Posted

in

by

Tags:


We had one film release this past weekend with the potential for Oscar nominations.

The Northman

After The Witch, it was likely only a matter of time before Robert Eggers competed at the Oscars. His unique vision has been complimented and we saw a bit of his potential Oscar capability with his second film, The Lighthouse, which saw an Oscar nomination for cinematography and probably came close to a nomination for supporting actor Willem Dafoe. This time out, he’s managed to put together an even more impressive cast with the likes of Nicole Kidman and Ethan Hawke joining Dafoe and Alexander Skarsgard, Anya Taylor-Joy, and Claes Bang in Eggers’ Viking revenge drama.

The ultra-violent film earned extensive praise from critics (89% Fresh at Rotten Tomatoes and 83 on Meta Critic), which certainly boosts its profile. The problem is that audiences weren’t nearly as impressed. Many of them were confused by the narrative and with TV shows like Vikings skewing more popular, not having audiences on your side is a challenge since Oscar voters tend to make decisions based on feelings rather than aesthetic quality as many recent Best Picture winners can attest. Does this entirely knock it out of competition? No. Its biggest stumbling block will be hanging on for 7 or 8 months to stay in the Oscar conversation.

Verified by MonsterInsights