La La Land: musicals are weird beasts: they live in a fantasy universe that requires some suspension of disbelief (the musicals that substitute some dialogue for song-and-dance, at least), but to those willing to dive in, they can be extremely rewarding. Such is the case of Damien Chazelle’s film: it tells a simple story (but both touching and easy to relate to); the central performers are charming and have great chemistry (Emma Stone is nearly great in her role, and performs well singing and dancing; Ryan Gosling a tiny little bit less so. Rogers and Astaire they are not, but then again, not even Charisse and Kelly were); the jazzy musical score by Justin Hurwitz is amazing, with some very catchy themes and songs. It’s also a visual feast: cinematographer Linus Sandgren’s lensing is dynamic and stylish (a lot of crane use, as befits a musical), while the lighting is expressive and colorful; it captures David Wasco’s production design nicely.