'The Eddy' Teaser: Damien Chazelle's Netflix Series Walks Us Through The Jazzy Side Of Paris

That the opening teaser for Damien Chazelle's Netflix series The Eddy should be lit up with the sounds of Paris' jazz scene should come as no surprise. The criminally-underrated First Man aside, Chazelle is fascinated by the world of music, whether it be Miles Teller's brutal drum solos in Whiplash, or the reimagining of classic Hollywood sound in La La Land.

In the debut footage we follow over the shoulder of club owner Elliot Udo, played by Moonlight's Andre Holland, as he takes us to the door of his struggling nightclub, The Eddy. Along the way, he encounters The Hate U Give's Amandla Stenberg, and while they step inside we are cut off at the door as if we aren't on the VIP list.

Chazele is joined in the 8-epsiode series by BAFTA and Tony Award-winning writer Jack Thorne (The Aeronauts) and Emmy award-winner Alain Poul. The multicatural setting is met by an ethnically-diverse cast that includes Tahar Rahim (A Prophet), Melissa George (Sugar & Spice), Joanna Kulig (Cold War), and  Leila Bekhti (Beirut).

SYNOPSIS: The story is set in contemporary multicultural Paris and revolves around a club, its owner, the house band and the volatile city that surrounds them.

The Eddy hits Netflix beginning May 8th, but the first two episodes will premiere at the Berlin Film Festival.

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Damien Chazelle's 'Babylon' Set For Christmas 2021, Emma Stone And Brad Pitt Still In Talks To Star

Damien Chazelle is one of the most sought-after directors around, and for good reason. When your first three films are Whiplash, La La Land, and First Man, finding a home for the next project is never really a concern. Chazelle's latest, the silent-era drama Babylon, has found a new home at Paramount and even has an awards season release date.

THR reports Paramount has come aboard as distributor of Babylon, which Chazelle will write and direct. As previously reported earlier this year, Emma Stone and Brad Pitt are both in talks to star in the Hollywood drama set in the 1920s as silent movies make the transition to "talkies." Pitt will reportedly play a fictional actor, but based on actor John Gilbert, who finds it difficult to transition into this new version of cinema. Gilbert is one of the great t tragic figures of this era and died young at the age of 38. Stone will play legendary actress Clara Bow, one of Hollywood's first "It" girls.

While Chazelle has proven to be money, Paramount was still hesitant to sign on for his $100M, 180-page film. So they worked out a deal to have Chazelle slice down the script by 30 pages and reduce the budget, but this still sounds like a huge undertaking and may explain the awards season release date of Christmas Day 2021. You don't make this kind of investment without big aspirations.

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Damien Chazelle May Reunite With Emma Stone For Hollywood Film 'Babylon'

Some directors go an entire career without having one of their films be considered a major event. Damien Chazelle's debut film Whiplash was only in 2014, and since then it can be said the two features he's completed, La La Land and First Man, were must-see viewing. Now he's reportedly shopping around his next project, titled Babylon, and has turned to a familiar face to lead it.

Deadline reports Chazelle may reunite with La La Land's Emma Stone for Babylon, which is apparently being eyed by a number of potential studios. It's still a little early for any real details, but the film is said to be a period piece set in Hollywood. Chazelle dabbled in this world the last time he worked with Stone, and that turned out pretty well with 14 Oscar nominations and 6 victories.

Chazelle is currently at work on his upcoming Showtime series, The Eddy, which explores the Paris jazz music scene.

As for Babylon, the frontrunner for it seems to be Lionsgate, but with a higher budget than Chazelle usually commands others are said to be in the mix.

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Review: 'First Man', Damien Chazelle's NASA Epic Is A Soaring Triumph

It's to the credit of 2016's Best Director winner Damien Chazelle that his tremendous space epic First Man is as different from his previous films as there is distance between the Earth and the Moon. After the bruising Whiplash and swinging La La Land, Chazelle embarks on an austere, technical drama about astronaut Neil Armstrong, (in)famously reserved despite his status as one of the most important figures in our history, and certainly to space travel. While controversy has circled the film for its supposed lack of patriotism, it would be impossible to come away feeling anything less than pride at Armstrong's achievement.

