“Women writers and directors are working as hard as men. It’s not right if we don’t give them chance to be seen.”
Legendary Italian filmmaker Liliana Cavani called for greater recognition of female filmmakers at the opening ceremony for the 80th Venice Film Festival this evening (August 30).
Ninety-year-old Cavani received the honorary Golden Lion award recognising her career, which spans seven decades.
“I’m the first female person to receive this award,” said Cavani. “There are women writers and directors who are working as well as men. It’s not quite right if we don’t give them a chance to be seen.
Legendary Italian filmmaker Liliana Cavani called for greater recognition of female filmmakers at the opening ceremony for the 80th Venice Film Festival this evening (August 30).
Ninety-year-old Cavani received the honorary Golden Lion award recognising her career, which spans seven decades.
“I’m the first female person to receive this award,” said Cavani. “There are women writers and directors who are working as well as men. It’s not quite right if we don’t give them a chance to be seen.
- 8/30/2023
- by Ben Dalton
- ScreenDaily
The films in the running for the 2023 Best Original Score Oscar are “All Quiet on the Western Front,” “Babylon,” “The Banshees of Inisherin,” “Everything Everywhere All at Once,” and “The Fabelmans.” Our current odds indicate that “Babylon” (69/20) will take the prize, followed in order of likelihood by “All Quiet on the Western Front” (19/5), “The Fabelmans” (4/1), “The Banshees of Inisherin” (9/2), and “Everything Everywhere All at Once” (9/2).
Four of the seven individual artists included in this lineup are returning contenders, with the newcomer subset consisting of Son Lux bandmates and fellow “Everything Everywhere All at Once” nominees Rafiq Bhatia, Ian Chang, and Ryan Lott. Bhatia and Chang are two of only nine Asian composers to ever achieve academy recognition and could become the first such champions since A. R. Rahman (“Slumdog Millionaire”) in 2009.
John Williams (“The Fabelmans”) stands out from the category veterans in that he has competed for this award 48 times...
Four of the seven individual artists included in this lineup are returning contenders, with the newcomer subset consisting of Son Lux bandmates and fellow “Everything Everywhere All at Once” nominees Rafiq Bhatia, Ian Chang, and Ryan Lott. Bhatia and Chang are two of only nine Asian composers to ever achieve academy recognition and could become the first such champions since A. R. Rahman (“Slumdog Millionaire”) in 2009.
John Williams (“The Fabelmans”) stands out from the category veterans in that he has competed for this award 48 times...
- 3/11/2023
- by Matthew Stewart
- Gold Derby
The Society of Composers & Lyricists (Scl) presented the winners of the 4th Annual Scl Awards for score and songs in visual media tonight at the Skirball Cultural Center.
The evening was hosted by Darren Criss, who also gave the audience a musical performance. Awards were presented across seven categories for music in visual media in addition to the Spirit of Collaboration Award and two Jury Awards.
The Spirit of Collaboration Award was presented to Oscar-winning composer Justin Hurwitz and Oscar-winning filmmaker Damien Chazelle. The composer and filmmaker have collaborated on five films, including Babylon, La La Land, Whiplash, the First Man, and Guy and Madeline on a Park Bench. The presentation of the award was accompanied by a musical performance including “Audition (The Fools Who Dream)” from La La Land, the First Man theme for harp and theremin, and a Babylon Medley, including “Voodoo Mama” and “Herman’s Hustle.
The evening was hosted by Darren Criss, who also gave the audience a musical performance. Awards were presented across seven categories for music in visual media in addition to the Spirit of Collaboration Award and two Jury Awards.
The Spirit of Collaboration Award was presented to Oscar-winning composer Justin Hurwitz and Oscar-winning filmmaker Damien Chazelle. The composer and filmmaker have collaborated on five films, including Babylon, La La Land, Whiplash, the First Man, and Guy and Madeline on a Park Bench. The presentation of the award was accompanied by a musical performance including “Audition (The Fools Who Dream)” from La La Land, the First Man theme for harp and theremin, and a Babylon Medley, including “Voodoo Mama” and “Herman’s Hustle.
- 2/16/2023
- by Bruce Haring
- Deadline Film + TV
So many filmmakers have found their way into the industry through genre movies. Horror has long been the genre where you can always cobble together a bit of money together and make something people will watch, because there is a dedicated, loyal audience willing to shell out for just about anything, regardless of quality. The financial risk of a film becomes much lower if you've got some prurient thrills that genre fans can't help but ignore. Some filmmakers are thrilled to operate within that realm, delivering exactly what the audience wants, but some see it as a means to an end, as a way to get their foot in the door to make the things they actually have a passion for.
Looking at the directorial work of Academy Award winner Damien Chazelle, it's clear that horror isn't exactly what gets him going creatively. He loves to make movies about people obsessed with their jobs,...
Looking at the directorial work of Academy Award winner Damien Chazelle, it's clear that horror isn't exactly what gets him going creatively. He loves to make movies about people obsessed with their jobs,...
- 2/13/2023
- by Mike Shutt
- Slash Film
Blumhouse is a household name among horror fans. The studio, founded by the eponymous Jason Blum, is a frequent producing partner of James Wan and helped launch the directing career of Jordan Peele by producing "Get Out." The studio has a track record of both reviving dormant horror staples, whether it be "Halloween" or "The Invisible Man," and creating new ones, such as this year's "M3GAN."
The Blumhouse catalog is not entirely horror, though. In 2014, the studio produced "Whiplash" alongside "Paranormal Activity" and "The Purge" sequels. Some might argue that the former film, about an aspiring drummer Andrew Neiman (Miles Teller) enduring "Full Metal Jacket" style abuse from his instructor Terence Fletcher (Jk Simmons) is a flavor of psychological horror. Still, compared to Blumhouse's usual output, it's a grounded drama.
This makes director Damien Chazelle another wunderkind filmmaker who Blumhouse helped along. During an interview with /Film's own Ben Pearson,...
The Blumhouse catalog is not entirely horror, though. In 2014, the studio produced "Whiplash" alongside "Paranormal Activity" and "The Purge" sequels. Some might argue that the former film, about an aspiring drummer Andrew Neiman (Miles Teller) enduring "Full Metal Jacket" style abuse from his instructor Terence Fletcher (Jk Simmons) is a flavor of psychological horror. Still, compared to Blumhouse's usual output, it's a grounded drama.
This makes director Damien Chazelle another wunderkind filmmaker who Blumhouse helped along. During an interview with /Film's own Ben Pearson,...
- 2/12/2023
- by Devin Meenan
- Slash Film
Paramount Pictures has signed a multi-year, first-look directing and producing deal with Damien Chazelle and Olivia Hamilton’s Wild Chickens Productions. The announcement comes just before the studio is set to release “Babylon,” a Dionysian epic set in the world of silent movies that Chazelle wrote and directed and Hamilton produced. “Babylon” opens on Dec. 23.
“Damien is one of the rare auteur filmmakers making an indelible mark on the theatrical landscape, and it’s a testament to this studio’s best-in-class production, marketing and distribution teams that he and his producing partner, Olivia, have decided to make Paramount Pictures their creative home,” said Paramount Pictures President and CEO Brian Robbins.
Chazelle is the Oscar-winning director of “La La Land” and also directed “Whiplash” and “First Man.” He made his first feature, “Guy and Madeline on a Park Bench,” as an undergraduate student, and the film premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival.
