Fall-holiday Movie Preview: November
Our picks for November’s must-see movies
The Twilight Saga: New Moon (pictured above)
Stop screaming already! Okay, now that we can hear ourselves think...we’re wondering to what lengths we’d go to get — and keep — a role in a teen franchise like Twilight. Canadian Rachelle Lefevre plays vampire Victoria in the series’ first two films, Twilight and New Moon, but will be replaced by Bryce Dallas Howard in the third film, Eclipse, because of scheduling conflicts. At least, that’s the reason the studio gives.
On the other hand, there were reports the producers were quietly wondering whether little Taylor Lautner should be replaced for New Moon since his character, Jacob Black, goes through a huge physical transformation in order to become leader of the werewolves. Lautner responded by gaining 30 pounds of muscle, and kept the role.
And upping Lautner’s hunkiness factor was of particular importance since New Moon sees him supplant gloomy Robert Pattinson as the franchise’s leading man. When Pattinson’s tousle-haired vampire Edward Cullen takes off, thinking his absence is the only way to keep his beloved Bella (Kristen Stewart) safe, it leaves the door open for Black to move in on his girl.
Release date: November 20
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Jim Carrey in A Christmas Carol
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A Christmas Carol (3D)
With so many versions of A Christmas Carol already clogging
up the season, how do you make a new one that won’t get lost? Animate
the sucker using motion-capture technology (still freaky, in our
opinion), make it 3D and cast Jim Carrey not only as tightwad
Ebenezer Scrooge, but as several other characters, including those
creepy ghosts of Christmas past, present and yet to come.
Release date: November 6
The Box
A stranger (Frank Langella) presents a box to an unhappily married couple (Cameron Diaz and James Marsden) and tells them if they push a button on the box they’ll become rich, but by doing so a stranger will die.
Release date: November 6
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The Men Who Stare at Goats
If we told you there’s a top-secret arm of the American military developing mind-control techniques — like being able to kill a goat just by staring at it — would you believe us? More importantly, would you go see George Clooney play one such psychic officer, and Ewan McGregor play the reporter tracking him on a mission to find the program’s founder (Jeff Bridges)? Thought so.
Release date: November 6
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John Cusack in 2012
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2012
If you saw the trailer for this end-of-the-world thriller and thought, “Hey, didn’t this movie used to be called
The Day After Tomorrow?” you’re right. Sort of. Director Roland Emmerich
dusts off the heaving-ocean and crumbling-terrain effects that were the
highlights of his otherwise disappointing 2004 environment-gone-haywire
flick for this blockbuster about the year 2012, which the ancient
Mayans predicted would be our last. Tall, dark and cute John Cusack
replaces tall, dark and cute Jake Gyllenhaal as the
protagonist/possible saviour.
Release date: November 13
Fantastic Mr. Fox
Who could attract the likes of Meryl Streep, George Clooney and Bill Murray to an animated movie about a thieving fox? That would be Wes Anderson, director of such quirky fare as The Royal Tenenbaums, Rushmore and Bottle Rocket. We can’t wait to see how he applies his off-kilter eye to this stop-motion adaptation of Roald Dahl’s story about three unpleasant farmers trying to stop a wily fox from stealing their food.
Release date: November 20
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Planet 51
We’re still trying to decide whether this animated feature about an astronaut (voiced by Dwayne Johnson) who lands on a faraway planet and discovers little green creatures living exactly as we do here on Earth (complete with white picket fences, tea parties and the English language) supports evolution or creationism.
Release date: November 20
The Blind Side
Sandra Bullock takes a break from rom-coms to play Leigh Anne Touhy, who, along with her husband Sean (Tim McGraw) adopts an African-American kid from a broken home, then watches as that kid, Michael Oher (Quinton Aaron), goes on to become an All-American offensive left tackle for the University of Mississippi’s football team, and is chosen by the Baltimore Ravens in the first round of the 2009 NFL Draft. Based on a true story.
Release date: November 20
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John Travolta (left) and Robin Williams in
Old Dogs
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Old Dogs
When Dan’s (Robin Williams) ex-wife (Kelly Preston) tells him he has seven-year-old twins he didn’t know about, he enlists the help of his friend Charlie (John Travolta) to care for the kids.
Release date: November 25
Nine
Not to be confused with 9 (the animated sci-fi that came out in September), Nine is a musical adapted from a Broadway production that was, itself, inspired by Italian director Federico Fellini’s semi-
autobiographical film 8½. Daniel Day Lewis plays Fellini surrogate director Guido Contini who’s surrounded by women — including his wife (Marion Cotillard) and mistress (Penélope Cruz) — as he struggles to complete a film. Rob Marshall (Chicago) directs based on a screenplay by the late Anthony Minghella.
Release date: November 25
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Special Events on the Big Screen
WWE-Pay-Per-View
Survivor Series
Sun., Nov. 22, 8 p.m. ET
The Metropolitan Opera
Turandot (Puccini)
Live: Sat., Nov.7, 1 p.m. ET
Aida (Verdi)
Encore: Sat., Nov. 21, 1 p.m. ET