Tag: Damien Chazelle
Revisiting the Oscars: In defense of La La Land
by Matt Ward
Heading into last night’s Academy Awards ceremony, I was fully prepared to write another glowing column about “La La Land,” raving about the film’s actual merits on a night that felt like Damien Chazelle’s masterpiece was going to be picked apart by fans of other nominated films and later derided as “not a good Best Picture winner” by those who actively dislike the movie. … Read More Revisiting the Oscars: In defense of La La Land
Academy Awards stunner: Surprise winner Moonlight steals Oscars stage
by Matt Ward
“Moonlight” deserved to win Best Picture. “La La Land” deserved to win Best Picture. Watch them both. Enjoy them both.
La La Land: City of stars
by Matt Ward
Believe the hype. Unless you’ve been hiding under the proverbial rock, chances are you’ve seen the trailer for Damien Chazelle’s musical love letter to Los Angeles, the Academy Award frontrunner “La La Land” starring Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone. This modern take on vintage Hollywood storytelling leaps off the screen and pulls viewers in for a classy, adventurous ride about struggling artists falling in … Read More La La Land: City of stars
2016: A Cinematic Year In Review
by Matt Ward
It’s been a tough year. Just saying the word “2016” induces cringes from a vast majority of people, offering up painful thoughts of a highly divisive political campaign that may or may not have gone your way to general malaise about the state of the world to the seemingly endless rash of celebrity deaths that robbed us of talent far too soon. In the … Read More 2016: A Cinematic Year In Review
Whiplash: Strike up the band for visual jazz experience
by Matt Ward
How can you see jazz? It’s easy to hear and a delight to listen to, but how can one visualize jazz in pictures rather than sounds? Is it in a contrast of colors? Harsh browns and tans counterbalancing bright hues of blue? The dueling colors of black and white intermixing like yin and yang. The best independent film of our time — winner of … Read More Whiplash: Strike up the band for visual jazz experience
Cinematic Considerations 