“Damien is one of the rare auteur filmmakers making an indelible mark on the theatrical landscape, and it’s a testament to this studio’s best-in-class production, marketing and distribution teams that he and his producing partner, Olivia, have decided to make Paramount Pictures their creative home,” said Paramount Pictures President and CEO Brian Robbins.
Chazelle is the Oscar-winning director of “La La Land” and also directed “Whiplash” and “First Man.” He made his first feature, “Guy and Madeline on a Park Bench,” as an undergraduate student, and the film premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival.
- 12/13/2022
- by Brent Lang
- Variety Film + TV
Spoiler Alert: Do not read if you have not yet watched “The Eddy,” streaming now on Netflix.
“The Eddy” opens with a five-minute long take, the camera weaving its way through the titular Parisian jazz club, lingering on the house band as the members swing through an upbeat number before leaving for the pitch black, cigarette-strewn streets.
It’s an opening shot that embodies the complexity and beauty viewers have come to expect from Damien Chazelle, who makes his television debut with the first two episodes of the new Netflix series. But the club’s American owner Elliot Udo (André Holland) is not impressed. He knows the band is off the pace; its mercurial lead singer Maja (Joanna Kulig) isn’t feeling it tonight.
The band might seem in sync to the average listener, but not to Elliot, nor Glen Ballard, the Grammy-winning producer who first dreamt up “The Eddy,...
“The Eddy” opens with a five-minute long take, the camera weaving its way through the titular Parisian jazz club, lingering on the house band as the members swing through an upbeat number before leaving for the pitch black, cigarette-strewn streets.
It’s an opening shot that embodies the complexity and beauty viewers have come to expect from Damien Chazelle, who makes his television debut with the first two episodes of the new Netflix series. But the club’s American owner Elliot Udo (André Holland) is not impressed. He knows the band is off the pace; its mercurial lead singer Maja (Joanna Kulig) isn’t feeling it tonight.
The band might seem in sync to the average listener, but not to Elliot, nor Glen Ballard, the Grammy-winning producer who first dreamt up “The Eddy,...
- 5/8/2020
- by Will Thorne
- Variety Film + TV
Academy Award-winning composer Justin Hurwitz teamed up with director Damien Chazelle once again to create the music behind the Neil Armstrong biopic, First Man. Hurwitz has worked with the director on his previous films, including La La Land, Whiplash, and Guy and Madeline on a Park Bench.
Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, Hurwitz explained the overall themes he brought to the film, saying, "Damien wanted to explore grief, loss and pain."
"He wanted to also use those themes in different ways throughout the movie, so we could use the same themes that score some of his very painful moments early on ...
Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, Hurwitz explained the overall themes he brought to the film, saying, "Damien wanted to explore grief, loss and pain."
"He wanted to also use those themes in different ways throughout the movie, so we could use the same themes that score some of his very painful moments early on ...
Academy Award-winning composer Justin Hurwitz teamed up with director Damien Chazelle once again to create the music behind the Neil Armstrong biopic, First Man. Hurwitz has worked with the director on his previous films, including La La Land, Whiplash, and Guy and Madeline on a Park Bench.
Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, Hurwitz explained the overall themes he brought to the film, saying, "Damien wanted to explore grief, loss and pain."
"He wanted to also use those themes in different ways throughout the movie, so we could use the same themes that score some of his very painful moments early on ...
Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, Hurwitz explained the overall themes he brought to the film, saying, "Damien wanted to explore grief, loss and pain."
"He wanted to also use those themes in different ways throughout the movie, so we could use the same themes that score some of his very painful moments early on ...
When Neil Armstrong (Ryan Gosling) lands on the moon and exits the spacecraft, the “First Man” soundtrack goes quiet, the camera still, and the image expands to accommodate the IMAX-shot footage. The 15 minutes leading up to this inevitable, climatic moment of Armstrong’s first steps on the moon move like music. Not unlike director Damien Chazelle’s previous film, “La La Land,” the visuals are carefully designed to match the timing and emotion of composer Justin Hurwitz’s score.
This third act conclusion is the polar opposite of the 110 minutes that preceded it, when the film leaned heavily on documentary-style footage. As a guest on IndieWire’s Filmmaker Toolkit podcast, the Oscar-winning director explained that building emotional currents toward the cinematic explosion of the film’s conclusion required using the camera to unearth the man behind the myth.
Subscribe via Apple Podcasts to the Filmmaker Toolkit Podcast
“With someone like Neil Armstrong,...
This third act conclusion is the polar opposite of the 110 minutes that preceded it, when the film leaned heavily on documentary-style footage. As a guest on IndieWire’s Filmmaker Toolkit podcast, the Oscar-winning director explained that building emotional currents toward the cinematic explosion of the film’s conclusion required using the camera to unearth the man behind the myth.
Subscribe via Apple Podcasts to the Filmmaker Toolkit Podcast
“With someone like Neil Armstrong,...
- 11/1/2018
- by Chris O'Falt
- Indiewire
Over the past several years Damien Chazelle has made one giant leap from obscurity to Oscars. The 33-year-old’s last two films won a combined nine trophies: three for “Whiplash” (2014) and six for “La La Land” (2016), including Best Director. That all begs the question, will Chazelle’s latest movie “First Man” continue his out-of-this-world Oscar streak?
SEEHow will ‘First Man’ take off at the Oscars?
Ryan Gosling stars as astronaut Neil Armstrong in Chazelle’s biopic about the first man to walk on the moon. Claire Foy plays Neil’s wife Janet Shearon, who’s put through hell on earth as her husband sets off on a potentially one-way mission with his partner Buzz Aldrin (Corey Stoll). In addition to directing the Universal picture, Chazelle also serves as a producer along with Wyck Godfrey, Marty Bowen and Isaac Klausner. “First Man” was released October 12 in the Us, with Josh Singer...
SEEHow will ‘First Man’ take off at the Oscars?
Ryan Gosling stars as astronaut Neil Armstrong in Chazelle’s biopic about the first man to walk on the moon. Claire Foy plays Neil’s wife Janet Shearon, who’s put through hell on earth as her husband sets off on a potentially one-way mission with his partner Buzz Aldrin (Corey Stoll). In addition to directing the Universal picture, Chazelle also serves as a producer along with Wyck Godfrey, Marty Bowen and Isaac Klausner. “First Man” was released October 12 in the Us, with Josh Singer...
- 10/24/2018
- by Marcus James Dixon
- Gold Derby
Updated – Casey Affleck will produce the sports drama “Fencer” through his Sea Change Media company and will take a small supporting role in the movie.
Jasmine McGlade is directing from her own script about a hard-charging female fencer attempting to make the U.S. Olympic team while facing personal demons and childhood rivals. Sea Change Media executive Whitaker Lader is also producing.
McGlade made her feature directorial debut with the 2011 drama “Maria My Love.” She also produced Damien Chazelle’s “Guy and Madeline on a Park Bench” and was an executive producer on Chazelle’s “La La Land.”
Affleck will next be seen opposite Robert Redford and Sissy Spacek in “The Old Man & the Gun,” which Fox Searchlight opens on Sept. 28.
News of Affleck’s attachment comes two week after he apologized for his “unprofessional” actions following sexual harassment allegations and admitted to contributing to an unprofessional environment on the...
