Oscar-bait season is well underway in 2021. November has a bit of everything. New MCU content, cowboys, Gucci and Kristen Stewart. Here is your guide to deciphering which new releases are worth checking out. Honorable mentions go out to The Beta Test and King Richard.
The Harder They Fall (Nov. 3)
The western genre is alive and well. The Harder They Fall‘s main selling point will be its staggering outlaw ensemble, led by the likes of Regina King and Idris Elba, however it feels like an error to simply point those two out. Jonathan Majors, Delroy Lindo, Zazie Beets and Lakeith Stanfield are also featured on Jeymes Samuel’s directorial feature debut. The trailer makes the film look like a live-action recreation of Red Dead Redemption 2, which is basically another way of saying it looks like it’ll be a good time. The Harder They Fall is currently in limited release and will be available on Netflix on November 3.
Eternals (Nov. 5)
The MCU runs it back once again, this time with a new array of faces in front of and behind the camera. Academy Award-winning director Chloé Zhao is what keeps Eternals on this list. Her latest film about a band of cosmic heroes not named the Avengers and the role they played on shaping mankind has received mixed reviews thus far from critics, but this usually means audiences will enjoy it. Zhao looks to bring the humanity that is within all of her previous work while balancing the weight that comes with directing one of these blockbusters. I’m already tired of the IKEA bit. Eternals will be in theaters on November 5.
Spencer (Nov. 5)
The partnership between Kristen Stewart and Spencer director Pablo Larraín seems like a perfect match. Stewart is one of the finest thespians working today, and Larraín has already directed a biopic about another famous woman caught in the web of crisis and politics in the Natalie Portman-led Jackie. Stewart stars as Diana Spencer, Princess of Wales, and the struggle she endured while living under the surveillance of the Royal Family and the gross intrusion of the paparazzi. The film looks gorgeous, and Stewart looks like she’s giving the best performance of her career. Catch this one in theaters on November 5.
The Power of the Dog (Nov. 17)
Did I mention westerns were doing well? Here’s another for you but of a different shade. Based on the 1967 novel of the same name, Benedict Cumberbatch stars as an enigmatic rancher who terrorizes his brother’s new wife (Kirsten Dunst) and her son (Kodi Smit-McPhee). Jesse Plemons and Thomasin McKenzie also star in this drama where tension reigns over the land. The Power of the Dog will see a limited run in theaters on November 17 before going to Netflix on December 1.
C’mon C’mon (Nov. 19)
A24 steps into the ring with this black-and-white drama about a radio journalist (Joaquin Phoenix) connecting with his young nephew (Woody Norman) as they both try to comprehend the endless emotions that come with being alive. One already having lived a life of them, the other experiencing them for the first time. Mike Mills’s films often have big, beating hearts to them (see Beginners) and this looks to be no different. Catch it in theaters on November 19.
Encanto (Nov. 24)
Disney‘s newest animated film, Encanto, tells the story of the Madrigals, who live in a magical town in the mountains of Columbia. Latinx-centered films have seen somewhat of an uptick in Hollywood (The Book of Life, In the Heights and Coco to name a few notable ones) yet they are still the least represented demographic in the entertainment industry both on and off the screen, according to the recent Hollywood Diversity Report. Even the directors of this film, Byron Howard and Jared Bush, are not Latino. This is in spite of the aforementioned films and other minority-led projects (see Shang-Chi) that have received both critical and financial success. It’s almost like they should make more of these. See Encanto in theaters starting on November 24.
House of Gucci (Nov. 24)
The film that’s been making the most noise on the timeline of late. Ridley Scott’s adaptation of the 2001 novel The House of Gucci: A Sensational Story of Murder, Madness, Glamour, and Greed by Sara Gay Forden tells the story of Patrizia Reggiani (Lady Gaga) and her role in the murder of her ex-husband Maurizio Gucci (Adam Driver). Another ensemble piece, the two actors are joined by heavyweights Al Pacino, Jeremy Irons and Selma Hayek. Jared Leto also has a lot of makeup on. See House of Gucci in theaters on November 24.
