It’s that time of year when the studios, both large and small, bring out the heavy artillery for their pre-Oscar campaigns. There will still be lots of fodder for the youngsters, but the emphasis is going to be on adult fare with an eye toward award season.
You may have already seen some of the films that premiered in early November, but I’ll give you a recap of some of them, with an emphasis on movies scheduled to premiere at the end of the month and into December.
Early November
“Bugonia” is for fans of filmmaker Yorgos Lanthimos who will celebrate his take on alien conspiracy theorists who meet their match in the corporate executive they kidnap. Convinced she has been put on Earth to destroy the planet, something will have to give, and neither she nor her crazy kidnappers will give an inch. Lanthimos favorites, Emma Stone and Jesse Plemons, star.
“Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery” features Daniel Craig as Benoit Blanc, back to solve another mystery with Andrew Scott, Josh Brolin, Glenn Close, Jeremy Renner, Kerry Washington and Josh O’Connor as victims or suspects.
Photo by Rian Johnson courtesy of Netflix
“Nuremberg” revisits the postwar trial in Nuremberg, Germany of Hermann Göring and features an all-star cast led by Russell Crowe as Göring, the face of evil, matching wits with psychiatrist Douglas Kelley (Rami Malek) and lead prosecutor Robert H. Jackson (Michael Shannon). Göring’s crimes and his part in the “Final Solution” were gut-wrenching and all will be exposed.
Photo by Kara Vermes courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics
“Predator: Badlands” is all about predators and prey. On a planet where all present are the prey, the search for the predator by alien monsters is aided by the limb-challenged Elle Fanning.
“Die My Love” shows the disintegration of a woman whose life begins to go downhill catastrophically when she moves to her husband’s small town. Jennifer Lawrence stars as a woman who begins to unravel after the birth of her first child.
photo by kimberly french courtesy of mubi
“Christy” is a story about the resilience of Christy Martin, the most successful female boxer in the ‘90s. The role is played by Sydney Sweeney, who is almost unrecognizable in a bad shag hairdo and a mouth guard.
“Frankenstein” lets Guillermo del Toro combine his incredible visual sense with his love of monsters to retell this famous tale. As Dr. Frankenstein, played by Oscar Isaac, says, “In seeking life, I created death.” Heartthrob Jacob Elordi is his creation.
“Jay Kelly” is George Clooney and George Clooney is Jay Kelly in a movie about a movie star who has lost his way and wants to find it. Think of the old Cary Grant quote: “Everyone wants to be Cary Grant. Even I want to be Cary Grant.”
“Peter Hujar’s Day,” starring Ben Whishaw as photographer Hujar and Rebecca Hall as Linda Rosenkrantz, his interviewer, treats us to an extended conversation between them in 1974 about his career photographing the New York scene in its Bohemian heyday. Their conversation on screen is anything but static; it makes that era come alive while shining a light on a talented photographer whose fame has fallen to the wayside.
“The Running Man” is a reimagination of the Stephen King classic by director Edgar Wright and starring screen darling Glen Powell. Trying to raise money to save his child, Ben Richards joins “the game,” a last-man-standing contest where the players are hunted down and killed.
Photo courtesy of Paramount Pictures
“Now You See Me, Now You Don’t” is best expressed by one of the characters: “Eight magicians against a worldwide criminal network? I like our chances.” A sequel to “Now You See It,” Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Isla Fisher and David Franco are back, with the tantalizing addition of Morgan Freeman and Rosamund Pike.
“Keeper” is the latest in a string of horror movies where a loving couple on a romantic getaway rents a house that happens to be haunted. How will they keep love alive, let alone survive this haunted house? Directed by Osgood Perkins, it stars TV favorite Tatiana Maslany.
Nov. 21
“Wicked for Good” arrives, and the wait is finally over. Part II continues the story of Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo) and Glinda (Ariana Grande) as they try to find their places in a world where Elphaba has become the Wicked Witch of the West. Dorothy will enter this picture, and the Wizard (Jeff Goldblum) will return alongside hunky Flyero (Jonathan Bailey) and Madame Morrible (Michelle Yeoh). Expect more fabulous songs from the “Wicked” playbook.
