Sometimes, living up to expectations can be a tricky feat. Having heard so much good going into Damien Chazelle's newest film, on top of my personal expectations coming off of Whiplash and the trailers, I was ready to be let down due to my overly high expectations. That being said, La La Land, Damien Chazelle's musical masterpiece, met my high expectations and dare I say surpassed them.

La La Land is a special type of movie. It seems to be one that is endlessly rewatchable, a mark of a truly timeless and great film. Not only that, but La La Land is also an excellent film and one of the best of 2016, without a doubt.

This is because of several factors. First, the acting from the two main leads, Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling, is so believable and genuine that you feel their relationship live on screen... It's incredibly mesmerising to watch their chemistry, be it duet numbers and dances to playful banter (and the two aren't mutually exclusive), the two leads show why they were the right choices for the roles. Their pure, electrifying chemistry.

Second, the cinematography is stunning. There is some great camera work in the film, particularly some nice symbolism in some of the shots, as well as some of the beauty from those shots as well. This is made possible by the colour and lighting teams, who give the film a nice purple/blue overtone at times that is quite beautiful to look at. In fact, this might be one of the prettiest films in recent memory.

Finally, of course, the music in La La Land is something else. Be it songs or original score, La La Land's soundtrack is incredible. Songs like "Another Day of Sun" or "Someone in the Crowd" are pure spectacle in writing and choreography (some of the coolest sequences in the film), while "City of Stars" and "Audition (The Fools Who Dream)" are beautifully done and performed. My personal favourite song, however, is "A Lovely Night" -- the sequence that goes along with that song, as well as, again, the chemistry between Stone and Gosling, make it a culmination of everything I've said so far -- the acting, the cinematography, the music and choreography are all present in this number -- although that could be said with "Someone in the Crowd" as well, or "City of Stars" ... God, it truly is hard to pick a favourite song from this incredible soundtrack.

That's not even talking about the ending sequence, which simply must not be spoiled, but experienced. Chazelle is a master at making endings to his films. The range of emotion found at the end of 'La La Land' is truly something else. It's hard to put to words.

And that's what makes 'La La Land' such an incredible feat. Why it is so talked about this year. It's a culmination of a group of people who are all masters at their craft, working together to achieve what can only be described as a masterpiece. Damien Chazelle has done it yet again. It's an ode to those who choose to follow their dreams, to the ones who dare to dream, yet is startlingly realistic and down to earth. And I hope I didn't oversell the film to you, yet, from my personal experience, that's impossible with this one. I can't wait to buy it on Blu-Ray to watch it again, and again, and again, and again.

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10 out of 10