Jasmine McGlade is directing from her own script about a hard-charging female fencer attempting to make the U.S. Olympic team while facing personal demons and childhood rivals. Sea Change Media executive Whitaker Lader is also producing.
McGlade made her feature directorial debut with the 2011 drama “Maria My Love.” She also produced Damien Chazelle’s “Guy and Madeline on a Park Bench” and was an executive producer on Chazelle’s “La La Land.”
Affleck will next be seen opposite Robert Redford and Sissy Spacek in “The Old Man & the Gun,” which Fox Searchlight opens on Sept. 28.
News of Affleck’s attachment comes two week after he apologized for his “unprofessional” actions following sexual harassment allegations and admitted to contributing to an unprofessional environment on the...
- 8/24/2018
- by Dave McNary
- Variety Film + TV
The 50-year-old American Film Institute is merging the staffs of its two film festivals, Los Angeles’ AFI Fest (November 8–15) and Washington, D.C’s AFI Docs (June 13-17) — and with that, the nonprofit is losing AFI Fest Mvp Jacqueline Lyanga. Over her eight years as festival director, Lyanga built what many say is impossible: a world-class film festival in Hollywood. When AFI president and CEO Bob Gazzale began discussions this spring about merging the festivals’ teams, Lyanga chose to leave.
She could have led both festivals, but the conversation didn’t get that far. She wasn’t willing, sources say, to run them with fewer people doing more work. But the budgets for both festivals are going up, Gazzale told me: “Our goal is to be more efficient for the benefit of the films and filmmakers.”
Lyanga will consult with AFI through June. As she looks at other opportunities — there...
She could have led both festivals, but the conversation didn’t get that far. She wasn’t willing, sources say, to run them with fewer people doing more work. But the budgets for both festivals are going up, Gazzale told me: “Our goal is to be more efficient for the benefit of the films and filmmakers.”
Lyanga will consult with AFI through June. As she looks at other opportunities — there...
- 6/12/2018
- by Anne Thompson
- Thompson on Hollywood
The 50-year-old American Film Institute is merging the staffs of its two film festivals, Los Angeles’ AFI Fest (November 8–15) and Washington, D.C’s AFI Docs (June 13-17) — and with that, the nonprofit is losing AFI Fest Mvp Jacqueline Lyanga. Over her eight years as festival director, Lyanga built what many say is impossible: a world-class film festival in Hollywood. When AFI president and CEO Bob Gazzale began discussions this spring about merging the festivals’ teams, Lyanga chose to leave.
She could have led both festivals, but the conversation didn’t get that far. She wasn’t willing, sources say, to run them with fewer people doing more work. But the budgets for both festivals are going up, Gazzale told me: “Our goal is to be more efficient for the benefit of the films and filmmakers.”
Lyanga will consult with AFI through June. As she looks at other opportunities — there...
She could have led both festivals, but the conversation didn’t get that far. She wasn’t willing, sources say, to run them with fewer people doing more work. But the budgets for both festivals are going up, Gazzale told me: “Our goal is to be more efficient for the benefit of the films and filmmakers.”
Lyanga will consult with AFI through June. As she looks at other opportunities — there...
- 6/12/2018
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
Though major studios used to crank them out by the truckload, today the movie musical is a fairly infrequent occurrence — not just because they’re commercially risky but because the genre itself is an inherently ambitious undertaking. Ranging from “Once” to Damien Chazelle’s pre-“La La Land” romance “Guy and Madeline on a Park Bench,” there have been some moderately successful attempts at making indie musicals on a micro-budget, but the question still lingers of whether audiences are willing to accept a modern movie in which people sing out their emotions.
In a risky departure from a résumé otherwise dominated by broad comedy, Josh Klausner gives it a stab with “Wanderland.” Different though it may be from his 1999 debut “The 4th Floor” — a quasi-horror thriller with surreal touches — this oddball effort is more an exercise in low-key quirkiness set in a slightly alternative universe where everything but our protagonist is a little “off.
In a risky departure from a résumé otherwise dominated by broad comedy, Josh Klausner gives it a stab with “Wanderland.” Different though it may be from his 1999 debut “The 4th Floor” — a quasi-horror thriller with surreal touches — this oddball effort is more an exercise in low-key quirkiness set in a slightly alternative universe where everything but our protagonist is a little “off.
- 4/20/2018
- by Dennis Harvey
- Variety Film + TV
“What do you mean you don’t like jazz?” Ryan Gosling‘s Sebastien says in disbelief in “La La Land.” The statement might’ve come straight from the mouth of its director Damien Chazelle, who made three straight films — “Guy and Madeline on a Park Bench,” “Whiplash” and “La La land” — with jazz as the centrepiece. However, don’t expect to hear “Caravan” — or anything like it — in Chazelle’s upcoming “First Man.”
Starring Ryan Gosling, Kyle Chandler, Corey Stoll, and Jason Clarke, written by Oscar winner Josh Singer (“Spotlight”), and based on James R.
Continue reading ‘La La Land’ & ‘Whiplash’ Director Damien Chazelle’s ‘First Man’ Won’t Have A Jazz Score at The Playlist.
Starring Ryan Gosling, Kyle Chandler, Corey Stoll, and Jason Clarke, written by Oscar winner Josh Singer (“Spotlight”), and based on James R.
Continue reading ‘La La Land’ & ‘Whiplash’ Director Damien Chazelle’s ‘First Man’ Won’t Have A Jazz Score at The Playlist.
- 1/31/2018
- by Kevin Jagernauth
- The Playlist
Commentary Commentary“There’s no number in this movie that we didn’t try cutting at some point.”
La La Land may not have won Best Picture at the Academy Awards, but it’s still a delightfully mesmerizing experience with one of last year’s best endings. It hits Blu-ray/DVD next week, and along with an 80 minute making-of documentary the disc features a commentary with the film’s award-winning writer/director and composer.
Keep reading to see what I heard on the commentary for…
La La Land (2016)
Commentators: Damien Chazelle (writer/director), Justin Hurwitz (composer)
1. Chazelle wanted his Cinemascope opening to replicate the widening aspect ratio he recalled seeing in Frank Tashlin’s 1956 film, The Girl Can’t Help It.
https://medium.com/media/9380e26eac8c1822373ef72457dcfef7/href
2. The opening scene is modeled in some ways on 1932’s Love Me Tonight which “begins with a cacophony of street noises, Paris...
La La Land may not have won Best Picture at the Academy Awards, but it’s still a delightfully mesmerizing experience with one of last year’s best endings. It hits Blu-ray/DVD next week, and along with an 80 minute making-of documentary the disc features a commentary with the film’s award-winning writer/director and composer.
Keep reading to see what I heard on the commentary for…
La La Land (2016)
Commentators: Damien Chazelle (writer/director), Justin Hurwitz (composer)
1. Chazelle wanted his Cinemascope opening to replicate the widening aspect ratio he recalled seeing in Frank Tashlin’s 1956 film, The Girl Can’t Help It.
https://medium.com/media/9380e26eac8c1822373ef72457dcfef7/href
2. The opening scene is modeled in some ways on 1932’s Love Me Tonight which “begins with a cacophony of street noises, Paris...
- 4/19/2017
- by Rob Hunter
- FilmSchoolRejects.com
Say that five times fast.