What's so interesting about First Man, and the hurdle Chazelle and screenwriter Josh Singer had to overcome, is that Armstrong is such a blank slate. As played by Mr. Understated himself, Ryan Gosling, he is a man of little outward emotion and not much of a conversationalist. That puts most of the burden on Chazelle and DP Linus Sandgren to project some of the film's grander themes through technical wizardry. Gosling still manages to shine as the tight-lipped, steel-jawed former test pilot, who is spurred on to greater things following the death of his daughter.  Joining NASA at the height of the space race, he witnesses first hand the true human toll of their endeavors. In fact, for much of the movie that seems to be the point driven home most, that such an incredible feat as landing on the moon requires incredible sacrifice.

It can be a little jarring that Armstrong does come off at times like a passenger in his own story, but in a way that also makes sense when you consider the enormity of his mission. Much of the film deals with the technical steps and procedures involved with space travel, and the outside pressures, many of them political, that propelled NASA forward. This was the 1960s, a time of volcanic social change, but Chazelle largely keeps the narrative out of the political fray other than some old Vietnam War footage and the feeling of space as an escape from the nation's chaos. Meanwhile, Armstrong internalizes any pressure he is feeling, whether at home or on the job. Claire Foy shines as his wife, Jan, who I think is our avatar in expressing frustration at Neil's isolation. She still doesn't get much to do beyond the typical "housewife" role too common for these biopics, but that doesn't take away from Foy's performance.

Gosling and Foy are surrounded by an excellent supporting cast making the most of their limited screen time. Nearly all of them are playing pivotal NASA figures whose stories could probably support their own movies, which is why it's a little disappointing to see them zip by so fast. In particular Patrick Fugit impressed as Elliot See, one of Armstrong's closest friends and a colleague in the Gemini missions. Jason Clarke as Ed White, first man to walk in space; Corey Stoll as Buzz Aldrin paints the astronaut as a self-involved prick; and Kyle Chandler as NASA chief Deke Slayton; they all leave an impression as crucial people in Armstrong's orbit.

Rich in era-specific detail and shot in beautifully grainy 16mm and 35mm, First Man is like an archival newsreel come to life. You want to watch it and file it away in the Library of Congress almost immediately. Sangren proves incredible adept no matter what the situation calls for, whether it be Armstrong's simple domestic life or the nauseating whirl of the cockpit. And when Armstrong does eventually crack the surface and reach the moon, you can't help but bask in the glorious widescreen beauty of it. First Man is a film that demands to be seen in IMAX.  The actual moon landing sequence, the subject of so much chatter from those who haven't even seen it, is guilty of only one cheesy, melodramatic misstep that thankfully floats away pretty quickly.

So while First Man may not wax poetic, it still soars with the same epic sweep of Ron Howard's Apollo 13.  In the biggest movie of his career Chazelle proves he's just as brilliant when given a larger canvas, literally the stars themselves, to paint on.

Rating: 4 out of 5

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JFK Speech Powers Final Trailer For 'First Man' Starring Ryan Gosling

Oh...ANOTHER trailer for First Man, eh? It's only been a week since the last one, which at the time seemed like an insta-response to the anti-patriotism controversy the film had been embroiled in for not showing Neil Armstrong's planting of the flag on the moon's surface. So what's the point of this new one other than to double-down? It might as well scream "America! Fuck yeah!!"

Damien Chazelle does seem to be ramping up how American the film is, planting Old Glory wherever possible and using JFK's "We choose to go to the moon!" speech to tremendous effect. That said, it's clear the focus isn't on this as an American achievement, but of the personal journey taken by the famously enigmatic Armstrong (Ryan Gosling). Already the awards buzz is swirling around Gosling's performance and Chazelle's direction, and I think we could also see some technical gold come its way, as well. Do I think the film needed to give away more in a new trailer? Not really, but it probably can't hurt.

Also starring Claire Foy, Jason Clarke, Kyle Chandler, Christopher Abbott, Shea Whigham, and Corey Stoll, First Man blasts off on October 12th.

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New Trailer For 'First Man' Rides The Wave Of Early Oscar Buzz

The reviews have been pouring in for Damien Chazelle's First Man, and the only thing that could be soaring higher than Neil Armstrong are the film's Oscar prospects. Despite a little bit of pointless controversy following its Venice premiere, it looks like a legit Best Picture frontrunner, and we may even be talking about Ryan Gosling for Best Actor.

