Those of you left “spectred out”, in fear that nothing of value would be released any soon to avoid clashing with the mighty 007, won’t have to wait long until the cinemas are filled with a diverse range of excellent works. Right after festival season, November is traditionally one of the best months for cinema going; when some of the most prestigious films of the year begin taking our screens by assault, while waiting for their luck during the imminent awards season.
We take a look at our most anticipated films among those scheduled for release during the penultimate month of the year, some of which we’ve just seen at the London Film Festival and can fully recommend; some others eagerly awaited. There’s something for everybody, from favourite Oscar contenders (“Carol”; “Brooklyn”; “Steve Jobs”) to some of the most acclaimed indies of the year (“Tangerine”; “Microbe and Gasoil”); eagerly awaited blockbusters such as the conclusion of The Hunger Games saga; Spielberg’s spy thriller “Bridge Of Spies” or the latest Pixar, “The Good Dinosaur”. Next to them, minor arthouse gems from around the world of the likes of the Swedish drama “My Skinny Sister”; the hilarious Mexican road movie “Güeros” or first class documentaries (“The Russian Woodpecker”; “The Fear Of 13”); plus the BFI blockbuster Love season, somehow complemented by the controversial arrival of Gaspar Noé’s latest provocation of the same title, in graphic 3D detail.
Check our most anticipated movies of the month here:
| CAROL (Todd Haynes) Our favourite film so far from this year’s batch of award contenders, Todd Haynes returns to the golden era of classy melodrama with this finely observed, exquisitely crafted forbidden love story that boasts superb performances by Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara. One of 2015’s best. Read our LFF review. |
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| BROOKLYN (John Crowley) Another awards player leaving an old-fashioned aftertaste, this delightful adaptation of Colm Tóibín coming of age best-seller boasts one of the best casts of the year. Saoirse Ronan is the impersonation of charm as the young Irish girl immigrating to America, whose heart gets split between what’s left at home and the new life she finds for herself. A big hit of the recent #LFF, it offers something for everybody and deserves to be huge. |
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| STEVE JOBS (Danny Boyle) And more quality Awards contenders. Aaron Sorkin strikes writing gold again in Boyle’s bold portrait of the controversial Apple mogul. Orchestrated around the three product launches that shaped a career which changed our world, it’s an energetic, intense ride expertly led by terrific performances from Michael Fassbender and Kate Winslet as Jobs' suffering assistant. Don’t be put off by the initial tepid reception at the US box office. This one is a winner! |
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| TANGERINE (Sean Baker) One of the US indie hits of the year; winner at Sundance; rapturously received at the LFF and recently rewarded with three Gotham awards nominations. This dramedy about the lives of two transgender sex workers in Los Angeles has earned plaudits for being shot entirely on an iphone and for the natural performance of its two stars. All of which places it among the autumn’s most intriguing cinematic propositions. |
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| THE GOOD DINOSAUR (Peter Sohn) After years of diminishing returns, our favourite animation studio, Pixar, returned to form this summer with the extraordinary ‘Inside Out’. That may be everyone is rife with anticipation for their second big offering of the year, which will certainly benefit from post-Jurassic World dinosaur fever to drive family audiences en masse to the multiplex. |
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| MICROBE ET GASOIL (Michel Gondry) A low-key road movie about two teen friends escaping from their tough reality has earned Michel Gondry the best film reviews since his all-conquering ‘Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind’. One of the highlights of this week’s French Film Festival, hopefully a proper UK release will follow. |
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| GÜEROS (Alfonso Ruizpalacios) A year after it was premiered and very well received at the LFF, the promising debut of Mexican helmer Ruizpalacios hits our screens. Set against the backdrop of an University students strike, this is both an unusual, comic road movie and an accomplished social portrait, shaped through the journey of a group of youngsters around the diverse social environments in contemporary Mexico City. |
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| BRIDGE OF SPIES (Steven Spielberg) Any Spielberg movie is always received as a big event and his immersion in the classic espionage thriller is no exception. Set during the Cold War era, it tells the story of an American lawyer hired to defend a Soviet spy and then help with his exchange for a captured American pilot. It sees the popular director teaming up again with star Tom Hanks, although rumour says British thespian Mark Rylance steals the show. |
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| THE RUSSIAN WOODPECKER (Chad Gracia) This Sundance winner documentary sounds rather like a paranoia-soaked thriller about the mysteries surrounding the Chernobyl area as discovered by a young Ukrainian artist who lived the tragedy at an early age. Finding a massive radio antenna near the nuclear plant will unveil compromising details on the war between Russia and Ukraine and put his security at risk. |
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| MY SKINNY SISTER (Sanna Lenken) One of the hidden gems in this year’s LFF programme was this moving Swedish drama exploring the consequences of a teen girl’s eating disorder, seen from the point of view of her adoring younger sister. An assured debut that’s been warmly received everywhere it has been shown and boasts a terrific central performance by 11 year old Rebecka Josephson, granddaughter of one of Ingmar Bergman’s regular actors, Erland Josephson. |
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| THE FEAR OF 13 (David Sington) Another hailed piece of work from this year’s excellent LFF programme, this experimental documentary told through a part confession, part performance monologue deals with a convicted murderer asking in court to be executed. The examination of the motives behind his petition reveals a much deeper reality. |
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| THE HUNGER GAMES: MOCKINGJAY, PART 2 (Francis Lawrence) Setting class warfare in a dystopian future, the best young adult saga film adaptation to date comes to a long-awaited (and delayed) conclusion. Even this forty-something man, way outside the age range of its target audience, can't wait to see how the star-studded trilogy ends. |
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| BLACK MASS (Scott Cooper) Solid, well crafted, if unspectacular addition to the gangster movie canon, seemingly conceived as a vehicle for Johnny Depp to put his career back on track. Depp makes the most of this opportunity, looking like a lightweight version of Ray Liotta on his James “Whitey” Bulger impersonation, but it’s the excellent cast, particularly Joel Edgerton, what elevates this biopic from average fare. |
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| THE LADY IN THE VAN (Nicholas Hytner) Or the Maggie Smith show, capitalizing on her growing Downtown Abbey-fueled popularity. Alan Bennett adapts his own play in what’s been hailed as a role with strong Oscar potential, another highlight to add to the incombustible Dame's remarkable CV. |
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| LOVE (Gaspar Noé) / BFI LOVE SEASON (Various) November comes filled with Love as the latest from Argentinean provocateur Gaspar Noé arrives. Dismissed as pornography by a vast majority of critics, it's set however to ignite ardent arguments among arthouse cinemagoers. For lovers of more conventional propositions the BFI continues its blockbuster Love season with a nicely curated programme featuring such diverse classics as Brief Encounter; True Romance or Doctor Zhivago. |