Though you might not be familiar with the term “whip pan,” I promise you’re familiar with the effect, especially if you’re a fan of the films of director Damien Chazelle. A whip pan is, as the name indicates, a type of pan shot, but one that moves so quickly from one focal point to another that the imagery between them becomes blurred. Primarily it has two functions: to indicate either a brief passage of time, or to emphasize a frenetic sense of action or motion.
I mentioned the name of Chazelle because in all three of his feature films to-date — 2009’s Guy and Madeline on a Park Bench, 2014’s Whiplash, and of course last year’s La La Land — he’s made copious and effective use of the whip pan to a variety of effects, as evidenced in the following montage from editor Alejandro Torriggino that collects every pan from...
Though you might not be familiar with the term “whip pan,” I promise you’re familiar with the effect, especially if you’re a fan of the films of director Damien Chazelle. A whip pan is, as the name indicates, a type of pan shot, but one that moves so quickly from one focal point to another that the imagery between them becomes blurred. Primarily it has two functions: to indicate either a brief passage of time, or to emphasize a frenetic sense of action or motion.
I mentioned the name of Chazelle because in all three of his feature films to-date — 2009’s Guy and Madeline on a Park Bench, 2014’s Whiplash, and of course last year’s La La Land — he’s made copious and effective use of the whip pan to a variety of effects, as evidenced in the following montage from editor Alejandro Torriggino that collects every pan from...
- 3/21/2017
- by H. Perry Horton
- FilmSchoolRejects.com
Before “La La Land” and “Whiplash,” there was “Guy and Madeline On A Park Bench,” Damien Chazelle’s debut musical, which he wrote, directed, produced, shot and co-edited while still at Harvard, in 2009. Now, the soundtrack for the Godard-inspired black-and-white musical will be released for the first time ever this March, via Milan Records.
Chazelle’s directorial debut also includes music by fellow Harvard alum Justin Hurwitz, who later composed the songs and scores for Chazelle’s Academy Award winners “Whiplash” and “La La Land”. The director and the composer met while at Harvard, where they played in the same band.
Read More: Damien Chazelle Wins Oscar For Best Director For ‘La La Land’
“Guy and Madeline On A Park Bench” tells the story of a young couple formed by a talented up-and-coming trumpet player and a shy young woman without any life goals. When they break up, the lovers...
Chazelle’s directorial debut also includes music by fellow Harvard alum Justin Hurwitz, who later composed the songs and scores for Chazelle’s Academy Award winners “Whiplash” and “La La Land”. The director and the composer met while at Harvard, where they played in the same band.
Read More: Damien Chazelle Wins Oscar For Best Director For ‘La La Land’
“Guy and Madeline On A Park Bench” tells the story of a young couple formed by a talented up-and-coming trumpet player and a shy young woman without any life goals. When they break up, the lovers...
- 2/28/2017
- by Yoselin Acevedo
- Indiewire
With a seemingly endless amount of streaming options — not only the titles at our disposal, but services themselves — we’ve taken it upon ourselves to highlight the titles that have recently hit platforms. Every week, one will be able to see the cream of the crop (or perhaps some simply interesting picks) of streaming titles (new and old) across platforms such as Netflix, iTunes, Amazon, and more (note: U.S. only). Check out our rundown for this week’s selections below.
Allied (Robert Zemeckis)
That thing we can’t take for granted: a film whose many parts – period piece, war picture, blood-spattered actioner, deception-fueled espionage thriller, sexy romance, and, at certain turns, comedy – can gracefully move in conjunction and separate from each other, just as its labyrinthine-but-not-quite plot jumps from one setpiece to the next with little trouble in maintaining a consistency of overall pleasure. Another late-career triumph for Robert Zemeckis,...
Allied (Robert Zemeckis)
That thing we can’t take for granted: a film whose many parts – period piece, war picture, blood-spattered actioner, deception-fueled espionage thriller, sexy romance, and, at certain turns, comedy – can gracefully move in conjunction and separate from each other, just as its labyrinthine-but-not-quite plot jumps from one setpiece to the next with little trouble in maintaining a consistency of overall pleasure. Another late-career triumph for Robert Zemeckis,...
- 2/17/2017
- by The Film Stage
- The Film Stage
Even after “Whiplash” turned him into a hot filmmaker, Damien Chazelle kept his eyes on his own goals. He maintained a monk-like focus and intensity, which was shared by his composer, collaborator, and chum, fellow Harvard grad Justin Hurwitz. Film student Chazelle got school credit for his thesis movie, black-and-white jazzy Nouvelle Vague musical homage “Guy and Madeline on a Park Bench” (2010, Variance Films), although music major Hurwitz did not.
Read More: 10 Musicals to Watch on Netflix If You Just Can’t Get Enough ‘La La Land’
“It was a musical,” Chazelle told me, “the really low-budget, student laboratory for this. It had somewhat similar ideas about the genre, and at the time I was loving old Hollywood musicals, Fred and Ginger, and Gene Kelly, but also loving documentary film and trying to think of a way to make a realistic musical: combine a modern look at a city with the old musicals.
Read More: 10 Musicals to Watch on Netflix If You Just Can’t Get Enough ‘La La Land’
“It was a musical,” Chazelle told me, “the really low-budget, student laboratory for this. It had somewhat similar ideas about the genre, and at the time I was loving old Hollywood musicals, Fred and Ginger, and Gene Kelly, but also loving documentary film and trying to think of a way to make a realistic musical: combine a modern look at a city with the old musicals.
- 2/15/2017
- by Anne Thompson
- Thompson on Hollywood
Even after “Whiplash” turned him into a hot filmmaker, Damien Chazelle kept his eyes on his own goals. He maintained a monk-like focus and intensity, which was shared by his composer, collaborator, and chum, fellow Harvard grad Justin Hurwitz. Film student Chazelle got school credit for his thesis movie, black-and-white jazzy Nouvelle Vague musical homage “Guy and Madeline on a Park Bench” (2010, Variance Films), although music major Hurwitz did not.
Read More: 10 Musicals to Watch on Netflix If You Just Can’t Get Enough ‘La La Land’
“It was a musical,” Chazelle told me, “the really low-budget, student laboratory for this. It had somewhat similar ideas about the genre, and at the time I was loving old Hollywood musicals, Fred and Ginger, and Gene Kelly, but also loving documentary film and trying to think of a way to make a realistic musical: combine a modern look at a city with the old musicals.
Read More: 10 Musicals to Watch on Netflix If You Just Can’t Get Enough ‘La La Land’
“It was a musical,” Chazelle told me, “the really low-budget, student laboratory for this. It had somewhat similar ideas about the genre, and at the time I was loving old Hollywood musicals, Fred and Ginger, and Gene Kelly, but also loving documentary film and trying to think of a way to make a realistic musical: combine a modern look at a city with the old musicals.
- 2/15/2017
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
When Justin Hurwitz first collaborated with Damien Chazelle, the director had yet to make his breakout “Whiplash.” Now, “La La Land” maestro Justin Hurwitz has three Oscar nominations for the hit musical, and is the favorite to walk away with two of the statues at the Academy Awards on February 26.
“We couldn’t find a studio or any kind of financing,” said Hurwitz. “We couldn’t make the movie. So we were just working on it because we we believed in it and we were passionate about the story and the idea of doing a totally original musical.”