A new trailer for the film has arrived and it's a showcase for Gosling in the central role. He gets the unvenviable task of portraying a true American hero, but one who was famously a cipher to most of his colleagues. Joining Gosling is Claire Foy as Armstrong's wife, Janet, and by all accounts it's a role that goes beyond the usual "loyal spouse" model we've grown accustomed to.

Also starring Jason Clarke, Corey Stoll, and Kyle Chandler with a script by Josh Singer (Spotlight), First Man blasts off on October 12th. This should be amazing to see in IMAX, too.

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Damien Chazelle Defends 'First Man' After Ridiculous American Flag Debacle

I've been on the road all day, only stopping periodically to see what the buzz is all about, and each time the weirdest headline kept grabbing me, "Chazelle's First Man is un-American! Ryan Gosling Defends Film".  Mind blown over what the Hell this could possibly be about, I found out that some were claiming his film, which depicts Neil Armstrong's  historic flight to the moon, doesn't show the unforgettable moment when he plants the American flag. And of course, this is an outrage. Or at least it's a Twitter outrage, not a real one.

You've probably seen the screaming, angry rhetoric as well, mostly from conservatives like Bill "I've never been right about anything" Kristol,and Florida senator Marco Rubio who calls it "total lunacy",  neither of whom has actually seen the film. So what's the truth?

The truth is that First Man does have the American flag in it throughout. But does it have that iconic moment when Armstrong actually plants the flag? No, it doesn't. Is this somehow a "politically correct" way to paint this uniquely American moment? Not at all, but a creative choice by director Damien Chazelle who wanted to focus on the parts of Armstrong's life that we haven't seen a thousand times before. Here's part of his statment...

“I wanted the primary focus in that scene to be on Neil’s solitary moments on the moon — his point of view as he first exited the LEM, his time spent at Little West Crater, the memories that may have crossed his mind during his lunar EVA."

Seems reasonable to me, so what was it that caused this Twitter shit storm? Probably some comments by Gosing during a press conference, specifically these...

"I think this was widely regarded in the end as a human achievement [and] that’s how we chose to view it. I also think Neil was extremely humble, as were many of these astronauts, and time and time again he deferred the focus from himself to the 400,000 people who made the mission possible."

"So I don’t think that Neil viewed himself as an American hero. From my interviews with his family and people that knew him, it was quite the opposite. And we wanted the film to reflect Neil.”

Because we're talking about Twitter outrage, and faux-conservative outrage at that, of course this was blown out of proporation and slanted to mean that Chazelle was trying to strip America of this incredible feat. That's obviously absurd, even for a movie that will play globally, but you can see how Gosling opened the film up to criticism. I'm sure he was just trying to talk to the audience, and since he was at the Venice Film Festival it was a gaggle of international press.

The take home from this debacle? Maybe it's best to watch the movie before you shit all over it. Oh, and Neil Armstrong's sons? They don't think the film is anti-American in the least. See their statement below.  [Deadline]

We’ve read a number of comments about the film today and specifically about the absence of the flag planting scene, made largely by people who haven’t seen the movie.  As we’ve seen it multiple times, we thought maybe we should weigh in. 

This is a film that focuses on what you don’t know about Neil Armstrong.  It’s a film that focuses on things you didn’t see or may not remember about Neil’s journey to the moon.  The filmmakers spent years doing extensive research to get at the man behind the myth, to get at the story behind the story.  It’s a movie that gives you unique insight into the Armstrong family and fallen American Heroes like Elliot See and Ed White.  It’s a very personal movie about our dad’s journey, seen through his eyes. 

This story is human and it is universal.  Of course, it celebrates an America achievement.  It also celebrates an achievement “for all mankind,” as it says on the plaque Neil and Buzz left on the moon.  It is a story about an ordinary man who makes profound sacrifices and suffers through intense loss in order to achieve the impossible.

Although Neil didn’t see himself that way, he was an American hero.  He was also an engineer and a pilot, a father, and a friend, a man who suffered privately through great tragedies with incredible grace.  This is why, though there are numerous shots of the American flag on the moon, the filmmakers chose to focus on Neil looking back at the earth, his walk to Little West Crater, his unique, personal experience of completing this journey, a journey that has seen so many incredible highs and devastating lows.

In short, we do not feel this movie is anti-American in the slightest.  Quite the opposite.  But don’t take our word for it.  We’d encourage everyone to go see this remarkable film and see for themselves.

