I was a little disappointed with this movie. I expected much more. Cinematically it was brilliant and it was an event/action driven movie when left me feeling a little disconnected. We don't know anything about these characters that we see and I personally didn't feel any emotions for the movie, even though I wanted to. I found myself quite bored halfway through the movie, the whole time I kept expecting more.

"Surely the filmmaker’s insistence upon imposing his favourite device upon all his narratives is edging towards Shyamalan-like overkill..."
Read the full review here: http://screen-space.squarespace.com/reviews/2017/7/22/dunkirk.html

Not a fan of this movie. It's a great story, but the singing is annoying. The kids love it though.

OK, so it took me ten years and a persistent nephew to finally sit down before this, and though I didn't hate it, I really did struggle to see what all the fuss was about. It's a colourful adaptation of Hans Christian Anderson's "Snow Queen" story that sees Queen "Elsa" leave her kingdom after she almost kills her sister "Anna" - she has the ability to turn all before her to ice and that can be perilous at times for those around her! As she flees, upset, she accidentally leaves all in her kingdom with a rather frosty predicament. It now falls to "Anna" alongside her friendly snowman and her reindeer to try and get this pesky curse lifted. It skips along amiably enough with plenty of charming animation - especially from "Olaf" the snowman, but it's really about that one song that Edina Menzel delivers with a skill that, for my money anyway, is comfortably the best of these anthemic Disney power-ballads. I'm not sure even legendary lyricists Don Black and Richard Stilgoe have ever managed to incorporate "fractals" into their songs! As with so many of HCA's fairy tales, there is a darkness to the story - this one sanitises these aspects a little too much for me, but that said it still deals with issues of fear and deceit well enough for folks to get the message that perhaps having a frozen heart is not just a physical thing. Ten years on, it's still a decent watch that I suspect will continue to sustain youngsters for many a year to come.

One of Disney's best, in my opinion. Not quite top tier, but very close.
'Frozen' really did blow up when it was released, and rightly so. Sure it probably got overhyped but that isn't the film's fault. It's a cracking watch, the pacing is absolutely spot on as are the musical numbers.
What impresses me the most about the music is that it manages to keep the storytelling alive whilst it occurs. Particularly at the beginning there are loads of songs squeezed in next to each other, which could mess with the premise building but it doesn't - it actually enhances it. The songs themselves are terrific, with "Let It Go" obviously getting the most plaudits.
Idina Menzel (Elsa) and Kristen Bell (Anna) are excellent in the lead roles, while Josh Gad almost steals the show as Olaf - very funny character! Of course it's aimed at the younger audience members, but it is still entertaining for us adult folk too - I've watched it a few times down the years and still thoroughly enjoy it.

Great animation and good voice talent, however pretty weak story but ultimately entertaining enough movie. Also found the music, outside of the song "Let It Go" (which was played to death for the past several years now) were rather forgettable and bland. **3.0/5**

