#vincent without knowing about its element beforehand

[lecliss]

As upsetting as it was for me to learn that Cid and Vincent aren't party members in rebirth, and not even guests like Red was, I'm actually pretty glad about it now. I'm 63% of the way through the game and still have to leave the Gongaga Region, do Cosmo Canyon, and then get to Nibelheim and make it to the room Vincent is in in the mansion before he even so much as exists basically. That actually does leave very little of the game left to even use him if he were a full party member, let alone Cid who should be joining a whole region later. I think I would be much happier to have them for what could be considered longer at the start of part 3 rather than getting them two-thirds into rebirth and not having much time to enjoy them to their fullest. Plus it means even more time to let Square cook with Vincent's transformations.

[goingtothecinema]

La La Land: A Movie Musical That Doesn't Understand the Musical

Before I could even rise from my seat, other movie-watching patrons were exalting praises reserved for a sublime masterpiece. It was my second time watching Damien Chazelle’s La La Land, a film adored by practically every human being, critic, and award on the planet, but I left the cinema feeling more confused and frustrated.

As an actor with a background in musical theatre and a Master’s in Film Studies, I have struggled to eloquently write this piece so I hope you’ll forgive me if this article isn’t my most concise, articulate, or cohesive in tone. There were so many avenues I could’ve gone with this piece, but I decided to primarily focus on the film’s genre, style, and overall execution as opposed to concerns about race and ethnicity (although I do mention it a little at the end).

“That’s L.A. They worship everything and value nothing.”

As La La’s director and screenwriter, Damien Chazelle speaks directly to the audience at times, like in the above statement by Sebastian (Ryan Gosling) or when Keith (John Legend) asks him,“How are you going to be a revolutionary if you’re such a traditionalist?” Perhaps, that’s what makes the film an even larger disappointment. For a supposed movie musical that so self-consciously references Hollywood’s Golden Age, La La pays little respect to the skill, technique, and innovation of the era’s writers, directors, and performers. Rex Reed is one of the few who actually agrees with me, calling the film “a well-intended tribute to the fabulous MGM musicals of the great Vincente Minnelli, made by people who have never seen one.”

Before I lose you, let me say that there are moments of beauty, surprise, and honesty. The film’s story speaks to a universal struggle for success while following “the dream.” Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling are perfection—when they’re not singing or dancing. Their comedic range and chemistry as actors are a joy to watch. Justin Hurwitz’s instrumental compositions tell more than any singing or movement does, and I wish “Mia & Sebastian’s Theme” was five times longer so I didn’t have to keep hitting repeat.

When the camerawork isn’t fiddling with the scale of musical numbers, the film’s indie style and tone resonate with the bleak expansiveness of the city and the character’s futures. In these instances, Chazelle shows directorial control with a heavy influence from Jacques Demy’s The Umbrellas of Cherbourg and The Young Girls of Rochefort. Unfortunately, he loses focus incorporating a multitude of styles and devices, even recreating iconic scenes from various Golden Age films. As a result, many parts of the film simply feel borrowed and clumsily edited together.

Also, can someone please explain to me the purpose of that jarring green light that appears at Sebastian’s apartment but only at night? @0:51 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NS0_AOuBF9A)

La La opens with a Twentieth Century Fox CinemaScope credit from the 1950’s, transitioning to bumper-to-bumper traffic in contemporary L.A. It’s the setting for “Another Day of Sun,” one of the two “company” numbers in the film. It has energy, color, and movement, contrasting with the reality of traffic as drivers dance on top of cars and in-between parked cars. Unfortunately, none of the singers seem to care about what they’re saying, preferring to simply sound “pretty”—a mundane sound enhanced by post-processing effects. The choreography is bland with a few cool “tricks” thrown in by select performers. The following company number, “Someone in the Crowd,” features laughable lip-syncing by Mia’s housemates, and every other song featuring Stone and Gosling barely hits notes without conveying any meaning. 

Which begs me to ask the question, “Does Chazelle having any clue to the purpose of song and dance in a musical?” I ask this rhetorically because from watching La La twice, I’d have to confidently say, “No.”

Singing and dancing aren’t about spectacle, although MGM and other studios of its time were able to create astounding, complex musical numbers which continue to awe today. The reason why musicals incorporate music and dance is to communicate feelings unachievable through simple speech. Emotions can be understood and felt without knowing the language or lyrics. That’s how La La fails in the most epic way possible, and Stone’s “singing” may be the worst by such standards. She doesn’t so much sing as whisper/speak EVERY SONG, except for a brief, glorious moment in the climax of “Audition (Here’s To the One’s Who Dream).” Because she doesn’t take a proper breath before she sings, the songs come out of nowhere. Perhaps the intention was to create a “natural” transition from speech to song; instead, it feels out of place, unmotivated by the characters or their situations.

With people claiming La La ��Resurrected The Original Hollywood Musical“, I throw my hands up in disbelief in memory of legends like Debbie Reynolds, Doris Day, and Gene Kelly. The couple’s first duet “A Lovely Night,” is a particularly uncomfortable number to endure as they drag their feet across a concrete road while the music tries to distract from the actual lack of tapping. You can’t put a tap number in a nostalgic movie musical without immediately evoking the memory of Fred Astaire or Ginger Rogers. Monotone singing and difficulty actually seeing the actor’s faces make “A Lovely Night” and every other musical number in La La confusing and superfluous.

Yes, Chazelle attempts an homage to the Golden Age with my favorite onscreen duo at the moment, but the result is a Frankenstein delusion of the movie musical. La La is so wrapped up with incorporating the devices and elements of a musical that it forgets why those elements exist. The pacing of the film also painfully drags once Mia and Sebastian become a couple.

Despite the distractions of its many shortcomings, La La digs up all of the doubts and thoughts of inadequacy normally quelled to the darkest corner of your mind and brings them directly to the surface. Maybe it’s because my life so closely follows Mia’s experiences, but it felt like my heart was put in a blender and left out mangled and raw on the counter. I was still picking up the pieces the next day. Even still, I am not interested in sitting through La La ever again—unless the tortuously awkward singing and dancing were cut out. If you’re dying to see the film, I highly recommend listening to the soundtrack beforehand. 

I’m hoping that after the film’s UK release, more critics like Reed and David Toussaint will voice their opinions, echoing my problems and concerns. If La La is setting the example for a “resurrected” movie musical genre, I’m not interested. More white-centric narratives casting actors of celebrity status to sell interest? Voices that sound pretty but boring? A complete disregard for the value of vocal and dance technique with a misunderstanding of the musical art form? What a sad time we must live in if La La Land delights and dazzles us blind to its musical mediocrity.