This reflection of the film La La Land was written in January 2017...

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Just got out of watching "La La Land" and I loved it. Although I am as far from an educated movie watcher, I can contribute some human takes.

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First, Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling were wonderful--I thought they had chemistry but what do I know about that. Their acting, the story, the music, even the dancing made me want to fall in love and dream with someone and others again. Heck, it even made me want to give singing and dancing another try (but alas I can't multi-task). It made me smile, laugh, cry (almost), and smile, laugh, and cry (almost) again.

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Second, as life unfolds, we sometimes break up, fall out of love, have our dreams crushed (by ourselves and/or others), and even fall into sometimes dark patterns in which we need help from others to pull ourselves out of the darkness and back into the light.

 

Alas, the movie says don't give up on falling in love ("it is better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all") and don't give up on your dreams--in essence, don't give up on the people who care for you, who love you, and whom you care for and love.

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Was it a happy or sad ending? I think it depends on what station of life you find yourself in currently (it's probably sad if you are young and in that "I need Romance" stage...it's probably happy if you are more seasoned and in an "Unrealized Dreams" stage). What do I know?

 

Lastly, I don't think these are bad insights (might be corny) from a 2 hour, 8 minute movie...that is all.

Discover God's will for you--and, Live life and live it to the fullest!

P.S. First film to make LA traffic look good (even if only for a few minutes).

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Manchester By The Sea

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This reflection of the film Manchester by the Sea was written in June 2018...

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Last night, I finally saw the film Manchester By The Sea--and, I was deeply moved by the reality (the film did not pull any punches) presented of the human condition when tragedy confronts a person's life.

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The self-imposed penance Lee (Affleck's character) sentences himself to reminds me that some of life's experiences are so dark that seeing the light at the end of the tunnel is unimaginable.

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My faith tells me we are a resurrected people and a life of transformation for the better is possible--yet, the portrayal of Lee's life in the film where the shadowy depths of his reality are inescapable is fully understandable.

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One of the most emotionally powerful scenes I've ever seen in a film occurred between Lee and Randi (Michelle Williams) near the end of the film. As their paths cross unintentionally, Lee's self-imposed penance would not allow Randi's emotional contrition to penetrate his life despite both their hearts being forever broken and damaged. Lee's choice was to wear his personal albatross alone. I wept.

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Kudos to Mr. Lonergan for producing a film that has made me reflect on the darkness within me.

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#ManchesterByTheSea