Damien Chazelle’s “Babylon” has already inspired mountains of articles that declare it either a masterpiece or a foul disaster, which is all the proof I need that it will be discussed for years and, perhaps belatedly, be declared some kind of classic.
Let me jump ahead and say I’ll be among the admirers who loved it from day one.
“Babylon” begins in 1922, at an out of control, sex and drugs-fueled party that, obviously, is based on the tragic event that ruined the film career of the once beloved “Fatty” Arbuckle.
It’s shocking to witness how far Chazelle takes this, right from the start. After the introductory business with an elephant (in indication of how crass the movie is willing to go), we get an all-stops out depiction of a debaucheries Hollywood party and...