With the Oscars moving up a month and taking place at the beginning of February, studios are releasing their big awards contenders earlier. Throughout November, more and more movies are coming out, at least in limited release, that hope for a spot at Oscar gold.
“WIDOWS”
After a five year hiatus after directing “12 Years a Slave,” Steve McQueen is back with “Widows” starring Viola Davis, Colin Farrell, Liam Neeson and Michelle Rodriguez. Once their husbands die trying to pull off a heist, Davis and Rodriguez form an all-female team to pull off one last heist.
“Ocean’s 8” was this summer’s big female heist movie, but “Widows” doesn’t seem to be trying to replicate it. Rather, this seems like a dark and gritty look into Chicago’s criminal underground. It also looks like McQueen’s most accessible movie to date, after “Hunger” “Shame” and “12 Years a Slave.” I’m not sure if “Widows” will be able to walk the fine line between gritty action hit and awards contender, but we’ll see once it’s released on November 16.
“AT ETERNITY’S GATE”
Willem Dafoe is playing Vincent Van Gogh in the new biopic “At Eternity’s Gate.” The 63-year-old actor is playing the painter, who died at 37, which might not be the best option, but Dafoe’s star is on the rise after his great and grounded performance in “The Florida Project.” This movie may come and go without any buzz or awards consideration, but it also may pop up as a contender for the Best Actor race.
“At Eternity’s Gate” will come out in limited release starting on November 16.
“THE GIRL IN THE SPIDER’S WEB”
Just like everything else these days, Lisbeth Salander’s story is getting a reboot. The original Swedish novels “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” were a sensation. You couldn’t go on a bus or subway without seeing a copy being read. The books were turned into a Swedish language trilogy starring Noomi Rapace and then David Fincher decided to make an English remake with Rooney Mara and Daniel Craig. Mara got an Oscar nomination for playing the tattooed hacker, but after its less than stellar box office performance, Sony Pictures decided not to continue with the remaining two installments.
After completing the original trilogy, author Steig Larson was mysteriously murdered. A fourth book, “The Girl in the Spider’s Web” was written by David Lagercantz, and is now being turned into a rebooted movie, starring “The Crown” and “Unfriended’s” Claire Foy. Honestly, the trailer doesn’t look great and I don’t really see it doing amazingly. It probably won’t be nominated for any awards, as it kind of looks like a mess and I can’t imagine it being a big smash at the box office.
This new iteration of Lisbeth’s Salander’s story will be released on November 9.
“GREEN BOOK”
This one is a weird outlier. Directed by one of the Farrelly brothers (known mostly for their broad comedies like “There’s Something About Mary” and “Dumb and Dumber”) this feel-good comedic drama stars “Moonlight” star Mahershala Ali and Viggo Mortensen. Mortensen will be playing a bouncer who becomes the personal driver for classical pianist Ali in the 1960s.
It seems like the kind of movie that would be made 20 years ago and really doesn’t look all that fresh or exciting, but it’s received a fair amount of positive buzz, so it may end up being a surprise hit. However, I’m looking for something more challenging in my movies that a traditional “small town racism is bad,” but it could end up being really good. We’ll have to wait and see when it’s released on November 21.
“THE FAVOURITE”
Yorgos Lanthimos is one of my favorite working directors. I genuinely think his movie “The Lobster” is one of, if not the, best movie of the 2010s. Its realistic yet stilted look at relationships works as a perfect metaphor for trying to find a relationship within the modern world of dating apps. His newest film “The Favourite” is a period piece following Queen Anne (Elizabeth Coleman) and the two woman fighting to be her right hand (Rachel Weisz and Emma Stone).
It looks weird, just as all of his movies are, but since this is his first directorial effort that Lanthimos isn’t also directing, “The Favourite” may have more mainstream appeal than his usual works. Plus, with Emma Stone hot off her Oscar win and Coleman’s star quickly rising, this could end up being a real hit. I know it’s my most anticipated film of the month and I can’t wait for its November 23 release.
“IF BEALE STREET COULD TALK”
Finally, we have Barry Jenkin’s follow up to “Moonlight.” Based on the James Baldwin novel of the same name, “If Beale Street Could Talk” follows a pregnant woman as she tries to prove her fiance’s innocence while he’s stuck in jail. As if Jenkin’s filmography wasn’t enough to inspire confidence, the Baldwin source material promises that this will be a poignant look into race relations. It will be coming to theaters in limited release on November 30.
What are you looking forward to seeing this November? Do you think any of these movies have a shot at Best Picture or any of the other major awards? Let me know in the comments below!
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