragged him kicking and screaming to a dance performance. Instead of falling asleep, or being bored to tears, Wenders claimed he "cried his eyes out," because the dancers presentation was so beautiful. Of course, he was watching a creation by Pina Bausch.
Soon he became friends with Bausch, a celebrated German choreographer known for her avant garde theatrics and absolute joy for dance. Then, a few decades later, he convinced her to let him tell her story on film.
Sadly, in the early stages of production, Pina suddenly died (presumably of cancer) at the age of 68. Devastated, her dancers and Wenders proceeded with caution (after contemplating abandonment of the project altogether).
What resulted is a beautiful tribute to an amazing woman who had the passion and talent to get to the core of emotion in each of her dancers.
We see how she encouraged the artists to move following their spirit rather than sticking to stringent technique (though their technique is consistently jaw-dropping). We witness how much their beloved choreographer meant to them in a series of interviews paced between explorations of their performances.
About five minutes into the film, we also forget that we're watching 3D and feel as if we're in front of the actual stage where the dancers are performing. It's such an innovative use of the technology, one can't help but wonder why more documentarians aren't employing the same methods (Wenders said in a recent Q&A that he feels "documentary is the future of 3D").
The dance sequences may be too "out there" for those not fond of dance to begin with, but the respect and love demonstrated by all of the dancers is far too endearing not to at least appreciate.
This film is definitely worthy of its Oscar nomination.
~~~
Years ago, while on vacation in Venice, Wim Wenders girlfriend dragged him kicking and screaming to a dance performance. Instead of falling asleep, or being bored to tears, Wenders claimed he "cried his eyes out," because the dancers presentation was so beautiful. Of course, he was watching a creation by Pina Bausch.
Soon he became friends with Bausch, a celebrated German choreographer known for her avant garde theatrics and absolute joy for dance. Then, a few decades later, he convinced her to let him tell her story on film.
Sadly, in the early stages of production, Pina suddenly died (presumably of cancer) at the age of 68. Devastated, her dancers and Wenders proceeded with caution (after contemplating abandonment of the project altogether).
What resulted is a beautiful tribute to an amazing woman who had the passion and talent to get to the core of emotion in each of her dancers.
We see how she encouraged the artists to move following their spirit rather than sticking to stringent technique (though their technique is consistently jaw-dropping). We witness how much their beloved choreographer meant to them in a series of interviews paced between explorations of their performances.
About five minutes into the film, we also forget that we're watching 3D and feel as if we're in front of the actual stage where the dancers are performing. It's such an innovative use of the technology, one can't help but wonder why more documentarians aren't employing the same methods (Wenders said in a recent Q&A that he feels "documentary is the future of 3D").
The dance sequences may be too "out there" for those not fond of dance to begin with, but the respect and love demonstrated by all of the dancers is far too endearing not to at least appreciate.
This film is definitely worthy of its Oscar nomination.
~~~
Saturday, February 16, 2008
Tanghi Argentini
Today I saw Tanghi Argentini, one of the Oscar® nominees in the Live Action Short Film category.
In this 14-minute wonder, Belgium's Guido Thys brings us the sweet story of a man desperate to learn the tango so he can impress a date he's met on the Internet (with a screen name like "Bing Crosby" you can't help but root for him).
After much persuasion, he convinces a co-worker to teach him the crucial moves and what unfolds after that is pure delight.
This easily earned its nomination.
In this 14-minute wonder, Belgium's Guido Thys brings us the sweet story of a man desperate to learn the tango so he can impress a date he's met on the Internet (with a screen name like "Bing Crosby" you can't help but root for him).
After much persuasion, he convinces a co-worker to teach him the crucial moves and what unfolds after that is pure delight.
This easily earned its nomination.
Wednesday, May 02, 2007
Dirty Dancing
Tonight I saw Dirty Dancing, starring Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey. And yes, it still holds up.
Why am I writing a review of it now, 20 years after its release? Well, that's why. Tonight (and last night) all over the country, there were limited screenings of the film in honor of its 20th Anniversary. And to be honest, I'm the type of geek these 'fan events' are made for. The minute I saw the trailer for it months ago, my nostalgia antennae went up and I knew I couldn't miss it.
I'm so glad I didn't.
For a Seattle crowd, the group was loud—but in a good way. The energy was high, the giggles were frequent and the men were, well, scarce.
It had a crowd-participation vibe from the moment the black and white screen flashed with "Be My Baby" playing in the background. Everyone whistled when Patrick Swayze first appeared and clapped at the end of the first (awkward) dance between Johnny and Baby.
No one talked during the dialogue; everyone bopped in their seats when a great dance number took place.
This is the kind of cinema camaraderie I live for.
But getting back to the movie—yes, it's cheesy, campy and all of the other anti-snobby words you could call it, but it's also a movie about Social Class. And Abortion. And True Love. And Creative Expression.
The characters are drawn with very bold strokes, but in this case, it's a welcome blatancy.
And although the movie takes place in the 60s, it's got a definite 80s vibe with tunes from Eric Carmen and the like, providing the romantic backdrop.
A few of the scenes (Johnny and Baby crawling toward one another lip syncing; Baby practicing her dance moves on the steps) really took me back to the age I was when this came out—12.
I distinctly remember knowing every important line, singing songs from the soundtrack at slumber parties, and having a serious crush on Mr. Swayze.
Good times.
And after 20 years, since I still feel like getting up in the aisle and dancing along with the characters throughout, it must be a good film.
Why am I writing a review of it now, 20 years after its release? Well, that's why. Tonight (and last night) all over the country, there were limited screenings of the film in honor of its 20th Anniversary. And to be honest, I'm the type of geek these 'fan events' are made for. The minute I saw the trailer for it months ago, my nostalgia antennae went up and I knew I couldn't miss it.
I'm so glad I didn't.
For a Seattle crowd, the group was loud—but in a good way. The energy was high, the giggles were frequent and the men were, well, scarce.
It had a crowd-participation vibe from the moment the black and white screen flashed with "Be My Baby" playing in the background. Everyone whistled when Patrick Swayze first appeared and clapped at the end of the first (awkward) dance between Johnny and Baby.
No one talked during the dialogue; everyone bopped in their seats when a great dance number took place.
This is the kind of cinema camaraderie I live for.
But getting back to the movie—yes, it's cheesy, campy and all of the other anti-snobby words you could call it, but it's also a movie about Social Class. And Abortion. And True Love. And Creative Expression.
The characters are drawn with very bold strokes, but in this case, it's a welcome blatancy.
And although the movie takes place in the 60s, it's got a definite 80s vibe with tunes from Eric Carmen and the like, providing the romantic backdrop.
A few of the scenes (Johnny and Baby crawling toward one another lip syncing; Baby practicing her dance moves on the steps) really took me back to the age I was when this came out—12.
I distinctly remember knowing every important line, singing songs from the soundtrack at slumber parties, and having a serious crush on Mr. Swayze.
Good times.
And after 20 years, since I still feel like getting up in the aisle and dancing along with the characters throughout, it must be a good film.
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