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As Gregory Ellwood made clear yesterday, the Best Picture Oscar is looking like a lock for “La La Land.” The starry-eyed musical led by Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone is a cinematic treat that almost everyone has adored, and it’s pulled off with panache by “Whiplash” director Damien Chazelle. The superlatives for “La La Land” are only going to continue as the film opens in theaters this month and the awards season rolls on, with those both inside and outside the industry sitting up to take notice. And one legendary filmmaker has been greatly impressed by what Chazelle has accomplished.

In a recent Variety piece featuring directors sharing their enthusiasm for some of the year’s best movies, William Friedkin didn’t mince words: “I’ve seen the future of American Cinema and his name is Damien Chazelle.”

Friedkin praises both “Whiplash” and “La La Land,” crediting Chazelle for being “a master storyteller in total command of his craft” whose films have “a handmade quality and are not only unique as technical achievements with stunning visuals, but moving as an emotional experience as well.”

And he sums up his praise by saying, “He’s not simply a brilliant filmmaker, he happens to be a warm, modest, and engaging person with genuine humility. I mention this because these are rare traits among genius. Whatever the future of American cinema, whatever forms it takes, Damien Chazelle will be a major force in shaping it.” Damn.

See what everyone is talking about starting tomorrow when “La La Land” opens in limited release.