A fecal, anal honking, and vomit-infused tale revolving around orgy-driven slaphappiness and punchdrunk intoxication as the silent movie era disjointedly stumbled into sound and talkies. Channeling the likes of Michel Hazanavicius’ _The Artist_ and _Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas_ with a rhythmically chaotic boogie seemingly torn right out of Gasper Noe’s _Climax_, _Babylon_ is an aggressive assault of the senses loosely thread together by cinematic evolution and dwindling fame. **Full review:** https://boundingintocomics.com/2022/12/15/babylon-review-requiem-for-the-silver-screen/
Babylon is debauchery at its finest. It encapsulates an era like no other and dares to be so different, yet so appealing. On the surface this film is a very straightforward plot, following our three leads and their attempts at success in the ever-changing world of cinema. But deep down, there is another message that is so relevant to everyone's life: accepting death/irrelevance. Just as fast as our characters achieve their dreams of being stars in the industry, these dreams are quickly whisked away by the brutality and cutthroat nature of Hollywood. This is juxtaposed with Brad Pitts character, a man already on downward spiral of his career, trying to desperately hold on to what remains. These arches are so honest and vulnerable, I found very compelling. The performances were top notch all around, and I would expect nothing more from a stacked cast of actors including Margot Robbie and Brad Pitt. But the surprise of the bunch was Diego Calva. He was fantastic and stole many scenes he was featured in with both Robbie and Pitt. He is the true lead of this film and does an excellent job bearing the load. I really enjoyed almost aspects of the film, but towards the end there are some sequences that I feel got away from Chazelle. They are so over the top and kind of feal out of place in this somewhat grounded story. The tension is there in these scenes, but it just doesn't fit. This whole subplot could have been shorten tremendously helping reduce the bloated runtime of the film. That being, I never really felt the length of this picture with it being quite well paced. Overall, this movie was real treat, and it is quite a shame that marketing was jumbled up so poorly because this film deserves viewership. Score: 88% Verdict: Excellent Theatre Verdict: See It
It's a sort of triptych of stories of Hollywood, this. A tale that starts off with all the excesses and hedonism of the cocaine fuelled, sexually lascivious antics where even an elephant isn't too much for a party hosted by a movie mogul. It's here we meet the three characters who provide the thread for the rest of this maelstrom of a movie. Firstly we have the young, naive, but quick-thinking "Manny" (Diego Calva) who manages to attract the attention of the much-married, established and former silent screen star "Jack Conrad" (Brad Pitt) all whilst Margot Robbie's ambitious and outrageous "Nellie LaRoy" is sniffing, snorting, dancing and generally sexifying everything she touches as she bids to get into the acting business. What now ensues is a really well crafted and thoughtfully entertaining tale of the rise and fall and rise and fall of these three characters and of how their success brings failure as surely as the sun comes up. Robbie is on excellent form, a truly convincing performance as a character ill-equipped for the journey she is so determined to undertake. Pitt, likewise, plays well here. His character has less in the way of shock factor to deliver, but that storyline offers us a rather more effectively stolid appreciation of just how fickle success can be: there, then gone - in what might seem like a blind of the eye. Finally, the aspirational but (initially) more measured, head-screwed-on Calva who falls in love, and ends up trying to fight the inevitable like King Canute! There's a quirky effort from Tobey Maguire, an alligator and a rat-eater; and a rather scene-stealing contribution - especially at the end - from Jean Smart's Hedda Hopper-style gossip journalist "Elinor St. John" - possibly the only honest character in the entire thing! It's a pastiche and/or an homage to all things cinema at a time of the gradual emergence and then dominance of sound pictures, and we are frequently exposed to the car-crash lifestyles as everyone adapted, re-adapted, and continued to stay on their toes as their industry and their audiences did not always want to take everyone with them - and at break neck speed too - as tastes changed. It's got everything from Cecil B DeMille to Baz Luhrmann to it, takes a swipe at the pompous-thinking stage theatricals (from the East Coast), the shallowness of the whole industry - and yet, it never loses a sense the these are still people. Human beings! It is not difficult to imagine Kenneth Anger advising on the script - it "could" all be true". Maybe a bit on the long side, it certainly sags now and again - but it's definitely a big screen experience that delivers solid, engaging performances that are not over reliant on - even, rather comically (and dangerously) illustrating just how films were made before - CGI! No point in waiting for this to come to television - it's a must for the cinema around which it's story is told.
Some great production and costume designs and the performance from Margot Robbie was great while Brad Pitt was good but seen better from him, and the opening 30 minutes were wild but otherwise this was far too long and nothing terribly memorable. **3.0/5** I did forget this was the movie that proved Margot Robbie and Samara Weaving are indeed different people... :p
_Babylon_ is a visually stunning and stylish film with it’s share of pros and cons. On the one hand, the performances by Brad Pitt and Margot Robbie were outstanding. They truly brought their characters to life and added depth to the story. However, I found that the storyline didn't flow smoothly, and at times it felt disjointed and confusing. Additionally, some of the more grotesque scenes were overly exaggerated, which detracted from the overall experience. Another downside was the length of the movie, which at over 3 hours, felt excessive.
A biographical film about Finnish singer J. Alfred Tanner and his path through a failed career as a construction master to become a highly successful couplet singer - the "king of couplets".
