Every week, I list all the upcoming (or recently released) movies, TV shows, albums, podcasts, etc. that I believe are worth checking out.
Movies
–Dream Scenario (Theaters)
–It’s a Wonderful Knife (Theaters)
–The Marvels (Theaters)
TV
–The Curse Series Premiere (November 12 on Showtimes, Premieres Early November on Paramount+ with Showtime)
–Whose Line is it Anyway? Season Premiere (November 14 on The CW) – Although according to Wikipedia, this is actually a continuation of the season that began in the spring.
–Ghosts UK American Premiere (November 16 on CBS) – The inspiration for the American version, now on the same channel.
Music
-Cat Power, Cat Power Sings Dylan: The 1966 Royal Albert Hall Concert
-Cold War Kids, Cold War Kids
-PinkPantheress, Heaven Knows
-Chris Stapleton, Higher
Free your Lance, and the rest will follow! (CREDIT: Relativity Media/Screenshot)
Starring: John Cena, Alison Brie, Juan Pablo Raba, Alice Eve, Marton Csokas, Christian Slater, Molly McCann
Director: Pierre Morel
Running Time: 109 Minutes
Rating: R
Release Date: October 27, 2023 (Theaters)
As I write this review, Freelance is currently luxuriating with a 0% Tomatometer on Rotten Tomatoes. So I went into this frivolous little action comedy with that benchmark (or lack thereof) in mind. And now that I’ve emerged, my ultimate verdict is: it’s not that historically bad. Rather, it’s just a mere trifle. And since I’m in a speculative mood, it probably wouldn’t have remained at zero if more than 25 critics had bothered to review it.
Anyway, the main reason I went to see it was of course because Alison Brie is second-billed. She plays a journalist angling for a Pulitzer who’s recently been brought low by scandal. There are a few scenes of her having to get by on some random celebrity schmoozefest, and I kinda think there should have been more of that. Alison’s really good at elevating characters in low-culture situations who shouldn’t be underestimated, after all.
Every week, I list all the upcoming (or recently released) movies, TV shows, albums, podcasts, etc. that I believe are worth checking out.
Movies
–Priscilla (Opened in Limited Theaters October 27, Expands Wide November 3)
–What Happens Later (Theaters) – Ryan and Duchovny.
TV
-Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony (November 3 on Disney+)
–Colin From Accounts American Premiere (November 9 on Paramount+) – I enjoy Harriet Dyer.
Music
-Semisonic, Little Bit of Sun
-The Struts, Pretty Vicious
Sports
-New York City Marathon (November 5 on ESPN2 and ABC7 Locally)
They keep making new movies, and some of them are even worth watching. Here’s what’s at the top of the slate for November 2023:
Dream Scenario: Nicolas Cage plays a guy who keeps inexplicably appearing in other people’s dreams. And yes, there is Freddy Krueger-based imagery in the trailer.
The Dream Scenario is that it will arrive in theaters on November 10.
Starring: Michael Fassbender, Arliss Howard, Charles Parnell, Kerry O’Malley, Sala Baker, Sophie Charlotte, Tilda Swinton
Director: David Fincher
Running Time: 118 Minutes
Rating: R
Release Date: October 27, 2023 (Theaters)/November 10, 2023 (Netflix)
Sometimes an earworm gets stuck in my head for eternity, and a certain word will henceforth always trigger it without fail. So whenever I hear about a professional life-taker, I can’t help but be transported back to a high school dance routine that included a section set to the Ying Yang Twins’ “Shake,” specifically, its repeated lyric of “This one’s a killa.”
This is all just a windup to asking: could David Fincer directing Michael Fassbender in The Killer live up to my persistent memories of the Ying Yang Twins? Only about 18 years or so will tell for sure, but in the meantime it didn’t quite hit me square in the chest. It moved along nicely enough and got to where it needed to go, but I didn’t really feel like I was getting unforgettably poked memorably until Tilda showed up.
Every week, I list all the upcoming (or recently released) movies, TV shows, albums, podcasts, etc. that I believe are worth checking out.
Movies
–Five Nights at Freddy’s (Theaters and Peacock)
–Freelance (Theaters) – Alison Brie Alert!
–The Holdovers (Theaters)
–The Killer (Limited Theaters, Netflix on November 10) – Da Finchman!
TV
–South Park: Joining the Panderverse (October 27 on Paramount+)
Music
-Black Pumas, Chronicles of a Diamond
-DJ Shadow, Action Adventure
-Duran Duran, Danse Macabre
-The Gaslight Anthem, History Books
-The Kills, God Games
-King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard, The Silver Cord
-Shabazz Palaces, Robed in Rareness
Sports
-World Series (Begins October 27 on FOX) – D-Bags vs. The Rangos
5, 5, Freddy’s coming for you (CREDIT: Patti Perret/Universal Pictures)
Starring: Josh Hutcherson, Elizabeth Lail, Piper Rubio, Matthew Lillard, Mary Stuart Masterson, Kat Conner Sterling, Christian Stokes, Joseph Poliquin, Lucas Grant
Director: Emma Tammi
Running Time: 109 Minutes
Rating: PG-13 for Slicing and Dicing
Release Date: October 27, 2023 (Theaters and Peacock)
What’s It About?: Ever since his younger brother was kidnapped when they were kids, Mike Schmidt has been irrevocably haunted to the point that he can’t hold down a job without his barely hidden anger bubbling up to the surface. With his spotty employment record, the only gig that he can find is overnight security at the long-closed children’s entertainment center Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza. He pretty much has to accept it, especially since he’s the legal guardian of his sister Abby (Piper Rubio), and neither of them wants him to give up custody to their awful Aunt Jane (Mary Stuart Masterson). But there are strange things afoot at Freddy’s: a police officer named Vanessa (Elizabeth Lail) randomly arrives to show Mike the ropes, the career counselor who got him the job (Matthew Lillard) sure seems to be hiding something, and oh yeah, the place’s signature animatronic animals apparently come alive on their own.
