"La La Land" director Damien Chazelle on favorite film of all time 

It's my favourite film

No way, that ending ruined an otherwise good movie.

@@bearcb I think you have an extra chromosome

@@bearcb yeah that's a dumb comment

bearcb You’re alone on that one, it’s been widely considered as one of the greatest movie endings of all time. It’s incredible, maybe you’re just lacking some brain cells. Who knows?

Owais Smith yeepp

Owais Smith fuck, If i had any coffe I would have spilled it all over my imaginary table

Made my day.

I stopped watching Transformers at number 2.... I mean how could they best it ?

i literally Saved this video in a playlist just for this comment

Jean Paul Morazzani he’s a legend already

He is already a legend . After creating Whiplash which is told one of the best and classic endings in cinema and La la land

Chinatown, the Lights of the city, Casablanca and Les parapluies de Cherbourg are classics, and all the good directors know cinema very very well, but yes indeed, him and Justin Hurwitz are a very good combination and they're just at the beginning of their carrer

Well, the fact that he loves classic cinema doesn't make him a genius. Quite literally every self-respecting director should know these films by heart, it's just that he is more enamored with that style and he chooses to channel them in his work. But those are all really basic films, it's not like he has a particularly acquired taste.

I did naaaat

Vikas Kundbi oh hi Mark

Vikas Kundbi Oh! Hi Mark 😆

@@alidvdali she is my future wife

Song: "Chip Chip Chip Chip" by Tommy Wiseau

TV interviews sometimes rehearse questions beforehand in order to prevent awkward silences. I'm sure Chazelle had some prep time.

Editing.

Bet.

Song: Is that an original song for the movie? That was pretty much the question.

Pretty much all of my favorites come from _Schindler's List_. Except for song. But there happen to be a couple of Yiddish songs in the soundtrack, and that movie definitely has my favorite score of all time.

+Benish Ben I care

John Hooyer I love the music in Schindler's List, the score is a masterpiece. The opening scene with the candle burning out combined with the beautiful song hits me right in the heart every time, Spielberg is a genius.

10/10 would pay to see it

you haven't seen many movies...

You haven't made many friends.

You haven't heard many comebacks...

Damn, THAT quick?

Hey Gino, I've seen a lot of movies, but most of my favorites are from one film, too. Film: _Schindler's List_ Song: _Falling Slowly_ (_Schindler's List_ doesn't really have any sings, except for a couple in Yiddish)(_Schindler's List_ does have my favorite score of all time, though) Line: "I could have saved more person, and I didn't." (_Schindler's List_) Ending: _Schindler's List_ Scene: "I could have done more" (_Schindler's List_)(I obsessively have created multiple pieces of art inspired by that scene) I watch a lot of other movies, but it's okay if there's that one that just inspired you in every single way conceivable.

Patrick Crossley Well, his next film is "First Man," a film based off of the life of Neil Armstrong, the first man on the moon, and it stars Ryan Gosling. Jesus Christ, Damien Chazelle is fantastic I swear.

that's a bit exaggerated ; since the 2010's he's been established as a star and a leading man and therefore is no longer 'an observer but the observed', it's easy to get swept up in less glorious bits of his filmography like Gangster Squad or Crazy, Stupid, Love where he was more or less playing a fictionalized version of his sexualized image, but you fail to acknowledge films like the Believer, Half Nelson, Lars & the Real Girl, Blue Valentine, Drive, or the Big Short (in which he and carell are basically carrying the movie), in which he displays a range that is actually quite wide. I'm not saying that he's THE actor, but in the hands of a good director he can be quite surprising. What worries me is that he was actually playing the same part in La La Land than in the other two not-so glorious movies that I mentioned; Chazelle, probably because he wanted nostalgia to sort blend in his movie, seemed more tempted to establish Gosling/Stone as a form of mythical cinema couple and starstruck his audience than actually draw great performances from his actors (which doesn't mean that Stone wasn't great; but I feel that her part actually allowed her to go beyond the iconic status that was meant to be cemented by the movie, and not his)

I don't know if 'starstruck' was correct, I'm french, sorry x)

500 Days of Crawl Bed He's not even that good in those roles. He always has the same boring expression on his cold face and empty stare. He's one of the most overrated american actor right now. Still waiting for a groundbreaking performance from him...

Tansi You should watch the Nice Guys, he has the charisma of a wild majestic lion in it.

