Pasha's Film Reviews Etc.

10/10    A traffic jam on a busy LA highway. People stuck in their cars, each locked up in their own little world, waiting patiently (or not) for the opportunity to move forward. A boring everyday scene... until one of the drivers breaks into a song... what happens next has to be seen to be believed.   This is the opening of LA LA LAND, an original musical with catchy tunes and a well written book. It is also well acted. Who would know that Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone could sing and dance like that? Their voices may not sound as good on a standalone soundtrack, but they are perfectly natural in a film where characters break into song for no apparent reason and start dancing spontaneously. Bottom line is... if you love musicals you will be absolutely taken by LA LA LAND. If you don't... well, you may just be converted.    LA LA LAND, a love letter to Hollywood classics, is about dreamers, about a journey to a goal. What it gives and what it takes away. It is also

8/10   Jyn Erso grew up doubting everyone, including her father, a scientist working for The Empire.  Just as he has completed his deadliest weapon yet Jyn is rescued from The Empire's clutches by the Rebels, in order to help to bring her father down. Reluctantly she agrees. What begins as a simple mission of introducing the Rebels to a family supporter and friend, turns into a fight for survival. Faced with the magnitude of the danger Jyn and her new found friends embark on a suicide mission to steal the plans of Death Star. Serving as a link between the prequel trilogy and the original, ROGUE ONE ends where NEW HOPE begins. And all in between is an unexpectedly original take on the Star Wars universe that generates more suspense than your average sci-fi film. The outcome of the story may be known to all, but what is the fate of the new characters, that are so easy to love? ROGUE builds up to be a traditional STAR WARS movie, both in spirit and action. Until it breaks