SPOTLIGHT | Hollywood excess comes to life in 'Babylon'; 'Till' in cinemas; round-up of award winners

Spotlight starts 2023 with a roundup of new movie releases and recent cinema and TV awards.

Babylon, the new comedy-drama from award-winning director Damien Chazelle (La La land, First Man and Whiplash), is releasing at cinemas this week. It is set against a backdrop of ambition and excess in 1920s Hollywood as it traces the rise and fall of multiple characters during the era when Hollywood transitioned from silent to sound films. It features an ensemble cast that includes Brad Pitt, Margot Robbie, Diego Calva, Jean Smart, Tobey Maguire (who also executive produced the film), Jovan Adepo and Li Jun Li.  With critics’ opinions polarised and plenty of nominations during early award ceremonies, Babylon is a visual feast not to be missed.

Another attention-worthy cinema release this week is Till. This is the true story of Mamie Till-Mobley’s relentless pursuit of justice for her 14-year-old son, Emmett. The film follows the tragic story of the teenager’s 1955 lynching in Mississippi, which galvanised the civil rights movement. Starring the talented Danielle Deadwyler, Jayme Lawson and Haley Bennett, it is directed by Nigerian-American director Chinonye Chukwu (Clemency).

Spotlight features a roundup of the biggest winners of the recent Golden Globe and Critics Choice awards, among them The Banshees of Inisherin, The Fabelmans, and Everything Everywhere All at Once, as well as Austen Butler as best actor (Elvis) and Evan Peters as Jeffrey Dahmer for the controversial Netflix series Dahmer — Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story.  Other award winners included Brendan Fraser for the upcoming The Whale, Avatar: The Way of Water, and the Showmax series White Lotus.

Don’t miss Spotlight’s segment on the holidays’ leading box-office performers, as well as a glimpse of next week’s family animation, Mummies.