Photo by James Lisle courtesy of Searchlight Pictures
“Rental Family” reveals an interesting concept in Japanese society. Phillip Vandarpleog’s acting career is at a standstill when he gets an unusual offer from an agent in Japan. His gig? Be a stand-in character in real families needing someone to play the role of a family member—a missing brother, father, husband or son. Finding what’s missing in his life while filling in something for the people who hired him has its own peculiar reward.
Nov. 26
“Eternity” is something of a damned if you do and damned if you don’t proposition. Arriving in the afterlife, Joan has one week to decide where she will spend eternity and with whom. Adding to the inherent complexity of these choices, she is reunited with both men she married: her recently deceased husband of many years and her first husband, who died very early in their marriage and who has been waiting an “eternity” for her. It’s a competition where there can only be one winner. The film stars Miles Teller, Elizabeth Olsen and Callum Turner, with Da’Vine Joy Randolph as a heavenly overseer.
“Zootopia 2” finds Judy and Nick (voiced by Ginnifer Goodwin and Jason Bateman) together again, this time hunting giant reptiles causing havoc. A plethora of famous voices adds to the delight of this animated favorite, including Yvette Nichole Brown, Quinta Brunson, Idris Elba and Macaulay Culkin.
Nov. 28
“The Thing With Feathers” dissects the world-shattering grief of a father (Benedict Cumberbatch) when his wife suddenly dies and he is left to raise his two sons. Trying desperately to cope, his grief appears to him as a crow, the metaphorical representation of where he is stuck and where he must go to help his children.
Dec. 3
“Oh. What. Fun.” for everyone but mom. Overwhelmed by Christmas preparations and activities that never end, Claire Clauster feels underappreciated by her brood, who take everything for granted. After all, no one ever talks about Mrs. Claus, and she probably does all the work. When she goes MIA, they finally realize how amazingly she did everything and how little they appreciated it. Without Claire (a luminous Michelle Pfeiffer), there is no Christmas. Also starring Felicity Jones, Danielle Brooks, Denis Leary and Eva Longoria, to name just a few.
Photo courtesy of MK2 Films
Dec. 5
“The Secret Agent” is Brazil’s submission for the Best International Film Oscar and the most awarded film this year at the Cannes Film Festival. It tells the story of Armando, a former teacher, with a mysterious background, who is on the run from a corrupt CEO with a personal grudge against him. The powerful executive hires assassins, some of whom may work for the junta and the police, to kill him. Mixing horror with suspense and political intrigue, the film travels backward and forward in time to tell Armando’s story. Wagner Moura (Armando) won Best Actor at Cannes. Writer/director Kleber Mendonça Filho won Best Director.
“Five Nights at Freddy’s 2” finds Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza about to reopen. The video game animatronic characters are about to raise more havoc. Starring Elizabeth Lail, Josh Henderson and Matthew Lillard, it’s “Five Nights” all over again.
“Fackham Hall,” look out “Downton Abbey.” The lives of Lord and Lady Davenport go south when their daughter marries her wastrel cousin, and their daughter begins a clandestine romance with a petty thief who has ensconced himself in the manor house. Competing with the local vicar for her hand, he is soon framed for murder. It’s all very 19th-century fun and who couldn’t use a bit of aristocratic shenanigans? Starring Damian Lewis, Jimmy Carr (who also wrote the screenplay), Katherine Waterston and Thomasin McKenzie, it’s oh sooo British.
“100 Nights of Hero” is a reimagining of the Arab tale “A Thousand and One Nights.” Left alone in her husband’s castle, Cherry is being courted by their houseguest Manfred, who has bet her husband that he can seduce her in 100 nights. Aware of the wager, Cherry, with the help of her faithful servant Hero, devises a plan to avert his attentions by regaling him with stories from Hero’s arsenal. Based on the popular graphic novel, it builds a fairy tale with deadly stakes.
Photo by Agata Grzybowska courtesy of Focus Peatures
Dec. 12
“Hamnet,” based on the bestselling novel by Maggie O’Farrell, speaks to the love of Shakespeare and his wife Ann, as they navigate the devastating loss of their son Hamnet, whose name would live forever as Hamlet. Directed by Chloé Zhao, Academy Award winner for “Nomadland,” it stars Paul Mescal and Jessie Buckley.
