Review of Barracuda (2017) by Movie1997 — 30 Dec 2016

Wow oh wow! What a film! After much anticipation, I finally got to see the follow up to director Damien Chazelle's breakout hit "Whiplash". This movie blew me away. For someone who is not into musical's, this one locked me in from start to finish.

Every song in the movie is fantastic and the musical set pieces truly compliment the songs in such stylish fashion. This is very much in the vein of 1940s and 1950s musicals while still being its own thing.

The movie is also a love story between Mia and Sebastian played by Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling. This is not only their third collaboration together, but easily their best. Both Stone and Gosling give the performances of their careers.

They bring out a lot of great comedy and make you believe that anything is possible. I believe they both should get best acting oscar nominations. The movie showcases the struggles of following your dreams with the complications of being in a relationship.

I love how the title has a double meaning. Los Angeles (where the movie takes place) is also known as La La Land. The place where dreams are made. However, the movie shows how difficult and frustrating that idea can be and how the real world is nothing like the movies tend to make it out to be.

Which leads to why the movie ended in such a heartbreaking but touching way. It takes hard work to pursue your dreams, but not everything turns out the way you want it in the end. There are some sacrifices to be made in life and the ending really hit me hard with that message.

This is by far the best movie of 2016! It is a beautifully directed musical that presents interesting ideas while paying homage to old classics.