What Made an Impression?: Showing Their Hand:Five Nights at Freddy’s is based on a series of video games that is just filled to the brim with lore and backstory that’s only hinted at in the actual gameplay. I’m no FNaF expert, though I’ve done some research, so I came in with suspicions about which characters had more going on than initially meets the eye. But even if you’re a total newbie, it shouldn’t be hard to have some sense of what’s going on. Vanessa’s police work seems to exclusively revolve around Freddy’s, and the career counselor is both spooked and excited when he realizes who his new client is. Not to mention that Lillard’s performance is pretty much a redux of his career-making turn as Scream‘s sniveling Stu Macher. So it’s no spoiler to say that these two probably have some idea about why dead bodies keep piling up. Despite that lack of surprise, the explanation is sufficiently twisted to feel the gut punch. How Supernatural Is It?!: The truth about Freddy and his fellow robot animals is both prosaic and ghastly. The logical side provides the skeletal structure for the story to rest upon, while the supernatural elements are ultimately the main attraction, and how you cotton to them will most likely determine how much you do or don’t appreciate this movie. Every night, Mike dreams about the day his brother was abducted, as his subconscious begins to be invaded by a group of kids who might just be the youngsters who disappeared decades ago at Freddy’s. We never get a full explanation of these supernatural processes, and that’s certainly not necessarily, as a hallmark of the supernatural is that it exists beyond logic. But if those aspects aren’t viscerally grabbing you by the collar, you might feel compelled to let your mind wander to figure out their origins instead, and that was pretty much how it went for me. However, if you’ve been permanently scarred by childhood trips to Chuck E. Cheese (Freddy’s obvious inspiration), then maybe FNaF is exactly the sort of exposure therapy you need to resolve your trauma.
Five Nights at Freddy’s is Recommended If You Like: Whatever the love child of The Shining and Goosebumps would be
Starring: Paul Giamatti, Dominic Sessa, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Carrie Preston, Andrew Garman, Naheem Garcia, Michael Provost, Brady Hepner, Jim Kaplan, Ian Dolley, Gillian Vigman, Tate Donovan
Director: Alexander Payne
Running Time: 133 Minutes
Rating: R for Cranky Curmudgeonliness and Teenage Boys Being Teenage Boys
Release Date: October 27, 2023 (Theaters)
What’s It About?: Merry Christmas! Why, it’s still merely October, you say? Well, having the holidays thrusted upon you a couple months early is surely a more bearable fate than that borne by Barton Academy prep school student Angus Tully (Dominic Sessa) and his hidebound history teacher Paul Hunham (Paul Giamatti) in the early 1970s. Angus is stuck at school over the winter break because his mom (Gillian Vigman) and stepdad (Tate Donovan) are too busy jet-setting, while Paul pulls the short end of the faculty stick as the guardian for all the kids who don’t have anywhere else to go. This is a formula that’s promising an explosive clash of strong personalities, but maybe head of the cafeteria Mary (Da’Vine Joy Randolph) can help to extinguish the eruptions.
What Made an Impression?: Not-So-Hidden Layers: If you’re 18 or younger, then Mr. Hunham will probably strike you as an absolute nightmare. I’m pretty sure everyone had at least one teacher who was so soul-crushingly set in his ways. But older viewers will likely be more willing to extend him if not affection, then certainly understanding. Right from the jump, he reveals that he’s more complicated than the stodgy traditionalist he’s presented as, and obviously a character played by Paul Giamatti and directed by Alexander Payne was always going to be plenty three-dimensional. The specifics of those dimensions mainly have to do with his frustration that’s directed at a world that appears to be falling apart as well as all the young, privileged kids who are blissfully unaware of their inoculation against all that. Kindred Spirits: When Angus and Paul’s antagonism eventually begins to soften into something resembling mentorship, it’s because of that time-honored tradition of seeing themselves in each other. As it turns out, they’ve both been handicapped by some pretty bum deals in life, and they go about their days with simmering anger shaping pretty much every one of their actions. They’re the kind of people who secretly shoulder burdens all by themselves, only to generate a ton of sympathy when the truths are uncovered. They go through quite a rocky start, but it’s ultimately a blessing that they’ve found each other. A True Three-Hander: I can imagine a version of The Holdovers that features just Angus and Paul as its only two characters, and that version probably would have been pretty satisfying. But the version we actually get is even more so, thanks to the straight-shooting performance of Da’Vine Joy Randolph. Mary is notably more emotionally open than everyone around her, which allows her to serve as the enzyme to get Paul to open up, at least a little bit. There’s a sweet early scene in which he joins her while she’s watching The Newlywed Game. He’s never watched it before, so he pinpoints the premise as a recipe for disaster, which she assures him is exactly the point. And ultimately this movie demonstrates that being open to even small new experiences like this one can start nudging us towards exactly where we need to go.
The Holdovers is Recommended If You Like: Rushmore, Armageddon Time, The Way Way Back
TV
–Big Mouth Season 7 (October 20 on Netflix)
–Son of a Critch Season 2 American Premiere (October 26 on The CW) – And Season 1 just wrapped up its CW run a few years ago!
Music
-blink-182, One More Time…
-Sampha, Lahai
-The Rolling Stones, Hackney Diamonds
Jmunney's Blog 