Damien Chazelle’s Babylon

[-Arya-]

$110 million is outrageous. I wonder if Chazelle will strike a deal with Netflix for the future like so many others have.

 

[Drizzle]

What studio exec approved a $110 million budget for this? It's not like Chazelle is on a Nolan or Tarantino level.

 

[Prison Mike]

The bulk of the budget must have went to cast salaries

 

[GothamCity]

What studio exec approved a $110 million budget for this? It's not like Chazelle is on a Nolan or Tarantino level.

Yeah strange. I thought hes previous films where somewhat boring somehow. Dont know why he got so much hype around his films actually.

 

[scarlet-witch]

Budget well spent, IMO. It looked great and the cast was marvelous. I wish it was making more money at the box office though.

 

[Drizzle]

The bulk of the budget must have went to cast salaries

Ah, true. Besides Brad Pitt being Brad Pitt, he's also a recent Oscar winner so he probably got a nice fat check out of this.

Yeah strange. I thought hes previous films where somewhat boring somehow. Dont know why he got so much hype around his films actually.

I loved Whiplash and liked La La Land, didn't really care enough to see First Man. I guess it's because his first two mainstream films being released to such acclaim and being nominated for Best Picture at such a young age for a director got the attention of Hollywood.

 

[TheVileOne]

Yeah I’ve been reading $110 million as the production budget. Not sure where Variety got the $80 million number.

Tax breaks maybe?

 

[TheVileOne]

First Man bombed. So after this one does as well, I imagine he might have a harder time getting another budget this size.

This also shows Margot Robbie can’t open a film. I think Barbie will do well because it’s got buzz going for it, but none of her movies have done that well either.

I, Tonya did relatively OK, but that was not a blockbuster type film.

 

[Kane52630]

Budget well spent, IMO. It looked great and the cast was marvelous. I wish it was making more money at the box office though.

Yeah I enjoyed it immensely, but I can see how some people will not take it as well with the runtime. It's one of those where you will either love it or hate it.

To me, It's as boisterous as Wolf of Wall Street and there are several scenes that I can't wait to rewatch.

 

[green]

The misogyny going around in some circles against Margot is really absurd, disappointing and kinda disgusting. She wasn't topped billed in this or Amsterdam...
Haven't seen any articles about Pitt (made 20 million for Babylon where Margot made 5 million) or Bales (10 million to Margot's 5 million) inability to open a film?
But sure let's blame the woman and not the overpaid male actors or the director or the writer.

 

[TheVileOne]

$110 million is outrageous. I wonder if Chazelle will strike a deal with Netflix for the future like so many others have.

He has a first look deal with Paramount right now, but we'll see how it goes.

Paramount Signs First-Look Deal With Damien Chazelle - Variety

 

[CaptainWagner]

Saw this. Loved a lot of the parts, but as a whole found it to be a bit of a mess.

Also - Hilarious how Maguire was originally rumored to be playing freaking Chaplin and then he turned out to be whatever the heck THAT was.

 

[TheVileOne]

Saw this. Loved a lot of the parts, but as a whole found it to be a bit of a mess.

Also - Hilarious how Maguire was originally rumored to be playing freaking Chaplin and then he turned out to be whatever the heck THAT was.

I don't get where that Chaplin thing came from. His character clearly wasn't inspired by Chaplin either.

 

[NotNickFury]

Chazelle is a madman and I can't believe the same guy behind La La Land and Whiplash did this. Hell, this movie is pretty much an anti La La Land or taking that movie and holding it up to a cracked mirror.

I can see why the reception is so divisive, but man, I dug this crazy movie that, just from the first few minutes, lets you know what you're in for. It has an insane amount of energy and just when you think you've seen the most extreme or crazy thing in the film, Chazelle manages to top that. It also makes me wonder how any in old Hollywood actually survived while doing their jobs, if not just while being pumped full of drugs. I say this jokingly, but I imagine Chazelle's thought process was 'Okay that was nuts...but what if we did this next?!'

