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The New Coffee Room

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  3. Joaquin Phoenix as Napoleon?

Joaquin Phoenix as Napoleon?

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  • R Offline
    R Offline
    Renauda
    wrote on 9 Dec 2023, 23:50 last edited by Renauda 12 Sept 2023, 23:53
    #46

    @George-K

    Ha, ha!

    I note he didn’t say anything bad about or pan Eva Green’s character in the film.

    Too bad he took the story line so seriously.

    I should watch it again. It’s been a dozen or more years since I saw it. I remember my wife hating it.

    Elbows up!

    G 1 Reply Last reply 9 Dec 2023, 23:54
    • R Renauda
      9 Dec 2023, 23:50

      @George-K

      Ha, ha!

      I note he didn’t say anything bad about or pan Eva Green’s character in the film.

      Too bad he took the story line so seriously.

      I should watch it again. It’s been a dozen or more years since I saw it. I remember my wife hating it.

      G Offline
      G Offline
      George K
      wrote on 9 Dec 2023, 23:54 last edited by
      #47

      @Renauda said in Joaquin Phoenix as Napoleon?:

      I should watch it again.

      Supposedly, the theatrical cut is not very good, and Scott has disowned it. Gotta watch the 3 hour director's cut.

      "Now look here, you Baltic gas passer... " - Mik, 6/14/08

      The saying, "Lite is just one damn thing after another," is a gross understatement. The damn things overlap.

      1 Reply Last reply
      • R Offline
        R Offline
        Renauda
        wrote on 10 Dec 2023, 00:01 last edited by
        #48

        I think it is the director’s cut we have on DVD. Not sure.

        Elbows up!

        1 Reply Last reply
        • G Offline
          G Offline
          George K
          wrote on 10 Dec 2023, 14:45 last edited by
          #49

          Oy...

          https://www.dailysignal.com/2023/12/08/ridley-scott-did-something-i-thought-impossible-he-made-napoleon-bonaparte-boring/

          Having loved “Gladiator,” I mistakenly grasped onto the vain hope that my friends’ dire warnings that “Napoleon” had gone amiss. After all, how bad can it be? This is a movie about Napoleon, and I was doomed to watch it, no matter what anyone said.

          Yet, a few minutes into the movie, I found myself hoping it would end.

          Tragically, Scott seemed utterly disinterested in Napoleon, in giving a moral or political message, or even in giving audiences a reason to care about the multimillion-dollar spectacle before them.

          He decided not so much merely to bite off more than he could chew, but to gobble down a skyscraper. “Napoleon” features Toulon, Austerlitz, Russia, and Waterloo, and somehow manages to make none of them mean anything.

          Unlike “Gladiator”—which focuses on revenge, justice, and freedom, bringing ancient Rome to life—”Napoleon” merely tells most of Bonaparte’s life’s story without any clear theme or moral point.

          "Now look here, you Baltic gas passer... " - Mik, 6/14/08

          The saying, "Lite is just one damn thing after another," is a gross understatement. The damn things overlap.

          1 Reply Last reply
          • G Offline
            G Offline
            George K
            wrote on 14 Jan 2024, 02:09 last edited by
            #50

            Anyone seen it yet?

            Apple TV's gonna have it in about 3 weeks.

            As I mentioned, Scott has a director's cut that's about 90 minutes (!) longer.

            All of the reviews seem to say, "Nice movie. Imagine how much better it would have been if it were accurate." I rewatched the Critical Drinker's review and his comment that it would be better suited to a 10-part miniseries on Amazon, Netflix.

            He's such an incredibly complex character that I don't see how it can be done in 2 hours or so.

            "Now look here, you Baltic gas passer... " - Mik, 6/14/08

            The saying, "Lite is just one damn thing after another," is a gross understatement. The damn things overlap.

            D 1 Reply Last reply 14 Jan 2024, 02:43
            • G George K
              14 Jan 2024, 02:09

              Anyone seen it yet?

              Apple TV's gonna have it in about 3 weeks.

              As I mentioned, Scott has a director's cut that's about 90 minutes (!) longer.

              All of the reviews seem to say, "Nice movie. Imagine how much better it would have been if it were accurate." I rewatched the Critical Drinker's review and his comment that it would be better suited to a 10-part miniseries on Amazon, Netflix.

              He's such an incredibly complex character that I don't see how it can be done in 2 hours or so.

              D Online
              D Online
              Doctor Phibes
              wrote on 14 Jan 2024, 02:43 last edited by
              #51

              @George-K said in Joaquin Phoenix as Napoleon?:

              Anyone seen it yet?

              Mrs. Phibes saw it at the cinema. She said it was a fun movie. She wasn't expecting realism.

              I was only joking

              W 1 Reply Last reply 14 Jan 2024, 09:12
              • D Doctor Phibes
                14 Jan 2024, 02:43

                @George-K said in Joaquin Phoenix as Napoleon?:

                Anyone seen it yet?

                Mrs. Phibes saw it at the cinema. She said it was a fun movie. She wasn't expecting realism.

                W Offline
                W Offline
                Wim
                wrote on 14 Jan 2024, 09:12 last edited by
                #52

                @Doctor-Phibe It's a decent action movie. Some historical flaws, casting Phoenix as Napoleon wouldn't have been my choice.

                1 Reply Last reply
                • G Offline
                  G Offline
                  George K
                  wrote on 3 Mar 2024, 17:08 last edited by
                  #53

                  It was released to Apple TV+ a few days ago.

                  What.
                  A.
                  Waste.

                  It's truly spectacular, even on a small-ish screen.

                  But geez, talk about superficial. We learn almost nothing of his early life and his ascendency to power. His becoming emperor is "Oh, yeah, he did that, too." Even his return to France after his exile was skimmed over.

