Had secretly been hoping Ridley Scott's Napoleon (2023) biopic would be the final must see film before the end of the year. Under Scott's direction and experience, it would be a safe bet we'd get to see more of Joaquin Phoenix showing off his acting prowess and not his plums, unlike in Beau Is Afraid (2023).
Some of the reviews have been mixed; describing it as "boring" and "anti-French"; even calling Napoleon as "history's most accomplished cuck". Speaking of which, Poncey Pete happened to be delighted with it. The film received five stars in his glowing review in The Guardian. That's all well and good, but how can I take any film critic seriously when they devote a whole paragraph listing a bunch of other silver screen depictions of Napoleon and not include Time Bandits (1981) and Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure (1989) into the mix? Ian Holm portrayed Napoleon three times and it's always the one from Time Bandits that everyone remembers.
Decades after seeing it, I still feel pity for Napoleon from Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure (1989). Despite him cheating at bowling, the scene where he's abandoned and left alone at night to wonder the streets of San Dimas always gets me in the feels. If Ridley Scott can make me feel the same way for the petulant man-child, then maybe Napoleon will be a notable highlight amongst 2023’s films.
2 comments:
I'm definitely avoiding Napoleon at that length 😬
Geography teacher in my high school always insisted we watched Time Bandits at the end of every term. A more fun way to spend 100 odd minutes than learning about French rivers and German mountains.
There's a four hour cut of the film coming out later.
Teacher knew the score, Time Bandits is a certified classic. Dreading that upcoming series, though.
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