The 11 Must-See Movies of December

Image courtesy of Lionsgate

La La Land (December 16th)

Mia (Emma Stone) is a down-on-her-luck actress who falls for struggling jazz musician Sebastian (Ryan Gosling). Living in Los Angeles, a town adept at breaking hearts and crushing dreams, the two decide to take a chance on each other.

I absolutely adore musicals! Good, bad and Xanadu, if there’s song and dance I’ll give it my full attention. Director Damien Chezelle burst on the scene in 2014 with Whiplash, a film that received a Best Picture nomination. So color me shocked when Chezelle followed up J.K. Simmons screaming at Miles Teller for 90 minutes with a candy-coated tribute to the golden age of musicals. La La Land’s trailers have given me life. Ryan Gosling crooning “City of Stars” sounds amazing, and there are several scenes that remind me of Jacques Demy’s 1964 musical The Umbrellas of Cherbourg. (After watching La La Land, go on Hulu and watch Umbrellas, you won’t be disappointed.)

It’s also appropriate to Chezelle’s homage that he’s pairing one of Hollywood’s greatest screen teams: Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling. The two made audiences swoon in 2011’s Crazy Stupid Love, and reteamed for 2013’s Gangster Squad (a film apparently only I love). Their name coupled with the critical consensus and musical setting will get audiences in droves during Christmas. This is also the Best Picture frontrunner, so if you want to win your Academy Awards pool you’ll be seeing this!

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