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Six years later, and Frozen has left an undeniable cultural impact. From Let It Go to tons of merchandising, Chris Buck and Jennifer Lee delivered such a memorable film that people not only didn’t forget but regularly asked for its sequel. As of right now, Frozen II has claimed the third-best animated opening weekend ever, proving that the love for this franchise (I think it’s safe to call it that already) is strong. However, how great is the original movie, after all? To be honest, I never fully watched it until this past week in preparation for its sequel. It surprised me in the sense that I didn’t expect to enjoy it as much as I did. Frozen is deserving of the love it possesses.
With extremely captivating characters, the story flows naturally, and the entertainment levels are always high. Whether these are due to the amazing singing sequences or to the exciting adventures, this film never stops having fun. That’s what Frozen ultimately is: a lighthearted, fun, and entertaining movie. It follows Disney’s formula for creating a variation of a story we have seen before. Characters go through a traumatic event when they’re young. They have to grow up while struggling with the aftermath of said trauma. Eventually, they overcome that obstacle and live happily ever after (or at least until the next installment).
It’s the generic and somewhat cliche Disney model for a new animated film (franchise). Nevertheless, don’t get me wrong: it works perfectly. Sure, it doesn’t bring anything new story-wise, but it’s still a great time. Despite some unnecessary and lazy exposition (the magical trolls are basically exposition devices), Frozen still delivers a truly captivating and visually jaw-dropping narrative. I do need to emphasize this: the animation is phenomenal. Elsa’s magic is seamless and beautiful. Arendelle is a gorgeous location, and the snowy mountains are impressively designed. Let It Go will always be remembered for its lyrics and melody, but the actual animated sequence is astonishing.
Every character carries a lot of expressiveness, which allows them to do basically everything. Frozen might not be a groundbreaking movie, but its compelling characters make the generic plot work. From Elsa and Anna’s complicated but heartwarming relationship to Kristoff and Sven’s camaraderie, I care about all of them… especially Olaf. I know, Olaf is simply the snowman version of a comic-relief character. He doesn’t really have a complex arc in need of extreme development. However, it’s impossible not to love him. He’s such a welcome presence in every single scene. Every single line of his is either a funny remark or a pretty valuable insight into something.
Counting him out, every other character has a very well explored arc, mainly Elsa and Anna. Their (older) relationship originates from a plot point that might be a tad exaggerated, but it’s convincing enough. Finally, the score is as important as it is fantastic. It’s an animated musical, let us not forget about that. Obviously, Let It Go is the queen of all songs due to its catchy lyrics, memorable chorus, and significance to the character. But other ones such as Do You Wanna Build a Snowman and For the First Time in Forever also carry a sweet melody plus some exquisite character and story development. That’s what I love the most about musicals and why Disney always triumphs regarding this aspect: the way a simple song can tell so much about someone or move the plot forward. In my opinion, it’s the genre’s variation of “show, don’t tell.”
In the end, Frozen might not be a groundbreaking animated film story-wise, but it delivers around 100 minutes of pure fun and entertainment. With an exceptional voice cast (Idina Menzel, Kristen Bell, and Josh Gad are wonderful), Chris Buck and Jennifer Lee are able to take Disney’s formula and create a worthy variation of the classic blueprint. From the emotionally compelling and well-developed characters to the eyegasmic animation quality, Frozen is a good time from start to finish. Boasting some memorable and catchy songs, it became one of the decade’s culturally most impactful animated movies. I wish exposition wasn’t overused, and that more risks were taken concerning the screenplay, but as a Disney animated flick, it meets the company’s standards.
Rating: B

I was excited to watch this movie after all the buzz about it but I've been a bit disappointed.
Yes, the animation is great and it keeps all the typical Disney details and is funny, sometimes. In addition, it features two strong female characters that don't need of a hero to save the story but ...
... but still they are the super-beautiful and perfect Disney princesses, as if they couldn't be normal girls from normal status, and the role of Queen Elsa is not that important as it would have expected.
Not a bad movie, but not the best and I think far from the fun I had with Tangled.

"Frozen," the latest Disney musical extravaganza, preaches the importance of embracing your true nature but seems to be at odds with itself.
The animated, 3-D adventure wants to enliven and subvert the conventions of typical Disney princess movies while simultaneously remaining true to their aesthetic trappings for maximum merchandising potential. It encourages young women to support and stay loyal to each other—a crucial message when mean girls seem so prevalent—as long as some hunky potential suitors and adorable, wise-cracking creatures also are around to complete them.
It all seems so cynical, this attempt to shake things up without shaking them up too much. "Frozen" just happens to be reaching theaters as Thanksgiving and the holiday shopping season are arriving. The marketing possibilities are mind-boggling. And in the tradition of the superior "Beauty and the Beast" and "The Little Mermaid," surely "Frozen: The Musical" will be headed to the Broadway stage soon. The songs – which are lively and amusing if not quite instant hits—are already in place.
Little girls will absolutely love it, though. That much is undeniable. And the film from co-directors Chris Buck ("Surf's Up") and Jennifer Lee is never less than gorgeous to watch. A majestic mountaintop ice castle is particularly exquisite—glittery and detailed and tactile, especially as rendered in 3-D.
But first we must witness the tortured backstory of the film's princesses – not one, but two of them. The script from "Wreck-It Ralph" co-writer Lee, inspired by the Hans Christian Andersen story "The Snow Queen," has lots of cheeky, contemporary touches but is firmly and safely rooted in Scandinavian fairy tale traditions.
When they were young girls, sisters Anna and Elsa were joyous playmates and inseparable friends. But Elsa's special power—her ability to turn anything to ice and snow in a flash from her fingertips—comes back to haunt her when she accidentally zaps her sister. (Not unlike the telekinesis in "Carrie," Elsa inadvertently unleashes her power in moments of heightened emotion.) A magical troll king heals Anna and erases the event from her memory, but as for the sisters' relationship, the damage is done.
Elsa's parents lock her away and close down the castle, which devastates the younger Anna. (Of the many tunes from "Avenue Q" and "The Book of Mormon" songwriter Robert Lopez and his wife, Kristen Anderson-Lopez, the wistful "Do You Want to Build a Snowman?" is by far the most poignant.) But once they reach adolescence and it's Elsa's turn to take over the throne at age 18, the two experience an awkward reunion.
The perky, quirky Anna (now voiced by a likable Kristen Bell) is a little nervous but overjoyed to see her sister. The reserved and reluctant Elsa (Broadway veteran Idina Menzel) remains distant, and with gloved hands hopes not to freeze anything and reveal her true self on coronation day. But a run-in with an amorous, visiting prince (Santino Fontana) who sets his sights on Anna triggers Elsa's ire, and she inadvertently plunges the sunny, idyllic kingdom into perpetual winter.
Flustered and fearful, Elsa dashes away in a fit of self-imposed exile – which significantly weakens "Frozen," since she's the film's most complicated and compelling figure. On her way to the highest mountain she can find, Elsa belts out the power ballad "Let It Go," her version of "I Am Woman." This soaring declaration of independence is the reason you want a performer of Menzel's caliber in this role, and it's the film's musical highlight. (Her flashy physical transformation from prim princess to ice queen does make her resemble a real housewife of some sort, however.)
Afterward, though, the story settles in on Anna's efforts to retrieve her sister and restore order to the kingdom. Along the way she gets help from an underemployed ice salesman named Kristoff (Jonathan Groff) and his trusty reindeer sidekick, Sven. They all meet up with a singing snowman named Olaf (a lovably goofy Josh Gad, star of "The Book of Mormon" on Broadway) who dreams of basking in the warmth of the summer sun. This "Wizard of Oz"-style quartet makes the obstacle-filled trek to the imposing fortress that awaits. (At least "Frozen" has the decency to borrow from excellent source material.)
While the journey may seem overly familiar, the destination has some surprises in store. Some come out of nowhere and don't exactly work. But the biggie—the one that's a real game-changer in terms of the sorts of messages Disney animated classics have sent for decades—is the one that's important not just for the little girls in the audience, but for all viewers. http://newmoviestream.co/watch/2294629/frozen
wish everything about the film met the same clever standard.

