Roman Empire

 As I mentioned not long ago, I associate Easter with Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome, both their myths and their history. So when Easter comes, I watch and read a lot of sword and sandal stuff. I recently finished the Roman Empire docu-drama series on Netflix, narrated by Sean Bean. It's often rigged with inaccuracies (Claudius is depicted as rather handsome and with no stutter or physical ailment whatsoever for instance) and it gets ridiculously melodramatic at a time, but no more than your usual peplum. And there are historians commenting and giving some proper perspective. But I'd enjoy it just for Sean Bean's voice. In any case, watching it has been great fun and it's perfect for Easter.

Janus in GoldenEye

Something struck me recently about January: it is named after the Roman God Janus. It is also the codename or nom de guerre of the main villain in the James Bond movie GoldenEye. The very first I watched in cinema (but I was a Bond fan before). So maybe, just maybe, GoldenEye should be my Bond movie to start January. Anyway, spoiler alert, you find below the scene where Janus' true identity is reveals and he meets 007. You will also find out how he got that name. I love these quiet moments in Bond movies, they are full of atmosphere. This one is still chilling and stands out very well after more than 25 years.

"Sean Bean can do no wrong!"

My readers know my obsession for a certain Aussie actress. But I recently discovered that anyone can worship an actor. My mother-in-law started watching Game of Thrones and when my wife asked her what she thought of it, she replied: "Sean Bean can do no wrong!" I thought that was funny, and kind of true. Even when the rest sucks, Sean Bean is great. So I decided to add it here as a new great unknown line.

Sean Bean as Benny Griessel?

I have recently finished Thirteen Hours by Deon Meyer, maybe the most famous South African crime writer and one of my favorite crime writers. And I learned on the author's website that Sean Bean, famous for, well, many roles in many blockbuster movies and TV series which are so numerous I will not name, is in talk/rumored to play Benny Griessel, the recovering alcoholic cop who is the main character of the book, in a movie adaptation. I even read an old article from 2012 that he should actually star in the whole "Devil's Peak trilogy". Now I am a big fan of Sean Bean, because of those many movies and TV series which I will not list, so I would be over the moon if the project gets through. He would be perfect to play Benny Griessel. He has the physique and he has played before broken men and very convincingly. It would be even better if he can get the South African accent. The adaptations seem to be stuck in development hell, but if they ever get out of there... Well, I'll be very happy.