“The Son”
Writer/director Florian Heller returns with more family drama (after the Oscar-winning “The Father”) with his second film, adapted from his own play. Hugh Jackman stars in this film about a father who meets his estranged teenage son (Zen McGrath) years into a new life, throwing his world out of balance. Vanessa Kirby, Laura Dern, and Anthony Hopkins star.
Release Date: November 11 via Sony Pictures.
“The Inspection”
This year’s TIFF will also see the world premiere of writer/director Elegance Bratton’s “The Inspection,” about a young, gay Black man who joins the Marines; the script is a retelling of Bratton’s own experiences. Jeremy Pope, Raúl Castillo, McCaul Lombardi, Aaron Dominguez, Bokeem Woodbine, and Gabrielle Union star.
Release Date: November 18 via A24.
“The Menu”
Foodie culture leads to some type of trap in Mark Mylod’s “The Menu,” which has Anya Taylor-Joy and Nicholas Hoult venturing to a fancy meal gathering (where they “gel” food, and the topping looks like spit), only to realize that stranger plans are afoot. The head chef of this operation is played by Ralph Fiennes, looking extra sinister in the trailer, so here’s hoping this movie from “Succession” director Mylod can pull off the feat of making intricate food part of a cinematic experience. Aimee Carrero, Janet McTeer, John Leguizamo, Hong Chau, Judith Light, Paul Adelstein, and Arturo Castro also star.
Release Date: November 18 via Searchlight Pictures.
“She Said”
The story of how two New York Times journalists helped break the Harvey Weinstein case gets a cinematic treatment this November in “She Said,” the latest from director Maria Schrader (“I’m Your Man” and the Netflix series “Unorthodox”). Carey Mulligan and Zoe Kazan star as Twohey and Kantor, respectively, in a movie based on their book and that promises to provide a fuller context about this reporting that made #MeToo a public acknowledgment. The film also stars Tom Pelphrey, Samantha Morton, Jennifer Ehle, Andre Braugher, Patricia Clarkson, Adam Shapiro, and Keilly McQuail.
Release Date: November 18 via Universal Pictures.
“Slumberland”
Directed by Francis Lawrence (who just signed on to make a “BioShock” movie), the Netflix fantasy “Slumberland” tells of a pretty interesting concept—a land where you can dream anything to happen, which includes getting an eccentric performance out of Jason Momoa. The movie is based on the book by Winsor McCay, and the brief teaser released has our interest, with its worlds that fold and build like “Doctor Strange,” and a very cute toy pig. Here’s hoping the CGI can keep up with its flights of fancy, but “Slumberland” looks like it could be a good piece of Thanksgiving weekend escapism.
Release Date: November 18 via Netflix.
“Bones And All”
Filmmaker Luca Guadagnino (“Suspiria”) tackles cannibalism, but instead of a straight-up horror film, he turns it into something dark, more elegant, and artier: a film about outsiders and misfits living on the fringes of society, just trying to be in love. But then, their dark past starts to haunt them. The film stars Timothée Chalamet and Taylor Russell, with a great supporting cast that includes Michael Stuhlbarg, André Holland, Chloë Sevigny, and David Gordon-Green. Jessica Harper, Jake Horowitz, and Mark Ryland. Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross score the film. The film will Premiere in Venice shortly.
Release Date: November 23 theatrical release via MGM, with an exclusive Amazon Prime Video release to follow.
“Devotion”
Jonathan Majors and Glen Powell star as two Navy pilots during the Korean War in “Devotion,” which is based on a true story. The on-screen pairing of Majors and Powell is curious given their rising star presence, Majors with “Lovecraft Country” and “Loki,” and Powell having most recently stolen a few moments in “Top Gun: Maverick.” It’ll be interesting to see how director J.D. Dillard makes this more than a holiday-timed story of military worship. Serinda Swan, Joe Jonas, Joseph Cross, Thomas Sadoski, and Daren Kagasoff also star.
Release Date: November 23 via Sony Pictures.
“Nanny”
Nikyatu Jusu’s directorial debut “Nanny” already has a special boost, given that it received Sundance’s coveted Grand Jury Prize when it premiered this past January. It will be very interesting to see how this horror story of an immigrant nanny (played by Anna Diop) will play beyond festival audiences, as we can say that this one is about much more than jump scares and the like (our review). Michelle Monaghan, Morgan Spector, and Sinqua Walls also star.
Release Date: November 23 via Prime Video.
“Strange World”
The old-fashioned trailer for “Strange World” uses the classic jargon of calling it “a major motion picture event,” which is an exciting throwback for this Disney animated adventure from Don Hall (“Raya and the Last Dragon”). The trailer also displays some strange, gloopy, colorful terrain that sometimes comes to life, so here’s hoping that the world-building from this script by Qui Nguyen has a lot of such surprises. “Strange World” also has an exciting, limited cast to lead the way, including Jake Gyllenhaal, Alan Tudyk, Lucy Liu, Dennis Quaid, Gabrielle Union, and Jaboukie Young-White.
Release Date: November 23 via Walt Disney Studios.
“Disenchanted”
Even characters in fairytales can have second thoughts about their relationships, as hinted by the premise of “Disenchanted,” a sequel to “Enchanted.” Amy Adams stars as Giselle, who married James Marsden’s Prince Edward in that movie. Without much to be seen from this project so far, we can at least hold out some hope that it takes heavy inspiration from Ingmar Bergman’s “Scenes from a Marriage.” The supporting cast includes Patrick Dempsey, Maya Rudolph, Oscar Nuñez, Jayma Mays, Yvette Nicole Brown, and Idina Menzel.
Release Date: November 24 via Walt Disney Pictures.
“White Noise”
Noah Baumbach’s highly anticipated follow-up to his Oscar-winning “Marriage Story” is another Netflix film, this one an adaptation of the book by Don DeLillo. Adam Driver and Greta Gerwig star in this story about a family that faces the stranger, absurd truths about existence; Don Cheadle, Raffey Cassidy, Sam Nivola, May Nivola, Lars Eidinger, Andre Benjamin, and Jodie Turner-Smith also appear. “White Noise” will premiere at the Venice Film Festival, and kick off the New York Film Festival as its opening night selection.
Release Date: November 30 in select theaters via Netflix and available for streaming on December 30.
November Honorable Mentions
Fans of the first “Enola Holmes” Netflix movie will be excited to hear that “Enola Holmes 2” is coming on November 4, bringing back Millie Bobbie Brown and Henry Cavill to the young sleuth saga. Later in the month, critic and director Elvis Mitchell will debut a documentary series called “Is That Black Enough For You?!?”, which will highlight the African American contribution to films that were made in the ’70s.
DECEMBER
“Women Talking”
Based on the best-selling novel by Miriam Toews, “Women Talking” follows a group of women in an isolated religious colony as they struggle to reconcile their faith with a series of sexual assaults committed by the colony’s men. Acclaimed, Academy-Award-nominated Canadian filmmaker Sarah Polley (“Away From Her,” “Stories We Tell”) and the star-studded cast includes Rooney Mara, Claire Foy, Jessie Buckley, Judith Ivey, with Ben Whishaw, and Frances McDormand.
Release Date: December 2 in limited theaters via United Artists Releasing.