Lol, whyyy

That's just your opinion... Man

The movie is an absolute piece of crap but I know you're sarcastic

@@potatotuberdisease3706 he was being sarcastic lol

@@potatotuberdisease3706 yeah...............man

Great choices

Ooh, that's a great set of answers. But blade runner 2049/arrival would be my fav(not the original blade runner).

@@AK-im1qc Arrival is too often overlooked as one of the best films the 21st century. 2016 was a great year for movies (Arrival, La La Land, Moonlight, Manchester by the Sea, Silence, etc. etc. etc.)

They probably edited any pauses out

I wouldn't be able to choose even after hours. I'm guessing they clued him in on the questions beforehand or did some editing though.

Pretty sure he knew ahead of time what they were gonna ask him. Standard for these type of interviews.

I would know most of those right off of the bat. Except for "favorite song." Otherwise, all of my other answers would be related to _Schindler's List_, and I could answer right off the bat.

Filmmakers are often asked these types of questions during press.

more like matt bellamy

Thanks. If you haven't, watch the other films, which are masterpiece too

Dude, you got COVID? Did you lose your taste? If I EVER see Chazelle, I will compliment on his great taste for Demys classic, but will demand my money back for that dumpster fire was Lalaland

@@hypernature Thank you!👏🏻

it's what la la land would be

Yeah. Chazelles first film. Pretty good

Great great picks! Favorite film: It’s Such a Beautiful Day Favorite song: Wise Up - Magnolia Favorite ending: In the Mood for Love Favorite scene: Train to Swamp Bottom - Spirited Away Favorite line: So far so good... (La Haine)

I loved whiplash more, but La La land is more than a film, it is an experience, and it has appealed to more people

it really isn't. whiplash is more thrilling I'd say but as a movie, la la land is way better.

La la land has this special something though. Theres a magical quality to it that seeps off the screen and into your soul.

Probably because La La Land is easier to digest than Whiplash. That's not at all a bad thing (both films are of equal merit IMO) but you can tell that the romantic tone of La La Land appeals more to people than the insane adrenaline of Whiplash from the former film's responses (the film is "magical", "an experience", "beautiful", etc.)

While i like whiplash more probably, I wouldn't say La La land is objectively worse. La la land is a beautiful film and both films are top notch. It just boils down to whether you wanna see a hard boiled movie with a lot psychological tension or a romantic musical.

Quite a range isn't it...

Being late is not as bad as coming back to certain videos to look at comments and talk about movies (what I do). Those are good choices.

Hardly a rookie. He's young but he's made 3 films and he wrote 10 Cloverfield Lane. He studied film at Harvard. Wouldn't call him a rookie.

More like a short film and 2 features. Would definitely say he's still a rookie. But he's no chump and time and more films will just make him better.

He also wrote and directed Whiplash 🙂

Rookie director? Does your definition of rookie describe pure creativity?

Whiplash

Eric Ryan no it just looks very deliberate, like his publicist or whoever told him to name these movies to fit with the narrative of la la land being a thowback to the golden age?

You're a fucking idiot.

nobody does a movie like la la land without really knowing and liking that old hollywood aesthethic.

Well he was inspired by those films, so I don't really see what you want him to say

What did u want him to like Transformers ?... idk what u expected.

It may have lost but we all know La La Land is gonna last forever. So technically it won.

Marcus Adams Not gonna debate that. But take a look at the fact that a movie about a Gay, Black dude won top honors at the Academy Awards. I know the movie is so much more than that but look at the key words there. *Gay* and *Black*. Not only did this movie beat out a fuckin Hollywood musical, but it broke barriers on how stories can be told in the mainstream. Not just on the independent side of film, but in the very white, heterosexual side of film. I love La La Land as much as anyone who gives a shit about quality storytelling and technicalities in film, but culturally, Moonlight is the better picture.

Then that's that. Btw, from one screenwriter to another, good luck.

@Marcus Adams the reason why Moonlight is better is because it doesn't have the same problems like La La Land. La La Land lacks consistency with its world and characters. Mia thinks she can break out in 6 years? The most misinformed and delusional character in a movie ever. Becoming an artist is for the long haul. Her character was unlikable and both characters were narcissistic and cocky. Moonlight is technically better in its cinematography. Each shot and frame were carefully articulated, while La La Land lacked the gravitas to create melancholic, but beautiful scenes. The waltz scene should be emotionally gut wrenching, but it was just flat because the camera didn't do anything special. Take a look at Black Swan. Long takes with choreographed handheld and so you really feel that the camera is dancing with the dancer.