**Another entertaining film about spies.**
The British can be proud of their secret services... at least, they are the ones that turn out to be the most appealing for cinema. Not even the CIA has that much attention from the seventh art. Much of this attention comes from the 007 franchise, but there are other films, like the 1998 “Avengers” (not the Marvel franchise) and now this film.
If manners make the man, as said in the film, the script makes the film. It all starts when a troubled young man is approached by a gentleman who knew his father, and who offers him a way to change his life and not be a bully. This “blue pill, red pill” moment marks his recruitment into Kingsman, a bizarre private spy agency created behind a renowned gentlemen's tailoring business. They're probably the best dressed and most recognizable spies in the world of fictional espionage. However, soon after becoming a secret agent, he will have to save his agency, and obviously the world, from a villain called Valentine.
Directed with great care by Matthew Vaughn, the film is a bizarre cross between a common teen film and James Bond. It could be a terrible mix, but this was skillfully considered and based on good quality existing material. In general, I liked the film: it's very entertaining thanks to tons of action and meticulously choreographed fights. There is no shortage of weapons, for all tastes and ammunition, elegant cars and the usual spy gadgets that solve any problem, such as an umbrella that serves as a weapon and a bulletproof shield. The mark of greatest excellence goes, however, to the choice of filming locations and the design of the costumes (whoever made Colin Firth's costumes had exceptional good taste), the sets and props, where technology, creativity and classic style blends very well. The soundtrack, with an epic tone, suits the environment, and the visual effects and CGI are good. A note of warning: the film has some scenes with very graphic content.
The film features Colin Firth in another impeccable work, where he shows all his energy and, also, his unmistakable elegance. It was a job that could only be challenging if we consider the action scenes, which he did almost without stunts because, in fact, the character itself is within what the actor likes to do regularly: the typical imperturbable English gentleman. Taron Egerton is young enough for the role and mature enough not to look like just a kid. He does what is needed and ensures decent work, but he is not able to keep up with mature actors. Samuel L. Jackson is an effective villain and seems to be having so much fun with the job that it gives a dark sadistic touch to the way he plays the character. Mark Strong and Sir Michael Caine are equally magnificent additions who fill the film with charisma and impact.

