Skip to main content

La La loved it?

I spend a lot of January and February each year running around to various cinemas, watching all of the films nominated for the best picture award at the BAFTAs and Oscars – it’s a fun challenge which takes me to locations all over London and to see films which I may not otherwise have watched.

La La Land was arguably this year’s runaway success even though it didn’t (or did briefly) win the Academy Award for Best Picture.  However, talking to lots of people about it, I have noticed that it wasn’t the triumph with audiences that the press would have us believe.  Broadly my friends fell into two camps:  my actor and big theatre going friends tended to love it.  Everyone else was a bit more “meh”.

I think the reason for its success at the awards is twofold.  Firstly, Hollywood loves a bit of navel gazing.    There were so many times during La La Land that I was wryly laughing to myself but no one else around me was.  I could really empathise with Emma Stone’s character – I’ve been in those castings!  My friends in the “meh” camp didn’t dislike the film, they just didn’t have the same gut reaction to it that I did or probably the people on the voting panels who decide the shortlists.  

Historically, Hollywood has favoured similar films – winners of Best Picture include That Broadway Melody 1929, All About Eve 1950 and even Argo 2012 where Hollywood saves the day.  Nominated films include Singin’ in the Rain 1952 and Sunset Boulevard 1950.  Also, let us not forget that the Academy loves a musical: previous Best Picture winners include West Side Story, The Sound of Music, My Fair Lady, Gigi, An American in Paris, Oliver!  Chicago and The Artist - double whammy – it’s about Hollywood and kind of a musical!


The other big reason I think that La La Land did so well is because it was a little light relief.  Let’s face it, 2016 was a bit of a fiasco.  La La Land was a touching, beautifully made, brightly coloured, all singing, all dancing film full of pretty people – a little bit of escapism.  And who doesn’t need that?


Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Awake: Part 1 - The Road to Edinburgh

Awake:   Part 1 The Road to Edinburgh By Miranda Colmans January 2017 The January blues hit. Hard.   So much so that my colleagues at my permanent-temp job think that there is something seriously wrong with me.   I’m in a terrible mood a lot of the time.   Something has to change. February 2017 By chance, I see that The Space Theatre are doing a writing challenge “28 Plays in 28 Days”.   It starts the next day.   I sign up without really thinking about it and then wonder what on earth I’ve got myself into.   I’m not a hugely competitive person, however I am a bit OCD which means that once I start something, I like to finish it.   During the month, I write a play each day, in a myriad of styles and genres.   It is stretching and enriching. Taking part gives me the confidence boost I need to take the plunge and apply for a slot at the Edinburgh festival.   So, mid-Feb, mid writing challenge, I apply with little more than a summary and a snazzy tag line – and get a

The value of being a tree

Two sets of figures for you: Total turnover in arts and culture in the UK in 2013 was £15.1 billion, with gross value added totally   £7.7billion [1] For every £1 of public funding paid to Arts Council England, the culture sector pays back £5 in tax contributions.   £1 paid in by the government, £5 return .  Pretty good. Why am I telling you this?  Well for a start, I think it’s quite interesting.  That’s a helluva lotta money!  It shows what a buoyant, successful and profitable industry the arts are.  The UK’s thriving tourism industry accounts for a huge 9% of the UK’s GDP [2] with 24% of visitors in London going to the theatre/ballet/opera [3] . And yet, as ever, the arts are under threat.  Funding from the government to a myriad of organisations is always in danger of being reduced or removed completely and drama and dance GCSEs are at risk being of side lined as they aren’t considered academic enough and this concerns me.  I understand that the

The Swellest of Mobs

Things I’m glad I lugged to Edinburgh: ·          My gym kit ·          My Kindle and other things to read ·          My denim jacket that takes a long time to dry Things I’m genuinely glad I took to Edinburgh ·          Comfortable shoes ·          Absolutely no smart clothes ·          Tupperware ·          My Tinkerbell travel mug ·          Two sets of headphones (the dog ate one) As ever, Edfringe was a long, crazy, tiring but fun month.   At the half way mark it seemed that it would never end and that I’d be destined to walk up hill for an hour a day (ok, half an hour, the way home was downhill). But it did and all of a sudden, I was fighting my way onto a train at Waverley and heading back to London. At the fringe in 2017 I had a solo show and mainly flyered on my own.   I had a lot of wonderful support from family and friends but if I wasn’t there, there was no show.   This year couldn’t have been more different. The Swell Mob by Flabbergast