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'First Man' Trailer: Ryan Gosling Rockets Off To The Moon

One of the best things about frequenting the museums' IMAX theaters right now is they are all showing trailers for First Man, Damien Chazelle's space drama about Neil Armstrong's historic flight to the moon. Every second of it is intense, jaw-dropping in scope and velocity, and it simply looks like one of the most impressive movies to arrive this awards season. And now we have a new look at the film which stars Ryan Gosling as the most famous astronaut in history.

Reuniting with his La La Land star, Chazelle is still venturing outside of his comfort zone on this one. After two music-based dramas that earned him more accolades than veterans with ten times his filmmaking experience, Chazelle switches gears for a space biopic on the famously reserved Armstrong. It's also the first time Chazelle is directing from a script not his own, although having Spotlight and The Post writer Josh Singer on board isn't too shabby. Co-starring in the film are Claire Foy, Kyle Chandler, Pablo Schreiber, Corey Stoll, Jon Bernthal, and Jason Clarke; no shortage of talent there, either.

Here's the synopsis: On the heels of their six-time Academy Award®-winning smash, La La Land, Oscar®-winning director Damien Chazelle and star Ryan Gosling reteam for Universal Pictures’ First Man, the riveting story behind the first manned mission to the moon, focusing on Neil Armstrong and the decade leading to the historic Apollo 11 flight.  A visceral and intimate account told from Armstrong’s perspective, based on the book by James R. Hansen, the film explores the triumphs and the cost—on Armstrong, his family, his colleagues and the nation itself—of one of the most dangerous missions in history.

First Man opens October 12th.  Does Chazelle have a third straight Best Picture nominee on his hands? Sure looks like it.

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Ryan Gosling Takes Flight In Trailer For Damien Chazelle's 'First Man'

With First Man, Damien Chazelle finds himself in a new place in his career. While his first two features, Whiplash and La La Land, were Best Picture nominees there was a certain "prove it" attitude that surrounded them. No Chazelle has done that, and this film has been seen as a likely awards contender since the day it was announced. Now the goal is living up to the expectations, and we're getting the first trailer on the way to seeing if Chazelle can do it.

Reuniting with Ryan Gosling, Chazelle sets out to direct the story of Neil Armstrong, the first man to walk on the moon. Josh Singer (Spotlight) wrote the script, making this the first time Chazelle isn't directing his own screenplay.  Others in the cast include Claire Foy, Corey Stoll, Kyle Chandler, Jason Clarke, Shea Whigham, Patrick Fugit, and Jon Bernthal.  Here's the synopsis:

On the heels of their six-time Academy Award-winning smash, La La Land, Oscar-winning director Damien Chazelle and star Ryan Gosling reteam for Universal Pictures’ First Man, the riveting story of NASA’s mission to land a man on the moon, focusing on Neil Armstrong and the years 1961-1969. A visceral, first-person account, based on the book by James R. Hansen, the movie will explore the sacrifices and the cost—on Armstrong and on the nation—of one of the most dangerous missions in history.

First Man opens October 12th.

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First Look At Ryan Gosling And Claire Foy In Damien Chazelle's 'First Man'

With Whiplash and La La Land, Damien Chazelle set a high bar that will be very hard for him to reach. Good thing his next film, First Man, has to do with the first astronauts to soar to the moon and back. Not only is this Chazelle's first movie he's directed from another screenplay, but he'll have to prove he can do more than tell stories about music. Good thing he's brought along His La La Land star Ryan Gosling, who we're now getting a look at as Neil Armstrong.

People debuted the new images from First Man, which tells the story of Armstrong as he readies to be the first to ever walk on the moon. Set during the years 1961-1969, the film will do more than follow Armstrong's training, but will go into his life at home. Claire Foy plays Armstrong's wife, Sharon, and Chazelle talked about her casting and the reason why she was a necessary addition...

"Ryan and Claire Foy had never worked together, but I remember right from the beginning they just slipped into these roles, and just became a family on camera,” Chazelle says. “There was this sort of chemistry and bond between Ryan and Claire onscreen that really felt like the young Neil and Janet Armstrong that I had read about.”

“Ryan and I described the movie to each other as it’s about the moon and the kitchen, which means basically we wanted to tell the story about one of the most epic accomplishments in human history, but root it very much in the intimate and the day to day details of what it was actually like.” 

Also starring Kyle Chandler, Corey Stoll, Jon Bernthal, Jason Clarke, Brian d'Arcy James, Patrick Fugit, and Ethan Embry, First Man opens October 12th.