Despite the fairly experienced cast here, this rather enjoyable rip-off of all things "Bond" and "U.N.C.L.E" really belongs to the ballsy and engaging effort from Taron Egerton. He is the young "Eggsy" who lives with his mum (Samantha Womack) and her gangster boyfriend "Dean" (Geoff Bell). After a pretty daring altercation with his goons, the youngster ends up in a police station where he remembers a gift that was given to his mother when his father mysteriously died. He calls a number, is duly sprung and introduced to the dapper "Harry Hart" (Colin Firth) who quickly enrols him in a school that isn't for the faint hearted. Survival here is just the start of his adventures as he is quickly embroiled in a world-domination scheme being hatched by gazillionaire "Valentine" (Samuel L. Jackson) - aided by his lethal-limbed hench-woman "Gazelle" (Sofia Boutella). Luckily he has the sagely "Merlin" (Mark Strong) and the versatile "Roxy" (Sophie Cookson) to help him - but can he thwart the dastardly plan? Jeopardy isn't high on director Matthew Vaughn's priority lists here, but entertainment and plenty of fun action-escapades are, and they deliver well. Firth is on fine form as the deadly but debonaire mentor; Sir Michael Caine adds a soupçon of class to the proceedings and Jackson looks like he is having fun in his bright red Converse trainers. It does take just a shade too long to get going, but Egerton works really well as the cheeky chappy with a brain in his head and a solid sense of common decency - particularly useful when he is facing overwhelming odds and doom lies menacingly before him. It's a great looking film, the visual effects are used sparingly and all told this is a characterful, well-written, and good fun yarn that still tips it's hat to the espionage genre - but in a playful and slightly mischievous way. Good fun.

**Kingsman reinvents James Bond for a younger generation with enthusiastic, heart-pounding, savage energy.**
Kingsman: The Secret Service bursts onto the big screen with an explosion celebration of all things spy. Matthew Vaughn clearly loves James Bond, Mission Impossible, and Jason Bourne with this youthful, vibrant, action-packed homage to the genre. The gentlemanly charm mixed with the brutal face-paced action and bright, colorful sets feels familiar and new simultaneously. Kingsman tells a coming-of-age tale through the lens of a spy thriller. Kingsman has a fun, fresh, and innovative energy that speeds from beginning to end, telling a simple but engaging story in a delightfully entertaining way.

If you like old-fashioned James Bond style movies you probably like this one. It is a bit more outrageous and has a few more overly silly moments than the old Bond movies but on the whole this is a very fun and enjoyable secret agent movie.
Gary is, via a few twists and turns at the beginning of the movie, recruited by a secret agent employed by a super secret private organisation with remarkable resources. Their agents looks and behaves like London upper class gentlemen but have remarkable fighting skills. The initial scenes when Gary is recruited are just great.
Gary is then submitted to a rather gruesome training schedule and at the same time the main plot plays out in parallell. Of course the two threads merge towards the classical showdown with the megalomaniacal evil mastermind in the end where, naturally, Gary gets to save the world.
The movie has all the “goodies” of a secret agent movie. British gentlemen agents, action, secret agent “stuff” like shops that are not what they look like, hidden entrances into secret bases, rooms that are actually elevators and of course gadgets, lots of gadget to help our heroes thwart the evil mastermind’s nefarious plans. Of course said mastermind have a personal henchman a la Oddjob to do the more grisly parts of his evil biddings. I quite liked this rather unique henchman, or rather henchwoman, and her odd weapons. More so than the main villain which I found a bit bland at times.
On the whole I enjoyed this movie a lot. However, there are some silly parts which drags it down a bit. I especially disliked the colorful exploding heads towards the end of the movie. That just felt like the producer/director was smoking some funny stuff when making those scenes. There were a few other scenes which I felt was going too much towards silly comedies as well. Without those I would probably have added a star.
All things said this was well spent 130 minutes as far as I am concerned.

'Kingsman: The Secret Service' is a comedy film that satirises spy movies such as the James Bond franchise. Gary 'Eggsy' Unwin (played by Taron Egerton) is a normal working class 18 year old from London who gets recruited into a super secret spy organisation. Humour comes as he tries to mix with these posh and suave upper-class stereotypes.
Matthew Vaughn has included his typical ultra stylised violence ('Kick Ass') and it does boast a good sound track. There are a lot of nods to films such as Quentin Tarantino's 'Pulp Fiction' but it just reminds me of examples when things have been done much better. The highlight of the film for me was a scene in which Colin Firth violently massacres a crazy church to the music of Lynyrd Skynyrd ('Free Bird') whilst almost seeming like a continuous long shot.
The screenplay is very unoriginal and the dialogue with the young actors in particular is cringe-worthy. Tarantino type set-pieces just come across as annoying as the film fails to have any cleverness or creativity.
Apart from Colin Firth every actor is either average or just really bad. Samuel L. Jackson, in particular, is worse than usual as he tries to add some freshness to his regular spiel by trying to affect an annoying and distracting speech impediment.
'Kingsman' is going to appeal to the intended target age group as it does contain scenes of fantasy violence depicted as "cool" whilst characters swear. It would also help your enjoyment of the film if you have not seen the many, many examples where each scene had been conducted much better.
★★½

