Welcome to Los Angeles, the seat of the American film industry! Here you can learn about astronomy at the Griffith Observatory, see the Pacific from the L.A. Boardwalk, and walk across the greats of moviemaking on your way to the TLC Chinese Theater. And of course, no visit to the city of angels would be complete without a glimpse of the Hollywood sign, keeping its steady watch over the humble borough of tinsel town. L.A. has been mythologized almost as much as New York City, and as such has become a beacon for throngs of dreamers hoping for a chance to be discovered and catapulted into stardom. These glossy, candy-colored dreams are the lifeblood, central appeal, and indeed raison d'etre of movies like La La Land, the Damien Chazelle directed 2016 musical and subject of that one famous Oscars snafu. No, the other one. No, the one without the aggravated assault. La La Land is more than just a flashy bit of Hollywood ego-stroking, however, it also endeavors to be a subtle romance about the conflict between personal fulfillment and the pursuit of relationships, the ultimate mendacity of the Hollywood dream, and the pain and questions of the road not taken, bolstered by a pair of stand out performances. La La Land is such a cinematic treat that it fought its way through the frankly overflowing catalog of movies Nathan has seen to claim top honors as his favorite, so now that everyone’s hopefully had time to get over their No Country For Old Men-induced existential crisis, let’s all pep things up a bit with this melodious matinee. Shine your dancing shoes and grab a partner, hit it!