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Apple Scores New Drama Series Written And Directed By Damien Chazelle

After finding Oscars success with Whiplash and La La Land, Damien Chazelle has taken a pretty sharp turn into peak TV. Last fall he signed up to exec-produce The Eddy, an 8-episode musical series for Amazon.  And now he's made a move to Apple for something new.

Variety reports Chazelle will write and direct every episode of a new series, but details on it are unclear. What we do know is that Apple must smell what Chazelle is cookin' because they've already ordered it straight to series.

Next up for Chazelle is the astronaut drama, First Man, which reunites him with Ryan Gosling and opens this October.

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Netflix Picks Up Damien Chazelle's 'The Eddy' Jazz Drama Series

After two straight Best Picture nominees in Whiplash and La La Land, Damien Chazelle's is taking a respite from movies about jazz music and heading into space for First Man. However, he won't be gone from the musical scene for long, and when he comes back it won't be on the big screen. It'll be with Netflix in his previously-announced series, The Eddy.

If The Eddy sounds like it could be a nightclub like the one Ryan Gosling hangs out at in La La Land, well you aren't far off. Chazelle will exec-produce the 8-episode series which will be set in a nightclub in multicultural Paris, following the house band, the owner, and the chaotic city around them. And this one is going to be huge with filming taking place in Paris, with original music by Grammy winner Glen Ballard and multiple language of spoken dialogue. The suddenly-ubiquitous Jack Thorne (Star Wars Episode IX) will write the scripts.

Netflix doesn't have the best track record with musicals (see also: The Get Down) but hopefully Chazelle can change all of that.

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Damien Chazelle & Jesse Eisenberg Set New TV Gigs While 'Powerless' Checks Out

A handful of TV items that caught my attention. Chances are I'll watch neither of the two new shows coming out, despite the talent involved, and I didn't watch the one show that got cancelled even though it was set in the DC Universe.

First up, Best Director winner Damien Chazelle is moving to the small screen. He'll direct the musical drama series, The Eddy, which “revolves around a club, its owner, the house band and the volatile city that surrounds them.” Sounds perfect for the director of La La Land and Whiplash, and one has to wonder what kind of A-list talent he can pull for something like this. Jack Thorne will be writing the script. No network is on board yet, but come on, that won't take long. [THR]

Jesse Eisenberg will launch into his first scripted TV series, serving as writer, director, and star of The Market. The half-hour single camera comedy hails from J.J. Abrams' Bad Robot, and centers on Howard Katzman, “who moves to Pittsburgh to live with his adult son, Stan (Eisenberg). Both men simultaneously lose their jobs due to the changing American economy and are thrust into an unforgiving job market.” Ooooh joy, a laugher about how much things suck. Then again Roseanne lasted a long time on just such a premise so maybe I'm wrong.

And it looks as if NBC has cancelled Powerless, their half-hour sitcom set in the world of the DC Universe. Vanessa Hudgens led the show set at one of Bruce Wayne's companies that helps people deal with an uncertain world where superheroes and supervillains are destroying everything. I never heard one person say anything good about it, but I had no idea its ratings were bad enough for it to get axed. NBC has pulled the final two episodes although there's a chance they could turn up on Hulu. [Polygon]

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Early Damien Chazelle Script 'The Claim' Is Becoming A Movie In 2018

That Best Picture flub well behind him now, Damien Chazelle can look fondly on La La Land's six Oscar wins, including one for Best Director. He's already got his next film set for 2018, the Neil Armstrong biopic First Man which will reunite him with Ryan Gosling. But now one of Chazelle's early scripts is heading towards production, and it looks to arrive next year, too.

Deadline reports Chazelle's 2010 Black List script for The Claim has been optioned for a release in 2018, but it will have a different director. Who that director will be is unclear, but Chazelle's script certainly sounds like intriguing stuff. It centers on a single father in search of his kidnapped daughter, while a mysterious couple have made claims that they are her real parents. Hmmmm! Sounds like something Harlan Coben would write, and that definitely appeals to me.

This is what happens when you attain Chazelle's level of success. Anything you might have worked on in the past is suddenly hot again. Hey, if it gives us two Chazelle movies in 2018 I'm all for it.

