SPOTLIGHT | Hollywood excess comes to life in 'Babylon'; 'Till' in cinemas; round-up of award winners
Brad Pitt, Margot Robbie headline Damien Chazelle's take on 1920s La La Land; a mother seeks justice for a teenager's lynching in a true story; and we look at the recent awards garnered by offerings such as 'The Fabelmans', 'The Whale' and 'The Banshees of Inisherin'
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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.
For full interviews, breaking news, trailers, clips and competition details, visit our Spotlight Facebook page. See you at the movies!
Presenter Collette Prince is styled and dressed by Claris by Gerrit Pienaar.
Facebook @Claris by Gerrit Pienaar/ Instagram: gerritpienaardesigns.
Competition giveaway: win 'Babylon' movie merch
This week Spotlight is giving away Babylon movie merchandise to celebrate the film’s release in cinemas.
To enter, visit the Spotlight South Africa Facebook page.
Terms and conditions apply.
Winners will be drawn randomly and notified by SMS after the competition has closed. Entrants’ personal details will not be retained for marketing purposes. Winners have to provide proof of age (ID/driver’s licence) and cover their own travel and accommodation expenses. By entering participants agree to have their names published on TimesLIVE, SowetanLIVE and Spotlight South Africa on Facebook. Employees of Arena Holdings and their family members are not eligible to enter.
