Check out our favourite films of 2022 below:

Honourable Mention: Dracula: Voyage of the Demeter

The horror genre had another great year in 2023, and one film that was uniquely frightening was the gothic horror of André Øvredal’s Dracula: Voyage of the Demeter. Øvredal explored the fresh territory of the vampire genre with this picture, and it delivered on the sheer shock and terror of its horror moments. This Dracula was a beast of the abyss, and the blood and dread that followed made for a terrifying experience. Audiences were sure to feel a ghoulish shiver run up their spines with this horrorfest, and Dracula: Voyage of the Demeter delivered on its promise to leave you with plenty of sleepless nights.

10. Napoleon

Sir Ridley Scott brought his immense talent for world creation to life on the big screen once again with his colossal epic Napoleon, and it was an awe-inspiring watch. With two fearless performances from Academy Award winner Joaquin Phoenix as ambitious general Napoleon Bonaparte and Vanessa Kirby as Josephine, the woman he would conquer the world for, Napoleon was a rousing and ambitious project that chronicled the age of the Napoleonic Wars and the man who re-shape the destiny of Europe. With its gigantic battle scenes, beautiful costumes and set pieces and intense emotional drama at the heart of its story, Napoleon made for an incredible sight on the big screen.

9. Killers of the Flower Moon

Martin Scorsese is a living legend of cinema, and he brought an incredibly profound and deeply heart-wrenching tale of love and betrayal to life in Killers of the Flower Moon. With its scale and majesty, Killers of the Flower Moon could be considered to be the great director’s magnum opus, and in every frame, you felt the director’s pull to his characters and this American story that was so deeply personal to him to tell. Leonardo DiCaprio shocked audiences with a completely left-facing turn as the slow-witted and malignant Ernest Burkhart, while Lily Gladstone brought a dynamic bravery to the role of Burkhart’s wife Mollie, who served as the voice of the Osage people and the terrible troubles that this picture documented. Everything of Scorsese as a filmmaker was present in Killers of the Flower Moon, and it’s an utterly triumphant work.

8. Air

A true underdog story awaited audiences in Air, and this true-life story of ‘hustle and grind’ and the decisions that would help turn a floundering Oregon-based shoe company called Nike in the late 1980s into a gigantic powerhouse brand was on show for everyone to see in all its glory. Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Chris Tucker, and Triple Crown-winning actress Viola Davis only added to the star power of this picture, and Air was a fun, enjoyable and ultimately uplifting story of why sometimes you’ve got to ‘just do it’.

7. Barbie

Barbie went blockbuster in 2023, and this prancing, dancing and neon-pink whirlwind of cinema was an utter pop culture phenomenon that saw audiences lining up in their ‘think pink’ wardrobe, and this was fun for everyone to enjoy. Margot Robbie shines in this ‘fish out of water’ story, as Barbie finds her way into the real world, and things get real. Then there was Ken. Oh, Ken, and Ryan Gosling was completely addicting to watch in his performance, and man-o-man, could he hold a tune. Barbie was a pure party of delight, filled with every shade of pink imaginable, and it was the perfect film to groove out to with your girlfriends…and maybe a Ken or two.

6. What’s Love Got to Do with It?

My feeling is that 2023 is bringing back the rom-com, and one of the year’s best was the fabulous, fun and poignant watch of What’s Love Got to Do with It? Directed by celebrated British filmmaker Shekhar Kapur and written by socialite turned screenwriter Jemima Khan, this was a poignant and layered film that explored the very construct of love and how it grows between two people, and the result made for a film that was both sassy and serious. Lily James again shows that she’s a serious talent to keep an eye on, and the end result was a charming picture packed full of joy that audiences were sure to fall in love with.

5. John Wick: Chapter 4

Keanu Reeves and director Chad Stahelski have forever changed the landscape of action cinema with their work on the John Wick franchise, and it got gnarly in the fourth chapter as the legendary assassin John Wick (Reeves), the ‘Baba Yaga’ himself, declared war on the High Table itself, and the result was utterly explosive. Big action met big drama in John Wick: Chapter 4, and the result was an utter rush that had your adrenal gland working overtime in one of the year’s best action pictures.

