November 3
A Bad Moms Christmas
The first movie was a surprise success in 2016. The rushed-to-production sequel has not been as successful. Someone please do better by Kathryn Hahn.
Lady Bird
Greta Gerwig’s first feature film as a solo director has been winning audiences over since the fall festivals. It looks like a super charming coming-of-age tale, headlined by the utterly winsome Saoirse Ronan (Brooklyn). Hard to resist movies like this.
Limited
Last Flag Flying
A spiritual sequel to Hal Ashby’s The Last Detail, Last Flag Flying is a Richard Linklater talk-a-thon but everyone is talking about depressing shit like the war and aging and loss. It’s good, it’s just a huge bummer.
Limited
Thor: Ragnarok
Taika Waititi taps into Chris Hemsworth’s latent comedy chops and the result is not only the best Thor movie—not a hard bar to clear—but also one of Marvel’s best movies, period. Full review here.
November 10
Daddy’s Home 2
From Flavorwire, 5 Fun Facts about Mel Gibson.
Murder on the Orient Express
Well known title, tons of stars, MURDER ON A FANCY TRAIN, and yet, no response.
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
Frances McDormand and Sam Rockwell give balls-out, everything-on-the-table performances in Martin McDonagh’s latest. Full of golden dialogue and McDonagh’s cutting observations of Americana, Three Billboards is easily one of the best of the year. Full review here.
Limited
Red band, NSFW
November 17
I Love You, Daddy
Louis CK’s latest is incredibly ill-timed and given the rumors about him, kinda creepy.
Limited
Justice League
There’s no way it’s as bad as Batman v Superman. Right?
Mudbound
Dee Reese (Pariah) brings this adaptation of Hillary Jordan’s novel about a black man and a white man who became friends during World War II returning home to the Jim Crow South. Another good movie, another huge bummer.
Netflix
Roman J. Israel, Esq.
So Denzel Washington is a civil rights attorney who…gives up…and gets involved with the mob? I’ve watched this trailer a bunch and still don’t really know what it’s about.
Limited
The Star
Cute cartoon animals save the birth of Jesus or something. Whatever, it’s fine, it’s for actual babies.
Wonder
This is the eleventieth “wonder” movie this year.
November 24
Call Me By Your Name
People have been going nuts for this since Sundance, which makes sense because it’s from consummate director Luca Guadagnino (I Am Love, A Bigger Splash). I can’t WAIT to FINALLY see this.
Limited
Coco
Future winner of Pixar’s Annual Oscar. Seriously, though, early word is this is one of the really good Pixars.
Darkest Hour
Gary Oldman disappears into the role of Winston Churchill, in a timely biopic that reminds us you can’t appease Nazis. Full review here.
Polaroid
A Polaroid camera kills people. I’ve already seen a movie this year in which a box kills people, so this is a step up. But this is a Weinstein movie, so no one is going to it.