1. Interstellar (November 5) - Speaking of the best of all worlds, Christopher Nolan is just that. He makes movies that are massive, epic, action-packed, and spectacular. And he makes movies that are incredibly artful, thematically rich, and narratively intricate. He reinvented the superhero genre, has delivered some of the finest plot twists in movie history, and has moved me to tears of awe at the power of his filmmaking and his dedication to practical special effects in a time dominated by CGI (looking at you, spinning hallway scene in Inception). Any movie from Nolan is cause for frenzied anticipation, especially when it appears to draw heavily from Kubrick and Spielberg, is packed with a jaw-dropping cast, and features beautiful, otherworldly visuals. I've already got my ticket to see Interstellar in 70mm IMAX, as Nolan surely wants audiences to see it' his dedication to film is another reason to champion the director, and to drool over the prospect of going along on his latest journey.
2. The Theory of Everything (November 7) - I'm a sucker for a good romance, and the trailer for James Marsh's adaptation of Jane Hawking's memoir promises just that. The film looks at the early days of Stephen and Jane's romance while at university, and the way their relatioship changes and adapts as Hawking is diagnosed with a life-changing disease that leaves his incredible mind untouched. Eddie Redmayne has been on the rise in recent years, with a truly breakout performance in Les Miserables, and this one looks to launch him into new levels of fame and acclaim, and rightfully so. Just as enticing is Felicity Jones as Jane; she gave one of the best performances of the decade so far in Like Crazy a few years back, and hasn't gotten much work worthy of her talent since. I think that will change with The Theory of Everything.
3. Foxcatcher (November 14) - Waiting is hard, and with movies, we do a lot of waiting. In the case of Marvel movies, we wait, like, decades, what with the fanboy demand for far-off release date announcements. But even with something like Foxcatcher, it can be hard to remain patient. The third film from the superb Bennett Miller, who has yet to release a bad movie. In fact, both of his previous films - Capote and Moneyball - went on the numerous Oscar nominations, including Best Picture. Foxcatcher looks to be his best, and most challenging, film yet, with an unrecognizable Steve Carrell as a coach who takes an intense interest in two brothers who are wrestlers (Mark Ruffalo and Channing Tatum). Since the film premiered at Cannes in May, it has gotten plenty of great buzz, praising the performances and how pitch dark the film gets. Carrell has proven himself a talented dramatic actor on occasion before, but this should be a turning point for the comedic powerhouse's career, and he deserves it.
4. Big Hero 6 (November 7) - It's no secret that I love Disney, and their recent animated output has been phenomenal, rivaling even the golden string of releases that bridged the eighties and nineties, often thought of as the Disney Renaissance. In recent years, the studio has alternated more traditional princess-driven musical fairy tales with more generically daring output, such as Bolt and the gamers' fever dream Wreck-It Ralph. Big Hero 6 is an especially exciting entry into this latter camp because it's the first Marvel movie releasing from Disney's animation house, and it looks like it's a total blast, with a vivid comic book world come to colorful life, and a hilarious-looking cast of characters, including the already-fan-favorite baymax, whose comedic relief role and simple white design have already made him this year's Olaf. Action, humor, and heart will hopefully be served up in equal measure. It's Disney, so I'd be surprised if that wasn't the case.
5. The Imitation Game (November 28) - Benedict Cumberbatch has earned serious nerd cred with his roles in Sherlock, The Hobbit, and Star Trek Into Darkness (ok, maybe we're divided on that last one), but he hasn't quite caught on as a serious film actor, despite doing some great work in not-necessarily-great movies like The Fifth Estate and August: Osage County. The Imitation Game ought to change that, especially if Harvey Weinstein has his say, as he often does. It'll be the studio's awards juggernaut this season, and many predictors already (prematurely) have it pegged as the Oscar frontrunner, thanks to its strong cast, impotant historical source material, and its queer element, which is one the reasons I'm most looking forward to the movie. It's been a banner year for queer film, and hopefully The Imitation Game will lift that banner a little bit higher. Cumberbatch has drawn raves for his performance as Alan Turing, the closeted genius tasked with breaking the Enigma Code during WWII. Keira Knightley, who is having rather an impressive year, costars as Turing's partner and confidante (and not-love-interest). Should it sweep the season like The King's Speech a few years ago, let's hope it's worthier of the crown than its Weinstein Company predecessor.Other Notable Releases: National Gallery (November 5), The Way He Looks (November 7), 21 Years: Richard Linklater (November 7), Actress (November 7), Rosewater (November 14), Beyond the Lights (November 14), The Homesman (November 14), Dumb and Dumber To (November 14), The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part I (November 21), A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night (November 21), The King and the Mockingbird (November 21), Monk With a Camera (November 21), Horrible Bosses 2 (November 26), The Babadook (November 26), Escobar: Paradise Lost (November 26), Once Upon a Time Veronica (November 28)
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