The kinetic super-spy caper ‘Kingsman: The Secret Service’ will serve as a boisterous blueprint for those teen fanboys out there that will fancy an elaborate overload of James Bond-esque high-powered hedonism. It certainly does not hurt that the high-wire hysteria as showcased in the twitchy ‘Kingman’ is based upon the acclaimed comicbook series by Mark Millar and Dave Gibbons. Also, add into the mix the movie-making overdrive pedigree of director Matthew Vaughn (‘Kick-Ass’, ‘X-Men: First Class’) and slick, cheeky spy-spry send-ups that recall the over-the-top espionage genre and its exaggerated suspense-driven foundation. Well, ‘Kingsman: The Secret Service’ is a cockeyed, pulsating parody that works its ultra-violent magic for the Austin Powers crowd that wants to walk on the high-octane wild side of Bond’s universe.
Sure, ‘Kingsman: The Secret Service’ has its iffy moments where the blatant sexist overtones, magnified violent sequences and a generous bloody bounce of excess will have some stomping their feet in sheer indignation. The apparent knock on ‘Kingsman’ will be its robust ridiculousness and familiarity in Vaughn’s ‘Kick-Ass’ cartoonish vibe. However, the same elements that may cause some reservations with the film’s low-brow lunacy is also the same ingredients that trigger ‘Kingsman: The Secret Service’s carousing charm in majestic mayhem.
The grand gimmick behind behind kick-starting ‘Kingsman’s go-for-broke rollicking is casting the sophisticated presence of the Oscar-winning Colin Firth (‘The King’s Speech’) as dapper Harry Hart (aka ‘Galahad’), a polished and prominent superspy for a British secret intelligence society. Hart’s top-secret spy network is headed up by Arthur (Oscar-winner Michael Caine). The secretive operation is based out of a notable tailor’s shop known as Kingsman. Also worth noting is that all the secret service agents are named after the famed knights of King Arthur’s Round Table. Go figure. In any event, the suave Harry Hart is the debonair face of the spy organisation and will play a critical part in both recruiting a young up-and-coming agent with decent physical skills and tracking down a worldwide menace bent of destroying the planet. It is all in a day’s work for the skilled, well-dressed licensed-to-kill operative.
Hart, who had been loyally connected to a fallen colleague from a past mission gone disastrous years before, decides to become a mentor for his late co-worker’s troubled son Gary ‘Eggsy’ Unwin (played by newcomer Taron Egerton) whose law-breaking conduct catches the attention of the police. Feeling a sense of responsibility for his deceased spy buddy’s wayward kid, Hart takes Eggsy under his wings and determines to shape the misguided youngster into resilient Kingman stock. After all, Eggsy has the needed physicality (we are told he is an exceptional gymnast) and roguish spunk to join the ranks of the seemingly understaffed spy outfit. Soon, Eggy and other recruits will be grilled through rigorous training from Kingman member Merlin (Mark Strong) as they look to fill the spot vacated recently from the dead Lancelot.
The dearly departed Lancelot, it turns out, was the latest victim of ruthless criminal mastermind Valentine (Samuel L. Jackson). The flashy Valentine, a billionaire gone bonkers, hopes to control the world’s climate change. He is known as a mega-wealthy entrepreneur and philanthropist but his sinister heart yearns for some heavy-handed dastardly deeds that puts him on the immediate radar for Hart and his crafty Kingsmen to spring into action. At the demented Valentine’s side is the deliciously disabled exotic henchwoman Gazelle (Sophia Boutella) with the treacherous knack for disarming her adversaries with blazing blades.
The bombastic and eye-pleasing ‘Kingsman: The Secret Service’ sets out to have one goal in mind: to highlight its thunderous homage to spygate spectacles that salute everything from the Agent 007 flicks and related free-wheeling 60’s fare such as the ‘Matt Helm’ and ‘Derek Flint’ spy franchises to the recent espionage vehicles that invite the millennium-based harried heroes such as the Jason Bournes and Jack Ryans of the world into the frenetic fold. It is fast, furious and unapologetic in its rambunctious spirit as a ricocheting romp.
Vaughn, in all his rousing Tarantino-esque tactics, unleashes a visceral assault that is visually wrapped in his escapist package of an adrenaline rush. Wisely, Vaughn incorporates some of his ‘Kick-Ass’ colourful calisthenics to arm his playful spy yarn. As the veteran spygame squires, both Firth and Caine are game for the frolic they signed up to participate in with puckish aplomb. Jackson brings his usual explosive badass persona to the table as the villainous fashion plate Valentine. The 14 year-old males will draw their adventurous inspiration from Egerton’s junior spy Eggsy Unwin. Some may become nostalgic when uncovering the likes of spotting ‘Star Wars’ icon Mark Hamill as an imperiled climate changer scientist caught in the crazy clutches of Jackson’s diabolical antagonist.
Although not the most inventive take on ridiculing the spy genre with over-extended finesse and sensationalism, ‘Kingsman: The Secret Service’ is still a preferred jolting distraction at the beginning of an early stillborn movie season.
Kingman: The Secret Service (2015)
20th Century Fox
1 hr. 40 min.
Starring: Colin Firth, Taron Egerton, Michael Caine, Samuel L. Jackson, Mark Strong and Sophia Boutella
Directed by: Matthew Vaughn
MPAA Rating: R
Genre: Spy Thriller/Action & Adventure/Fantasy & Action

