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January 11, 2017 The Skanner Page 7 Arts & Entertainment Damien Chazelle: The “La La Land” Interview lines so well. I think yours was the fi rst Rot- ten Tomatoes review of it. “La La Land” is sort of like “Guy and Made- line, but with a budget.” [Chuckles] With Kam Williams For The Skanner News D amien Chazelle wrote and direct- ed the Academy Aw a r d - w i n n i n g “Whiplash,” which land- ed fi ve Oscar nomina- tions, including Best Pic- ture and Best Adapted Screenplay for Chazelle. The movie won a trio of Oscars in the fi lm edit- ing, sound mixing and Supporting Actor (J.K. Simmons) categories. In 2013, his short fi lm of the same name won the short fi lm jury prize at the Sundance Film Festival. Previously, Damien wrote “Grand Piano,” starring Elijah Wood and John Cusack, and co-wrote the hit hor- ror sequel “10 Clover- fi eld Lane,” starring John “ Director Damien Chazelle not yet produced. Damien shot his fi rst feature fi lm, Guy and Madeline on a Park Bench, while still an undergrad at Harvard University. The criti- cally-acclaimed debut was named the Best First Feature of 2010 by L.A. Weekly and was described as “easily the ning a record 7 awards. Kam Williams: Hi Damien. Congratula- tions! Damien Chazelle: Thanks, Kam. KW: Not that I’m at all surprised by your incredible success. Af- ter all, back when you I liked the idea of doing an American answer to the French answer to the American musi- cals, if that makes sense Goodman. His screen- plays for “Whiplash” and “The Claim” both appeared on the Blacklist, the annual sur- vey of the most-liked mo- tion picture screenplays best fi rst fi lm in eons” by Time Out New York. Here, Damien discuss- es his latest movie, La La Land which just swept the Golden Globes, win- released your fi rst fi lm, “Guy and Madeline on a Park Bench,” I told any- body who’d listen, “Ap- preciate Damien now and avoid the rush!” DC: I remember those ALBINA MINISTERIAL ALLIANCE’S CITY-WIDE DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. CELEBRATION FEATURED SPEAKER: Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler SUNDAY JANUARY 15, 2017 4:00 P.M. Maranatha Church 4222 NE 12th Ave., Portland OR 97211 503-288-7241 KW: Well, I loved it! It’s #1 on my Top 100 List for 2016. And I started my re- view saying, “If you only see one movie this year, you need to get out more. That being said, “La La Land” is the pic- ture to catch.” DC: Thanks! I’m thrilled you liked it. KW: I’ve seen four times already. It’s a movie you absolutely have to see on the big screen. DC: Yeah, part of my hope was to make a movie meant for the movie theaters, in the old-fashioned sense of a fi lm designed for a group of people to watch on the big screen. I think that old school idea was so beautiful, kinds like those roadshow mu- sicals from the 1950s and 1960s. KW: The fi rst time I saw it was with fellow critics, and everybody applauded when the clos- ing credits started to roll. That was the fi rst time in ages that there was a standing ovation at a fi lm critics’ screening I attended. We’re a jaded lot that’s pretty hard to impress. DC: That’s awesome! KW: I understand that this movie took six years to make, partly because other studios were will- ing to greenlight the proj- ect on the condition that you agreed to substantial revisions, like changing the ending and the music from jazz to rock. Read the rest of this interview at TheSkanner.com Movies cont’d from pg 6 Steenburgen and Paul Reiser. Everybody Knows... Elizabeth Murray (Un- rated) Meryl Streep nar- rates this reverential ret- rospective about the late Elizabeth Murray (1940- 2007), a single-mom who overcame considerable obstacles en route to becoming a prominent modern artist. Go North (Unrated) Futuristic sci-fi set in the wake of an apocalyp- tic castrophe which has left the planet without any adults. Ensemble includes Jacob Lofl and, James Bloor, Sophie Ken- nedy Clark and Patrick Schwarzenegger (Ar- nold’s son). Ok Jaanu (Unrated) Romance drama, set in Mumbai, about an am- bitious couple (Shrad- dha Kapoor and Aditya Roy Kapoor) forced to pick between their ca- reers and following their hearts when work threat- ens to pull them apart. With Naseeruddin Shah and Leela Samson. (In Hindi with subtitles) Reset (Unrated) Dance documentary chroni- cling the eff orts of chore- ographer-turned-artistic director Benjamin Mil- lepied to rejuvenate the Paris Opera Ballet. (In French and English with subtitles)