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John Legend Heats Up The New Trailer For 'La La Land'

Wait, isn't La La Land already in theaters, paving what looks to be an easy path to Best Picture frontrunner? Absolutely, and the film has been huge both here and abroad with $66M. The thing is, it hasn't even cracked 1000 theaters domestically yet and is still rolling out overseas, meaning there are a lot of areas that haven't been treated to Damien Chazelle's genius musical.

Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling are light on their feet as ever in the latest trailer, which features co-star John Legend's track, "Start a Fire".  Legend's role in the film is pretty significant as a reflection of what Gosling's jazz purist fears becoming, which is an artist who sells out the music for fame.

La La Land is in theaters here now, and hits the UK on January 12th.

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Ryan Gosling Launches Into Damien Chazelle's Neil Armstrong Biopic, 'First Man'

Ask anybody and your frontrunner for Best Picture is unquestionably Damien Chazelle's golden era musical, La La Land. It's a film that pleases audiences and cinephiles in equal measure, with the director forming a unique kind of bond with his stars. So much so that Chazelle sought out Ryan Gosling for his Neil Armstrong biopic, First Man, and now it's been made official.

Variety confirms Gosling will head up the film, an adaptation of James R. Hansen’s biography First Man: The Life Of Neil A. Armstrong. Penned by Oscar-winning Spotlight writer Josh Singer, the film will center on the life and career of the first man NASA ever put on the moon. With NASA more in the headlines than ever, thanks to Hidden Figures and the unfortunate passing of John Glenn, expect there to be a lot of attention on this film. And of course, having such a talented group involved doesn't hurt.

This one's launching fast as Universal plans for filming to begin early in 2017. It'll be interesting to see how Chazelle handles a film that doesn't have the kind of personal connection as Whiplash or La La Land. [Variety]

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Interview: Damien Chazelle Talks 'La La Land' And Combining His Love Of Jazz And Film

I've had the benefit of speaking with Damien Chazelle twice now, both times under very different circumstances. The first was a couple of years ago following the world premiere of his breakout film, Whiplash, when everyone at Sundance was buzzing about it. At the time the only talk of Oscars surrounded J.K. Simmons' supporting performance (which he went on to win), but the movie ended up winning three out of its five nominations.

The second time was for La La Land, Chazelle's sweeping Hollywood musical that reunites America's favorite screen couple, Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone. It's another film that shows Chazelle's enduring love of jazz music, only this time wrapped in a love of golden age Hollywood of the '50s and '60s. It's a more hopeful, romantic movie than the forceful Whiplash, and shows Chazelle's flexibility as a director. Ever since the film premiered it has been considered the clear frontrunner for Best Picture, and that's a situation I think Chazelle is still trying to get used to.

We talked about a number of things in my interview with him, from the change in his own attitude over the last couple of years to the difficulty in directing a much bigger film. We also joked a little about what his next jazz movie could be, and it involves space aliens. Check out the interview below, and my review of La La Land here!

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Review: 'La La Land' Starring Emma Stone And Ryan Gosling

NOTE: This is a reprint of my review from the Middleburg Film Festival. La La Land opens in select cities December 9th, in DC on December 16th. 

Go ahead, try not to fall in love with La La Land. I dare you. Being a fan of movies is both rewarding and frustrating. We love big, grandiose Hollywood cinema, but far too often it seems like Hollywood doesn't love us. We're served up one stale, formulaic blockbuster after another like they were rolled right off a conveyor belt. La La Land might be the cure to all of that, though. A lovely, sweeping original musical told in a kaleidoscope of bright colors, paying tribute to the glory of old Hollywood productions while existing in a modern space. It is a remarkable achievement, as light on its feet as it is grounded and real, this is the kind of musical that makes fans of those who hate musicals.

After two hours you are guaranteed to leave the theater with a bit more pep in your step, but don't think for a second that director Damien Chazelle, in his follow-up to the jazz drumming thriller Whiplash, is creating an airy puff piece. The story he's telling is a familiar one that has been part of the fabric of Hollywood since the beginning. The indomitable duo of Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling are aspiring actress Mia and jazz enthusiast Sebastian, both trying to find their way in a business that chews up people like them by the millions. Yes, it's a movie about dreamers, those who risk all to achieve that which they have always wanted. Seen and heard it before? Sure you have. But any notion you've seen it quite like this goes away with the soaring, heart-swelling dance number welcoming you to L.A. in all of its "Presented in Cinemascope" glory. It grabs you by the collar and demands, "So you don't like musicals, eh? Well check this out."