4. The Equalizer 3

As the culminating chapter to one of the decade’s greatest action franchises, much expectation was levelled on Antoine Fuqua’s The Equalizer 3 and the return of Denzel Washington as Robert McCall. And the two-time Academy Award winner didn’t disappoint in this dramatic, edgy and visceral action film. Operatic in its construction and delivery, Fuqua and Washington delivered this final chapter for this modern-day ronin who had to deliver justice at all costs. Violent and instinctive, The Equalizer 3 made for an intense and bold watch, and it was undoubtedly one of this year’s best cinematic events.

3. Saltburn

Emerald Fennel shocked audiences with her debut feature, Promising Young Women, and its follow-up, the fantastical gothic thriller Saltburn, which was a film of shocking INSANITY! Fennell invited audiences into a lavish experience of debauchery and excess with this psychodrama, and its twisting, edgy and shocking narrative made for one of the most intense cinematic experiences of the year. Barry Keoghan and Jacob Elordi cemented their position as two stars worthy of the A-list, and the Saltburn made for an experience of pure, unadulterated hedonism with the volume turned all the way up. Saltburn was a cinematic experience that set your senses on fire, with its narrative left to spin around your mind for days.

2. Living

Bill Nighy is an absolute treasure of an actor, and he gave the performance of a lifetime as Mr Rodney Williams in the tranquil and deeply moving Living. An emotional rollercoaster exploring the very necessity of life and what makes it meaningful, Living was an emotionally rousing, beautifully filmed piece of cinema, and by its end frame, you were sure to be wiping away the tears. Powerful in its construction and delivery, Living was an incredibly special watch, and its story was sure to find its way into the hearts of all audiences who basked in its beauty.

1. Oppenheimer

Christopher Nolan is a giant of the cinematic craft, and he turned his attention to one of the most significant moments of the 20th century in the discovery of the Atomic Age and its long-lasting consequences in Oppenheimer. Large and operatic in its spectacle, Oppenheimer was a film of cause and effect, action and consequence, and how innovation can lead to both discovery and destruction in the same moment. Nolan’s narrative was a masterwork of story, and his assembled cast, including Cillian Murphy, Emily Blunt, Matt Damon, Florence Pugh, Robert Downey Jr and Kenneth Branagh, led an incredible group of players and built an atmosphere of total immersion. Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer was an utter cinematic masterpiece and is likely to be one of the most important narrative events of the 21st century.

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Napoleon is a spectacle-filled action epic that details the checkered rise and fall of the iconic French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte, played by Oscar®-winner Joaquin Phoenix. Against a stunning backdrop of large-scale filmmaking orchestrated by legendary director Ridley Scott, the film captures Bonaparte’s relentless journey to power through the prism of his addictive, volatile relationship with his one true love, Josephine, showcasing his visionary military and political tactics against some of the most dynamic practical battle sequences ever filmed.

Sir Ridley Scott reigns supreme when it comes to utter visionaries of the cinematic arts. As a director with the seamless ability to transition from genre to genre and who can create worlds of enormous size and scale, no one is more skilled than him. With a long list of desirable credits, including Alien, Gladiator, Black Hawk Down and The Last Duel, Scott now turns his attention to his most lavish and expansive project yet, Napoleon, which brings to life the French Revolution and the path that it would create for a young, talented and ambitious Corsican soldier, Napoleon Bonaparte, who through ingenuity, skill, and ruthless ambitious would climb to the heights of utter power. Scott brings to life with Napoleon an extraordinary vision that balances a taut and complex personal drama with that of nation-rattling epic war drama, and audiences will be left awe-struck.

The films of Ridley Scott carry with them an incredible visual flair, and the great director’s background as a draftsman and painter has led him to craft some of the most beautiful images ever brought to the cinema screen. Napoleon is no exception, and its imagery is wrapped in a gorgeous Baroque light channelled from the height of the Napoleonic age. And it makes for a stunning viewing experience. Cinematography, production design, art direction, costume design, prop design and score all work together to build this incredibly ambitious project, whose presentation feels like the grandest of operas. Napoleon is a lavishly visual feat from its depiction of the Revolution and the Reign of Terror to the decadence, splendour and hedonism that followed in the palaces and balls of the era, to the awe-inspiring feats of combat and battle that would re-shape Europe, all of it is presented on screen with such majesty by Scott.

