Right as I started to get caught up, a whole new wave of films comes rolling out to usher in the part of the year that signals the unofficial start of awards’ season. There is quite a bit to get to and I want to see almost all of it. Shall we?
November 2 (Wednesday)
The Wonder (Theaters & Netflix Nov. 16th)
Director: Seabtián Lelio | Writers: Lelio, Alice Birch, Emma Donaghue (novel)
Starring: Florence Pugh, Niamh Algar, Ciarán Hinds
The trailer is intentionally a bit vague in some areas, but what I can say is that Florence Pugh is brought in to observe a young woman who hasn’t eaten in four months and make an assessment. Obviously, that young woman should be dead but that’s where we are going to find out about. There are some religious allusions brought into frame, but it’s not billed as a possession per se. Lelio has done some interesting work with strong female leads, so I am curious to see where this goes. It’s just a question of waiting for Netflix or going to theaters.
November 4 (Friday)
The Estate (Theaters)
Written & Directed by: Dean Craig
Starring: Toni Collette, Anna Faris, Rosemarie DeWitt, and David Duchovny
This is only Dean Craig’s second feature in the director’s chair, but he got a film has a great cast for this film and that tells you something. He wrote Death at a Funeral which I really liked, so I know he can handle dark comedy adeptly. This idea reminds me of the Jonathan Lynn film with Michael J. Fox Greedy, which is one of the dark comedies I grew up with so that’s partially why I’m drawn to this. I also love David Duchovny and seeing the kind of character he gets to play here may be worth the price of admission alone.
Bardo (Theaters & Netflix Dec. 4th)
Director: Alejandro G. Iñárritu | Writers: Iñárritu, Nicolás Giacobone
Starring: Daniel Giménez Cacho, Griselda Siciliani, Ximena Lamadrid
I love that I watched this trailer and really had no idea what was going one, but was still very captivated anyway. A celebrated journalist/documentary filmmaker goes an existential and ethereal journey to reconcile his past and identity. That’s all I know, but Iñárritu is a very interesting filmmaker whose work I enjoy and this looks like a more experimental than some of his other films. I am very curious.
Causeway (Theaters + Apple TV+)
Director: Lila Neugebauer
Writers: Ottessa Moshfegh, Luke Goebel, Elizabeth Sanders
Starring: Jennifer Lawrence, Byran Tyree Henry, Linda Emond
Apple has made some good originals that I enjoy quite a lot, but this is not doing it. All you get is that Jennifer Lawrence is sad/depressed/possibly dying and doesn’t like being back in what I assume is her home town. I enjoy her dramatic roles but I had to read elsewhere that her character is a solider who returns home and struggles to readjust for a number of reasons, including traumatic brain injury. This isn’t an unfamiliar story but, depending on how it’s handled, it could potentially explore some stuff that’s been overlooked in the past.
Good Night Oppy (Theaters)
Director: Ryan White | Writers: Ryan White, Helen Kearns
Star (voice): Angela Bassett
This documentary looks at the bond between the enormous team at NASA that built and landed the Opportunity Mars Exploration Rover. Originally designed to operate for about 3 months, Oppy lived much longer, exploring Mars for 15 years. In that time, the relationship the NASA team had for this robot evolved. I love this kind of stuff in general but I can certainly see how we respond to anthropomorphized machines in films like Short Circuit and Wall-E.
Meet Me in the Bathroom (Theaters)
Directors: Will Lovlace, Dylan Southern, Andrew Cross (co-director)
Writer: Lizzie Goodman (based on the book)
Music documentaries seem to be a growing area of interest for filmmakers and this looks like a lot of fun as it takes a look at the sudden eruption of bands in New York City at the turn of the millennia. Taking a look at The Strokes, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, LCD Soundsystem, The Moldy Peaches, Interpol, The Rapture, and TV on the Radio.
Next Exit (Theaters + VOD)
Written & Directed by: Mali Elfman
Stars: Rahul Kohli, Katie Parker, and Karen Gillan
This is 100% my kind of movie. Low-budget sci-fi is my jam and I love seeing the genre tackle more essential human components. It doesn’t always have to be robots and time-travel, although I love that too. Here we have to volunteers who sign up for a program that sends them to the afterlife, presumably because they want to be dead. Along the way, they discover more about the lives they are leaving behind. This sort of reminds me of a bit of On the Count of Three meets Another Earth, both of which I enjoyed. I love the poster art too and that helps. This was almost my Editor’s Pick, but it’s a tough week.
