Last month, I looked at my Letterboxd and realized that I had three months to make up a lot of movie watching for the year. I’ve been making a concerted effort to catch up on everything I missed earlier in the year, and in November, I managed to watch two dozen films, many of which will likely be on my year-end best of list. Let’s get to it – and in chronological order, too.
- What Happens Later – a disappointing return to romcoms for Meg Ryan
- The Marvels – a largely underrated entry into the Superhero stratosphere. A fun one!
- The Disappearance of Shere Hite – warning: watching will piss you off. In a good way.
- May December – Moore and Portman are stunning in Hayne’s twist on a scandal you think you know. Full Review
- Fingernails – a Lanthimos accolyte goes mainstream (ish?) in a bittersweet (and painful!) love story.
- Maestro – Bradley Cooper makes good movies. Really good. Full Review
- Take Care of Maya – a quick, and moving, Netflix watch about more ways our healthcare system is messed up.
- Napoleon – uneven and ill-informed, Ridley Scott just likes playing war.
- Elemental – Pixar world-building and tugging at heartstrings, yet again.
- A Haunting in Venice – Kenneth Brannagh does Hercule Poirot, this time in Italy.
- Raging Grace – coming soon, a sharp, thrilling indie from a promising filmmaker.
- Wonka – so, so, so wonderful. Can’t wait to share more about this gem.
- Saltburn – Emerald Fennell may not be breaking any new ground her, but she sure makes it look good.
- Bottoms – a fun and funny comedy for today’s teens, their American Pie.
- Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part One – did you know Tom Cruise does all his own stunts?
- Every Body – I will watch any documentary Julie Cohen makes.
- The Mission – an infuriating lesson in the ego and self-centeredness fostered by Evangelicals.
- Freud’s Last Session – Hopkins and Goode spar as two great thinkers of the last century, to great effect.
- The Zone of Interest – easily the most tense and upsetting film I’ve seen in recent memory. And stunning.
- The Holdovers – Payne gets nostalgic in a retro, yet universal, holiday drama.
- A Good Person – surprisingly moving for a Braff joint.
- Asteroid City – Wes Anderson at his best. Quirky and insightful, and a joy to look at, of course.
- Pain Hustlers – though fictional, it’s easy to see where this one is going. And it’s a fun ride.
- How to Blow Up A Pipeline – young activists try to prove a point, but it mostly backfires.
Hard to choose a best watch of this month, but it would be between Wonka, Maestro and Saltburn, I think. Least favorite goes to How to Blow Up a Pipeline or What Happens Later, both films I wouldn’t recommend to anyone I’m fond of. By the end of November, I’m at 192 films watched in 2023 and well on my way to exceeding my goal of 200.
