NAPOLEON
Ridley Scott’s (BLADE RUNNER, ALIEN) new film about the life of the military commander seems to be an epic, with a runtime of 157 minutes (and a 4 1⁄2 hour long director’s cut on the way). Joaquin Phoenix stars as the titular Napoleon, and will reportedly feature six major battle sequences. This isn’t the first time the life of Napoleon has been adapted to the screen, as Abel Gance first adapted a 51⁄2-hour-long version back in 1927, and even Stanley Kubrick spent years developing a film on his life that sadly never saw the light of day. Ridley Scott’s film comes to theaters on November 22nd.
DREAM SCENARIO
The one true god Nicholas Cage returns (well, it’s his fifth film this year) as a lonely college professor who, one day, appears in everybody on earth’s dreams, causing him to become an overnight celebrity. This is the first English language film from Norwegian director Kristoffer Borgli, who directed last year’s gross-out comedy SICK OF MYSELF. You can expect this dark comedy in theaters on November 10th.
TIGER 3
When the Indian star Salman Khan isn’t killing people while drunk driving, he’s starring in macho Bollywood action extravaganzas, although their quality may vary. His most popular action role is as “Tiger”, and this is the third film in his franchise and the fifth in the so-called “YRF Spy Universe”, also following WAR and this year’s highly entertaining PATHAAN, where Salman Khan’s Tiger made a cameo appearance. While I would usually be skeptical of a Salman Khan film (his last few films have been absolutely pummeled by critics), this cinematic universe does seem promising enough from what I’ve seen of it, and the trailer looks very competent. You can catch TIGER 3 in theaters this Diwali (November 12th).
THE HOLDOVERS
A reunion of sorts for star Paul Giamatti and director Alexander Payne after their 2004 film SIDEWAYS, this 1970s set drama is about a history teacher at a New England prep school who is forced to watch a handful of students over winter break with nowhere to go. Distributed by Focus Features, this hits theaters on November 10th.
FERRARI
Legendary director Michael Mann (HEAT, COLLATERAL) returns to the silver screen after eight years, following the commercial flop BLACKHAT, with this biopic of the automotive mogul Enzo Ferrari, played by the great Adam Driver. Critics have been praising both Driver’s performance and the film’s exhilarating racing sequences. This film rolls into theaters on November 30th.
PRISCILLA
Sofia Coppola’s PRISCILLA acts as a counterbalance to last year’s Baz Luhrmann biopic ELVIS, this time following the teenage Priscilla Beaulieu’s tumultuous relationship with the rock-and-roll superstar. As one of the most popular female auteurs out there, Sofia Coppola’s previous works include THE VIRGIN SUICIDES, MARIE ANTOINETTE, and the phenomenal LOST IN TRANSLATION. Based on the 1985 memoir ELVIS AND ME, this film will hit theaters on November 2nd.
ALL DIRT ROADS TASTE OF SALT
First premiering at Sundance earlier this year, this A24-produced directorial debut by Raven Jackson is finally set for a limited release this month. Produced by (God) Barry Jenkins, reviews are calling this a tender and dreamlike meditation of life as it follows Mack, a black woman living in Mississippi. More poetic than having a traditional narrative, this film will surely either befuddle or capture the hearts of audiences this month.
JIGARTHANDA DOUBLE X
I have always said that within India, the Tamil film industry is my favorite, constantly releasing either blockbusters with mass appeal or well-constructed art-house films. A director who constantly balances between both of those is Karthik Subbaraj, and this film is the follow-up to his 2014 gangster epic JIGARTHANDA. I have only seen the film PETTA from the director, and although it has the plot structure of a standard Rajinikanth vehicle, it was still overflowing with the director’s stylistic sensibilities and was overall a great watch. Although likely not hitting our local theaters, this is also scheduled for release this Diwali.
THE KILLER
David Fincher’s (FIGHT CLUB, GONE GIRL) new crime-thriller stars Michael Fassbender (in a rare performance, as he’s barely acting in films anymore) as a hitman who finds himself in an international manhunt. This also marks a reunion between Fincher and screenwriter Andrew Kevin Walker, following their last collaboration SE7EN. This film has been slowly being released in theaters but is scheduled to release on Netflix on November 10th.
MAESTRO
Bradley Cooper’s directorial follow-up to his hit debut film A STAR IS BORN, this film is a biopic on the renowned composer Leonard Bernstein, also portrayed by Cooper. Early reviews are praising both Cooper and Carey Mulligan’s performances, and the film is drawing many comparisons to last year’s TÁR, albeit that film was about a fictional composer. Another Netflix release, this hits theaters November 22nd before releasing on the streaming service on December 20th.
