I can't tell you how thrilled I was when La La Land was released at the end of 2016.
I grew up loving big musicals, even though they were before my time — for example, the musicals of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. And the filming of great Broadway musicals by the likes of Frank Loesser, Lerner and Loewe, and Rodgers and Hammerstein.
La La Land is a lot like those great musicals of the 1930s, but definitely set in 21st century Los Angeles. It's the story of boy meets girl — in this case the boy is Ryan Gosling, the girl Emma Stone. She's an aspiring actress, he's an aspiring musician. Written and directed by Damien Chazelle, it's a grand return to the movie musical.
At the 2017 Oscars, the film was nominated for a record-tying 14 Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress, and two Best Original Songs: "Audition (The Fools Who Dream)" and "City of Stars."
Justin Hurwitz wrote the musical numbers and score, and on this week's Flicks in Five, we'll hear his "Epilogue" from La La Land.
Original Trailer — La La Land
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