What I liked about the performances is that a lot of the key players each got a good monologue or moment to shine in a long sequence, similar to a lot of the performances in Birdman. It's not one of my favorite films of the year and not my favorite film by this director, but it's definitely the wildest film in 2022, in my opinion, and again, it just keeps on moving with this energy and flow to it that I can't help but be in awe at...if not a bit shocking and gross at times, too!

Also, even though we knew he was in the film, I wish that we hadn't seen Tobey Maguire in any of the trailers because when he shows up...you know what I'm talking about.

 

[Drizzle]

Ok folks, I did the improbable. Curiosity and boredom got the best of me so I ventured out to a matinee of Babylon this afternoon, or as I call it "Hi I'm Margot Robbie, welcome to Jackass!". I gotta say, while I wouldn't put it in my Top 10 of the year I actually ended up enjoying it. I didn't really care about or like any of the characters apart from Jovan Adepo (who wasn't in it enough) and Jean Smart. I didn't really find Pitt or Robbie's characters all that likable but were they entertaining? Without a doubt. This was the best Robbie has been since I, Tonya IMO. Tobey Maguire was creepy as hell too. There were a couple of gross out moments that felt a little out of place which was probably the reason why it got so much vitriol from the critics.

Spoiler

Seeing an elephant **** directly on the camera and seeing a woman...ahem...relieve herself on a man in the first ten minutes of a movie when you're still chowing down on popcorn or crappy movie theater pizza would understandably rub a lot of people the wrong way when you're not expecting it.

To me this felt like Boogie Nights spliced with Wolf of Wall Street with a Golden Age of Hollywood coat of paint. And much like WOWS, the three hours actually went by fairly quick even though it didn't need to be that long. Overall I enjoyed it, it was very well directed and acted but I can also understand why it's so divisive. The last five minutes really made me roll my eyes.

However, after all that, one aspect of this movie that gets an A+ from me is the score. "Voodoo Mama" is ear candy.

 

[Kane52630]

The last five minutes really made me roll my eyes.

But Drizzle, heartbreak feels good in a place like this.

 

[Prison Mike]

This will probably hit PVOD very soon

 

[Luigi]

The "Hello college" sequence was the funniest thing I've seen all year.

What a showcase for Damien's directing abilities.

 

[NotNickFury]

But Drizzle, heartbreak feels good in a place like this.

That image is all that was missing from those last five minutes. Unless I'm missed it, I'm surprised Chazelle didn't include one of his own works during that moment.

 

[Drizzle]

The "Hello college" sequence was the funniest thing I've seen all year.

What a showcase for Damien's directing abilities.

That scene was definitely a highlight.

 

[Asr]

Saw this last night, 7/10 for me.

I totally get why some people wouldn't like it, and I certainly didn't love the movie either, but despite its runtime I found it brilliantly entertaining in the best ways possible. It had so much chaotic energy throughout that it sort of drew me in with all of its craziness and antics, that I couldn't help but want to see what happened next.

I'll also say that despite the movie's general flaws (could've been shorter, more focused, and less WTF on the ending), Chazelle really has a fantastic ear for music and sound - that's been a consistent highlight in every movie he's done so far. Also, both Margot Robbie and Brad Pitt were fantastic in this and just went to show that they're both really talented. The actor who played Manny wasn't anywhere as good as either of them unfortunately, and I felt like that role needed a better actor.

"Once Upon a Time in Hollywood meets The Wolf of Wall Street" definitely sums up the movie pretty well, because it really felt like both of those movies combined. Overall, if nothing else Chazelle has proved that he's a director worth watching every time, and for me he's one of those directors who I probably won't miss anything from.

I also really, really want to see Tobey Maguire as Joker in a DC movie now. His scenes proved to me that he could do it.

 

[Kane52630]

 

[SwordOfMorning]

The "Hello college" sequence was the funniest thing I've seen all year.

What a showcase for Damien's directing abilities.

I greatly disliked this movie and even I loved that scene.

 

[Asr]

Whoever decided to cast Margot Robbie with her lookalike Samara Weaving was a genius, and needs to do it again in another movie.

I also think Samara Weaving should be the MCU Mystique btw. It's a plus that she looks more like Rebecca Romijn than anyone else should.

 

[Sawyer]

I forgot Phoebe Tonkin was gonna be in this.