But Chazelle isn't just content to simply be an homage; he's actually trying to tell a story here, a romance naturally. And it's a love story about more than just Mia and Sebastian's relationship, it's about the very nature of lofty aspirations. Mia works as a barista on a studio lot, quietly pining to be like the actresses who come in and order coffee every morning. She rushes off to one disappointing audition after another whenever she can, then rushes off to more. Seb is an old soul trapped in Ryan Gosling's body. He's a lover of old school jazz, a pianist who hopes to start his own club where the traditions can be maintained. Their first meeting is too perfect and not at all hopeful, it's like the anti-meet cute. But subsequent encounters begin to take on an air of inevitability. One Fred Astaire/Ginger Rogers dance number and the two are inseparable; Mia inspiring him to save the jazz sound he loves, and him encouraging her not to give up.

We've seen Gosling and Stone together before in two movies, Crazy Stupid Love and the forgettable Gangster Squad. They really do feel like a modern-day Astaire/Rogers duo, and watching them fall in love has become quite comfortable yet also completely irresistible. Their romance here is utterly hypnotic, singing and dancing through a series of unforgettable numbers, each with a different flavor than the one before. And Chazelle bravely embraces some of the fantastical qualities inherent to Hollywood musicals, in particular during a heavenly sequence where Mia and Seb literally float on air at the Griffith Observatory.

It's a delicate balance Chazelle has to walk, but what makes La La Land such a complete joy is how well he pulls it off. It's not all happy days and nights for the couple. There's a great deal of pain and uncertainty, which Chazelle doesn't shy away from. For Seb, the question of his integrity is raised when his music career takes off with the help of a friend (John Legend), but playing a style of jazz he's always resented. Does he ditch the fame and the money just to be true to his values? Mia faces a different dilemma altogether, one in which she must consider the possibility she isn't good enough. The whim and impulse of the beautifully choreographed dance numbers are matched by the gravity of Stone and Gosling's performances during the poignant moment.

This is such a huge step up for Chazelle that it's amazing how easy he makes it look. Even the bittersweet ending, which I think will be divisive to those hoping for a more definitive resolution, earns every single emotional beat. However you feel about the way things shake out, you will definitely feel something by the end of La La Land. It  manages to encapsulate through song and dance the entirety of our eternal love affair with music and cinema.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5

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Ryan Gosling And Emma Stone Dazzle In New Trailer For 'La La Land'

Last night after coming out of the Fantastic Beasts screening, a fellow critic told me he was about to see La La Land, and to please tell him it wasn't that good. The reason is that he had heard so many glowing reviews that he needed someone to temper his expectations. My response? "Well, I think it's the best movie of the year, so..."

I wasn't much help.

The buzz is real about Damien Chazelle's magical musical experience, which stars Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone in yet another charming love story. Heck, those two managed to make Gangster Squad (barely) watchable. They click like never before in the song-and-dance story of a Hollywood piano player and aspiring actress as they try to make it big in a business that crushes dreams and hearts alike.

Also starring John Legend, J.K. Simmons, Rosemarie DeWitt, and Finn Wittrock, La La Land opens December 2nd.

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Emma Stone And Ryan Gosling Dream Big In New 'La La Land' Trailer And Poster

When Damien Chazelle's musical romance La La Land arrives next month it will mark the third time Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone have fallen in love on screen. There's just something about the two together that pops on the screen; their chemistry is reminiscent of the screen couples of old Hollywood, and Chazelle referenced two of the best recently when talking about them to Variety...

"Obviously the chemistry between the two was important. But also, I like that we had seen them before [in “Gangster Squad”] in a way that kind of made them feel like an old Hollywood pairing where William Powell and Myrna Loy would do those movies together; Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, obviously; Katherine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy — there would be these pairs that you would expect to see in cinema and you kind of felt that you knew them. I liked that because it gave us a starting point to begin to unravel it a little bit and maybe show new sides to it."

I said pretty much the same thing in my recent review of the film, but you can see more of the incredible connection (and dance moves) between Stone and Gosling in the latest trailer. They play a star-crossed pair trying to make it big in Hollywood; him as a jazz pianist and her as an aspiring actress. The film is full top-to-bottom with unforgettable dance numbers, making for what could be the most uplifting experience of the holiday season.

Also starring John Legend, Rosemarie DeWitt, JK Simmons, and Finn Wittrock, La La Land opens December 9th.

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