Moonlight won coz of politics. La La land is far better. It will definitely outlive moonlight, there are plenty of mediocre movies which have won the oscar over the years, moonlight is one of them.

That's their personal opinion :) Nothing to question, mainstream movies like casablanca are great as well, its stupid to question someone's taste, maybe you are too woke

but they are excellent movies, there's a reason why they're considered to be some of the best. Damien probably have seen thousands movies too but in a top movie list you can't choose all of the movies you've watched.

Chinatown is pretty awesome

Alex Beamer Apples and Oranges, mah dude

I agree with you on that entirely. I mean La La Land was a good film, but I thought Whiplash was definitely better.

@Alex Beamer Whiplash was dog shit. The main lead couldn't act and JK Simmons character wasn't scary. He was laughable at best. The most unrealistic cartoonish antagonist I've ever seen in a movie. It's filled with inaccurate and off sync playing. It is really insulting to musicians. The music is boy band amateur crap and nothing at the level of real Jazz: Charlie Parker, Buddy Rich, Chet Baker, Thelonious Monk, etc. The ending is a complete generic tensionless rip off of Black Swan. The movie as a whole is a rip off of Black Swan. The color grading looks like piss. There's too many handheld, fucking lazy camera work. The writing is really bad. The dialogue does not flow natural with the continuity of the setting or the characters. They all speak like Harvard students, yet none of them ever went to Harvard. Completely unrealistic nihilistic narcissistic film.

UnbelievabIeMontages haha ok

boom shakalaka because he likes old movies better than the new ones?

Gonçalo Silva "looks" but maybe he is that way too

Whiplash and La La Land are based off parts of his life. I am pretty sure he's destroyed someone's heart before.

Seems like you know him personally

sucker.

You are a sad little thing that most farmers, mechanics and plumbers laugh at and talk smack about behind your back. Yes those are necessary, respectable and honorable professions. How is Chazelle attacking that fact? What's got your fragile ego so injured? Chazelle is just saying what movies he likes, and what he likes in them. Some people act on the arts further and even make a career out of them. Stating how interested you are in lighter things does not equate to uh "liberalism", or saying others have to, or shaming others.

Pretty Flacka It is for a director to make an acclaimed film

32 is extremely young. A literal baby.

Nel Kan Ha!

It reintroduced the concept of musicals to a generation that thought they were silly and unimaginative. That's worth something in my opinion.

Except it didn't. People who hate musicals didn't even go to see it. My friends who actually like musicals disliked it. I like musicals, yet I disliked the movie. Musicals were never gone... Not so long ago we had Les Miserables. So no, it's not like he revived some old, forgotten genre. People who don't like musicals won't go see this. And if they will, it'll be boring to them, and they will most likely never touch another musical again. I recently watched Cabaret and it pains me that Emma Stone got an Oscar. For what? Every actress who ever got an Oscar in a musical was talented, wonderful, whimsical, and whatever the musical needed her to be. Emma Stone in this movie was bland, unlikable, and couldn't even keep a good posture for those few dancing scenes.

Art is subjective

Everything you're saying is true but remember almost no film ever has introduced something new to cinema, especially in the last 45 years. That's not the criteria of being an excellent film. Just look at Goodfellas or Pulp Fiction for example.

Just coz you didn't like it doesnt make it overrated. We should get rid of that word

It probably is one of his favorite movies considering he used it as the main inspiration for La La Land.

Let me ask something outrageous: what if - bear with me - what if these are really his favourites and he really appreciates them?

Just because someone doesn't like La La Land doesn't mean they like dumb movies. I love movies. I adore them. I want to make movies in the future. Yet, La La Land didn't do it for me. And no, that doesn't mean my favourite movies are Transformers or anything by Adam Sandler. I cannot stand those.

I get it if you don't like the movie. But to say that its crappy is a vast hyperbole. A movie does not have as much critical success as La La Land has without being well made. I personally loved the movie, so perhaps my line of thinking is steeped in bias, but it is made perfectly on a technical level. The use of color was beautiful, the editing was genius, the score was just amazing, the costume design was subtle and tells a story in and of itself. Sure, Gosling looked at his feet when he danced, but you would be a fool to think this was done unintentionally. In a film that paid such close attention to detail, something as noticeable as that is not done without reason. It made the characters feel like real people instead of the grandiose caricatures seen in past musicals.

