Babylon
‘Babylon’ Costume Designer Dressed Diego Calva’s Character for the Job He Wants (and Eventually Loses)
Gofer and quick-witted fixer Manny Torres (Diego Calva) effortlessly determines how to haul an overstuffed elephant up a steep hill to a Bel Air party, sneak a dead body out of said packed bacchanal and satisfy his producer boss’ black-tie dress code with minimal financial means. “It’s actually not even a tuxedo. It’s cobbled together,” […]
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‘Babylon,’ ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’ and ‘Everything Everywhere All at Once’ Costume Designers on Defining Their Characters’ Looks
Babylon The glamorous costume arc of silent film ingenue turned talkie-era flameout Nellie LaRoy (Margot Robbie) offers a cautionary tale, like Damien Chazelle’s movie itself. She audaciously crashes a Hollywood producer’s debauched party — sartorially manifesting her big break. “She’s already a star in her own mind,” says costume designer Mary Zophres, imagining that Nellie […]
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How Oscar-Nominated ‘Avatar: The Way of Water’ Production Designers Created an Alien Underwater World
Whether it was creating the Metkayina village or a sinking sea vessel on the Pandora moon, production designers Dylan Cole and Ben Procter say their approach to their work on James Cameron’s Avatar: The Way of Water was, philosophically, not unlike that of any live-action movie. “We design sets,” Cole says, adding that the use […]
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Sound Guilds Offer Clues to Oscar Noms
As Hollywood anticipates this year’s Oscar nominations announcement on Jan. 24, many of the societies and guilds have already revealed their favorites. That includes those in sound, for which the Academy had narrowed its field to a diverse slate of 10 movies, among them Edward Berger’s World War I drama All Quiet on the Western […]
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‘Babylon’ Director Damien Chazelle Says He Knew Film Would “Get Some People Mad”
Damien Chazelle says he appreciates when a film is met with a polarizing reception, which certainly describes the critical reaction to his most recent effort, Babylon. The Oscar-winning filmmaker spoke to Insider for an interview published online Monday ahead of the film’s U.K. release, and he was asked how he felt about the film currently […]
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Costume Designers Guild Awards: ‘Avatar: Way of Water,’ ‘Elvis,’ ‘Babylon’ Among Nominees
Celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, the Costume Designers Guild Awards (CDGA) have announced their 2023 nominees in eight categories across film and television. The awards, to be held Monday, Feb. 27, at the Fairmont Century City, recognize excellence in costume design in such areas as contemporary, period, reality, shortform and sci-fi/fantasy. Costume and set […]
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Golden Globes: ‘Babylon,’ ‘Wednesday,’ ‘The Crown,’ ‘Avatar’ Sequel Among Noteworthy Snubs
Damien Chazelle’s Babylon has already received mixed reviews and struggled at the box office, but on Tuesday night, the film also faced an awards disappointment at the 2023 Golden Globes. The Paramount movie starring Margot Robbie and Brad Pitt was nominated for five awards but only won one, for best score. Other celebrated films nominated […]
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‘RRR’ Song ‘Naatu Naatu’ Beats Taylor Swift, Rihanna, Lady Gaga to Win Golden Globe
“Naatu Naatu,” the Indian Telugu-language song from the action drama RRR, beat out tunes by Rihanna, Taylor Swift and Lady Gaga to win best original song at the 2023 Golden Globes. Composer M. M. Keeravani accepted the honor Tuesday night at the Beverly Hilton. He shares the win with lyricist Chandrabose. “Thank you very much […]
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Can ‘Babylon’ Bounce Back From Box Office Bomb?
When MGM’s Singin’ in the Rain, Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen’s musical valentine to Hollywood’s silent film era as it transitioned into the world of talkies, opened in the spring of 1952, it instantly won over moviegoers. Writing in The New York Times, critic Bosley Crowther enthused, “Compounded generously of music, dance, color spectacle and […]
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‘Babylon’ Star Diego Calva’s “Bizarre Kind of Summer Camp” Experience on Damien Chazelle’s Film
Diego Calva knows that his experience on Babylon was not traditional. First of all, to get the role of Manny Torres, a wide-eyed striver who moves up the ranks of the film industry in its nascent days, the Mexican actor did “30 or 40” self-tapes. Then he moved into the Los Angeles home of director […]
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Justin Hurwitz on College Band Days With Damien Chazelle, Finding Musicians on YouTube for ‘Babylon’
Almost two decades ago during his freshman year at Harvard, Justin Hurwitz wanted to form a rock band and heard of an incredible drummer named Damien Chazelle. “Somebody gave me Damien’s phone number,” Hurwitz recalls, “and I called him up cold and asked, ‘Do you want to be in a band?’ And we started a […]
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Breaking Down Oscar’s Best Picture Noms by Theme
In the past five years, 43 features have earned Academy Award nominations for best picture, and with those dozens of films, thematic throughlines have emerged that offer a sense of what kinds of films voters favor for the top prize. Historical films have earned the most nominations, exemplified by Green Book winning the award in […]
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