NOVEMBER
“Motherless Brooklyn”
Jonathan Lethem is one of the more interesting novelists of the last 25-30 years, having penned daring, genre-defying works like the science-fiction noir “Gun, With Occasional Music,” and the Brooklyn-set coming-of-age stunner “The Fortress of Solitude.” No filmmaker has ever tried to adapt Lethem, which makes it all the more unusual that Edward Norton is tackling “Motherless Brooklyn,” perhaps the great author’s most popular novel. Norton has been developing it since the early 2000s, and despite his reputation as, uh, “detail-oriented,” he’s insanely talented, and the “Keeping the Faith” director assembled a dream cast (Wes Anderson pals Willem Dafoe and Bruce Willis, plus Bobby Cannavale, Alec Baldwin, and Leslie Mann) to tell the tale of Tourette’s-afflicted P.I. Lionel Essrog and Frank Minna, Essrog’s wizened neighborhood mentor. Norton has compared “Motherless Brooklyn” to “Chinatown” and described it as “growing out of a love affair with New York,” and it will be playing at both NYFF and Telluride in the coming months.
Release Date: November 1 – NL
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“Terminator: Dark Fate”
Let’s be real: the “Terminator” franchise hasn’t been good for a while now. Apart from James Cameron’s classic original and its turbo-charged, end-of-all-things sequel, the rest of the series has been a rehash of increasingly diminishing returns (does anyone actually remember ‘Salvation?’). With all that in mind, fans of the series would not be remiss for approaching the upcoming sixth installment – titled “Terminator: Dark Fate” – with a healthy degree of skepticism. But hold on now, there are a number of things going for ‘Dark Fate’ that might signal a return to the more auspicious origins of this once-iconic property. For one, Schwarzenegger himself is returning, alongside franchise stalwarts Linda Hamilton and Edward Furlong. Tim Miller, of “Deadpool” fame, will be sitting in the director’s chair for this one, and while that snarky, foul-mouthed superhero film wasn’t everyone’s cup of tea, there’s no disputing that the guy knows how to shoot action. Mackenzie Davis will be stepping into an action heroine role that Miller promises will infuriate the kind of misogynist trolls who typically get bent out of shape over movies like this. Frankly, ‘Dark Fate’ needs to be a smash hit (the budget reportedly rests somewhere between $150-200 million), and if Miller and co. can pull this one off, we’ll happily buy a ticket.
Release Date: November 1 – NL
“Doctor Sleep”
The long-awaited, much-debated sequel to “The Shining,” “Doctor Sleep,” is arriving just after the horror-friendly October. But, which “The Shining,” is it a sequel to? Stephen King’s original book, or the more colorful Stanley Kubrick classic that is essentially nothing like the novel? Well, apparently, the film will be a kind of hybrid follow-up to both. Written and directed by Mike Flanagan (“Gerald’s Game,” another Stephen King adaptation) the two-pronged follow-up stars Ewan McGregor as a grown-up Danny Torrance (played by Danny Lloyd in the original film) alongside Rebecca Hall. The strange project has been in development since “Doctor Sleep,” was first published in 2013, but it wasn’t until “It” hit massively a couple of years ago that its production became inevitable. No matter how many times the prolific author or his legion of readers seem to complain about Hollywood’s treatment of his properties, the public always seems to be pining for more Stephen King.
Release Date: November 8 – AB
“Honey Boy”
Shia LaBeouf is one of those actors who is impossible to pin down. You can love him, you can hate him, you can not know what exactly to make of him, but the one thing you can’t do is dismiss him. When LaBeouf is good, he’s absolutely terrific, and by all accounts, he gives the performance of his career in “Honey Boy”: an upcoming drama loosely based on his own experiences growing up as a sought-after child actor with an extremely dysfunctional single parent guiding him through life. Directed by Israeli-American music video helmer Alma Har’el (best known for her terrific, under-seen 2011 documentary “Bombay Beach”), “Honey Boy” shines a light on a very LaBeouf-esque kid named Otis. The film cuts back and forth between Otis’ turbulent childhood – most of which was spent in assorted seedy motel rooms alongside his hot-tempered father James (LaBeouf himself) – and the mess he’s made of things in the present as a well-paid, up-and-coming star who doesn’t know how to properly work through the past trauma he’s endured. Played respectively by “Suburbicon’s” Noah Jupe and the consistently excellent Lucas Hedges, Otis is a work in progress, and “Honey Boy” looks to be a work of experimental humanism that gives audiences a warts-and-all view of Labeouf’s own tempestuous upbringing.