“Ella McCay” brings back director James L. Brooks’ refreshing comedic touch to the screen. Families! Can’t live with them, can’t live without them. Ella (Emma Mackey) has a doozy of a family, and their hilarious dysfunction only increases when she is elected governor of the state. Also starring Jamie Lee Curtis, Woody Harrelson and Jack Lowden, Julie Kavner even shows up without that blue beehive she wore as Marge Simpson.
Photo courtesy of 20 Century Studios
Dec. 19
“Avatar: Fire and Ash” is the third in James Cameron’s “Avatar” franchise. Expect outstanding effects and magical creatures. Will they survive the invading human armies? The soon-to-follow Part IV is an indication that they will. The stellar cast of actors includes the returning Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldaña and Sigourney Weaver. Michelle Yeoh plays a human scientist, with Oona Chaplin as the villain.
“The Housemaid,” based on the bestselling novel, is a thriller with lots of twists and turns, too plot-revealing to divulge. The book was a killer, literally and figuratively, and the casting is pitch perfect, with Sydney Sweeney playing the newly hired maid with a big secret and Amanda Seyfried as her wealthy employer who isn’t what she appears to be.
“The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants” returns for a sea adventure with pirates. This fourth big-screen addition to the franchise is sure to please the fans of this long-running TV series.
Photo courtesy of mubi
“Father Mother Sister Brother” relates family dysfunction through three related stories, all about the relationship of adult siblings to each other and their parents. Expect absurdist comedy from writer/director Jim Jarmusch, starring Adam Driver, Tom Waits, Charlotte Rampling, Cate Blanchett and more.
“Is This Thing On?” is loosely based on the life of British comedian John Bishop. Bradley Cooper directs from a script he wrote with Will Arnett and Mark Chappell that details the end of Alex’s marriage to Tess and the beginning of his new adventure. It stars Will Arnett and Laura Dern, with appearances by Cooper, Amy Sedaris and Sean Hayes.
Photo courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics
Dec. 25
“Anaconda” is the very definition of a reimagination. The previous two Anaconda movies were horror films. This time around, led by Steve Zahn, Paul Rudd and Jack Black, all of whom know their way around absurdity, it’s comedy all the way as this trio decides to make their own “Anaconda” movie. Traveling to the jungle, they run into one problem after another, including a giant, very hungry, man-eating anaconda.
“Marty Supreme” is an unlikely movie about an unlikely man, Marty Reismara, a world-famous table tennis player trying to make his way through life when everyone else doubts his path. Starring Timothée Chalamet and Gwyneth Paltrow, they bring the flamboyant Marty to life.
“The Choral” is a look into the life of the villagers in a small Yorkshire town through the prism of the town choir. World War I has already scooped up many of the town’s young men, some members of the choral group, and its choral director. The appointment of a new director is controversial because of his ties to the hated Germans, but they need him to keep the choir running and get ready for their winter show.
Photo courtesy of A24
“No Other Choice” is a Korean black comedy thriller about a man who loses his longtime position at a paper company and determines to find another, even if it means eliminating the competition, literally and figuratively. Winner of the International Award at the Toronto Film Festival, it is directed by Park Chan-wook and based on the Donald Westlake novel, “The Axe.”
“Song Sung Blue” features Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson, down-and-out singers looking for a break. That break comes when they start a Neil Diamond tribute band called Lightning and Thunder. Together they find romance, heartache and success. It is based on the documentary by Greg Kohs about Mike and Claire Sardina.
Photo courtesy of Neon
December TBD
“In the Grey,” release date still to be announced, is Guy Ritchie’s newest action thriller. Jake Gyllenhaal and Henry Cavill are extraction specialists assigned to rescue a translator trapped behind enemy lines. Eliza Gonzalez also stars with Rosamund Pike and Fisher Stevens in support. There is no release date yet and Ritchie has been famously silent about details.
This is just a sampling of what’s coming. There will be something for everyone as we approach the holidays. Head on down to the nearest multiplex, grab some popcorn and a soda and treat yourself to a movie on the big screen. It’s a respite from the holiday preparations and fraught family visits.
Happy Holidays and Happy Viewing.