Napoleon is a grand and opulent piece of cinema to behold, and the lavish luxury of the new aristocracy sweeps the audience up in the picture thanks to the beauty of its Baroque imagery. But it’s the film’s explosive battles where the dynamic energy of the picture truly stands out, and the experience of these battles is utterly awe-inspiring. During his life, Napoleon Bonaparte fought 61 battles, and Scott captured six of the most decisive ones in Napoleon. The director gives each of these set pieces their own rhythm and style, and each is a marking point for the developing life of Napoleon. At the Siege of Toulon in 1793, we find the young Napoleon using sheer force and youthful aggression to overwhelm British forces. And it is a bloody, violent affair. At the Battle of the Pyramids in 1798, his cannons made Egypt shake and quiver. His brilliant, devious, and Machivallein’s mind came into play at his decisive victory at the Battle of Austerlitz in 1805 that cemented his power through continental Europe. Then there is the mighty Battle of Waterloo in June 1815, which defined the Napoleonic Age. It is captured with such force by Scott, and it is one of the most audacious and explosive battle scenes ever committed to the silver screen.

Academy Award winner Joaquin Phoenix leads from the front in Napoleon as the great general turned emperor. He offers up a dynamic and fully-formed presence as the great conqueror. Pheonix is regarded as one of the greatest actors of his generation, and this talent was itself shaped by Scott in his exceptional performance as Commodus in 2000’s Gladiator. Now, more than twenty years later, these two collaborators have returned for Napoleon, and Phoenix is flawless in his performance as Bonaparte. He completely disappears into the commander’s presence and offers a performance of chiselled focus and frenzied egotism. The actor captures Bonaparte’s chaotic and aggressive personal life and balances it out against his natural strategic mind and gift for the battle that led him to be called a Master of War. Phoenix also finds himself in the fray’s vanguard and is always in the very midst of the fight. But it’s in Bonaparte’s aggressive desire for power and glory where Joaquin Phoenix’s performance truly excels, and it’s one for the ages.

Facing Joaquin Phoenix is English thespian Vanessa Kirby, whose star is rapidly rising, and she delivers an utterly flawless performance as Bonaparte’s lower and consort, Empress Josephine. Kirby shows an incredible range as Josephine, a complex and difficult woman who, on one side, is deeply affectionate and flirtatious, the other cold and abrasive and scornful of her husband’s infatuations, driving him in his grasp for power. There is a twisted co-dependence and masochism shared between the two of them, and you feel that Josephine was an ever greater strategist than her husband, as he could never fully possess her. Kirby captures the true spirit of the character, with her position as a glamourous host and trendsetter is juxtaposed with her lavish party girl antics, with her actions getting under her husband’s skin. Kirby’s performance has many shifting layers, and raw emotion shapes her role as Josephine. Her natural glamour and elegance add to the poise of her performance, and Kirby keeps Phoenix on his toes just as Josephine kept Napoleon on his.

The Napoleonic Age gave rise to some of the most dynamic characters to ever live, and Scott captures their presence with the intellect of a historian and an artist’s eye. He’s assembled a cast of some of the best talent working today, and their combined skill brings the Napoleonic Age to life. Tahar Rahim is the astute and worldly Paul Barras, a leading figure in the events that follow the Reign of Terror and who foresees the talent in Bonaparte and looks to put him to use. As Napoleon’s scheming political alley and foreign minister Talleyrand, Paul Rhys brings a formidable and deadly intelligence to a man that elevated Bonaparte’s ambitions. And finally, the great Rupert Everett gives a scene-stealing performance as Arthur Wellesley, The Duke of Wellington, a man esteemed as one of the greatest military commanders ever. Everett is completely stirling in the role, capturing Wellington’s perfect ‘stiff upper lip’ pragmatism. Quick-witted and adeptly sharp, Everett’s performance is a tribute to Wellington’s command of Waterloo and delivered as a pure class piece.

Scott’s Napoleon is an epic for the ages, and its scale and size eclips his previous works. This picture captures the passion and fire of the Napoleonic Era and the events and characters that would change the course of the world’s destiny forever. Napoleon is immense and grand in both production and delivery, and Scott spares none of the violence, sex, emotion, or intimacy of the picture. All of it makes for an operatic experience. The great director applies no filters to the chaos and destruction of Napoleon’s wars and his examination of how far ambition can take a man. The conflict of drama meshes with the destruction of battle and is wrapped up in the glory of conquest for a gigantic viewing experience.

Napoleon is a grand and immense spectacle, and it truly captures the spirit of both the man and the era that bore his name. It’s also a testament to the skill and command of Sir Ridley Scott and is utterly epic to witness.

