Check This Out: An Excerpt from My Essay on "La La Land"

Scene from La La Land

With Oscar Sunday less than 72 hours away, it's crunch time for those wanting think pieces and last minute predictions for all of the major nominees. While I have done extensive work on this blog, I felt like director Damien Chazelle's La La Land was something special. That is why I am proud to announce that I have published my own analytical essay "What's Old is New Again: An Exploration of the Themes of 'La La Land'" exploring the themes found in the film; ranging from why it is important to compromise, the impact of nostalgia, and why going off script is sometimes important. The following is an excerpt from the essay, which is currently available on Amazon for free (purchase it here) from February 24 until the 27th. Check it out and feel free to get caught up in the magic of one of this century's best musicals all over again.

Check This Out: A Video Rehearsal of "La La Land"s Opening Scene

Scene from La La Land

By now everyone knows what La La Land is. It's currently up for 14 Oscar nominations and on track to win at least half of them. There are moments that stand out from the film, and that includes the opening number on the 105/110 freeway intersection in which everyone jumps out of their cars and does an elaborate dance number. It's a breathtaking number, and one that sets up the rest of the film perfectly. The question could be "How did they do that?" and the answer would be with cameras flying everywhere and dancers singing in hot temperatures. But to look back even further at rehearsals is to see a different side of the equation. Even on an iPhone, director Damien Chazelle had a strong idea of what to expect.

Best Song: "We Belong Together" (2010)

Scene from Toy Story 3

Welcome to Best Song, a new weekly column released on Sunday dedicated to chronicling the Best Original Song category over the course of its many decades. The goal is to listen to and critique every song that has ever been nominated in the category as well as find the Best Best Song and the Best Loser. By the end, we'll have a comprehensive list of this music category and will hopefully have a better understanding not only of the evolution, but what it takes to receive a nomination here. It may seem easy now, but wait until the bad years.