There is no reason I was motivated to see this. The ads made no sense. You Tube thumbnails were claiming it was a "flop".
After some investigation, it seemed as if this was an "event" sort of movie that would warrant sitting in a full on theater rather than waiting for it to show up streaming or on DVD.
Old Hollywood. Scandal. Decadence. Period costumes, cars, hair, technology. Ironic. One of the last few films I saw in the theater was a TCM revival of Sunset Blvd.
Hollywood: always at it's best when it's examining itself. Perfect place to be on a rainy day in the desert.
There was a line at 9:45 to get in. On a Tuesday morning. Most were going to Avatar. Five of us went to see Babylon.
Pure overload: visual, aural. Emotional investment in the characters.... neutral. Perhaps that meant that the technical, the production, overwhelmed the participants.
Maybe that was the point: Hollywood, overwhelming and consuming of all players.
No happy endings. Just possible escape to somewhere and from some thing not Hollywood.
If that's the angle, it's brilliant. That's what I got out of it. I was one of those who, raised on a steady diet of old movies followed the well worn path to Hollywood, seeking. What happens when the dream fails? Or never materializes?
The run time was too long. Certain scenes weren't necessary and got in the way. They were there to be shocking and off putting.
They certainly didn't add to the texture of the period. Especially after the decadent Old Hollywood point had already been made. Once, twice, half a dozen times.
I won't spoil it. Once you watch you'll know.
The montage at the end was suffocating and I had to consciously refrain from getting up and leaving, clearly a physical reaction to what I had seen, the sounds and length of time spent watching. Perhaps the sense of time passing, things ending, speed and sound all conspired to trigger an unnerving personal response, having lived my own Hollywood experience.
Not a comfortable way to leave the theater.
And maybe that was the point.
Music: evocative of the era but not directly lifted from the '20s. Relentless. One of the best parts of the movie.
I liked Pitt as usual, especially after seeing him in Once Upon A Time In Hollywood. Robbie I was not familiar with, but whatever she's in next, I'll watch. Hers was a creation evocative of that time, like the soundtrack. Of that world but not a clone or creation of it. Diego Calva was fascinating as were Li Jun Li and Jovan Adepo. Jean Smart stole her scenes, every time.
There was an unreal level of talent here. Effort. Detail.
And today, I am still trying to sort out what I saw.
It remains overwhelming. Partly I wanted to take a bath afterward. Yet I liked it.
I know I want to see it again, like I did the The Damned, Once Upon A Time and Day Of The Locust. But it will be awhile. There was so much I missed, and it bears further examination. But I need some distance before that happens.
I'll own a copy of it when it's released on DVD But I can still do without certain scenes.
There is one thing: Hollywood has made so many garbage movies about Hollywood -Inside Daisy Clover, Harlow-, I'd take 20 minutes of Babylon over two hours of either of those.
One can tell that a lot of care, time and money went into making something unique and special here.
After some investigation, it seemed as if this was an "event" sort of movie that would warrant sitting in a full on theater rather than waiting for it to show up streaming or on DVD.
Old Hollywood. Scandal. Decadence. Period costumes, cars, hair, technology. Ironic. One of the last few films I saw in the theater was a TCM revival of Sunset Blvd.
Hollywood: always at it's best when it's examining itself. Perfect place to be on a rainy day in the desert.
There was a line at 9:45 to get in. On a Tuesday morning. Most were going to Avatar. Five of us went to see Babylon.
Pure overload: visual, aural. Emotional investment in the characters.... neutral. Perhaps that meant that the technical, the production, overwhelmed the participants.
Maybe that was the point: Hollywood, overwhelming and consuming of all players.
No happy endings. Just possible escape to somewhere and from some thing not Hollywood.
If that's the angle, it's brilliant. That's what I got out of it. I was one of those who, raised on a steady diet of old movies followed the well worn path to Hollywood, seeking. What happens when the dream fails? Or never materializes?
The run time was too long. Certain scenes weren't necessary and got in the way. They were there to be shocking and off putting.
They certainly didn't add to the texture of the period. Especially after the decadent Old Hollywood point had already been made. Once, twice, half a dozen times.
I won't spoil it. Once you watch you'll know.
The montage at the end was suffocating and I had to consciously refrain from getting up and leaving, clearly a physical reaction to what I had seen, the sounds and length of time spent watching. Perhaps the sense of time passing, things ending, speed and sound all conspired to trigger an unnerving personal response, having lived my own Hollywood experience.
Not a comfortable way to leave the theater.
And maybe that was the point.
Music: evocative of the era but not directly lifted from the '20s. Relentless. One of the best parts of the movie.
I liked Pitt as usual, especially after seeing him in Once Upon A Time In Hollywood. Robbie I was not familiar with, but whatever she's in next, I'll watch. Hers was a creation evocative of that time, like the soundtrack. Of that world but not a clone or creation of it. Diego Calva was fascinating as were Li Jun Li and Jovan Adepo. Jean Smart stole her scenes, every time.
There was an unreal level of talent here. Effort. Detail.
And today, I am still trying to sort out what I saw.
It remains overwhelming. Partly I wanted to take a bath afterward. Yet I liked it.
I know I want to see it again, like I did the The Damned, Once Upon A Time and Day Of The Locust. But it will be awhile. There was so much I missed, and it bears further examination. But I need some distance before that happens.
I'll own a copy of it when it's released on DVD But I can still do without certain scenes.
There is one thing: Hollywood has made so many garbage movies about Hollywood -Inside Daisy Clover, Harlow-, I'd take 20 minutes of Babylon over two hours of either of those.
One can tell that a lot of care, time and money went into making something unique and special here.