FIRST MAN

Ryan Gosling     Claire Foy     Jason Clarke     Kyle Chandler

Corey Stoll     Ciaran Hinds     Pablo Schreiber     Shea Whigham

     First Man is Damien Chazelle’s sharp turn away from the musical orientation of his previous hits, Whiplash and La La Land.  We do see one tender song piece near the beginning of the movie when Neil Armstrong dances nostalgically with his wife.  Thereafter, our ears are bombarded with the roars, bangs, creaks, and groans inside spacecrafts.  What he has retained in this account of NASA’s efforts to land a man on the moon before Russia in the 1960’s are intense interpersonal relationships fraught with passion, nerve-wracking episodes, and grief.  

     More than anything, the film gives an inside look at the early space endeavors, their costs in human life and money, the intense pressure all immediately involved and their families experienced, and the mixture of bonding and competitiveness that took place among the astronauts.  It presents a brilliant picture of how men work together in a competitive, high-pressure setting, which is likely to be in contrast with how women relate to one another in such an environment.  (I’m thinking specifically of the women in the film Hidden Figures, for example.) Here, there’s camaraderie, but little of the deep emotional sharing we saw in the earlier film, and much more competitiveness. 

     First Man is as well a portrait of the heroic astronaut Neil Armstrong (empathically played by Ryan Gosling), who became even more reticent after the death of his daughter, as perhaps his way of dealing with the grief.  He’s a man who doggedly pursues his goals without being deterred by setbacks, does not hesitate to use his own judgment in place of what he is told to do, and although his emotions are tightly hidden and controlled, this defense can be broken through in certain circumstances.  The latter achieved by his wife Janet (Foy) in a scene that highlights her influence, and may be an award-winning performance for the actor.

Chazelle has also retained two colleagues from his previous films, composer Justin Hurwitz and cinematographer Linus Sandgren, and brought in Christopher Nolan’s notable production designer Nathan Crowley, to create a powerful account of the subject that is both extravaganza with awesome special effects and deep emotional pulls. 

     The movie, based on James R. Hansen’s book, can be regarded as of historical value for young people and those seriously interested in U.S. space programs. It’s a serious account that is fascinating and entertaining as well.  A small downside could be the extended scenes inside the spacecraft, which are so noisy it’s hard to hear the dialog and the mechanical focus in the picture is not informative as to what is going on.  I read that in fact it is so noisy inside a spacecraft some astronauts experience hearing loss, so these scenes are not unrealistic; I just have some concern about my own hearing!

A fascinating and apparently realistic look behind the achievement of getting a man on the moon. 

Grade A-                                                By Donna R. Copeland

LA LA LAND

Ryan Gosling     Emma Stone     J.K. Simmons     John Legend     Rosemarie DeWitt     Finn Wittrock

          Would you like to visit an adult fantasyland for a couple of hours?  This movie will take you there with its entertaining and still meaningful script (by Director Damien Chazelle), its captivating, artistically presented cinematography by Linus Sandgren, songs and score composed and orchestrated by Justin Hurwitz, and two very fine actors (Gosling and Stone) who can sing and dance up a storm as well as act.   The talent going into making the film is truly impressive.  It is mostly light entertainment, but makes insightful points about choosing a career and whether or not to stick with original plans.  It also represents a contemporary dilemma for couples whose jobs take them in opposite directions.  I loved the playful ending’s toying with us by presenting alternatives from which we can choose.

        Sebastian (Gosling) and Mia (Stone) seem destined to meet, after a hostile encounter on the jammed freeway, a chance meeting in a club, and a party.  They spar with one another, then dance together on a hilltop overlooking the twinkling lights of Los Angeles, and before long, they’re ambivalently hooked.  I say ambivalent because their first date to a classic movie, Rebel without a Cause, is just “for research.” 

        At this point, Sebastian is a struggling jazz pianist who takes a purist stance about the genre, and is finding it hard to get and keep a job.  Mia goes to one disheartening audition after another, in one of which the producer interrupts a gripping emotional sequence to take a phone call, then dismisses her.  (I understand this was based on an experience Gosling actually had.)

       As their romance heats up, both get career opportunities.  Sebastian is invited to join a combo run by his old college friend Keith (Legend), and Mia writes a one-woman screenplay.  But after a time, they find they’re not spending much time together, primarily because Sebastian has joined the combo and is often away touring.  They have arguments and misunderstandings, although during the course of these, each one provides valuable counsel to the other.  She encourages him to follow his life’s dream of owning his own jazz club; he boosts her confidence by encouraging her to continue to pursue writing and acting. 

    We never know how things are going to turn out, but throughout the story their intermittent  songs and dances are electric (choreography is by Mandy Moore).  In these onstage performances, Gosling and Stone are so smooth they appear to have worked together for years, but this is only their third time to act together, and the first time in a musical. 
     And BTW, that's Gosling actually playing the piano; not a double or CGI.  

La La Land is magical in its fantasy and in the artistry of all involved in the production.

Grade:  A                                    By Donna R. Copeland