Movie Star Rating : 0 Read More
Adaptation of the 1925 novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald for "Playhouse 90." A Midwesterner becomes fascinated with his wealthy neighbor, who obsesses over his lost love.
Movie Star Rating : 0 Read More
When an actor throws an impromptu soirée at his Hollywood home, with only his closest friends in attendance, a fun evening devolves into something much darker after he makes an unexpected announcement to the group.
Movie Star Rating : 6.7 Read More
The film is based on Christian Kampmann's novels: "Certain Considerations", "Solid Relationships", "Clean Lines" and "Other Ways" (1973-75). The Gregersen family is a picture of inner and outer Denmark from the mid 50's to the 70's. The story begins in 1954 in the well-behaved, but not just successful, Gregersen family from the best part of the whiskey belt on the right side of Strandvejen.
Movie Star Rating : 0 Read More
An average kind of guy who has a slight problem with gambling goes to the track, and mystically, it seems as though he can't lose, no matter how he bets; and he has an incredible day.
Movie Star Rating : 6.4 Read More
Gambling addiction bring the stories of three otherwise unconnected people together as it destroys each of their lives.
Movie Star Rating : 5.6 Read More
The family of Raymond, his wife Val and her brother Billy live in working-class London district. Also in their family is Val and Billy's mother Janet and grandmother Kath. Billy is a drug addict and Raymond kicks him out of the house, making him live on his own. Raymond is generally a rough and even violent person, and that leads to problems in the life of the family.
Movie Star Rating : 6.9 Read More
Calvin, an alcoholic wastrel, is forced to find a new job after he is fired from his grounds-keeping job at a golf course. After scaring away other potential applicants, he is hired to tend the grounds of a beautiful hillside mansion by Julie, the personal assistant to the owner of the home. Jack, heartbroken and suicidal, has refused to leave his property since his wife left him for a past love a year prior. On the night Jack decides to end it all, a drunken Calvin accidentally interrupts his boss' suicide attempt. Calvin convinces Jack that it's not worth it to kill himself when he has the means to continue living his reclusive lifestyle indefinitely. The two bond over their shared inclination to numb and preoccupy their minds rather than confront the pains of their past. When they can no longer run from their problems, their wills, and friendship, are truly tested. Written by 282 Studios.
Movie Star Rating : 0 Read More
The 1975 film by Georgi Daneliya "Afonya" was an unexpected commercial hit in USSR. The main character "Afonya" Borshev is a plumber, who spends his life partying with "buddies", many of whom he doesn't even remember after nights of heavy drinking. His wife leaves him, his boss places him on probation, his whole life is falling apart, but he doesn't realize it. Afonya met Katya at a dance club, yet didn't pay her much attention. But she is the one, who can save him... In this movie Daneliya achieves a perfect balance of satire and drama. Quotes from the movie gained a cult status in USSR.
Movie Star Rating : 8.1 Read More
Haunting of the Queen Mary 2023 - Movies (Mar 28th)
Uproar 2023 - Movies (Mar 28th)
Peter Five Eight 2024 - Movies (Mar 28th)
Windcatcher 2024 - Movies (Mar 27th)
The Truth vs. Alex Jones 2024 - Movies (Mar 27th)
Easter Evil 2024 - Movies (Mar 27th)
The Iron Claw 2023 - Movies (Mar 26th)
Kung Fu Panda 4 2024 - Movies (Mar 26th)
The Book of Clarence 2023 - Movies (Mar 26th)
Molli and Max in the Future 2023 - Movies (Mar 26th)
Ordinary Angels 2024 - Movies (Mar 26th)
Imaginary 2024 - Movies (Mar 26th)
Easter Bloody Easter 2024 - Movies (Mar 26th)
Snow Valley 2024 - Movies (Mar 26th)
Drift 2023 - Movies (Mar 26th)
Good One A Show About Jokes 2024 - Movies (Mar 26th)
Sentinel 2024 - Movies (Mar 26th)
Cessationist 2023 - Movies (Mar 26th)
Tig Notaro Hello Again 2024 - Movies (Mar 26th)
The Peasants 2023 - Movies (Mar 26th)
My Acting Coach Nightmare 2024 - Movies (Mar 25th)
Dimension 20 - (Mar 28th)
Resident Alien - (Mar 28th)
Allegiance - (Mar 28th)
Invincible - (Mar 28th)
The Kelly Clarkson Show - (Mar 28th)
The Great Canadian Pottery Throw Down - (Mar 28th)
After Midnight - (Mar 28th)
Reality of Wrestling - (Mar 28th)
Gogglebox Australia - (Mar 28th)
Tipping Point Australia - (Mar 28th)
The Chase Australia - (Mar 28th)
Salvage Hunters- The Restorers - (Mar 28th)
Selling Houses Australia - (Mar 28th)
New Zealand Today - (Mar 28th)
Deal or No Deal - (Mar 28th)
Salvage Hunters - (Mar 28th)
Loaded in Paradise - (Mar 28th)
The 11th Hour with Stephanie Ruhle - (Mar 28th)
Dateline- Secrets Uncovered - (Mar 28th)
The Cook Up with Adam Liaw - (Mar 28th)