Must-see movies this month
Benoit Blanc, Giselle and the people of Wakanda are back, plus Ralph Fiennes cooks something up and Reynolds and Ferrell remake A Christmas Carol, writes
From potential award-winners to animated features, genre films and documentaries, something for everyone is coming to a screen near you over the next four weeks. For those keen on the cinema experience, the ‘‘only-in-theatres’’ lineup includes Bronte biopic Emily, romantic-drama Stars at Noon (both November 17), an Aussie dramedy about a Dolly Parton impersonator (Seriously Red, November 24) and Mel Gibson thriller On the Line (November 17), as well as a host of returning ‘‘festival’’ flicks.
Prime Video boasts the Harry Styles-headlining period drama My Policeman (today), family comedy The People We Hate at the Wedding (November 18), rom-com Meet Cute (November 25) and Mars Rover documentary Good Night Oppy (November 23). Netflix debuts an Enola Holmes sequel ( today) and refugee drama The Swimmers (November 23).
Elsewhere, documentaries on music stars are once again having a moment, via Apple TV+’s Selena Gomez: My Mind and Me (today) and Neon’s Love, Lizzo (November 25) and, 39 years after the original A Christmas Story, a now-adult Ralphie is back in A Christmas Story Christmas (Neon, October 25).
However, after looking through the schedules, Stuff to Watch has come up with this list of the 12 movies we believe are most worth checking out.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (November 10, Cinemas)
While the death of T’Challa himself – Chadwick Boseman – forced a rethink on the direction of this sequel to the 2018 smash hit, expectations are still high for returning director Ryan Coogler’s latest foray into the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
This time, the threat to the nation not only comes from those outside their borders, but also the hidden under-sea forces of Talokan. The ensemble cast includes Letitia Wright, Lupita Nyong’o, Danai Gurira, Michaela Coel and Angela Bassett.
Bones and All (November 24, Cinemas)
Based on the 2015 novel of the same name by Camille DeAngelis, this reunites Timothee Chalamet with his Call Me By Your Name director Luca Guadagnino for a road movie that follows two cannibalistic lovers as they journey across Reaganera America.
Call Jane (November 25, Prime Video)
Elizabeth Banks, Sigourney Weaver, Chris Messina and Kate Mara team up for this timely late-1960s-set drama about a conservative Chicago housewife and mother who finds herself in a difficult situation when her second pregnancy leads to a life-threatening heart condition and her application for an exemption to Illinois’ antiabortion laws is denied. Desperate for a solution, she uncovers a clandestine group of women.
Causeway (Streaming now, Apple TV+)
Jennifer Lawrence headlines this psychological drama about a soldier who suffers a traumatic brain injury while deployed in Afghanistan and struggles to adjust to life back home. Atlanta’s Brian Tyree Henry plays a garage owner with whom she forms an unlikely friendship.
‘‘Brian Tyree Henry’s soulful work brings out richer shadings in Lawrence’s guarded stoicism, and vice-versa,’’ wrote The Hollywood Reporter’s David Rooney.
Disenchanted (November 18, Disney+)
Amy Adams, Patrick Dempsey, Idina Menzel and James Marsden return for this long-awaited sequel to the beloved 2007 musical Enchanted.
It has been 15 years since Giselle (Adams) and Robert (Dempsey) wed, but she has grown disillusioned with life in the city, so they move their growing family to the sleepy suburban community of Monroeville in search of a more fairytale life. Unfortunately, it isn’t the quick fix Giselle had hoped for.
Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (November 23, Cinemas)
Daniel Craig’s compelling, crowd-pleasing detective Benoit Blanc returns with an all-new mystery and eclectic ensemble of potential suspects. This time, the action shifts to a Greek Island and the home of polarising tech billionaire Miles Bron (Edward Norton).
If you thought writer-director Rian Johnson couldn’t deliver another puzzle-box of a caper that hits the heights of the 2019 original, think again. With the likes of Kate Hudson, Dave Bautista, Kathryn Hahn and Janelle Monae in top form, plenty of twists and turns, a few shocks and surprises and near-perfect pacing, this might just be one of the most entertaining – and hilarious – movies of 2022. Scheduled to be in select cinemas for just a week-long engagement, before it debuts on Netflix on December 23.
The Menu (November 24, Cinemas)
Ralph Fiennes and Anya Taylor-Joy face off in this deliciously devilish tale of revenge served ice-cold. Set in and around an island-based restaurant, Succession and Game of Thrones’ director Mark Mylod combines the best of both those shows to deliver a tension-filled evening filled with food porn, recriminations, revelations and increasingly nasty surprises that you certainly won’t easily forget.
The cast also includes Nicholas Hoult, John Leguizamo, Janet McTeer and Judith Light.
Mister Organ
(November 10, Cinemas) David Farrier goes down another rabbit hole after an investigation into an ongoing spate of complaints about the antics of an independent Auckland tow truck driver leads him to Michael
Organ, a man with criminal convictions, a penchant for fake identities and a line in psychological torment.
However, once he finally tracks him down in Whanganui, Farrier rapidly begins to wish he hadn’t.
She Said (November 17, Cinemas)
Carey Mulligan and Zoe Kazan team up for this based-on-fact drama that focuses on the two New York Times reporters – Megan Twohey and Jodi Kantor – who together exposed powerful Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein’s history of abuse of and sexual misconduct against women.
‘‘A marvel. It’s not smug or preachy and gives space to the non-glamorous figures who helped Twohey and Kantor in their quest,’’ wrote London Evening Standard’s Charlotte O’Sullivan.
Spirited (November 18, Apple TV+)
Ryan Reynolds joins forces with Will Ferrell for this musical twist on Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol.
Every Christmas Eve, the Ghost of Christmas Present (Ferrell) has selected one dark soul to be reformed by a visit from three spirits. But this season, he picked the wrong Scrooge. Clint Briggs (Reynolds) turns the tables on his ghostly host, until Present finds himself re-examining his own past, present and future.
Strange World
(November 24, Cinemas) Disney’s 61st animated adventure follows the fortunes of the Clades, a legendary family of explorers who must set aside their differences as they embark on a journey to a mysterious planet inhabited by surreal lifeforms. The vocal cast includes Jake Gyllenhaal, Dennis Quaid, Gabrielle Union and Lucy Liu.
The Wonder (Screening now, Cinemas)
Florence Pugh, the Little Women and Lady Macbeth star, is simply stunning as a mid-19th century English nurse called to Ireland to ‘‘observe’’ a young girl who claims to have not eaten for four months. As she attempts to uncover the truth about what is really going on, she discovers there are those who would rather it remain a ‘‘miracle’’.
Tautly told and directed with panache, this also features an impressive supporting cast that includes Niamh Algar, Toby Jones, Tom Burke and Ciaran Hinds.