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Damien Chazelle

First Man: Man on a Mission

January 22, 2019 by Steve Norton Leave a Comment

Directed by Oscar-winner Damien Chazelle (La La Land), First Man tells the story of one of the most iconic moments in history as it tracks NASA’s quest to be the first to put a man on the moon. Following the journey of Neil Armstrong (Ryan Gosling), the film explores the human side of the mission, without shying away from the sacrifices and losses that came as a cost for their victory.

In the development of First Man, Chazelle has stated that he wanted to show the intense risk undertaken by the crew and staff in order to make this historic event possible and he certainly accomplishes his mission. Told over the span of 1961-1969, the film does not shy away from the highs and extreme lows that NASA endured during their journey. Through his use of editing and sound design, each launch sequence is equally thrilling and terrifying. Ranging from the noise of the launch to the limited view from the cockpit of the shuttle, Chazelle has sought to help his audience to experience the sheer peril in every moment of the experience.

However, rather than focus entirely on the moon landing itself, Chazelle instead allows the Armstrong’s personal battles to inform the narrative. Interestingly, unlike other ‘space race’ films (is that a genre?), First Man spotlights the journey to the moon through the eyes of Armstrong himself, as opposed to the entire team. Although their impact is never ignored, Chazelle is most concerned with Armstrong himself, both for his contribution and the emotional struggles he suffered after a family tragedy.

Gosling handles himself admirably, portraying the legendary astronaut as heroic for his efforts yet struggling with grief and loss. By juxtaposing his family struggles with his passion for the mission, First Man allows one to inform the other. Faced with insurmountable odds, Armstrong is still a man whose soul has been damaged by tragedy and is looking for answers. Is he driven to reach the moon to avoid his pain through achievement? Or does he seek to achieve the impossible in order to stare down the darkness inside him? While his motivations remain somewhat ambiguous in the film insofar as Armstrong rarely speaks from his soul. Still, First Man clearly believes that the two issues are linked in a such a way that the answers impact one another.

With this in mind, First Man also begs the question of whether or not the sacrifices are worth the glory in the end. Although their quest ends (um… spoiler alert?) on the surface of the moon, there still remains issues at home that need to be confronted. Despite the glory associated with their historic victory, there are personal losses at home along the way that must be weighed in the balance. In midst of global celebrations for their achievement, the challenges of parenting and maintaining a happy marriage with his wife, Janet (Claire Foy, whose performance steals the film) remain very much in the forefront. Armstrong may be a hero to the masses but he is simply a man with responsibilities when he’s at home. As such, First Man serves as a reminder that there can be failures in the midst of successes when we deny the pain of our soul in the process.

In the end First Man walks a thin line between thrill ride and grounded dramatic piece. Wildly different than his previous two films, Chazelle continues to prove his skill and creativity behind a camera by shedding new light on a familiar story. As intense as it is compelling, First Man challenges the nature of heroism in a way that also humanizes the men and women who helped make such a significant moment possible.

First Man is available on 4K, Blu-ray, and Digital HD now. The special features include deleted scenes, and feature commentary by Chazelle, Josh Singer, and editor Tom Cross. Featurettes behind “Shooting the Moon,” “Preparing to Launch,” “Giant Leap in One Small Step,” “Shooting at NASA,” and “Recreating the Moon Landing” take you into the cinematic undertaking, while “Putting You in the Seat” and “Astronaut Training” are featurettes which show the audience what went into the preparation.

Filed Under: Film, Film Festivals, Reviews, TIFF Tagged With: Claire Foy, Corey Stoll, Damien Chazelle, First Man, grief, Kyle Chandler, Neil Armstrong, Ryan Gosling, TIFF, TIFF18

5.03 Goals and Grief in FIRST MAN

October 21, 2018 by Steve Norton 1 Comment

http://screenfish.net/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/5.03-First-Man.mp3

In FIRST MAN, Oscar-winner Damien Chazelle (LA LA LAND) gives new life to the story of the Apollo 11 moon landing by looking at the iconic moment through the eyes and experiences of astronaut Neil Armstrong. In doing so, he creates a unique style of ‘space film’ that spends just as much time with the people on the ground as it does in the shuttle itself. This week, Steve welcomes back Wade Bearden (Seeing and Believing) and Matthew Cimone (Chasing Atlantis) to delve into what drives us to do great things and whether or not its worth it in the end.