Hurwitz and Chazelle met at Harvard, and have been collaborators since Chazelle’s black-and-white jazz musical “Guy and Madeline on a Park Bench,” which they started filming as undergrads. As a result, Hurwitz came into “La La Land” well aware of Chazelle’s drive and desire for perfection.
“This is the third...
“We couldn’t find a studio or any kind of financing,” said Hurwitz. “We couldn’t make the movie. So we were just working on it because we we believed in it and we were passionate about the story and the idea of doing a totally original musical.”
Hurwitz and Chazelle met at Harvard, and have been collaborators since Chazelle’s black-and-white jazz musical “Guy and Madeline on a Park Bench,” which they started filming as undergrads. As a result, Hurwitz came into “La La Land” well aware of Chazelle’s drive and desire for perfection.
“This is the third...
- 2/13/2017
- by Chris O'Falt
- Indiewire
Whiplash. Back in 2011, Chazelle was just a New York transplant with Hollywood hopes of creating a modern musical with original music — a commercially risky proposition that seemed overly ambitious for a young director with only one movie (2009's Guy and Madeline on a Park Bench) under his belt. But Berger, Horowitz and fellow producers Marc Platt and Gary Gilbert stuck with Chazelle and his dream, which eventually became La La Land, starring Emma Stone as...
- 2/12/2017
- by Rebecca Ford
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Since its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival last August, Damien Chazelle’s romantic musical “La La Land” has racked up critical and commercial acclaim. It’s grossed over $174 million against a $30 million budget, it won seven Golden Globes at this year’s ceremony (more than any other film in the award’s history) and just recently received 14 Oscar nominations.
Read More: Full 2017 Oscar Nominations List: ‘La La Land’ Ties All-Time Record With 14 Nominations
One of the film’s most enduring qualities are its numerous homages to other film musicals throughout history. Editor Sara Preciado created a “La La Land” video that features a side-by-side comparison of the film and its various tributes. As the video demonstrates, “La La Land” pays homage to films like “Singin’ in the Rain,” “The Young Girls of Rochefort,” “The Umbrellas of Cherbourg,” “West Side Story,” “Moulin Rouge!” and more. Watch the video below.
Read More: Full 2017 Oscar Nominations List: ‘La La Land’ Ties All-Time Record With 14 Nominations
One of the film’s most enduring qualities are its numerous homages to other film musicals throughout history. Editor Sara Preciado created a “La La Land” video that features a side-by-side comparison of the film and its various tributes. As the video demonstrates, “La La Land” pays homage to films like “Singin’ in the Rain,” “The Young Girls of Rochefort,” “The Umbrellas of Cherbourg,” “West Side Story,” “Moulin Rouge!” and more. Watch the video below.
- 1/25/2017
- by Vikram Murthi
- Indiewire
When the Oscars announced the 2017 nominations on Tuesday, La La Land garnered 14 nominations, matching the record held by James Cameron's 1990s juggernaut Titanic. Two of those 14 went to Justin Hurwitz's music in the Best Original Song category. But Hurwitz will be competing with heavy hitters, with the other nominees either voiced or written by proven pop stars: Alessia Cara, who recorded a Lin-Manuel Miranda composition, "How Far I'll Go," for Moana; Sting, who co-wrote "The Empty Chair" with J. Ralph for Jim: The James Foley Story; and Justin Timberlake,...
- 1/24/2017
- Rollingstone.com
Looking back at director Damien Chazelle’s back catalogue, debut feature Guy and Madeline on a Park bench, his script for Grand Piano, and the film that made his name, Whiplash, it’s clear to see that his tastes in movies veer towards the musical. His latest feature, the seemingly unstoppable award winning juggernaut La La Land, sees all those loves and influences come to a head in an old school throwback that pays loving homage to an age of cinema where bright colours and the cast regularly burst into song. But does this romantic musical comedy/drama deserve the universal acclaim and record setting seven Golden Globe awards? Short answer: yes. A hundred times yes. Set in a Los Angeles (as much a character as the two leads) where the golden age of Hollywood bumps against the modern day, La La Land wastes no time in letting the audience...
- 1/16/2017
- by noreply@blogger.com (Tom White)
- www.themoviebit.com
Stars: Emma Stone, Ryan Gosling, John Legend, Rosemarie DeWitt, Amiée Conn, Terry Walters, Thom Shelton, Callie Hernandez, Jessica Rothe, Sonoya Mizuno, J.K. Simmons, Jason Fuchs | Written and Directed by Damien Chazelle
The third film from Damien Chazelle, in what might be dubbed his “Jazz Trilogy”, La La Land eschews the New Wave immediacy of Guy and Madeline on a Park Bench and the psychological horror notes of Whiplash, and brings us a blast of Golden Age musical energy. La La Land arrives on a zephyr of hype; and while it’s not up to the standard of his previous feature, it has a certain charm of its own.
Except, it’s not really its own. Like The Artist before it, La La Land is an awards-friendly picture – proudly presented in “Cinemascope” – which is inextricably wedded to past glories. Yet I’m not sure its modern elements are entirely comfortable in the relationship.
The third film from Damien Chazelle, in what might be dubbed his “Jazz Trilogy”, La La Land eschews the New Wave immediacy of Guy and Madeline on a Park Bench and the psychological horror notes of Whiplash, and brings us a blast of Golden Age musical energy. La La Land arrives on a zephyr of hype; and while it’s not up to the standard of his previous feature, it has a certain charm of its own.
Except, it’s not really its own. Like The Artist before it, La La Land is an awards-friendly picture – proudly presented in “Cinemascope” – which is inextricably wedded to past glories. Yet I’m not sure its modern elements are entirely comfortable in the relationship.
- 1/13/2017
- by Rupert Harvey
- Nerdly
Since its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival last year, Damien Chazelle’s romantic musical “La La Land” has garnered widespread critical acclaim and has grossed over $90 million worldwide. Last Sunday, the film won seven Golden Globes, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor and Best Actress, breaking the record of most wins by a single film. Now, the film might have the opportunity to come alive on the stage.
Read More: ‘La La Land’ Review: A Lively Supercut of Classic Musicals Starring Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Lionsgate Motion Picture Group co-president Erik Feig told investors this past Tuesday that the studio eventually may mount a touring stage show “If we want to do a stage show, we can do a stage show,” says Feig, pointing to Lionsgate’s “Step Up” franchise as a template for adapting a film for the stage.
The...
Read More: ‘La La Land’ Review: A Lively Supercut of Classic Musicals Starring Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Lionsgate Motion Picture Group co-president Erik Feig told investors this past Tuesday that the studio eventually may mount a touring stage show “If we want to do a stage show, we can do a stage show,” says Feig, pointing to Lionsgate’s “Step Up” franchise as a template for adapting a film for the stage.
The...
- 1/12/2017
- by Vikram Murthi
- Indiewire
Nothing makes for stranger bedfellows than the best original song category at a movie (and television) awards show. Last year at the Golden Globes, we saw the theme song from a Bond film go up against a Brian Wilson song and and a Charlie Puth tune — with a Wiz Khalifa guest verse — from a Fast and the Furious film.
This year, it’s a similarly mixed bag, with Justin Timberlake rubbing elbows with Iggy Pop and Stevie Wonder. Let’s take a look at the tunes.
“Can’t Stop the Feeling”
From teen idol to troll? Not exactly. Justin Timberlake...