A nice surprise.
I was not expecting anything from this movie but it turned to be a really funny one, borrowing from all the other spy's movies around.
Collin Firth is a great choose and you can say the same for most of the cast, remarking also Samuel L. Jackson.
An easy movie for a brainless evening.

One of the most interesting movies to watch. Humor, action and adventure well plotted into this great movie. The action is just great.

"Mia" (Emma Stone) is an aspiring actress who juggles a coffee shop job with countless, fruitless, auditions. "Sebastian" is a budding jazz musician who falls a bit foul of his boss (JK Simmons) when he decides to spice up some of the more mundane Christmas ditties he has to trot out on his restaurant piano and gets fired. The two meet and after a slightly rocky soon start to appreciate that they actually have more in common than they might have expected - and so off they set down their especially bumpy yellow brick road. This feature is a colourful and vibrant tribute to all things Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly with an hint of romance and one or two catchy tunes to help keep the pace bouncing along for a couple of hours. It wallows, unashamedly, in the nostalgia of the good old days and then - thanks to the likes of John Legend's "Keith" - attempts to turn it's focus to the future. Not just of this couple, but of their chosen forms of art. It's no cakewalk for the pair and that's an integral part of this enjoyable tale of their relationship and the pressures put upon it by their aspirations. Those magnetisms that fuel their affection at the start soon start to have the opposite effect as success applies unevenly between them and an happy ending is by no means a certainty. There's plenty of light-heartedness throughout and it's affection for the heyday of Hollywood is writ engagingly large as it trips along. No stunt doubles, dubbed singing, piano playing nor dancing also adds quite a bit to the charm of the pair's antics and "Another Day of Sun" and "City of Stars" show Pasek/Paul and Justin Hurwitz have their fingers on the pulse. Cheesy? Well a little, but this is still big screen entertainment cinema that I really did enjoy. Not quite sure what Ryan Gosling has to do to get an Oscar, though!

La La Land is one of those movies that feels like a warm hug. The story follows Mia, an aspiring actress, and Sebastian, a jazz musician, as they navigate love, ambition, and the messy balancing act between the two. Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone are great together, their chemistry felt natural.
The music is where the film really shines. Justin Hurwitz’s score lingers with you, with “City of Stars” and “Audition (The Fools Who Dream)” being unforgettable, both haunting and uplifting in their own way. And the visuals, everything from the dreamy color palette to the sweeping camera work. That opening freeway dance number is bold, fun, and the perfect way to set the tone.
What’s most striking, though, is how La La Land balances its whimsy with a dose of reality. It’s a story about chasing dreams and the sacrifices that come with it, and it doesn’t shy away from showing the heartbreak that can follow.

This movie is the best movie there will ever be, Ryan and Emma did great.

A fully-fledged musical of the likes we haven't seen on the big screen in decades. This move is almost perfect in every respect. It will draw a laugh, it will draw a tear and it will definitely get your foot tapping. I have to admit the reality ending crushed my enjoyment a little. I understand why the director did it but that doesn't mean I have to like it.

