Kathleen’s Best Chris, Chris Pine, has had a quiet summer, publicity-wise. He’s been shooting the Wonder Woman sequel, sure. But since A Wrinkle in Time, he hasn’t done all that much press. Which is about to change soon because his new film, Netflix’s Outlaw King, directed by David MacKenzie, will be opening the Toronto International Film Festival in three weeks. It’s kind of a big deal, to be opening TIFF. And for a Netflix film to be opening TIFF (clearly TIFF is NOT subscribing to the f-ck you, Netflix approach of Cannes). Also it’s historic because Outlaw King will be the “first Scottish film ever to open Toronto”.
Chris and David have worked together before, quite successfully. David directed the critically acclaimed and Oscar-nominated Hell or High Water. So Outlaw King is carrying some big expectations. And it’s a big movie, an epic, about Robert the Bruce, King of Scots, who leads his people in battle for independence from England. It’s the kind of movie the Academy loves. Outlaw King is premiering on Netflix in November and it’ll also have a limited theatrical run. Which means Netflix is positioning the film for an Oscar run. The Academy has, for the most part, denied Netflix their proper Oscar breakthrough. Can they deny this one? There are accents and a lot of axes. Oscar loves accents and battle axes.
Me? Not really. The accents, sure. The axes and the chainmail and whatever it is they’re doing with their hair here, especially Chris Pine and Aaron Taylor-Johnson, not doing it for me. Chris Pine talking in an Scottish accent, however, might be doing it for you. I know you’re out there, along with Kathleen, although I’m not sure this is Kathleen’s kind of movie. I’m trying to picture her high school squealing over these axes and the accent and it’s not happening. Unless there’s some kind of slow dance by the fire in tent on the battlefield.
Maybe, once the August mood passes, this will be more appealing. Nobody is here for axes and grey tone scenes right now! Give me a teal bedroom, or a wedding aisle that slowly fills up with water this time of year. The axes belong to the fall. Can we not rush the arrival of fall? God.