Want to continue to conversation at home?  Click the link below to download ‘Fishing for More’ — some small group questions for you to bring to those in your area.

5.03 First Man

Thanks Wade and Matthew for joining us!

Filed Under: Film, Film Festivals, Podcast, TIFF Tagged With: Claire Foy, Corey Stoll, Damien Chazelle, First Man, Jason Clarke, Kyle Chandler, Oscars, Ryan Gosling, TIFF, TIFF18

In Defense Of My Best Picture Pick “LA LA LAND”

January 27, 2017 by Chris Utley Leave a Comment

In defense of my Best Picture choice LA LA LAND…

First of all, as a Black man, some folks may be SHOCKED 😱 that my choice is neither Moonlight nor Hidden Figures nor Fences (my STRONG #2 choice for the big prize).   You shouldn’t be shocked.  I’m a film lover first.   Through and through.  I study the history and I soak up the artform.  The language of Cinema pours out of my pores.  I don’t make choices on what movie to see or what film should win out of the lens of my Blackness.  I judge on heart – as in which film, which nominee captures my heart as a cinephile.

This year, THAT film is LA LA LAND.

Here’s the deal.  The film doesn’t really GET you the first time you see it.  It’s a musical… but not the modern day jukebox type that intersperses the songs we know in a brand new story.  This is a ‘built from the ground up’ original musical.  You sit in the theatre, popcorn in hand, learning new music that you have never heard until the lights dimmed.  You sit there watching them dance on the freeway and watch Ryan and Emma bickering and singing and loving and singing and fighting and singing and ease into the ending. To the naked eye, you’re like “O…..K. That was cute.  Don’t know if it’s all that great, but it’s cute.”

But then you go home and in the randomness of your day, you start hearing “City Of Stars” in the recesses of your mind.  You recapture the moment when Emma sang about “The fools who dream.”  And then you a mad dash to download those songs on your musical device or watch them on YouTube. And you catch the specific lyrics and piece them together with the story you saw a few days/weeks earlier. And then the tapestry of the story re-knits itself together in your earbuds. And your “eyes” begin to open and understand why they danced on freeways, flew in planetarium displays in Griffith Park, and auditioned about fools who dream.

Because, if you’re a film lover, we are those fools.

We could be watching football, coding iPhone apps, coaching little league, making sweaters for our families. But no. We spend our weekends and weeknights searching online for movie tickets on Fandango, chasing free screenings, writing articles for ScreenFish, or READING the articles other people wrote.  😜

Why?  Because we are those fools.

LA LA LAND is a film for those fools. For every girl who hitchhiked or took a bus or drove from Michigan to LA chasing a dream. For every dude who plays in some band in his garage hoping to get to the Sunset Strip venues so they can blow up. It’s for every writer, poet, painter, starving actor/actress/wannabe filmmaker who dreams in spite of it all. It’s for everyone in this town who’s heart aches and breaks. For everyone who’s life is a mess because they won’t give up on the dream. For the dream makers. The dream workers. The dreamers.

LA LA LAND is about us.

Filed Under: Editorial, Reviews Tagged With: Damien Chazelle, Emma Stone, La La Land, musical, Oscars, Ryan Gosling

3.8 Dreaming in LA LA LAND

January 8, 2017 by Steve Norton Leave a Comment

http://screenfish.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/3.8-La-La-Land.mp3

For our 1st ep of 2017, Steve welcomes Kevin McLenithan (co-host, Seeing and Believing) to sing the praises of Damien Chazelle’s LA LA LAND! In a great conversation, they talk about the tension between nostalgia and reality as well as finding a balance between love and purpose. In addition, the guys also reveal their Top 3 Movie Moments of 2016!

Want to continue to conversation at home?  Click the link below to download ‘Fishing for More’ — some small group questions for you to bring to those in your area.

3.8 La La Land

A special thanks to Kevin McLenithan for coming on the show!  You can hear more from Kevin on the Seeing and Believing podcast with Wade Bearden and read his work at Christ and Pop Culture!