**Really a good movie, which justifies the hype around it.**
Who doesn't remember “La La Land”? It was released in theaters in 2016, and was one of the most viewed and acclaimed films of that year. It was a film that was virtually carried in the lap between festivals and awards of the seventh art, and that seemed destined to clean them all up, as “Titanic” had done two decades before. When he arrived at the Oscars, he had practically nominations in almost every category where he could be included! Of the fourteen nominations, however, it collected “only” six statuettes, with the seventh – Best Film – slipping through the fingers in what was the most absolute embarrassment in the entire history of the Hollywood Academy: the infamous but historic exchange of envelopes, that we all have in our memory. But when I said “only”, it is necessary to put things in perspective: what many producers would not have given to win six Oscars in one of their films! Like it or not, it was a great achievement and "La La Land" received a well-deserved accolade that night.
The film, directed by newcomer Damien Chazelle, is a worthy homage to musicals from Hollywood's golden age, and features a generally sympathetic script: an aspiring starlet trying to become an actress meets and falls in love with a purist jazz pianist. who wants to restore people's interest in the musical genre he loves, and which he feels is slowly being lost. It is their mutual passion that makes them not give up on their respective dreams, but it will also end up dictating that both follow their own paths. And indeed, the film's bittersweet and slightly too realistic ending shockingly clashes with the magic felt throughout the rest of the film. It's like having a very beautiful dream, where anything is possible with some effort and serious work, and ending up seeing that dream trampled by a heavy, raw and often unfair reality. And it must be said, although the characters seem likeable, they are selfish and only think about themselves and their interests. They seem to stick together only as long as it really benefits their individual interests.
Although I don't like the characters very much, Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling offer us, in the film, two magnificent works of interpretation and also of singing and dancing. Gosling showed hidden talents on the keyboard of a piano, and both are very good at choreography, although singing is not particularly strong point for either. Both are young, and it is quite possible that they will give us even better dramatic performances in the future. The rest of the film's cast hardly matters, it's one of those movies where the main characters are so overwhelming and omnipresent that there's no room for anyone else.
Technically, the film has several frankly good aspects that deserve our attention and our praise. For starters, the film's honest and intelligent way of recreating and inserting scenes and dance routines from the great musicals of the past, from “Shall We Dance” to “Singing in the Rain” and “West Side Story”. The scenarios, the elements, the routines are there. The cinematography, colorful, frank, generous with light, is magnificent and a feast for the eyes. The editing was done in an excellent and very skillful way. The scenery couldn't be better, taking advantage of the Hollywood Hills or the Griffith Observatory in the best way. The soundtrack, melodies and songs are excellent.

Full review: https://www.tinakakadelis.com/beyond-the-cinerama-dome/2021/12/28/beautiful-dreamer-la-la-landnbspreview
Los Angeles is an easy city to deeply love and deeply hate, and it is impossible to describe that to someone who has never lived there. The closest a non-resident can come to gaining an understanding of that sensation is by watching Damien Chazelle’s _La La Land_. On the one hand, there are the warm, sun-kissed beaches, the millionaires, and the secluded canyons of the San Gabriel mountains. It’s the promised land of golden dreams for actors, musicians, and writers, where success is always right around the corner. On the other hand, you’ll find smog, traffic, and abject failure. Los Angeles, with all its promises, is a pendulum that swings widely.

Undeniably well put together, and entertaining, even if it certainly chooses style over substance.
'La La Land' is an absolutely gorgeous-looking film, from the costumes to the cinematography to the choreography. The musical numbers are pleasant too. It is a little light on story, not that it isn't entertaining - it is. They were, evidently to me, going for an artsy film and they nailed that. I just personally wanted more depth to the plot, rather than a song every few minutes.
Ryan Gosling is probably one of my favourite actors around right now, in the argument at least, and he is very good here. So is Emma Stone, who is arguably the film's standout. I wanted to watch more of Stone's work even before this, so I knew - along with Gosling - I was going to enjoy the cast. They work excellently as a duo. Elsewhere, John Legend's role is a tad out of place, even if it's good to see him.
4*. It might make for lame viewing if you absolutely do not like musicals, but otherwise it's 100% worth a watch - even for someone with a mild taste for musicals, like me.

**They'd crossed each others life while chasing their dreams.**
I am not a big fan of modern musical films. So I was not expecting it to be a great or worst. The film opened with a song that I was not happy, because I did not like the verse or the music. And again to say, the modern timeline does not suit for the musical theme, unless it is a fantasy or an Indian film.
The best part of the film was, those song fades away as the film progresses. But I kind of liked the drama/story part and the climax track with the quick flashback (kind of). Till that scene I was considering it an average film, but that one scene changed my stance. So, now I think it is a good film, but winning 6 Oscars, I don't know it deserved that.
Yes, the director is known for making music and musical film, but he has not made many. He's young and so his career. Yep, I loved 'Whiplash'. One of my all time favourite. If that film had won 10 Oscars, I would have not surprised at all. After that flick, the people were anticipating, to exceed that success in this film. As it was received, no doubt for those people it was a different flick, but not for me. Especially if you watch lots of Indian films. By the way the film characters were nice, and so the story, but not the songs.
Gosling and Stone were performed well. The chemistry between them was great. The narration was going decently until the end, which reminded me 'Vinnaithaandi Varuvaaya' ending that I was not happy about, yet something different than usual. Sometimes I am okay with cliché than this kind of conclusion, just to bring a change in storytelling. Overall an enjoyable film, most people would love it. Some like me would say it is a decent flick, but there's always a few who would never favour it. Yet worth a watch.
_7/10_