Image: Sony Pictures

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Watch the all-new trailer for Napoleon below:

Here’s the official synopsis:

Napoleon is a spectacle-filled action epic that details the checkered rise and fall of the iconic French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte, played by Oscar®-winner Joaquin Phoenix. Against a stunning backdrop of large-scale filmmaking orchestrated by legendary director Ridley Scott, the film captures Bonaparte’s relentless journey to power through the prism of his addictive, volatile relationship with his one true love, Josephine, showcasing his visionary military and political tactics against some of the most dynamic practical battle sequences ever filmed.

As a filmmaker, Sir Ridley Scott is one of the greatest cinema artists working today. Whenever he steps behind the camera, he creates incredible cinematic works, and his long list of credits which includes the likes of Alien, Black Hawk Down, Gladiator, Kingdom of Heaven, American Gangster and The Last Duel, is a testament to his skill and vision. Now Scott brings to life the audacious and incredible story of Napoleon Bonaparte, who, through ingenuity, skill and relentless ambition, would rise to become Emperor of France and conquer much of Europe in the process.

Building off of the first teaser trailer, this new trailer for Napoleon focuses on the soldier turned general turned tyrant’s tireless pursuit of power and the volatile and almost masochistic relationship he shared with his lover and wife Josephine (Vanessa Kirby). Both Phoenix and Kirby have perfect chemistry that is shared between the two of them, and Scott revs up the drama between the two of them for a picture that will have you on edge.

Napoleon is far and away Scott’s grandest picture to date, and that is indeed saying something. The great director fully captures the scale, pageantry and chaos of the Napoleonic Wars, and its incredible battle sequences will make cinemas quake. This is a picture that brings together all of Scott’s immense talent for the art of cinema, and it will be an absolute must-watch on IMAX screens.

 

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Prepare for a powerful and dramatic epic when Napoleon arrives in cinemas on November 23.

Image: Sony Pictures

The post Sir Ridley Scott brings a grand epic to the screen with ‘Napoleon’ appeared first on SpicyPulp.

Watch the full trailer below:

Here’s the official synopsis:

An original and personal look at Napoleon’s (Joaquin Phoenix) origins and his swift, ruthless climb to emperor, viewed through the prism of his addictive and often volatile relationship with his wife and one true love, Josephine (Vanessa Kirby).

Sir Ridley Scott is no stranger to epic film productions, having directed the likes of Alien, Blade Runner, Gladiator, American Gangster, All the Money in the World and The Last Duel, and Napoleon is the revered filmmaker at his best. Scott brings audiences into the turbulent and revolutionary times that followed France’s Reign of Terror and which would find a talented, capable and ambitious young general who claws his to power by conquest and cunning.

Tapping into his acclaimed ability to bring worlds to life, Scott has not shied away from the opulence and scale that Napoleon’s life demanded, and this work is bathed in the beauty of Neo-Classical design and the gunpowder and musket flair of the roaring battles that followed it. With its mix of political intrigue, a deeply personal and romantic drama, and some of the most jaw-dropping battle scenes ever brought to the big screen, there can be no mistake that Napoleon will be an event movie for 2023.

Phoenix is riding high following his Academy Award-winning performance in Joker, and having re-teamed with Scott for Napoleon, the two of them produce something very special. Phoenix is both equal parts commanding and frightening with his lively performance as the legendary Corsican general who rose to command all of France, and he owns every bit of the screen. History offers him plenty of intensity with this role, and it’s an utterly transformative performance for the actor.

Playing off of Phoenix is rising star Vanessa Kirby who steps into the role of Napoleon’s one true love, Josephine. A passionate woman, who is firey in both love and temper, Kirby excels in the part, and this glamorous historical figure gives her an incredible performance. As her husband’s power grows ever more dominant, their relationship strays and fractures, leading to some very real tension for the two of them. Of the complex and often times flawed relationship that they shared, Scott said “Napoleon is a man I’ve always been fascinated by. He came out of nowhere to rule everything—but all the while he was waging a romantic war with his adulterous wife Josephine. He conquered the world to try to win her love, and when he couldn’t, he conquered it to destroy her, and destroyed himself in the process.”

Napoleon’s vast scale and operatic narrative is sure to sweep audiences up in its production, and this is a production that was made for the big screen. With its lavish set design, oppulent costuming, period rich detail and more than 16 battle scenes that include legendary campaigns such as The Siege of Toulon and The Battle of Waterloo, Napoleon is a film audiences will not want to miss out on.

Brace yourself for glory when Napoleon arrives in cinemas on November 23.

Image: Sony Pictures

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