Sophia Michaels
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November is traditionally when things cool down outside but heat up when it comes to movies and television and 2022 is no exception.
On the TV front, the month sees the return of some old favorites like Apple TV+’s Mythic Quest and Netflix’s The Crown and some intriguing new shows, including a big movie star’s first venture into the medium. Meanwhile, theaters are starting to fill up with awards-season movies, including new efforts by Steven Spielberg, Luca Guadagnino, and an auteur known for big gestures. We’ll start there.
Bardo, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths (Theaters, November 4)
Alejandro González Iñárritu doesn’t go small no matter how intimate the story he’s telling. The latest from the director of Birdman and The Revenant concerns Silverio (Daniel Giménez Cacho), a Mexican journalist who returns to his homeland after spending years away in Los Angeles and finds himself in the middle of an identity crisis. Running 174 minutes it’s reportedly as visually ambitious as any film in the Iñárritu filmography. (Bardo will also be hitting Netflix next month.)
Weird: The Al Yankovic Story (Roku, November 4)
Could our premier song parodist tell his life story without making a joke of it? Probably, but why would he? This biopic, starring Daniel Radcliffe as Yankovic, both recounts Yankovic’s origins and sends up the conventions of the musical biopic via a story spanning several decades and a lot of changes in the world of music. Watch for free on your Roku TV.
Good Night Oppy (Theaters, November 4 / Prime Video, November 23)
In 2004 the robotic rover Opportunity landed on Mars for a mission intended to last 90 days. Instead it stayed active for over 14 years. Directed by Ryan White (Ask Dr. Ruth), this well-liked documentary covers the unexpectedly long adventures of the rover and what Oppy meant to those who followed its every move. Watch with 30-day free trial to Amazon Prime here.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (Theaters, November 11)
The death of Chadwick Boseman threw plans for a Black Panther sequel into chaos, forcing writer/director Ryan Coogler to throw out the film he planned to make. Fittingly, this follow-up makes the loss of T’Challa central to its story as Wakanda struggles to move forward after the death of their beloved leader. See tickets and showtimes here.
The Fabelmans (Theaters, November 11)
Steven Spielberg’s latest delves into the director’s own origins via the story of a movie-mad kid (played at different ages by Mateo Zoryon Francis-DeFord and Gabrel LaBelle) coming of age in post-War America as the bonds between his parents (Michelle Williams and Paul Dano) start to fray.
Is That Black Enough For You?!? (Netflix, November 11)
With some help from Harry Belafonte, Whoopi Goldberg, Samuel L. Jackson, Glynn Turman, Billy Dee Williams and others critic Elvis Mitchell dives deep into the Black filmmaking, and Black representation, in the 1970s in this decade-spanning documentary. Watch on Netflix here.
My Father’s Dragon (Netflix, November 11)
The latest from Ireland’s Cartoon Saloon studio, the animators behind Wolfwalkers, The Secret of Kells and other acclaimed films, adapts a classic 1948 fantasy novel from Ruth Stiles Gannett. Jacob Tremblay voices Elmer Elevator, a boy who forms an unusual relationship with a dragon named Boris (Galen Matarazzo). Watch on Netflix here.
The Son (Theaters, November 11)
Playwright Florian Zeller made his directorial debut a couple of years ago with The Father, a remarkable film adapted from one of Zeller’s plays and built around an Oscar-winning Anthony Hopkins. For his follow-up Zeller turned to a theatrical companion piece, this one about a father (Hugh Jackman) attempting to care for a teenage son (Zen McGrath) after the son leaves the home of his mother (Laura Dern).
Tulsa King (Paramount+, November 13)
Sylvester Stallone makes his starring TV debut in a series co-created by Taylor Sheridan (Yellowstone) and Terrence Winter (Boardwalk Empire). None of that core crew is a stranger to tales of crime and tough guys and the series looks to play into those skills. Stallone stars as Dwight “The General” Manfredi, a mafia boss whose reward after serving 25 years in prison isn’t as plum as he’d hoped: he’s charged with expanding the organization’s criminal empire into Tulsa. With with free trial to Paramount+ here.
Related: How to Watch Yellowstone Online Free
1899 (Netflix, November 17)
German creators Jantje Friese and Baran bo Odar’s previous TV collaboration, Dark, became a sleeper hit in part because of its intriguing mysteries. So it makes sense that they’d keep the details of this follow-up under wraps. Here’s what we know: it concerns immigrants on a steamship coming to America — or at least attempting to. The rest will have to wait. Watch on Netflix here.
Fleishman is in Trouble (Hulu, November 17)
Journalist Taffy Brodesser-Akner broke into fiction in a big way with this 2019 novel about a doctor attempting to care for his kids — and confront what happened to his marriage — after his ex-wife disappears. Jesse Eisenberg, Claire Danes, and Lizzy Caplan lead the cast of this miniseries adaptation. Watch with a free trial to Hulu here.