This year, it’s a similarly mixed bag, with Justin Timberlake rubbing elbows with Iggy Pop and Stevie Wonder. Let’s take a look at the tunes.
“Can’t Stop the Feeling”
From teen idol to troll? Not exactly. Justin Timberlake...
- 1/3/2017
- by alexheigl
- PEOPLE.com
"I wanted the movie to be a love letter to not just dreams, but to the kinds of dreams that society often mocks." He's only 31 years old, but has already made two of my favorite movies. Damien Chazelle is the writer/director of Guy and Madeline on a Park Bench, Whiplash (from 2014) and this year's La La Land, an exuberant and exciting musical that is my #1 movie of the year. La La Land premiered to rave reviews at the Venice, Telluride, and Toronto Film Festivals this fall and is now playing in theaters nationwide. I was lucky enough to catch up with Chazelle at the Telluride Film Festival and sit down to talk about making La La Land. I was still on a high from the movie, and was very excited to chat with him about everything - from Ryan Gosling's piano playing, to capturing Los Angeles, to making...
- 12/23/2016
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
Pastiche is a tricky affair. Go too far in emulating the films being referenced and one risks bland slavishness; go too far in the other direction and one chances missing what makes those films great. Rare is the film that successfully synthesizes its influences into something truly daring and new, while still capturing the spirit of the classics that came before. In that respect, La La Land—writer-director Damien Chazelle’s ode to the musicals of the 1950s and 60s (particularly those of Jacques Demy)—has much to recommend itself, but ultimately comes up short, though it’s certainly not for lack of trying. After its energetic opening number—a Los Angeles traffic jam that gives way to “Another Day of Sun,” the irritations of the freeway supplanted by liberating motion and bursts of song—La La Land introduces us to our would-be lovers: Mia (Emma Stone), an aspiring actress and sometime playwright,...
- 12/16/2016
- MUBI
Damien Chazelle (Courtesy: Gabriel Olsen/Getty Images for AFI)
By: Carson Blackwelder
Managing Editor
At this point, Damien Chazelle is poised to potentially make history by becoming the youngest best director winner in the history of the Academy Awards. While the Oscar nominations for the 2017 ceremony haven’t been announced yet — those will arrive on January 24 — all signs are pointing towards this filmmaker taking home the coveted golden statuette. Will it happen?
Chazelle — who also wrote the modern-day musical starring Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling — has already won the Critics’ Choice Award for best director and is nominated for top honors at both the Golden Globe Awards and the Satellite Awards, too. The film itself — considered the biggest threat in the best picture race at the Academy Awards this Oscar season plus many others — has already won a slew of accolades from film festivals and critics alike.
By the time...
By: Carson Blackwelder
Managing Editor
At this point, Damien Chazelle is poised to potentially make history by becoming the youngest best director winner in the history of the Academy Awards. While the Oscar nominations for the 2017 ceremony haven’t been announced yet — those will arrive on January 24 — all signs are pointing towards this filmmaker taking home the coveted golden statuette. Will it happen?
Chazelle — who also wrote the modern-day musical starring Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling — has already won the Critics’ Choice Award for best director and is nominated for top honors at both the Golden Globe Awards and the Satellite Awards, too. The film itself — considered the biggest threat in the best picture race at the Academy Awards this Oscar season plus many others — has already won a slew of accolades from film festivals and critics alike.
By the time...
- 12/14/2016
- by Carson Blackwelder
- Scott Feinberg
This year, there have been quite a few films with notable original scores and soundtracks, everything from “Manchester by the Sea” to “Jackie” to the original songs of “Sing Street.” But in Damien Chazelle’s latest film “La La Land,” music plays a central role in the larger-than-life courtship of an aspiring actress (Emma Stone) and a jazz pianist (Ryan Gosling). It features plenty of original musical numbers, but also a romantic, jazzy score that sets the mood in every scene, courtesy of Justin Hurwitz. Listen to the original score in full below from Spotify.
Read More: ‘La La Land’ Review: A Lively Supercut of Classic Musicals Starring Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone
Hurwitz has collaborated with Chazelle on two prior occasions, scoring the music for his last feature “Whiplash,” about the relationship between a talented young drummer and his sociopathic instructor, and his first film “Guy and Madeline on a Park Bench,...
Read More: ‘La La Land’ Review: A Lively Supercut of Classic Musicals Starring Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone
Hurwitz has collaborated with Chazelle on two prior occasions, scoring the music for his last feature “Whiplash,” about the relationship between a talented young drummer and his sociopathic instructor, and his first film “Guy and Madeline on a Park Bench,...
- 12/9/2016
- by Vikram Murthi
- Indiewire
Ask most folks what the most iconic thing about Los Angeles is, and they'll say the Hollywood sign, Grauman's Chinese Theater, the Walk of Fame stars, maybe the Capitol Records building. Ask Damien Chazelle, the director behind the modern-day City of Angels romance La La Land (which opens in theaters on December 9th), and he will answer, without missing a beat: "Freeway gridlock. Anyone who’s lived there will tell you that." Sitting in a hotel room far from home last September, a little over a week after his movie...
- 12/9/2016
- Rollingstone.com
Oscar contenders can be the auteur, the veteran, the journeyman who’s elevated his craft. However, perhaps the most exciting breed is the Breakout, and that’s Damien Chazelle.
He’s not a rookie. His second feature, “Whiplash” (Sony Pictures Classics), scored a shocking five nominations including Best Picture, Adapted Screenplay (from his short), Editing, Sound Mixing, and a win for Supporting Actor J.K. Simmons.
However, following that breakout success is often a tall order for young directors, whose celebration is often followed by a morass of dealmaking and development hell.
That wasn’t Chazelle’s fate. With critically hailed fall festival hit “La La Land” (Lionsgate, December 9), Chazelle magically modernizes the colorful swirl of Jacques Demy French song-and-dance musicals “The Umbrellas of Cherbourg” and “Les Desmoiselles de Rochefort” along with backstage showbiz romantic musicals such as “New York, New York” or Gene Kelly-starrer “Singin’ in the Rain.” In “La La Land,...
He’s not a rookie. His second feature, “Whiplash” (Sony Pictures Classics), scored a shocking five nominations including Best Picture, Adapted Screenplay (from his short), Editing, Sound Mixing, and a win for Supporting Actor J.K. Simmons.
However, following that breakout success is often a tall order for young directors, whose celebration is often followed by a morass of dealmaking and development hell.
That wasn’t Chazelle’s fate. With critically hailed fall festival hit “La La Land” (Lionsgate, December 9), Chazelle magically modernizes the colorful swirl of Jacques Demy French song-and-dance musicals “The Umbrellas of Cherbourg” and “Les Desmoiselles de Rochefort” along with backstage showbiz romantic musicals such as “New York, New York” or Gene Kelly-starrer “Singin’ in the Rain.” In “La La Land,...
- 12/7/2016
- by Anne Thompson
- Thompson on Hollywood
Oscar contenders can be the auteur, the veteran, the journeyman who’s elevated his craft. However, perhaps the most exciting breed is the Breakout, and that’s Damien Chazelle.
He’s not a rookie. His second feature, “Whiplash” (Sony Pictures Classics), scored a shocking five nominations including Best Picture, Adapted Screenplay (from his short), Editing, Sound Mixing, and a win for Supporting Actor J.K. Simmons.