Filed Under: Film, Podcast, Reviews, TIFF Tagged With: Academy Awards, awards, Damien Chazelle, Emma Stone, Golden Globes, JK Simmons, La La Land, Love, movies, musicals, nostalgia, Oscars, Ryan Gosling

La La Land – Hollywood Plays Itself

January 1, 2017 by Darrel Manson 1 Comment

Hollywood has played itself in films frequently. It is the land of glamor and dreams. But it can be very hard on those who dream of making it. It is filled with nostalgia and with visions of new art. How do you tell that story yet again in a way that is both conventional and fresh? Do those two ideas seem to clash? Not in La La Land, a musical that both pays homage to the history of movies and tells age old stories (like boy-meets-girl) in such a way that it seems like we’ve never seen it like this before, even when we know we have.

The story itself is simple. Sebastian (Ryan Gosling) and Mia (Emma Stone) meet somewhat un-cutely in a traffic jam. He lays on his horn when she doesn’t move; she flips him off. But soon their paths cross again—with less than romantic results. Eventually they come to discover the fit they are together and love blooms. But of course, love can also fade.

Sebastian is a jazz pianist whose life mission is to make people love jazz. Mia is an aspiring actress currently working at a coffee shop on one of the studio lots. Both have a strong sense of the past. Sebastian’s most cherished possession is a piano stool once sat on by Hoagy Carmichael. When Mia leaves work she loves to look across the backlot street at the window that Bogart and Bergman looked out of in Casablanca. These two struggling artists who look back to the greatness of the past also seek to make something that will be great and new for today.

All of this is set in the form of a classic musical. There are extensive production numbers that bring to mind such films as West Side Story. There are songs that define the relationship and other songs that speak of the dreams Sebastian and Mia have.

Writer/Director Damien Chazelle also made use of jazz in his previous film, Whiplash. In this film jazz is not just the music that Sebastian plays and often plays through various scenes; it also serves as a metaphor for the tension not only of the story, but also of the movie industry. When Sebastian explains jazz to Mia he notes that it is made up of conflict and compromise. That is true of the relationship in the story as well—and with all relationships. Later when Sebastian discusses jazz with a friend (John Legend), the friend points out that Sebastian is trying to hold on to something of the past—something that was revolutionary when it happened. Where is the revolution in Sebastian’s music? That very much reflects the tension that pervades Hollywood—the desire to make what has been successful before or to do something entirely new.

This is very much a Hollywood/Los Angeles story. (Although that doesn’t mean others will not enjoy the story and film.) But it is the L.A. of nostalgia. From the opening production number on a freeway interchange (one I’ve driven on often) to the frequent trips to Griffith Park and the iconic observatory to a studio backlot, all of this is the L.A. we’ve seen in films before. That is entirely fitting since the film is about that very nostalgic understanding of Hollywood. But while it looks back to the Hollywood we remember and uses conventions that we know, it also seeks to move into something new—which means things may not work out the way we have come to expect. It also reminds us that nostalgia can be painful as well as comforting.

A word needs to be said about the artistry of the film itself. I sometimes worry when I care more for the way the film was made than I do about the story itself. This film has several intricate production numbers that really are astounding—not just in the choreography (by Mandy Moore), but in the camera work that captures it. For example, the opening production number with people dancing on the roofs of cars stuck in a traffic jam is a long shot that shifts angles without cuts. I get a headache thinking of the logistics.

In keeping with the nostalgic nature of the film, the production design evokes not just the sense we expect from a Hollywood musical, but it also sets moods in more subtle ways. When I left the theater I thought the technical aspects of the film outweighed the storytelling. But as I’ve had time for it to marinate in my mind, I’ve come to appreciate the storytelling for its subtle celebration of dreams, even as it faces the reality that those dreams may have hard edges.

Photo credit: Dale Robinette, courtesy of Lionsgate.

Filed Under: Film, Reviews Tagged With: boy meets girl, Damien Chazelle, Emma Stone, Hollywood, John Legend, Los Angeles, Mandy Moore, musical, nostalgia, Ryan Gosling

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