Babylon

*“You ever been on a movie set before?”* “No.” “You'll see. It's the most magical place in the world.” ** For the last day of 2023, I will watch 2-3 of some of my favorite films. And I decided to start with Babylon. Babylon is special. It’s a story of old Hollywood and how becoming a star during these times could be the highest point of your life, while simultaneously being the lowest point in your life. It shows how destructive it can be when stars rise to fame, and how it takes a toll on these people. I think Damian Chazelle did motherfucking excellent with this film. 3 hours never went by faster. This is my 3rd time watching it and I was as engaged while watching it than my first time. Every film I have seen from Chazelle has been special and a 5 star movie across the board (I have not seen The First Man Yet). Margot fucking Robbie as Nellie La Roy. The Wild Child. Margot was so fucking brilliant in this movie and Nellie is probably a top 3 role of hers. It’s fucking crazy that she didn’t get even nominated for an Oscar for this role. She, in my opinion, was better than every other actress that got nominated for Best Actress. She’s a fucking national treasure. I really need to see more of Diego Calva. He has a talent that Hollywood needs to use to their advantage. He was monumental in this film and I REALLY need to see him in more films in the future. I really liked Brad Pitt’s character in this too. An actor being forgotten as the movie industry evolves and having it take a massive toll on him before he ultimately, SPOILER ALERT, can’t take his career dying anymore and offs himself. That scene had always made me tear up. *“In a hundred years, when you and I are both long gone, any time someone threads a frame of yours through a sprocket, you will be alive again. You see what that means? One day, every person on every film shot this year will be dead. And one day, all those films will be pulled from the vaults, and all their ghosts will dine together, and adventure together, go to the jungle, to war together. A child born in 50 years will stumble across your image flickering on a screen and feel he knows you, like... like a friend, though you breathed your last before he breathed his first. You've been given a gift. Be grateful. Your time today is through, but you'll spend eternity with angels and ghosts.” *^I feel this. And, again, don’t get me started on the fucking score. It is a Damian Chazelle movie. Why WOULDN’T the score be phenomenal? It’s so chaotic yet soothing at the same time (Idk if that’s how you’d describe it) and it just is a joy to the ears. I love you Justin Hurwitz. And the ending. I’ve said it 50 times before and I’ll say it again. Damian Chazelle’s endings are perfect. Whether it’s Whiplash, or La La Land, or the magnificent ending that is Babylon. I do have one minor critique though. During the film montage that Manny is seeing in the end, where all the “monumental films” in movie history are being shown, I feel like they should’ve at least added Star Wars in the montage. That had a HUGE impact on the movie industry. But overall, this film will always get me feeling some type of way and I’ll NEVER get sick of rewatching it, that’s how it always goes for Chazelle films. This, for me, was a top 3 movie of 2022. It was so overlooked and got shit on a ton when it released. The flop was crazy. It did not deserve it one bit.  98/100 for 5 stars **December ranked**