However, following that breakout success is often a tall order for young directors, whose celebration is often followed by a morass of dealmaking and development hell.
That wasn’t Chazelle’s fate. With critically hailed fall festival hit “La La Land” (Lionsgate, December 9), Chazelle magically modernizes the colorful swirl of Jacques Demy French song-and-dance musicals “The Umbrellas of Cherbourg” and “Les Desmoiselles de Rochefort” along with backstage showbiz romantic musicals such as “New York, New York” or Gene Kelly-starrer “Singin’ in the Rain.” In “La La Land,...
He’s not a rookie. His second feature, “Whiplash” (Sony Pictures Classics), scored a shocking five nominations including Best Picture, Adapted Screenplay (from his short), Editing, Sound Mixing, and a win for Supporting Actor J.K. Simmons.
However, following that breakout success is often a tall order for young directors, whose celebration is often followed by a morass of dealmaking and development hell.
That wasn’t Chazelle’s fate. With critically hailed fall festival hit “La La Land” (Lionsgate, December 9), Chazelle magically modernizes the colorful swirl of Jacques Demy French song-and-dance musicals “The Umbrellas of Cherbourg” and “Les Desmoiselles de Rochefort” along with backstage showbiz romantic musicals such as “New York, New York” or Gene Kelly-starrer “Singin’ in the Rain.” In “La La Land,...
- 12/7/2016
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
The Tribeca Film Festival has hired producer and distribution executive Jeff Deutchman as its Programmer at Large, a new position. Deutchman will remain in Los Angeles, serving on the programming team led by Director of Programming Cara Cusumano, and will report to Tribeca Enterprises Executive Vice President Paula Weinstein, who oversees the festival. His first day in the position was November 17.
Deutchman was most recently Svp of acquisitions and productions at the now-defunct Alchemy, a position he left in March shortly before the company declared bankruptcy. He was previously Director of Acquisitions at Paramount Home Media, prior to which he worked in acquisitions for New York’s IFC Films for more than seven years.
Read More: How Film Festivals Decide Which Movies to Accept
“I love Los Angeles and I’m still enjoying my time here, so the combination of that and the fact that Tribeca saw it as an...
Deutchman was most recently Svp of acquisitions and productions at the now-defunct Alchemy, a position he left in March shortly before the company declared bankruptcy. He was previously Director of Acquisitions at Paramount Home Media, prior to which he worked in acquisitions for New York’s IFC Films for more than seven years.
Read More: How Film Festivals Decide Which Movies to Accept
“I love Los Angeles and I’m still enjoying my time here, so the combination of that and the fact that Tribeca saw it as an...
- 12/7/2016
- by Graham Winfrey
- Indiewire
Ever since his 2014 movie Whiplash first won the top awards at the Sundance Film Festival, filmmaker Damien Chazelle has been making waves, but when the movie got a Best Picture Oscar nomination the next year, later winning J.K. Simmons an Oscar for his supporting role, the world started paying attention, since it was clear Chazelle was going to be a director to keep an eye on.
He now returns with La La Land, a full-scale musical set in modern-day Los Angeles, in which Emma Stone plays aspiring actress Mia and Ryan Gosling plays jazz pianist Sebastian. Both of them are trying to make it in L.A., and a couple chance encounters lead to them inevitably dating, while still trying to balance the relationship with their careers.
The movie premiered in September at some of the early Fall film festivals, including opening the Venice Film Festival, and playing inToronto, where...
He now returns with La La Land, a full-scale musical set in modern-day Los Angeles, in which Emma Stone plays aspiring actress Mia and Ryan Gosling plays jazz pianist Sebastian. Both of them are trying to make it in L.A., and a couple chance encounters lead to them inevitably dating, while still trying to balance the relationship with their careers.
The movie premiered in September at some of the early Fall film festivals, including opening the Venice Film Festival, and playing inToronto, where...
- 12/6/2016
- by Edward Douglas
- LRMonline.com
Last month, the throwback musical La La Land premiered to rave reviews at the Venice Film Festival, before earning more praise in Telluride and Toronto. Most moviegoers will have to wait until December to find out if the film lives up to its instantly rapturous reception. But the glowing notices shouldn’t come as some big surprise. After all, writer-director Damien Chazelle established his chops with his last film, the ferocious music-school psychodrama Whiplash, which earned great reviews, a couple Oscars, and the all-coveted A.V. Club stamp of approval. Now that was a triumph that came out of nowhere.
Actually, not exactly. Even excepting Chazelle’s modestly charming first feature Guy And Madeline On A Park Bench, there was an another sign that Whiplash was going to be something special: the 2013 short film from which it was expanded. Like a lot of shorts that later become features, the ...
Actually, not exactly. Even excepting Chazelle’s modestly charming first feature Guy And Madeline On A Park Bench, there was an another sign that Whiplash was going to be something special: the 2013 short film from which it was expanded. Like a lot of shorts that later become features, the ...
- 9/21/2016
- by A.A. Dowd
- avclub.com
Dear Danny,Ah, puzzle films. Many of my most deeply moving cinematic memories—think of Resnais or Ruiz or Wong—have come from such works, where the intricacy and even obscurity of storytelling jostles and fuses with the frankness of emotions. La La Land has little use for puzzles, unless they’re part of the technical complications that go into the choreography of its slam-bang musical numbers. (Why have the introductory highway hoedown just unfold in one take, when you can also include Matrix-style camera swivels to capture bicycle pirouettes in mid-air?) No, Damien Chazelle’s goal in his follow-up to Whiplash is a boldly direct one: to flood the screen with charm, to bring down the house with joy. Walking into my screening after having had my fair share of dour and difficult festival entries, I could scarcely think of a nobler aim for cinema. Less than twenty minutes later,...
- 9/16/2016
- MUBI
It’s been decades since a studio produced the kind of colorful musical fantasy that “La La Land” so affectionately salutes, but writer-director Damien Chazelle is the guy for the job. Before his breakout drama “Whiplash,” Chazelle made the 2009 microbudget “Guy and Madeline on a Park Bench,” a gentle, scrappy, song-and-dance tale of an aspiring jazz trumpeter and the woman who falls for him. That movie now looks like the dry run for this grander spectacle, his third feature — another story about singing, dancing lovers struggling with modern concerns. Carved from the legacies of Vincente Minnelli, Jacques Demy, and so many others, “La La Land” is magically in tune with its reference points even as falls a few notes short of their greatness.
No matter how obvious its antecedents, “La La Land” makes it clear that this film is a serious upgrade. As the opening black-and-white Cinemascope screen opens up to glorious color,...
No matter how obvious its antecedents, “La La Land” makes it clear that this film is a serious upgrade. As the opening black-and-white Cinemascope screen opens up to glorious color,...
- 8/31/2016
- by Eric Kohn
- Indiewire
They probably don’t know it yet, but a fairly significant percentage of movie fans are about to change their list of favorite films. On December 2nd (going wide on the 16th), a movie is heading to theaters that has the potential to move into a realm of its own, in much the way that Once simply changed the game.
La La Land follows a couple (Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone) that will at least make people take some notice, and they have proven they can deliver, but the real sell here is writer/director Damien Chazelle. Perhaps not the biggest sell in terms of rushing out to pre-order tickets, but the biggest sell in terms of expectations that this will be one of the best films of the year.
Chazelle may not have dozens of films behind him, but with Guy and Madeline on a Park Bench, Grand Piano,...
