While this year’s cinematic season might be close to its final curtain, there is plenty of cause for excitement still on the horizon, with a number of exceptional films set to land on our shores early next year. One you’ve likely heard about is Babylon (in cinemas on the 19th of January 2023), a Damien Chazelle-directed affair that showcases Brad Pitt and Margot Robbie at their most excellent, and speaks to the early days of Hollywood in all of its hedonistic glory. As such, we think the only way to celebrate Babylon’s release is with a luxurious celebration befitting its wild narrative, which is why we have teamed up with the recently-opened Silky Otter Ponsonby and Paramount Pictures to offer one lucky Denizen and 14 of their friends a private screening — complete with delicious food and beverages (delivered throughout the film, of course).
With all the hallmarks of a new classic, Babylon is an original epic set in early Hollywood — often referred to as the era’s golden age. It chronicles the triumphs, tribulations and teething issues of the industry’s stars during the great transition from silent to sound films in the late 1920s, and captures the chaotic glamour that is so entwined with our understanding of this era via stunning cinematography, detailed costumes and some truly excellent performances by its cast. Here ideas of indulgence, influence, sumptuous luxury and wild abandon are cleverly interwoven with performances by Pitt as Jack Conrad, a former silent-movie star trying to figure out where he fits in Hollywood’s new world, and a truly fantastic Robbie in the role of Nellie LaRoy, an up-and-coming actress on the cusp of a new age.
Despite Babylon being very much its own unique entity, industry insiders have already made comparisons to the likes of The Wolf of Wall Street and The Great Gatsby (in which Robbie and cast-mate/Executive Producer Tobey Mcguire have both starred, respectively), telling the tale of Hollywood in a way that only Chazelle, with his Academy-Award-winning eye, could do.
And if you haven’t had the chance to experience Ponsonby’s new cinema, Silky Otter, yet, we think there’s no better setting to watch a film of this calibre. Offering an intimate, comfortable and private theatre with large, luxurious chairs and personalised service, the experience of watching a movie at Silky Otter feels exactly the kind of atmosphere in which a film like Babylon should be enjoyed.
This competition is now closed.
![Landscape panel in memory of Daisy Le Cren [13] by Colin McCahon](https://www.thedenizen.co.nz/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Gallery_2.jpg)
![Landscape panel in memory of Daisy Le Cren [13] by Colin McCahon](https://www.thedenizen.co.nz/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Gallery_2-390x330.jpg)