The script was bad. That was my biggest problem. The argument they had that night when Seb made dinner was incredibly forced and didn't feel natural at all. Characters had no depth. In fact, they were quite unlikable. Yes, the whole movie looked pretty, but that wasn't enough for me (and it seems to some other people either) to carry it for two hours. If a movie lasts for two hours, I expect some actual plot. I expect some character development and depth. I expect more than just 20 minutes of music. It had what, five songs, and everything else was variations of them? Not to mention that for a movie about jazz it had almost no jazz in it, which is unforgivable. To say that they were meant to dance and sing the way they did is just lazy. I don't believe for a second all that was intentional. They just wanted big stars to lead the whole thing, that's it. Sometimes, it works (for example, in Chicago it honestly didn't matter that Zeta Jones and Zellweger were not professional singers or dancers because they did an amazing job). In here, it didn't. And it's funny, really, because in Les Miserables everyone was complaining about how horrible everyone sang, yet there one could say it was more intentional than here. There characters were also acting everything out whilst singing on set, so if they sounded stressed or heartbroken and choking on tears, it would make no sense that their singing was flawless. Not to mention the complete lack of side characters. What, we had Simmons in one scene in the restaurant (and appears for a brief moment later towards the end of the movie), we had Seb's sister and her amazing what, five sentences that she uttered, and we have Keith, a real musician whose talent was completely wasted in that movie. John Legend is a professional pianist, and yet, they give him a guitar? Are you serious? We can also talk about the fact that nowhere in the movie it was mentioned how jazz was made thanks to the black people, and how funny it sounds to have a ˝white saviour˝ who will save that genre. Not to mention the whole idea that jazz is dying. Jazz is very much alive and isn't going anywhere. So yes, when someone says La La Land sucked, they're closer to the truth than those who think it was a masterpiece. Oh, and one other thing that bothers me a lot about La La Land... why exactly was it revolutionary? What exactly did it bring to musicals that we haven't seen before? Everything in it was either a homage or a reference to some old musical that Damien Chazelle liked. The ending is not original, the dancing is not original, not even the music is original, if we know what his inspirations were. Honestly, to have almost everyone be so amazed with this subpar musical says a lot about today's world, and it makes me wonder where exactly is the movie industry going...

i understand your views completely when i saw this film i too believed it to be a masterpiece but when i took a step back and analyzed it as film there is nothing really THAT revolutionary about it except it is definitely not a bad film at all, the dinner scene i felt was completely natural and i found emma stone's character extremely likable although ryan goslings was at times pretentious. I also agree that it is not intentional that they lack singing skill but i mean cmon it wasnt horrible singing they did a satisfactory job mediocre perhaps. the dancing i do agree was mediocre i admit. also everyone knows jazz came from the black community so it would have been unecessary to include a history lesson in the film. i have to say though that the white saviour argument is bullshit. He simply just happens to be white and likes jazz thats it.. Chet Baker, Bill Evans, Dave Brubeck where all white jazz musicians are they white saviours because they were white? and also Ryan's character mentions various jazz musicians in the film like Louise armstrong, Thelonius Monk and Count Basie so obviously he is giving credit to jazz where credit is due, he is not appropriating jazz in any way because he is not claiming it to be his own style of music and i do believe you are wrong in saying that jazz is not dying. if you look at the sales jazz records sell worse than classical music today. And to answer your question as to why it was revolutionary is that it wasnt or hasnt yet... although cliche as it sounds the films that are said to be revolutionary are ones that have stood the test of time. this film just came out so it is in no way revolutionary ... (yet or maybe not yet who knows) however it is in a sense unique because it was a bitter sweet romance musical which is extremely uncommon in todays cinema. and i say today because in the past there have been bittersweet ending films like casablanca. however this film did that but added the musical aspect to it which in todays cinema is uncommon like it or not. Overall the the films message was also original the fact that if you have a goal its not always rainbows and sunshine to complete them, there will be compromises you have to make to possibly make new dreams or give up on other dreams you have. although i can bet that this message has already been done before by other films i gaurentee none of those with this message were musicals.

Nel Kan Everyone's experience is different, but I felt the dinner scene was rather realistic. I had arguments exactly like that one before. The characters I feel are likeable even though they have their flaws, but I felt I was able to connect with Emma more. Anyways, I felt like you viewed Seb's connection with jazz too negatively; any race can have a passion for something and want it to thrive, doesn't mean it was "white savior". I mean languages die out all the time, so let's say a Chinese person is informing others of a dying Native American language, are you calling this person a "Asian savior"? there were bad developments in the film, but overall it was enjoyable.