Babylon
* "It’s 1920s L.A., everyone’s sweating, screaming, or dying. That’s the magic of movies, baby."
*This isn’t a movie. It’s a 3-hour bender where Chazelle grabs you by the collar, screams “THIS IS ART!!!” over the sound of jazz, elephant farts, and people snorting powdered dreams off the studio floor.
Margot? Feral. Diego? Tragic. Brad Pitt? Aging like a silent film with water damage.
Everyone’s spiraling. I’m clapping.
That final montage? I saw the history of cinema flash before my eyes like I was dying in a Lumière brother’s camera. I left the theater vibrating. Haven’t been right since.
Is it messy? Yes. Is it perfect? Also yes.
Cinema is back, and it’s sweating.