Release Date: November 8 – NL
“Ford v. Ferrari”
Expected to be a major awards player given all the names attached, “Ford v. Ferrari” screams surefire Oscar contender. Directed by James Mangold, and starring Matt Damon and Christian Bale in the lead roles, “Ford V. Ferrari,” has been in development for years, having long been one of this fall’s most anticipated releases. Based on the true story of the Ford team that build the GT40, “Ford v. Ferrari” follows automobile designer Carroll Shelby (Damon) and race car driver Ken Miles (Bale) in their attempt to best Ferrari in the 24 Hours of Le Mans – a racing competition that the European car company had run away with for 5 years in a row. Academy voters always love underdog biopic stories and intense sports dramas (see: “Moneyball,” “Rush”) and Mangold’s film seems primed for awards discussion. The movie is shot by the director’s frequent cinematographer Phedon Papamichael (known for his outstanding creative partnership work with Alexander Payne, and collaborations with George Clooney) and is also being scored by often unsung composer Marco Beltrami (“3:10 to Yuma”, “The Hurt Locker”). “Ford V. Ferrari” just has tons of talent behind it, and, paired with a strong word of mouth, its release timing may be just right for racking up a bunch of Oscar nominations.
Release Date: November 15 – AB
“The Report”
Scott Z. Burns is primarily known as a regular writer for Steven Soderbergh, having penned the likes of “The Informant!,” “Contagion,” and “Side Effects” (unsurprisingly, Burns is also composing Soderbergh’s Panama Papers drama “The Laundromat,” and he’s one of several credited scribes on the upcoming James Bond film “No Time to Die“). However, with “The Report” – Burns’ angry, dense, information-packed procedural that premiered at Sundance earlier this year – the prolific screenwriter is stepping into the directorial spotlight. “The Report” is the kind of movie studios seldom make anymore: one that’s indebted to the likes of “Zodiac,” “Spotlight,” and “All the President’s Men” in its depiction of committed working professionals digging for the truth amidst a churning sea of corruption. The film tells the story of Senate Intelligence Committee staffer Dan Jones (played by Adam Driver) as he works tirelessly to excavate long-buried accusations of torture perpetrated by the American government in the aftermath of 9/11. Aside from Driver, the film has a hell of a cast: one that includes Jon Hamm as former White House Chief of Staff Denis McDonough, Annette Benning as Diane Feinstein, and Ted Levine as former CIA director John Brennan. For those who prefer their politically minded entertainment served with the bare minimum of sugarcoating, “The Report” should hit the spot.
Release Date: November 15 – NL
“The Lodge”
Indie horror appears to be having some sort of renaissance at this juncture in film history. The combination of cultural anxieties and the oversaturation of vapid, CGI-driven, tentpole projects, has likely aided the uptick of its universal popularity (even if the Dark Universe did fail, shamefully). Some audience members want to think and feel things, not just escape into a dark room and watch explosions. Modern arthouse horror continues to innovate both movie-making craft and storytelling depth. Think of all the uber-hyped sophomore features out this year; “Us,” “Midsommar,” “The Lighthouse.” Some of the most highly anticipated projects on the planet are coming from a genre that was written off as B-movie garbage for decades. “The Lodge,” is another such film you could throw into the same conversation. It is the second feature from creative partners Veronika Franz and Severin Fiala, following their acclaimed indie horror, “Goodnight Mommy.” Like their debut project, the pair’s sophomore effort is a “meaty dissection of the complexities of motherhood and even faith,” we noted out of Sundance. So, people can complain about Disney remakes all they like, but just because big studio films have gotten lazy that doesn’t mean all of cinema has followed suit.
Release Date: November 15 – AB
“Charlie’s Angels”
Does the world need a woke, updated version of the action-comedy “Charlie’s Angels” franchise? You might think not, but director/actor Elizabeth Banks, star Kristen Stewart, and Sony are here to prove you wrong. A reboot of the films made by McG in the early aughts with Cameron Diaz, Drew Barrymore, and Lucy Liu (based on the original 1970s TV show that was a bit more serious), this new “Charlie’s Angels” looks to be distinguishing itself by turning the original on its head. Banks is passionate about this one because she also wrote the screenplay. In her bold new version, Stewart, Naomi Scott, and Ella Balinska are working for the mysterious Charles Townsend, whose security and investigative agency has expanded internationally. With the world’s smartest, bravest, and most highly trained women all over the globe, there are now teams of Angels guided by multiple Bosleys taking on the toughest jobs everywhere. The new movie also stars Djimon Hounsou Noah Centineo Sam Claflin, Patrick Stewart, and Banks herself as the modern-day Bosley.
