The 8 Movies to See in the Month of November

Posted by Neil Miller (neil@filmschoolrejects.com) on November 4, 2008

This past weekend we slipped into the month of November. And while the month begins with the fury of election season, it will undoubtedly finish with the start of the holiday movie season. And in order to help you navigate through the entire month’s worth of films, we’ve broken them down into simple categories and picked out the ones that you shouldn’t miss. It is a new feature that we like to call the Monthly Movie Guide. Check out our list of selections below, listed in chronological order.

The Comedy Pick:

Role Models (November 7)

For those looking for this film — a movie about two losers who become big brothers to a pair of trouble youngsters — to be a family comedy, think again. This one is just as raunchy, but as heartwarming as any of the Judd Apatow movies of the past three or four years. Paul Rudd turns in a top-notch comedic performance and the two young stars — Superbad’s Christoper Mintz-Plasse and newcomer Bobb’e J. Thompson — also deliver the laughs in a comedy that while formulaic and somewhat unoriginal, it is still plenty of fun. Especially if you enjoy some good boob humor and a good KISS-related moment. And yes, we are talking about KISS the rock group here.

The Thriller Pick:

Repo! The Genetic Opera (November 7)

Our own Adam Sweeney had a chance to catch this one a few months back at Fantastic Fest in Austin, and from his report we can gather that this is one of those flicks that could find a very big following. It is a horror rock opera about a futuristic world where humanity has become obsessed with plastic surgery. And sure, it has Paris Hilton in it, but that is an irrelevant point. The film has a kickin’ soundtrack and all kinds of limbs and body parts flying everywhere. It might not be the right medicine for the ailing horror fan, especially after a lackluster October, but this is November — what are we really expecting in the way of genre films? Repo! looks like the blood thirsty’s best chance to get some thrills as we steamroll toward Thanksgiving.

The Editor’s Must See Movie of the Month:

Quantum of Solace (November 14)

Toward the end of November there are a few movies that are vying for our attention, including a big time book adaptation with a crazy N*Sync-like following. But when it comes down to it, we cannot ignore a film franchise that has been successfully thrilling us with action and glamor for over 40 years. James Bond is a character in a class by himself — the man that every action-loving, warm-blooded male would love to be. And in Quantum of Solace, we see Bond at his most badass in his most intense film to date. Sure, some fans of Casino Royale will be searching for some plot development and poking holes here and there, but this movie is a visceral experience — one that taps into that part of our brain that loves to see stuff get blown up. That, and its James Bond — do we really need more of a reason than that?

The Indie Pick:

Slumdog Millionaire (November 14)

28 Days Later and Trainspotting director Danny Boyle’s latest film is getting all sorts of positive buzz — buzz that is pushing toward a potential date with a golden statue in February. And in this light year of Oscar-worthy films, our recommendation is that you see anything that is getting good buzz. It will certainly come in handy later. And this film, the story of an impoverished Indian teen who sets out to win the Hindu version of “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?” in order to win over the love of his close friend, is going to be one of those important must-see movies of Oscar season 2008.

The Family Pick:

Bolt (November 21)

This one really comes down to the November animation war between Disney and Dreamworks. In Dreamworks’ corner is Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa, a sequel to a film that was just okay to begin with. And in Disney’s corner comes an original CG-animated tale of a TV star dog who thinks he has some wicked superpowers. It also has the headline power of Miley Cyrus, who lends her voice to one of the main characters — and don’t think Disney isn’t advertising like crazy to try and capitalize on that. And speaking of marketing, it doesn’t appear that either of these movies have really been giving the big push beyond the traditional spots on Nickelodeon and the Disney Channel, so unless you’ve got kids you probably aren’t even aware of either. But then again, this is the family pick, so go see Bolt.

The Fanboy Fangirl Pick:

Twilight (November 21)

This one goes out to all the fangirls out there who have suffered through years of Star Trek, Star Wars and Lord of the Rings — this one is all yours. And while I know that the header on this category is supposed to be for fanboys, there is no denying that this winter’s biggest film for fankids anywhere is Twilight. The best the rest of us can hope to do is to get out of the way on opening weekend and let Team Edward, Team Jacob and all the rest of the members of the Twi-universe through. As I said back when the Miley Cyrus movie came out, if you don’t desperately need to see this film for your own reasons and if you aren’t trying to mack on a TwiMILF, then you might want to wait a few weeks after it opens. At least then the echoes of screaming teenagers will have dissipated.

The Action Junkie Pick:

Transporter 3 (November 28)

Upon taking in a second viewing of RocknRolla this past weekend — because hey, I really liked that flick and as we’ve explored previously, my mom’s a big Gerard Butler fan — I caught the trailer for Transporter 3, in which Jason Statham returns to the role of fast-driving, ass-kicking bag man Frank Martin. Oddly enough, it was my Gerry Butler-loving mom who leaned over and said, “Another one of these movies? He is just going to make these movies forever, isn’t he?” She makes a good point. Statham may very well make Transporter movies forever. But who cares, they are always fun and entertaining. Why shouldn’t he be able to cash in by kicking trash cans and motorcycle helmets across the room in order to knock out a bad guy? I, for one, will go see Transporter no matter what number is attached to it.

The Date Night Pick:

Australia (November 28)

Sure, if you are dating a 15-year old then you might be looking at Twilight for your date movie fix. But if you are an adult who is looking to take out another consenting adult, I would suggest something a little bit more mature potentially a little bit more sexy. At least, assuming Baz Luhrmann gets it done on time, Australia appears to be a very sexy, epic war-time love story between two beautiful people — Hugh Jackman and Nicole Kidman. Also, it should have a few big bombing scenes that could provide moments of action and destruction, so it is likely to be both fun and titillating. Our only hope is that it won’t feel like it’s six and a half hours long, otherwise you might have to take that semi-fugly girl who is willing to get naughty during the film instead of the girl who makes you wait until afterward.

That’s our November Movie Guide, be sure to check back in the first week of December when we run down the best of each category for the Month of December!

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