Listen to our La La Land episode on:
Beyond The Box Set hit the road this week for a very special Podcast crossover recorded in the sunny climes of Glasgow, Scotland. With Oscar weekend looming, our hosts Ross and Laura from the hilarious Wit Ye Talking Aboot podcast invited us to take part in a raucous, wide-ranging discussion of Damien Chazelle’s Hollywood love letter, La La Land.
Following the success of his 2014 movie Whiplash, director Chazelle had the opportunity to revisit a script he had written several years previously, when he was still a struggling screenwriter and musician. While widely praised, the movie divided critics over the casting of Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone, neither of whom are especially seasoned singers or dancers. Gosling’s character is also accused by some of both ‘mansplaining’ and ‘whitesplaining’ his beloved Jazz music to Stone – and by extension the audience.
Nevertheless, La La Land was nominated for a record-equalling fourteen Academy Awards, ultimately picking up six – although the film is doomed to be remembered more for the very public way in which it failed to win Best Picture than for any of the Oscars it actually picked up. It also became a genuine Box Office sensation, grossing over $400 million at the Global box office against a $30 million budget.
On this episode, we dig into our decidedly mixed feelings on the film, from the weirdly muddy sound mixing to Gosling and Stone’s frequently entitled and dislikable behaviour throughout the film. We also get a showcase of Ross and Laura’s own musical talents, including a spookily spot-on impersonation of what the film might have sounded like had Hugh Jackman taken the lead role…
We also spend the second half of the show comparing notes on our sequel ideas – which this week include a music-free film noir that reunites Stone and Gosling again several years after their breakup – with deadly consequences – and a low-rent provincial British remake starring James Corden and Ruth Jones and swapping the sun-drenched streets of Los Angeles for the wind-battered piers of one of England’s most popular seaside resorts…
Our La La Land episode is available for free download and streaming from all good Podcasting platforms – simply search for Beyond The Box Set or follow the links at the top of this blog. You can also connect with us on most forms of social media, including Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, or check out some of our merchandise on Teepublic.com.
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Next week, we have yet another Podcast crossover as our very first Patreon guests attempt to inject a little culture into proceedings with a star-making French language romantic drama. Au revoir for now…