Best film i've seen in the cinema since my first trip to the movies (to watch the Return of the King)

Rating: 10/10 (22 January 2017)

(please note, I do not think there are any spoilers in this review, however I don't think it is worth the risk of having the review taken down). I had been thinking about joining this site for some time now but never really found time to. This is my first ever review on the sight and I would like to make it known I am an avid film buff. The main reason I joined was because of all the negative reactions to this film - to the point where it's rating dropped from an 8.8 average down to an 8.7 average. This bothered me a lot because this in my opinion is the greatest film to come out so far in the decade and is now one of my favourite films of all time, and I would like my voice to be heard on the matter. So... here it goes...
This movie marks the director's third feature length film after Guy and Madeline on a Park Bench (2009) and, a personal favourite of mine, Whiplash (2014). Chazelle's newest film however is, without a doubt his masterpiece. As noted from when I watched Whiplash for the first time in collage, Chazelle is a master with the use of his camera and is able to make every single shot meaningful and artistically stimulating. This film however takes this skill to a whole new level as his use of long takes to show off his actors skills, is utter perfection. The dance routines in this film are well choreographed and must have taken many rehearsal hours to get on point. This hard work pays off purely through the extended length of each take – however there are certainly moments that seem to try and trick you into thinking a sequence is done in one take when in reality they cut as the camera is spinning (reminiscent of 2014's Birdman). The greatest aspect of this film is the closing sequence which reflects on all the events leading up to this point of the story, and it done in a manner that is so movingly artistic, it almost brought a tear to my eye (a feat that is never accomplished with me). Chazelle experiments with many forms of visual storytelling, without the use of voice in this sequence, that for a general audience, who do not pick up on stylistic choice, it may become daunting to some, or boring to others. As in the case of Whiplash the story is incredibly focused on the two leads, with the side plots being left as just that – to the side. In this film Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone play the lovable pair of Sebastian and Mia who both aspire for greatness in their industries. Sebastian has a passionate flair for jazz music (reflecting on Chazelle's view on the genre as all three movie have been heavily focused on the dying of that industry) and Mia is a talented actress who just cannot seem to land a roll no matter how hard she tries. The film relishes the beauty of these aspirations and has a message for artists everywhere that she should always follow their dreams no matter how hard it may seem or how often you are set back – which is again reflected on Chazelle's own experience as a low budget film maker to now accomplishing his dream and now working in the big leagues of the industry. But I digress, the chemistry between these two is so believable through the writing and acting that it no longer feels as though you are watching a film and more as if you are peering into the struggling lives of two very real people and you feel compelled to follow their story to the very end. This film is not just a romance however, it is also a musical, and a musical is nothing without a good soundtrack that relates back to the story or the raw emotions the characters are feeling at the time. This film is the best written Musical I have ever seen. The songs' tone and pace is very reminiscent of that of the musical decade of the 1950's only unlike those movies, this one is heavily grounded in the harshness of reality and forces you to confront the most realistic scenarios that these character would go through in the real world. This film is visually fascinating, musically pleasing, and heart-wrenchingly grounded in reality – creating a very dream like state where both everything and nothing feels real. This one I will be buying on Blu Ray and will be re-watching time and time again.