*Nocebo (Theaters) – Editor’s Pick*
Director: Lorcan Finnegan | Writer: Garret Shanley
Starring: Eva Green, Mark Strong, Chai Fonacier
If you are looking for weird, you’ve come to the right place. It has a very creepy vibe and reminds me of Apple TV’s Servant, which I love. This looks like an interesting follow-up to Vivarium from Finnegan and Shanley and I like that film quite a bit as well. All I know is that I like the visual style and the creepy necromancy kinda vibe it has going for it, plus I love Eva Green and Mark Strong, so I am in!
Something in the Dirt (Theaters)
Directors: Justin Benson, Aaron Moorhead | Writer: Justin Benson
Starring: Aaron Moorhead, Justin Benson, and Sarah Adina Smith
Completing the triangle of madness this week, Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead are at it again mixing supernatural/sci-fi thriller with dark comedy. I really love these guys as filmmakers and creatives, so even though I thought Synchronic was a bit of a step back for them, I am always interested in what they are doing and happy to support their efforts. They worked on Disney’s Moonknight and Loki but I like that they went back to basics for this and kept it about them. A pair of friends looking to prove the existence of the supernatural unlock a bigger secret than they bargained for and wind up opening a gateway to another dimension, laughing all the way. Of course I am going to see this!
Weird: The Al Yankovic Story (Roku)
Director: Eric Appel | Writers: ‘Werid Al’ Yankovic, Eric Appel
Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, Rainn Wilson, Deidrich Bader, Lin-Manuel Miranda, & more
I never thought I would want a Weird Al biopic, but holy crap was I wrong! Very loosely based on the life of Weird Al, this film has so much fun with the biopic genre. Daniel Radcliffe has done a lot of great work since Harry Potter and I am excited to see him step into these shoes, but beyond the main stars we see, it seems like all of Al’s friends in comedy, music, and entertainment popped up to be a part of this and it looks incredible. I don’t know how I am going to get to see this, but it’s going to happen!
Salvatore: Shoemaker of Dreams (Theaters)
Director: Luca Guadagnino | Writers: Giuppy D.Aura (interview), Dana Thomas
Starring: Manolo Blahnik, Grace Coddington, Salvatore Ferragamo (archive)
If you are into old Hollywood fashion, then this is the documentary for you. Academy Award nominated filmmaker Luca Guadagnino looks back in time and frames Salvatore Ferragamo’s influence in the fashion world and his integration into Hollywood style during its infancy.
Utama (Theaters)
Written & Directed by: Alejandro Loayza Grisi
Starring: José Calcina, Luisa Quispe, Candelaria Quispe
An eledery couple in Bolivia see their lives uprooted as drought sweeps across the highlands of their home. As the drought threatens them, they are faced with a difficult to fight back or to let time have its way. It looks beautiful on camera and I like that it’s a universal story about the necessity of adaptation for survival.
WHAT ELSE IS NEW…
My Father’s Dragon (Theaters & Netflix Nov. 11th)
Director: Nora Twomey | Writers: Meg LeFauve, Ruth Stiles Gannett (book)
Starring (voices): Judy Greer, Jacob Tremblay, and Leighton Meester
I know nothing about the book by Ruth Stiles Gannett or the 1997 Japanese film, Elmer no boken, but it does like like a cute family film that saves you the trouble and expense of going to the theaters.
Enola Holmes 2 (Netflix)
Director: Harry Bradbeer | Writers: Jack Thorne, Bradbeer, Nancy Springer (books)
Starring: Millie Bobby Brown, Henry Cavill, David Thewlis, and Helena Bonham Carter
I like the cast and the production itself looks the part, so I am sure it’s better than I would assume, but it still looks pretty generic. I didn’t see the first and likely won’t see this one either, but if you enjoyed the first movie this one promises more of the same.
Dear Zoe (Theaters + VOD)
Director: Gren Wells | Writers: Marc Lhormer, Melissa Martin, Philip Beard (novel)
Starring: Sadie Sink, Theo Rossi, and Jessica Capshaw
I like Sadie Sink and Theo Rossi, but this looks like some straight-to-Hallmark-channel mush. I would hope the quality of the cast elevates the product but even the quality of the images themselves look like a made for TV movie. I like some made for TV movies quite a bit, but this isn’t my style.
Armageddon Time (Expands)
Written & Directed by: James Gray
Starring: Anne Hathaway, Jeremy Strong, Anthony Hopkins, and banks Repeta
I already covered this one, but it is moving to wide release which is good for those who want to see it as it’s surely going to be a contender during awards’ season.
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