                  Whoever said this should be a 6-8 part mini-series was right.

                  And yeah Phoenix is too old.

                  "Now look here, you Baltic gas passer... " - Mik, 6/14/08

                  The saying, "Lite is just one damn thing after another," is a gross understatement. The damn things overlap.

                  1 Reply Last reply
                  • CopperC Offline
                    CopperC Offline
                    Copper
                    wrote on 3 Mar 2024, 17:39 last edited by
                    #54

                    That's about right.

                    The battles were nice. But even those felt a little rushed.

                    The wardrobe was nice, I can't say if it was accurate.

                    A mini-series that develops a few more characters would help.

                    Blame Mr. Bonaparte the scope of his life was too much for a 2 hr 37 min movie.

                    1 Reply Last reply
                    • JollyJ Offline
                      JollyJ Offline
                      Jolly
                      wrote on 3 Mar 2024, 21:08 last edited by
                      #55

                      But we still have mini-series...Most of the stuff on streaming is actually mini-series, if you consider a mini-series as a single character or ensemble of characters in a single story arc of eight hours or so.

                      “Cry havoc and let slip the DOGE of war!”

                      Those who cheered as J-6 American prisoners were locked in solitary for 18 months without trial, now suddenly fight tooth and nail for foreign terrorists’ "due process". — Buck Sexton

                      1 Reply Last reply
                      • R Offline
                        R Offline
                        Renauda
                        wrote on 26 Apr 2024, 00:29 last edited by
                        #56

                        Still have yet to watch it but came across this critique which I thought was well presented:

                        https://screenrant.com/napoleon-master-and-commander-best-story-movie/?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR0QMjVZ9eIZeNaU6rK2q_nWLT59CzN7H_hBnkBwBgZgDKkThcG4dpcrr_c_aem_Af4K8KpFQ8OPelO2Y6U9Mr3a-N5WNofCQhfMyjU5Ga2l0aGmb47NfkL4KOt7zg3n54yngf8lybHSzDUs7tfIROHP

                        Elbows up!

                        1 Reply Last reply
                        • G Offline
                          G Offline
                          George K
                          wrote on 26 Apr 2024, 00:34 last edited by
                          #57

                          Thanks for that, @Renauda .

                          We've commented on how Napoleon's life would be much-better suited to a limited mini-series. Imagine how Scott could have told the story over 10 episodes rather than 2 ½ hours!

                          Overall, I think this critique is spot on: Too ambitious, too compressed, too vague. Spectacular to watch but...where's the beef?

                          The History Buff's youtube channel sings the praises of Master and Commander. It was intended to be a series of films, but the project died because of poor revenues.

                          "Now look here, you Baltic gas passer... " - Mik, 6/14/08

                          The saying, "Lite is just one damn thing after another," is a gross understatement. The damn things overlap.

                          1 Reply Last reply
                          • R Offline
                            R Offline
                            Renauda
                            wrote on 26 Apr 2024, 00:40 last edited by
                            #58

                            Master and Commander is one my all time favourite films. Probably in second place behind Lawrence of Arabia

                            Elbows up!

                            1 Reply Last reply
                            • G Offline
                              G Offline
                              George K
                              wrote on 26 Apr 2024, 00:56 last edited by
                              #59

                              Take an afternoon and watch Scott's Napoleon. I'd love to read your thoughts.

                              "Now look here, you Baltic gas passer... " - Mik, 6/14/08

                              The saying, "Lite is just one damn thing after another," is a gross understatement. The damn things overlap.

                              1 Reply Last reply
                              • R Offline
                                R Offline
                                Renauda
                                wrote on 26 Apr 2024, 02:48 last edited by
                                #60

                                Only if it’s the extended director’s cut version which I don’t think has been yet released

                                Elbows up!

                                1 Reply Last reply
                                • MikM Away
                                  MikM Away
                                  Mik
                                  wrote on 23 Jun 2024, 02:24 last edited by
                                  #61

                                  Just watched it. Marvelously filmed, but the criticisms I have read here hold. The clear implication was he was nothing without Josephine. SO much fascinating history that could have unfolded and yet was blithely glossed over for a few highlights that were poorly presented.

                                  “I am fond of pigs. Dogs look up to us. Cats look down on us. Pigs treat us as equals.” ~Winston S. Churchill

                                  1 Reply Last reply
                                  • G Offline
                                    G Offline
                                    George K
                                    wrote on 29 Aug 2024, 16:23 last edited by
                                    #62

                                    The "Director's Cut" is available on Apple TV+.

                                    More battle scenes.
                                    More Josephine.
                                    More on Napoleons death.

                                    45 minutes (or so) longer.

                                    "Now look here, you Baltic gas passer... " - Mik, 6/14/08

                                    The saying, "Lite is just one damn thing after another," is a gross understatement. The damn things overlap.

                                    89th8 1 Reply Last reply 30 Aug 2024, 17:44
                                    • MikM Away
                                      MikM Away
                                      Mik
                                      wrote on 29 Aug 2024, 16:32 last edited by
                                      #63

                                      Meh.

                                      “I am fond of pigs. Dogs look up to us. Cats look down on us. Pigs treat us as equals.” ~Winston S. Churchill

                                      1 Reply Last reply
                                      • G George K
                                        29 Aug 2024, 16:23

                                        The "Director's Cut" is available on Apple TV+.

                                        More battle scenes.
                                        More Josephine.
                                        More on Napoleons death.

                                        45 minutes (or so) longer.

                                        89th8 Online
                                        89th8 Online
                                        89th
                                        wrote on 30 Aug 2024, 17:44 last edited by
                                        #64

                                        @George-K said in Joaquin Phoenix as Napoleon?:

                                        More on Napoleons death.

                                        BRO, spoiler alert!?!

                                        1 Reply Last reply
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