“The Favourite”
Cast: Olivia Colman, Emma Stone, Rachel Weisz
Synopsis: The close relationship between Queen Anne (Colman) and Sarah Churchill (Weisz) is threatened by the arrival of Sarah’s cousin, Abigail Masham (Stone), resulting in a bitter rivalry to be the Queen’s favorite.
What You Need to Know: For many directors, choosing to helm a Victorian-era period piece may seem like an ordinary artistic decision, but for Yorgos Lanthimos it’s a perplexing choice, especially considering that the director’s resume includes romantically dystopian dramas about humans turning into animals. Compared to his prior works, “The Favourite” seems uncharacteristically normal, although such a drastic departure might be the best tactic for Lanthimos to broaden his audience, though it’s doubtful that the man responsible for “Dogtooth” will create anything that won’t at least raise an eyebrow at one point or another.
Release Date: November 23 – JC
“Shoplifters”
Cast: Lily Franky, Sakura Ando, Mayu Matsuoka, Kirin Kiki
Synopsis: After one of their shoplifting sessions, Osamu and his son come across a little girl in the freezing cold. At first reluctant to shelter the girl, Osamu’s wife agrees to take care of her after learning of the hardships she faces.
What You Need to Know: Only one thing really – that Hirokazu Kore-eda is one of our finest directors working today who in a single scene possesses more humanistic empathy for his characters than many do in their entire film. An intimate and emotionally stirring storyteller who has an innate ability to make us weep at the smallest of moments, “Shoplifters” won the Palme d’Or at this years Cannes Film Festival and fans of his films won’t be surprised. Use the time in between now and its release to catch up on the filmmakers equally beautiful work including “Still Walking,” “After the Storm,” “Our Little Sister,” “Like Father, Like Son” and more. Our critic called it “technically impeccable,” saying “Trying to pick apart his native country’s struggles between tradition and modernity, legality and crime, Kore-eda takes the time to affectionately dissect the way family functions, before carefully deconstructing it and revealing the contoured complexities that live within. “
Release Date: November 23 – AJ
“If Beale Street Could Talk”
Cast: KiKi Layne, Stephan James, Regina King, Colman Domingo, Finn Wittrock, Ed Skrein, Dave Franco
Synopsis: A woman in Harlem desperately scrambles to prove her fiancé innocent of a crime while carrying their first child.
What You Need To Know: How many James Baldwin novels have been made into films? None. That all changes on November 30 thanks to “Moonlight” director Barry Jenkins. On August 2, Baldwin’s birthday, Jenkins released arguably the most astoundingly beautiful and breathtaking trailer in the history of film. It is a sight to behold. In the hate-filled, post-Trump era, which has stomped on the notion of a post-racial society, Jenkins’ “If Beale Street Could Talk” adaptation’s timing couldn’t be more impeccable. Baldwin can be heard speaking throughout the trailer in an aggregation of his various quotes compiled by Jenkins: “When I was growing up, I was trying to make a connection between the life I saw and the life I lived. There are days when you wonder what your role is in this country, and what your future is in it. This is one of them. The thing that tormented me the most was the very thing that connected me to all the people who are alive. I’ll tell you a story if I may.” Baldwin is known for being outspoken on race, class, sexuality, racism, and social justice. He was specifically perturbed by how American society is set up to limit black people from succeeding. Famously an expatriate, Baldwin escaped America in order to avoid the persecution he would inevitably face as a young, black, gay man. Though he died in 1987 at the age of 63, he lives on forever through his writing, and, now, through film adaptations such as “If Beale Street Could Talk,” surely not the last.
Release Date: November 30 – AA
DECEMBER
“Mary Queen Of Scots”
Cast: Saoirse Ronan, Margot Robbie, David Tennant, Guy Pearce, Gemma Chan
Synopsis: The film chronicles the life of Mary Stuart (Ronan) and her attempts to overthrow her cousin, Elizabeth I, the Queen Of England (Robbie).
What You Need To Know: For starters, it’s got Saoirse Ronan and Margot Robbie, two of the best actresses of their generation, squaring off against each other. Not to mention, after both Ronan and Robbie were recently nominated in Best Actress for “Lady Bird” and “I, Tonya,” respectively, they could find themselves on the hunt for afterglow nominations. At the helm is theater director Josie Rourke who is making her feature film debut which is pretty exciting. We’ve seen television directors transition to film and have even seen actors step behind the camera. But it feels rare to see a theater director to segue into movies. An added bonus is that the film also has Gemma Chan who is a breakout star in “Crazy Rich Asians.” There are all sorts of reasons to get excited. Now, let’s watch the film and see Ronan and Robbie duke it out on screen.
Release Date: December 7 – MS
“Under the Silver Lake”
Cast: Andrew Garfield, Riley Keough, Topher Grace
Synopsis: A man sets out to find the woman he met the night before in his apartment complex’s swimming pool after she goes missing.
What You Need to Know: A24 strikes again with another movie sure to seize the hearts of the indie film scene and boost a relatively unknown director up to god status in the hearts of college kids everywhere. In all seriousness, it’s great to see David Robert Mitchell back on the radar. After the release of “It Follows” nearly four years ago, the filmmaker rocketed out from the depths of obscurity to being the poster child of an entire genre. But almost as soon as he appeared, Mitchell vanished without a trace, leaving the mysterious “Under the Silver Lake” as a lingering remnant to his name. Now, he’s returned from the wilderness bearing a project interlaced with LA-based conspiracies and Thomas Pynchon-esque intrigue. Sound fun? Surprisingly, early reviews seem fairly mixed on how critics feel about the offbeat crime comedy. Although Mitchell may not receive the same amount of critical or audience success with this flick as he did with “It Follows,” we’re interested to see how the indie director plans to flip the noir genre on its head with an A-list cast and a bigger budget.
