LA LA LAND MOVIE REVIEW: The train to fantasy land you'll want to be on.

La la land, a musical set in the old Hollywood era of Los Angeles, gives us a glimpse into the lives of two inhabitants of the city of stars. The story follows an aspiring actress, Mia (Emma Stone), who crosses paths with an aspiring jazz musician, Sebastian (Ryan Gosling). Just like any other aspiring star in Los Angeles, they both have to deal with countless rejections and that wedge called a career that gets right in the middle of any relationship during the journey to the top. Written and directed magnificently by Damien Chazelle, the same guy that gave us Whiplash, La la land offers its viewers a chance to dive into a true cinematic experience in the form of a marvelously crafted dream sequence, aided by top notch choreography, cinematography and sound. Amazing music is delivered by Justin Hurwitz, who is worthy of every accolade that comes his way via this movie. Both Justin and Damien tap into that unspoken formula all old Hollywood musicals are made of (Singin in the rain and The Sound of Music are honorable mentions), creating an unexpected feeling of nostalgia and emotional content. Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling not only recreate that great chemistry they exuded in Crazy, Stupid, love, they improve on it and let it flow in abundance to be felt by any living creature who sees this picture. They don't even seem to be seriously acting; they make it look so easy, just having fun in front of the camera, making it easy for them to carry the audience along and make us share in their hopes and dreams. Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone excel triumphantly in this film, exuding graces of a young Gene Kelly and a young Audrey Hepburn respectively. La la land is a gift from Retro-Hollywood to the 21st century, wrapped with a perfect bow of artistry and creativity and offering us a perfectly timed form of escapism in times of political discordance and global meltdown. Here's to the ones who dream, foolish as they may seem.