Release Date: November 15 – RP
“A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood”
Is there a more inspired piece of casting from this year than electing Tom Hanks to play Fred Rogers? Hanks is, after all, one of the most seemingly decent movie stars around: a man who you never hear a bad word about. Hot on the heels of Morgan Neville’s moving documentary “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?,” “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood” is yet another attempt to understand what made Fred Rogers tick. In the trailer and early photos, Hanks certainly looks the part, and it would appear he’s all but disappeared into the role. Hanks also has a fine foil in the form of Matthew Rhys (“The Americans”), playing Esquire journalist Lloyd Vogel, who penned a profile on the television icon entitled “Can You Say… Hero?” The film has been directed by Marielle Heller, who was behind one of last year’s finest films, “Can You Ever Forgive Me?”: another sobering drama about real-life figures and the public masks they wear. Heller is clearly a director who loves working with actors, and if the first trailer is any indication, she’s gotten some rather fine work out of both Hanks and Rhys, both of whom are aided by a supporting cast that includes Susan Kelechi Watson, Tammy Blanchard, and Chris Cooper.
Release Date: November 22– NL
“Frozen II”
“Frozen” was an unexpected mega-hit for Disney back in 2013. Oh sure, the studio hoped it had a hit on its hands and would create a whole new generation of Disney princesses. And the film sure did succeed, with $1.276 billion in box office receipts defying even Disney’s most optimistic projections. It’s been six years since the original film which has probably made billions and billions more in merchandising. Directors Chris Buck and Jennifer Lee are back, and “Frozen II” takes the beloved characters into places far beyond Arendelle— out of the snow and into an autumnal world more grand than anything they’ve experienced before. The original voice cast returns, Idina Menzel, Kristen Bell, Jonathan Groff, Josh Gad, and Santino Fontana and this time they’re joined by new voices of Evan Rachel Wood and Sterling K. Brown. Can Disney replicate the success? This time the studio won’t be surprised if it does.
Release Date: November 22
“Knives Out”
Depending on who you ask, Rian Johnson is either one of the freshest voices in all of cinema or the man who ruined “Star Wars” (because we all know the franchise peaked with Anakin’s speech about sand). Longtime “Brick” and “The Brothers Bloom” fans didn’t know quite what to expect when the filmmaker ventured out to the galaxy far, far away, and ‘The Last Jedi‘ most certainly delivered in that respect. But many are still upset over creative decisions Johnson made. Perhaps his idiosyncrasies are simply a bit much for certain audiences. Between pulpy quips and some of the quickest camera movements being captured on celluloid today, no one combines craft and cleverness quite like Johnson. His sensibilities are perfectly suited for his next film, “Knives Out,” a whodunnit inspired by Agatha Christie novels and other sensationalist murder mysteries that helped pave the way for hard-boiled detective paperbacks. Allegedly, the auteur has been working on his script for years, and he’s locked in an incredible ensemble to bring the eccentric vision to life, with Daniel Craig, Chris Evans, Ana de Armas, Jamie Lee Curtis, Toni Colette, Don Johnson, Michael Shannon, Lakeith Stanfield, Katherine Langford, Jaeden Martell, and Christopher Plummer comprising the ridiculous cast. With the trailer overloaded with the writer/director’s trademark humor and sleek shooting style, Johnson’s newest venture is very likely to enrapture some film lovers and rattle the cages of others.
Release Date: November 27 – AB
“Queen & Slim”
Arthur Penn’s “Bonnie and Clyde” is one of the greatest films of all time, so it’s only natural that many other, inferior films have attempted to copy its bloody formula. The last one was this year’s soggy Netflix drama “The Highwaymen,” a forgettable would-be Oscar drama that mistakenly assumes that its audience is more interested in moralistic lawmen then they are in killers on the run. “Queen & Slim,” the directorial debut of music video and television director Melina Matsoukas, looks to be perhaps the timeliest updating of the “Bonnie and Clyde” formula to date. It stars Daniel Kaluuya, of “Get Out” fame, and striking newcomer Jodie Turner-Smith as a pair of potential lovers whose first date goes awry when a standard traffic stop turns deadly. After Kaluuya’s Slim shoots the cop in self-defense (it’s not a spoiler – you can see it in the trailer), the couple hit the road together, encountering a hodgepodge of memorable small-town characters and becoming social martyrs in the process. We’re very curious to see what Matsoukas brings to her feature-length debut: with a sterling supporting cast that includes Flea, Chloe Sevigny, and Bokeem Woodbine and a script by the increasingly impressive Lena Waithe, this looks to be a late-in-the-year sleeper hit packed with swooning romance and political bite.
Release Date: November 27 – NL
Also Coming in November
“Harriet” (November 1), “Burden” (November 1), “Paradise Hills” (November 1), “Last Christmas” (November 8), “21 Bridges” (November 22), “The Rhythm Section” (November 22).