La La Land follows a couple (Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone) that will at least make people take some notice, and they have proven they can deliver, but the real sell here is writer/director Damien Chazelle. Perhaps not the biggest sell in terms of rushing out to pre-order tickets, but the biggest sell in terms of expectations that this will be one of the best films of the year.
Chazelle may not have dozens of films behind him, but with Guy and Madeline on a Park Bench, Grand Piano,...
- 8/23/2016
- by Marc Eastman
- AreYouScreening.com
Eli Roth is having a very good week. On Monday, the horror writer-director-producer officially signed on to direct the remake of the 1974 vigilante action film “Death Wish,” with Bruce Willis attached to star. Then on Tuesday, Roth landed a horror directing gig for the adaptation of the “Aleister Arcane” comic book, starring Jim Carrey in the lead role. As if that wasn’t enough, on Wednesday, the Jon Watts horror film “Clown” that Roth produced hit #1 on iTunes’s horror section. The film opened in theaters on June 17.
The story of a loving father who dresses up as a clown for his son’s birthday — only to find the suit is cursed and won’t come off — “Clown” famously started as a fake movie trailer Watts posted on YouTube that said “From master of horror Eli Roth” even though Roth had nothing to do with the project. He was so impressed with the trailer,...
The story of a loving father who dresses up as a clown for his son’s birthday — only to find the suit is cursed and won’t come off — “Clown” famously started as a fake movie trailer Watts posted on YouTube that said “From master of horror Eli Roth” even though Roth had nothing to do with the project. He was so impressed with the trailer,...
- 6/24/2016
- by Graham Winfrey
- Indiewire
If summer movie season has you feeling burnt out, fear not, the promising fall slate is shaping up. The first confirmed festival premiere comes from the 73rd Venice International Film Festival as they’ve announced their opening night film: Damien Chazelle‘s highly-anticipated Whiplash follow-up La La Land. Led by Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling, it will be the rare opener that actually plays in competition ahead of a release on December 2nd.
“La La Land is a surprising tribute to the golden age of American musicals, from An American in Paris by Vincent Minnelli to New York, New York by Martin Scorsese,” festival director Alberto Barbera says. “It is a film that does not merely reinvent the musical genre, it gives it a brand new start. If Whiplash was the revelation of a new filmmaker, La La Land is his definitive, albeit precocious, consecration among the great directors of Hollywood’s new firmament.
“La La Land is a surprising tribute to the golden age of American musicals, from An American in Paris by Vincent Minnelli to New York, New York by Martin Scorsese,” festival director Alberto Barbera says. “It is a film that does not merely reinvent the musical genre, it gives it a brand new start. If Whiplash was the revelation of a new filmmaker, La La Land is his definitive, albeit precocious, consecration among the great directors of Hollywood’s new firmament.
- 6/17/2016
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
Although it seems they are synonymous with found-footage horror, low budget movies that will still be financial successes if audiences stop turning out in droves to see them, Blumhouse Productions are arguably something far more interesting. Their prolific output can easily be read as an updating of Roger Corman’s low budget exploitation aesthetic for the 21st century, albeit one that reflects pop culture’s increasingly low standards when it comes to genre filmmaking. After all, Corman-produced films helped launch the filmmaking careers of Scorsese, Cameron and Coppola, among dozens more, whereas Blumhouse acts as a low-budget home for directors whose bigger budget movies have critically and commercially underwhelmed.
It is the rare studio that can take successful auteurs like Barry Levinson or M. Night Shymalan and reduce them to directing found footage horror, rather then working the other way round and using these projects to give them their initial big break.
It is the rare studio that can take successful auteurs like Barry Levinson or M. Night Shymalan and reduce them to directing found footage horror, rather then working the other way round and using these projects to give them their initial big break.
- 10/19/2015
- by Alistair Ryder
- SoundOnSight
Academy invitee Eddie Redmayne in 'The Theory of Everything.' Academy invites 322 new members: 'More diverse and inclusive list of filmmakers and artists than ever before' The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has offered membership to 322 individuals "who have distinguished themselves by their contributions to theatrical motion pictures." According to the Academy's press release, "those who accept the invitations will be the only additions to the Academy's membership in 2015." In case all 322 potential new members say an enthusiastic Yes, that means an injection of new blood representing about 5 percent of the Academy's current membership. In the words of Academy President Cheryl Boone Isaacs (as quoted in the press release), in 2015 "our branches have recognized a more diverse and inclusive list of filmmakers and artists than ever before, and we look forward to adding their creativity, ideas and experience to our organization." In recent years, the Academy membership has...
- 7/1/2015
- by Anna Robinson
- Alt Film Guide
©Renzo Piano Building Workshop/©Studio Pali Fekete architects/©A.M.P.A.S.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced this week that the Los Angeles City Council, in a unanimous vote, approved plans for the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures. Construction will begin this summer, and ceremonial groundbreaking festivities will occur this fall.
“I am thrilled that Los Angeles is gaining another architectural and cultural icon,” said Mayor Eric Garcetti. “My office of economic development has worked directly with the museum’s development team to ensure that the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures will create jobs, support tourism, and pay homage to the industry that helped define our identity as the creative capital of the world.”
“We are grateful to our incredible community of supporters who have helped make this museum a reality,” said Dawn Hudson, the Academy’s CEO. “Building this museum has been an Academy...
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced this week that the Los Angeles City Council, in a unanimous vote, approved plans for the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures. Construction will begin this summer, and ceremonial groundbreaking festivities will occur this fall.
“I am thrilled that Los Angeles is gaining another architectural and cultural icon,” said Mayor Eric Garcetti. “My office of economic development has worked directly with the museum’s development team to ensure that the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures will create jobs, support tourism, and pay homage to the industry that helped define our identity as the creative capital of the world.”
“We are grateful to our incredible community of supporters who have helped make this museum a reality,” said Dawn Hudson, the Academy’s CEO. “Building this museum has been an Academy...
- 6/27/2015
- by Michelle McCue
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Strangely dropping a press release on a historic day where the nation's attention is elsewhere, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences revealed their annual list of new member invitees this morning. For those who criticize the makeup of the Academy there was some good news and the stark realization the organization still has a long way to go. The Academy has spent the last eight to 10 years attempting to diversify its membership and this year's class mostly reflects that. There are significantly more invitees of Asian and African-American descent, but the male to female disparity is still depressing. Out of the 25 potential new members of the Actor's Branch only seven are women. And, no, there isn't really an acceptable way for the Academy to spin that sad fact. Additionally, It's important to realize the 322 people noted in the release have only been invited to join Hollywood's most exclusive club.
- 6/26/2015
- by Gregory Ellwood
- Hitfix
★★★★☆ Having already made his first and comparatively more sombre full feature in the form of 2009's Guy and Madeline on a Park Bench, American filmmaker Damien Chazelle returns with Whiplash (2014). A bruising and bracingly melodious cat and mouse story, it continues the director's fascination with the way music simultaneously inspires and affects everyday life. With what has already proven itself to be a firm festival favourite and triple Bafta/Oscar winner, Chazelle's latest is an exemplary study of the both fruitful and dangerous ramifications of pure, naked ambition, one that skilfully marries a dark sense of humour with viciously high tension.
- 6/1/2015
- by CineVue UK
- CineVue
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