The BBC has published a selection of 12 films to watch in cinemas and on streaming services in November, chosen by critic Nicholas Barber. The list spans a Tarantino-scripted spin-off directed by David Fincher, a new Hunger Games prequel, and an awards-tipped Andrew Scott performance, according to the BBC.
Barber's round-up also takes in a Disney animated feature, a new Meet the Parents sequel and a festival favourite written, directed by and starring Jordan Firstman.
Why it matters
The November slate mixes established franchises with original material and prestige drama, a combination studios will be watching closely. The BBC notes that Disney's recent animated output has leaned on sequels and prequels, making its new film a test of appetite for fresh stories. Meanwhile, legacy sequels to 2000s comedies are under scrutiny after the box-office success of The Devil Wears Prada 2 earlier this year, the BBC reports.
Tarantino's script, Fincher's direction
The Further Mis-Adventures of Cliff Booth centres on the easygoing stuntman Brad Pitt played in Quentin Tarantino's Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019), a role that earned Pitt a best supporting actor Oscar. According to the BBC, Tarantino enjoyed the character enough to write him a comedy-thriller spin-off, and David Fincher, known for Fight Club and The Social Network, directs.
The BBC points out that this is the first film written by Tarantino and helmed by another director since From Dusk Till Dawn in 1996. Set in 1977, the story places Booth in the business of fixing Hollywood's problems, with clients including a talent agent played by Elizabeth Debicki and a television actor played by Scott Caan, both tangled up with gangsters. The film's official synopsis, quoted by the BBC, describes it as a crime story in place of a fairytale — a blend of violence, ambition and desire rooted in Los Angeles.
A prequel to the prequel
The Hunger Games series returns with Sunrise on the Reaping, which the BBC describes as a sequel to 2023's The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. The new film is set four decades after that story and 24 years before Katniss Everdeen's time, the BBC reports.
Joseph Zada plays a younger version of the character Woody Harrelson portrayed in the original films, while Ralph Fiennes takes on President Snow, a role previously played by Donald Sutherland. The BBC lists further younger incarnations: Jesse Plemons as Philip Seymour Hoffman's character, Kieran Culkin as Stanley Tucci's and Elle Fanning as Elizabeth Banks's. The BBC notes that the timeline may confuse newcomers but will be clear to readers of Suzanne Collins's novels.
Elsinore and a real-life Hamlet
Elsinore dramatises events from 1989, when Daniel Day-Lewis left a National Theatre production of Hamlet in London under pressure, ending his stage career, according to the BBC. His replacement was Ian Charleson, who had appeared in the Oscar-winning Chariots of Fire. The BBC reports that Charleson had Aids, then a fatal condition, and was set on playing the most demanding stage role before his death.
Andrew Scott plays Charleson, with Olivia Colman as his doctor and Billie Piper as his closest friend. Simon Stone directs from a screenplay by Stephen Beresford. The BBC quotes The Standard's Nick Howells calling it a performance of a lifetime, and says Scott is likely to receive an Oscar nomination. The film opens on 20 November in the US, 25 November in France and 29 January in the UK and Ireland.
Club Kid, Hexed and the Fockers
Club Kid comes from Jordan Firstman, the comedian known for playing Charlie in HBO's I Love LA. The BBC reports he wrote, directed and stars in the film, which holds a 100% score on Rotten Tomatoes and has been a festival favourite. Firstman plays Peter, a gay club promoter in New York who stages the city's most extravagant parties with his business partner Sophie, played by Cara Delevingne. After ten years of the lifestyle, Peter meets Arlo, the ten-year-old British son he did not know existed, played by Reggie Absolom. The BBC quotes Screen Daily's Wendy Ide describing it as a crowd-pleasing triumph and a sharp, funny portrait of New York's hedonistic gay scene that celebrates empathy, community and a father's love for his son. It opens on 4 November in France, 6 November in the US and 13 November in Canada.
Disney's Hexed follows Billie, a suburban teenager voiced by Hailee Steinfeld who learns she was born with magical powers and is pulled through a portal into a realm of witches and enchanted creatures. The BBC reports that Jodie Foster, Tracey Ullman, Stephen Fry and Dan Stevens lend their voices. An animated adaptation of Dr Seuss's The Cat in the Hat also reaches cinemas on 5 November, according to the BBC.
Sixteen years after the third Meet the Parents film, Ben Stiller and Robert De Niro return as Greg Focker and his father-in-law Jack, the BBC reports. Owen Wilson, Blythe Danner and Teri Polo also reprise their roles, though the BBC notes there is no sign of Barbra Streisand or Dustin Hoffman, who played Greg's parents in the previous two films. New additions include Beanie Feldstein and Skyler Gisondo as Greg and Pam's children, and Ariana Grande as their son's fiancée. This time, the BBC reports, Jack embraces the newcomer while Greg harbours doubts.
The BBC's round-up also recalls how Sylvester Stallone, then an aspiring actor in the 1970s, wrote the screenplay for Rocky in three and a half days to create his own dream role, though studio executives initially saw it as a vehicle for another star.
What to watch
Release dates vary by territory, so viewers should check local listings. Awards season attention will likely centre on Scott's performance in Elsinore when it reaches UK and Irish cinemas in late January.