Release Date: December 7 – JC
“Ben is Back”
Cast: Lucas Hedges, Julia Roberts, Kathryn Newton, Courtney B. Vance
Synopsis: Follows the charming yet troubled Ben Burns (Hedges), who returns home to his unsuspecting family one fateful Christmas Eve. Ben’s wary mother Holly Burns (Roberts) welcomes her beloved son’s return, but soon learns he is still very much in harm’s way.
What You Need to Know: It’s pretty safe to say that this film might be one that has legs this awards season. Lucas Hedges is emerging as a serious contender with not one but three films premiering this year at the Toronto Film Festival. Alongside Oscar winner Julia Roberts, who has her Amazon Studios series “Homecoming” also premiering at the festival, “Ben is Back” will undoubtedly pull on those proverbial heartstrings. Both written and directed by Peter Hedges, the Oscar nominee has penned more than a few critically acclaimed films including “What’s Eating Gilbert Grape,” “Dan In Real Life,” and “About a Boy.” With these brilliant films under his belt, odds are this film will be yet another gem Hedges can add to his stellar, decade-spanning career.
Release Date: December 7 – MO
Untitled Adam McKay Dick Cheney Film
Cast: Christian Bale, Amy Adams, Steve Carell, Sam Rockwell, Alison Pill, Bill Pullman
Synopsis: Filmmaker Adam McKay tells the tale of infamous former Vice President Dick Cheney.
What You Need to Know: After a rigorous change of pace in 2015 with the Oscar-nominated “The Big Short,” McKay returns with what’s sure to be a malevolent hoot of a character piece following Cheney and his shadowy time in the White House. Bale, ever the chameleon, underwent quite the transformation for the role and should court plenty of awards buzz, as should the rest of the ensemble. What’s most exciting is simply to see how McKay splices together the story of one of the more mysterious power brokers in D.C. history, and how that’ll reflect the times we’re in. Oh, and we’re very curious if he chooses to dramatize the time Cheney shot someone in the face. That might top seeing the real-life former VP sign one of Sasha Baron Cohen’s waterboarding containers for surreal moments involving a Cheney, real or fictional, this year.
Release Date: December 14 – CW
“Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse”
Cast: Shameik Moore, Hailee Steinfeld, Nicolas Cage, Mahershala Ali, Liev Schreiber, Lily Tomlin
Synopsis: Spider-Man crosses parallel dimensions and teams up with the Spider-Men of those dimensions to stop a threat to all reality.
What You Need to Know: The ever-expanding Sony/Marvel multi-verse unleashes yet another spider-powered masked hero. In this animated tale, your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man takes on a new incarnation – Miles Morales. With Peter Parker himself (voiced by Jake Johnson) as his mentor, Morales (played by Shameik Moore) learns how to manage the responsibilities of high school and being a superhero preparing to embark on his greatest mission yet. This feature is produced by Sony’s Amy Pascal who also helmed the super-successful “Spider-Man: Homecoming” and is currently working on the film’s sequel “Spider-Man: Far From Home” having just wrapped Tom Hardy’s “Venom.” No word on if our favorite symbiote could potentially appear in the film but one thing is certain, the premise of an alternate universe where multiple Spider-Men from different dimensions can simultaneously work together to save the world is going to be unlike anything fans have seen before.
Release Date: December 14 – Martine Oliver
“Bumblebee”
Cast: Hailee Steinfeld, John Cena, Bumblebee the Transformer
Synopsis: In the rockin’ 80s, a young girl with military roots meets Bumblebee, and together, human and car robot alike comes of age.
What You Need to Know: Before you sharpen your pitchforks and light the torches to run the newest “Transformers” film out of your local multiplex, consider that darling trailer and the film’s director, Travis Knight and co-screenwriter Kelly Fremon Craig. Knight willed “Kubo and the Two Strings” to life with Laika two years ago, and Craig wrote and directed Steinfeld for 2016’s comedy “The Edge of Seventeen,” which has grown in esteem since its release. Perhaps all that the “Transformers” films needed was a restraining order from Bayhem to reach for something more. This might not be the Next Great Family Film, but with the talent involved, don’t sleep on it. “Bumblebee” could be the surprise tentpole release of the winter and a stark departure from what the series has done before.
Release Date: December 21 – CW
“Welcome To Marwen”
Cast: Steve Carell, Eiza González, Diane Kruger
Synopsis: A victim of a brutal attack finds a unique and beautiful therapeutic outlet to help him through his recovery process.
What You Need To Know: “Welcome to Marwen” is based on a true story. The story follows Mark, played by Steve Carell, who was beaten and left for dead outside a bar in his hometown of Kingston, NY and when he awoke from his coma, he had no memory of the thirty-eight prior years of his life, including his ex-wife, family, artistic talents, or military service. To reconstruct his past, he built, in his backyard, Marwencol, an imaginary village set in World War II Belgium, where everybody is welcome—Germans, Americans, French, British, and Russians—as long as peace is kept.
Release Date: December 21 – JR
