"BABYLON" (2022) Directed by Damien Chazelle

“The new Babylon film isn’t so much singing in the rain as a golden shower of utter disappointment”

Stephen Blackford, 1st February 2023.

The opening 9 minutes as laid out before you presently will hopefully give you a flavour for the debauchery, hedonism and a Hollywood of the golden age on the cusp of flowering and morphing into innumerable historic futures pictured here through the lens of Damien Chazelle (Whiplash, First Man, La La Land) in his fifth all time cinematic release.

Then for the next 180 minutes you’re on your own!

Bel Air 1926, and in the midst of the “Roaring Twenties” we immediately find our of Coen Brothers inspired hero in the middle of the madness all around him, “Manuel Torres” (Diego Calva). Soon to be Americanised and affectionately known more simply as “Manny” by everyone in the Hollywood community, first he must push an elephant sized stone up a hill to the mansion that sits atop it. Sisyphus may not have succeeded, but as the elephant’s trunk distracts a helpful driver as he deposits pile after streaming pile of watery excrement over a fellow helpful soul, Manny sure does".

The above opening extract is from my spoiler free film review of "Babylon" which I originally penned and published to my Medium blog site on 1st February 2023 and which can be read in full via the link below:

https://medium.com/@stephenblackford561/babylon-2022-9d09b059d4e1

This review also features in Volume 1 of my "essential film reviews collection" linked below and all 7 volumes can be read for free if you have an Amazon Kindle "Unlimited" package:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C4WX4CGD

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0C4HZSTTH?ref_=dbs_p_pwh_rwt_anx_b_lnk&storeType=ebooks

https://www.patreon.com/TheBlackfordBookClub
https://www.paypal.me/TheBlackfordBookClub
https://www.buymeacoffee.com/steveblackford

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