This is definitely not a movie that I would have chosen to watch all by myself which perhaps explain why I thought it was just surprisingly okay to watch. However my girlfriend absolutely wanted to watch it so I got it. As it turned out my girlfriend had only gone by the number of Oscars and not really looked up what kind of movie it actually was so in the end I was enjoying the movie a lot more than she did.
This movie is pretty much a quite classical Hollywood musical with a non too original story, nice music and dancing. In addition the cinematography is simply excellent. This is the strong point of this movie. The rest of the movie is of lesser interest to me but the cinematography is really, really good. The scene, pictured on the movie poster, were Mia and Sebastian dances and everything in the scene are dark blue tones except Mia’s bright yellow dress is so simple and yet so beautiful.
Everything else about this movie is…okay. Okay acting, okay story etc. As I wrote before this is really not my kind of movie so forgive me for not being overly enthusiastic. I am sure those into these kind of movies cannot understand how anyone can give it less than a full set of stars but hey, different tastes and all that.
I cannot make up my mind about ending. On one hand I am a sucker for happy endings which this one falls a wee bit short on. On the other hand I have to commend the writer/director for not taking the path of least resistance and instead putting together something a wee bit different.
I did feel that a part of the movie was missing though. I would have liked to see the parts where Mia and Sebastian actually fulfilled their respective dreams. Jumping fast forward to the ending like the movie did felt a bit like they either ran out of money or they manage to misplace half the story!
Anyway, I enjoyed the movie more than I thought I would.

A very special, memorable film that will be iconic in the years to come.

"To me, _La La Land_ is like religion. I see the appeal, and I would never take it away from anyone. But I would also never stand in line for it."
- Jeff WInger, probably.
_Final rating:★★½ - Not quite for me, but I definitely get the appeal._

There are plenty of opinions as to how authentic this is, as a retrospective on the life of Freddie Mercury; but there can be no doubting that the pairing of Rami Malek and Queen's music makes this a captivating couple of hours of cinema. We are taken on the compelling and enthralling roller-coaster that was his life and the excesses of his lifestyle and behaviour are comprehensively conveyed without being at all graphic, or even particularly seedy. Malek is simply magnificent. Tom Hollander is also outstanding too. I bet it did wonders for sales of Queen music too - they created one hell of a repertoire.

**A good film about one of the great rock bands of the 20th century.**
This is one of those films that was made with the fans of a personality in mind, more than the rest of the public. This, however, is not exactly a problem in my eyes, it is rather a characteristic of this film, common to other biographical films that are centered on very popular figures such as sportsmen, musicians or others.
Directed by Bryan Singer, the film covers the journey of the notable rock band “Queen” and its lead singer, Freddie Mercury, who immortalized himself with memorable performances and a sense of stage and spectacle that only big stars possess. Mercury was also notable for being one of the first major superstars to openly embrace his homosexuality and die of AIDS. As a biography, it is a very acceptable film and, as far as I was able to understand, it respects the essential aspects of the lives and artistic path of those concerned. Of course, being a film about a rock band, we cannot ignore the soundtrack, where we have the band's most famous and recognizable songs, and we can see a reenactment of the famous live performance they did at “Live Aid” in 1985, a one of the most acclaimed live musical performances ever in rock history.
Obviously, the film was fated to financial success and, without any major surprises, and after weeks of advertising investment, it found great support from the public and became one of the biggest box office successes of that year. Critics also had no major objections and the film arrived at the Oscars as one of the favorites: out of a total of five nominations, it won four statuettes (Best Actor, Best Editing, Best Sound Mixing and Best Sound Editing) losing only for Best Film.
In fact, in addition to the good songs and good script, the film offers us one of the best performances by Rami Malek, an actor who couldn't be better suited for the role of Freddie Mercury. In addition to all the physical similarities that he took advantage of to embody the character, he managed to interpret him in a dignified and respectful way, without transforming “his” Freddie into a kind of cheap imitation of the real person. However, as I watched the film, I couldn't help but feel that Malek was the only one in the scene who deserved the spotlight, and that the film lacked an equally good supporting cast that would give some charisma to the remaining band members, transformed into in extras in a story where only Mercury was taken into consideration.