Best of the Decade, No. 8



Over the next 25 weeks I'll be rolling out my favorite films of the last decade. This is, as all lists of this kind, personal selections. Agree, disagree, make a comment and share your thoughts!

No. 8 La La Land (2016)
Starring: Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone
Director: Damien Chazelle
Academy Award Nominations: 14
Academy Award Wins: 6 (Best Actress (Stone), Best Director (Chazelle), Best Cinematography, Best Original Song, Best Original Score, Best Production Design)
About:  As we move up this list, there are more directors who will be making repeat appearances. While this is the first film for Chazelle on the list, it won't be his last. The young director has delivered some powerful films in the last decade, including a pair up here in the Top 10 for me, and films I thought were the best the year they were released. The first of those is "La La Land," the musical masterpiece that was nominated for 14 Academy Awards. It won six awards, sweeping the music categories and earning Academy Awards for Stone's performance and Chazelle's directing. It didn't win Best Picture, but it was my favorite film the year it was released. I thought it was mesmerizing and I loved the performances. I also loved the music. I thought Gosling was great as a lead, though he didn't win. And Stone delivered some beautiful sequences and scenes, too. I wasn't surprised it won for Original Song, but "City of Stars" wasn't the best to me. The song I loved then, which has endured for me today, is "Audition (The Fools Who Dream)" which was also presented in one of my favorite sequences from the film. This is a beautiful love story, but one that doesn't have a happy ending. And that's OK. It remains a powerful and beautiful film, and I love the work Chazelle does setting the scene. This was one of my favorite films of the last decade, and one that is well worth checking out.
Rating: PG-13 for some language

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