FilmRidley Scott’s Napoleon

Nov 24, 2023 | thespectator.com | Andrew McQuillan |Alys Key |Henry Olsen |FilmRidley Scott’s Napoleon

The situation in Dublin Thursday — in which five people were injured in a knife attack in the heart of the city, resulting in a riot and violent clashes with the police — was to the untrained eye reminiscent of Belfast from days gone by. Speculation about the nationality of the attacker fueled the scenes of violence which took place last night and that has led to condemnatory tutting. After all, Ireland’s national myth is tied into tales of immigration and welcoming.

Nov 23, 2023 | thespectator.com | Henry Olsen |FilmRidley Scott’s Napoleon |Deborah Ross |Lionel Shriver

Dutch populist leader Geert Wilders win has shocked Europe’s elites. At this point, one has to wonder why they continue to be surprised when voters absolutely frustrated with bickering and incompetence turn to someone who has never held political power. Wilders’ win is much less of an endorsement of his views than it is yet another rejection of the elites’ business as usual. Voters in the Netherlands have been signaling they want change for many years now.

Nov 23, 2023 | thespectator.com | Deborah Ross |Lionel Shriver |Grace Curley |FilmRidley Scott’s Napoleon

Ridley Scott’s Napoleon, starring Joaquin Phoenix, has a running time of two hours and forty minutes, which is scant by today’s standards, but don’t worry: a four hour-plus director’s cut is on its way. So this is Scott’s Napoleon Abridged, you could say, and it does have the feel of a film that’s been scissored to death. The battle sequences are spectacular but the jackhammer cutting-style — hang on, how did he get from there to here? — means the storytelling is hurried and confusing.

Nov 3, 2023 | thespectator.com | Fraser Nelson |Alys Key |Henry Olsen |FilmRidley Scott’s Napoleon

Something strange is happening with teenagers’ mental health. In the US, Britain, Australia and beyond, the same trend can be seen: around the middle of the last decade, the number of young people with anxiety, depression and even suicidal tendencies started to rise sharply. Jonathan Haidt, a psychology professor at New York University’s Stern School of Business, noticed a change when students who were brought up with smartphones started to arrive on campus. They were angrier. More fragile.