La La Land (UHD Blu-ray) Review (Best Buy Exclusive Steelbook)

[David Vaughn]

Studio: Lions Gate
Release Date: February 8, 2022
Rating: PG-13
Film: 4/5

Plot
Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling star as Mia and Sebastian, an actress and a jazz musician pursuing their Hollywood dreams — and finding each other — in a vibrant celebration of hope, dreams, and love.

My Thoughts
The hype regarding this movie was off the charts and the buzz got so great that my wife dragged me to the theaters to watch it. In fact, it was so popular, it took us 3 attempts to actually see it because our first two attempts ran into a sold-out show! So expectations were quite high when we finally grabbed our bucket of popcorn and settled into our reclining seats at our local Cineplex. Then the first scene pops up and I’m saying to myself “WTF?” Wow, what a horrible way to start a movie!

Fortunately, after the opening number—which seems forced and out of place even with multiple viewings—the movie finds its groove. The music is quite good and the chemistry between Stone and Gosling is great. Emma Watson backed out of this production to do Beauty and The Beast, and I’m not sure it would have been as good with her as the lead character, so thank you Disney!

Many think this was the Best Picture of 2016 and deserved the Oscar over Moonlight, but I’m not one of them. Frankly, I didn’t think Moonlight should have won either, but that’s a story for another day. I truly believe the only reason this film received the buzz it did is that it harkens back to the golden days of Hollywood when the musical reigned supreme and the story itself is about making it in Hollywood, so the sycophants in the entertainment media couldn’t gush enough about their own industry.

This is the same presentation found on the previous UHD release is solid all around. I love that Dolby Atmos is on the track, although it’s rather front loaded and doesn’t necessarily hit you from above, but the score bleed does offer some sort of envelopment in the room. The video encode’s highlight is the WCG, which really sizzles with primary colors and the resolution is quite good compared to the Blu-ray.

Video 9/10

Audio 9/10 (Dolby Atmos)

Special Features:

·        Audio Commentary
·        “Another Day of Sun: They Closed Down a Freeway” Featurette 
·        “La La Land's Great Party” Featurette 
·        “Ryan Gosling: Piano Student” Featurette
·        “Before Whiplash: Damien Chazelle's Passion Project” Featurette 
·        “La La Land's Love Letter to Los Angeles” Featurette
·        “The Music of La La Land” Featurette 
·        “John Legend's Acting Debut” Featurette
·        “The Look of Love: Designing La La Land” Featurette 
·        “Ryan and Emma: Third Time’s the Charm” Featurette 
·        “Epilogue: The Romance of the Dream” Featurette
·        Damien & Justin Sing: The Demos
·        Song Selection
·        Exclusive Best Buy Steelbook
·        UHD, Blu-ray, + UV Digital Copy





Conclusion
I’ve grown to like the film the more I’ve seen it. Maybe it’s because my expectations are already set and I enjoy spending time with the characters. Regardless, it’s a fun movie with some decent—yet forgettable—music. What makes it work is Stone and Gosling along with some wonderful cinematography of Los Angeles. Definitely check this one out though because it’s worth watching and the new Steelbook packaging looks great. Recommended.


Reference Review System:
JVC DLA-RS2000 4K Ultra High-Definition Front Projector
(Calibrated with Portrait Displays CalMAN color calibration software & C6-HDR Meter from Portrait Displays)
Stewart Filmscreen - Firehawk 88” 16x9 Fixed Screen
Trinnov Altitude 16 Audio/Video Processor
ATI AT527NC Powering Bed Channels
ATI AT524NC Powering Atmos Speakers
Panasonic DP-UB820 Ultra HD Blu-ray Player
System Controller: URC MX-990
M&K S-150 THX Ultra (R-C-L Speakers)
M&K SS-150 x4 (Surround Speakers)
Atlantic Technology IC6-OBA x 4 Overhead Speakers
SVS PC-Ultra Cylinder Subwoofer
HSU VTF-15H MK2 Subwoofer
SVS SB-3000 Subwoofer
JL Audio Dominion F110 Subwoofer x 2
Mini DSP HD  controlling all subwoofers
Audioquest and Monoprice - Audio/Video/Speaker Cabling
PureAV PF60 Power Conditioner

[Barry]

This is a wonderful movie but a lot of people do not know that it is basically a remake of ‘The Umbrellas of Cherbourg’ Which was a great and for me unforgettable movie. There is no talking in umbrellas it is all singing and dancing with a very powerful ending. If you like this movie pick up Umbrellas With music by Michelle Legrand.

It won’t be difficult to find but if it takes forever I will wait for you

[AVSCraig]

This is a wonderful movie but a lot of people do not know that it is basically a remake of ‘The Umbrellas of Cherbourg’ Which was a great and for me unforgettable movie. There is no talking in umbrellas it is all singing and dancing with a very powerful ending. If you like this movie pick up Umbrellas With music by Michelle Legrand.

It won’t be difficult to find but if it takes forever I will wait for you

I've seen ‘The Umbrellas of Cherbourg’ but I didn't get the connection. Maybe I need to watch it again.