My notes on La La Land: 1. One character in this film probably summed up my entire viewing experience of this oftentimes joyous homage to classic Hollywood musicals: "How are you going to be a revolutionary if you're such a traditionalist?" Damien Chazelle (who also directed Whiplash, one of the best of 2014) concocted such a nostalgic fantasy world that easily razzle dazzled the audience and made them forget that they were basically watching the same old romance tropes (why am I mentioning romance like it's a dirty word?). I think Billy Flynn in Chicago said it best with "How can they see with sequins (or in this case, thousands of stars?) in their eyes?".
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