A Christmas Story Christmas (HBO Max, November 17)
Set in the 1970s this (kind of confusingly titled) sequel to the beloved 1983 film A Christmas Story finds Peter Billingsley reprising his role as Ralphie. Now a grown-up with a wife (Erinn Hayes) and kids of his own, Ralphie returns home after the death of his father. Julie Haggerty takes over for Melinda Dillon as Ralphie’s mom, but much of the kid cast has returned to reprise their roles. Watch on HBO Max here.
She Said (Theaters, November 18)
Based on the book inspired by the New York Times investigation that helped bring down Harvey Weinstein, this new drama stars Carey Mulligan and Zoe Kazan as, respectively, Megan Twohey and Jodi Kantor, a pair of journalists who take on the difficult task of getting Weinstein’s victims to talk about his sexual misconduct. Maria Schrader directs.
The Menu (Theaters, November 18)
Scripted by Succession writers Seth Reiss and Will Tracy and directed by Mark Mylod (Game of Thrones) this new dark comedy stars Ralph Fiennes as an acclaimed chef preparing a dinner for an exclusive clientele. There’s more to the meal than he lets on, however. The star-filled supporting cast includes Anya Taylor-Joy, Nicholas Hoult, and Hong Chau.
Disenchanted (Disney+, November 18)
Disenchanted revisits the world of Disney’s 2007 hit Enchanted as Giselle (Amy Adams), the cartoon princess pushed into the real world in the original film, attempts to settle down in the suburbs with her beloved, Robert (Patrick Dempsey). James Marsden and Idina Menzel also return, joined by Maya Rudolph and Yvette Nichole Brown. Watch on Disney+ here.
Elton John: Live Farewell from Dodger Stadium (Disney+, November 20)
If it seems like Elton John’s farewell tour has lasted forever, there’s a reason: John played its first shows in 2018 and it’s still in progress, with dates scheduled through 2013. This L.A. performance is, however, being billed as his final North American appearance and will almost certainly be a show to remember. Watch on Disney+ here.
Welcome to Chippendales (Hulu, November 22)
Delving into the dark (and not widely known) story behind the venerable Chippendales striptease troupe, this miniseries created by Robert Siegel (Pam & Tommy) stars Kumail Nanjiani as Chippendales founder Somen “Steve” Banerjee, an immigrant whose American success story takes a decidedly dark turn. Watch with a free trial to Hulu here.
Bones and All (Theaters, November 23)
The two Luca Guadagnino films leading up to this one focused on love (Call Me by Your Name) and horror (Suspiria). His latest would seem to have touches of both, following a pair of fine young cannibals Timothée Chalamet and Taylor Russell) as they make their way across Eighties America.
Devotion (Theaters, November 23)
There aren’t that many films about the Korean War but that doesn’t mean it didn’t produce stories worth telling. Directed by J.D. Dillard, this fact-based film recounts the partnership between Jesse Brown (Jonathan Majors) and Tom Hudner (Glen Powell), airmen whose successful partnership defied some of the prejudices of the era.
Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (November 23)
A refreshing throwback to star-packed whodunnits, Rian Johnson’s 2019 film Knives Out introduced the world to gentleman sleuth Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig). This sequel drops him into a new environment — a luxurious Greek island — and a new cast of suspicious characters played by Edward Norton, Janelle Monáe, and far too many co-stars to list here. (The film will also appear on Netflix in December.)
Strange World (November 23)
As its title suggests, the latest animated feature from Disney draws inspiration from classic science fiction pulp stories, following a family of explorers (and one reluctant misfit who’d rather stay home voiced by Jake Gyllenhaal) as they explore the mysterious land of Avalonia.
Wednesday (Netflix, November 23)
Created by Tim Burton and the Smallville team of Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, this new family puts the focus on a single member of the Addams Family, namely Wednesday (Jenna Ortega), who tries to solve a mystery while attending Nevermore Academy. But fret not, Fester fans: the rest of the family — played by Luis Guzmán, Catherine Zeta-Jones, and Fred Armisen and others — all make appearances too. Watch on Netflix here.
SHAQ (HBO Max, 11/23)
Of course the life of Shaquille O’Neal would be too big to squeeze into a single film. This four-part documentary series tells O’Neal’s story from his humble beginnings to the heights of superstardom and beyond, mixing interviews with O’Neal with conversations with Dwayne Wade, O’Neal’s mother Lucille, Jerry West, and more. Watch on HBO Max here.
White Noise (Theaters, November 25)
Noah Baumbach goes full-Eighties with this adaptation of Don DeLillo’s darkly funny 1985 classic about a professor of “Hitler Studies” (Adam Driver) who’s forced to take action when an airborne toxic event threatens his family. Greta Gerwig, Adré Benjamin, and Don Cheadle round out the cast. (Like Bardo, this will also be making its way to Netflix in December.)
The Kingdom Exodus (MUBI, November 27)
Released in 1994 and 1997, the first two installments of Lars Von Trier’s The Kingdom took television to strange new places via the story of a haunted hospital and those who walked its hallways (living and dead). The Kingdom II left a lot of unanswered questions that seemed like they’d remain that way but with The Kingdom Exodus Von Trier has revived the series for a final, sure to be disturbing third season. Watch with a free trial to MUBI here.
