Graphic by Atticus Ball
From a new “Godzilla” film to a fresh “Hunger Games” bloodbath, November is stacked with promising films. Be sure to catch these in theaters before the holidays keep you busy.
Godzilla Minus Zero
I’ve loved “Godzilla” all my life. Each addition to the franchise is as important as my birthday or Christmas. There’s no present better than watching a giant radioactive lizard smash cities.
For that reason, “Godzilla Minus Zero” is one of my most anticipated films this year.
The story takes place in 1949 Japan, two years after Godzilla’s rampage and presumed death in the previous film, “Godzilla Minus One.” As the nation starts to rebuild and former fighter pilot Koichi, the protagonist of both movies, recovers from his Godzilla-induced PTSD, a new threat emerges.
King Ghidorah, a giant three-headed dragon, attacks Japan, forcing the vulnerable nation to scramble for a response. Amidst the madness, Koichi and the newly created Large Scale Disaster Response Bureau try to create a weapon powerful enough to repel the giant beast.
However, Godzilla reappears, bigger and meaner than before, leaving the two monsters to clash for dominance with Japan caught in the middle.
With Takashi Yamazaki returning as writer, director and visual effects supervisor after his smashing success with “Godzilla Minus One,” I have no doubt the film will be just as excellent as the first.
It’s the first Godzilla movie to be rated R. As such, the film is expected to be violent. “Godzilla Minus One” was already darker than most entries in the franchise, so I’m excited to see where Yamazaki takes the big G next.
Wild Horse Nine
If you’re captivated by the saturated colors, over-the-top costume design and general funkiness of films set in the 1970s, “Wild Horse Nine” will be a treat.
The movie follows two CIA agents, Chris, played by John Malkovich, and Lee, played by Sam Rockwell, who are sent on a mission to Easter Island shortly before the 1973 Chilean coup.
The mission is a last hurrah for Chris, who is old, dying of cancer and regretful for the violence and espionage he’s done with the CIA. The pair is sent on a simple operation to distract Chris from leaking government secrets until he croaks — possibly by Lee’s hand.
However, Chris and Lee’s mundane mission gets derailed after the former befriends a pair of rebellious students. Suddenly, both agents’ past demons start catching up to them.
“Wild Horse Nine” is marketed as a blend of dark comedy and political drama, which seems to be a specialty of Oscar-winning writer and director Martin McDonagh.
With the unique Easter Island setting, star-studded cast and enticingly beautiful trailers, “Wild Horse Nine” will certainly have my butt in a theater.
I Play Rocky
When I went to Philadelphia a few years back, one of the first things I did was the Rocky Balboa run up the Philadelphia Museum of Art Steps.
The fact the classic film inspired me to mimic the run shows how successful it was in conveying themes of triumph and perseverance. With that said, the fight to get the movie off the ground was fiercer than the intense bout between Rocky Balboa and Apollo Creed.
“I Play Rocky” shows the tumultuous story behind “Rocky” and its writer and star, Sylvester Stallone’s, rise to fame. Anthony Ippolito plays the mid 1970s Stallone, when he’s flat broke and struggling to break into the acting world. When he gets fed up with rejections, he writes “Rocky” and pitches it to studios on one condition: he plays the lead.
The studio begrudgingly accepts but puts immense pressure on Stallone and the production team, expecting him to fail.
Like his character, however, Stallone didn’t back down. “I Play Rocky” shows how he pushed the film to its celebrated release.
The story behind “Rocky” is a fascinating bit of cinema history, and I’m glad it’s being told on the big screen. The trailers prove Ippolito as the perfect pick for a young Stallone. With only a dash of prosthetics, he looks shockingly similar to him. He also excellently impersonates the actor’s slurred speech and thick New York accent.
Hopefully his performance and the biopic live up to the beauty of the real story when “I Play Rocky” hits theaters on Nov. 20.
The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping
Ever since I first read “The Hunger Games” at the much too young age of 9, I was hooked on the series. Like many fans, I read the original trilogy, watched the movies and developed a small crush on Jennifer Lawrence.
So when I heard “The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping” was releasing on Nov. 20, I was ready to volunteer my money as tribute.
This prequel follows Haymitch Abernathy, Katniss Everdeen’s mentor from the original movie. 25 years before he guides Everdeen to victory, he is chosen to compete in the extra grandiose 50th Hunger Games and must fight to survive.
“Sunrise on the Reaping” looks to be as intense and emotional as the franchise’s other battle royales, despite fans knowing who survives.
The film also has a stacked cast. Joseph Zada stars as Abernathy, and “Sunrise on the Reaping” also includes Ralph Fiennes, Maya Hawke, Glenn Close, Jesse Plemons and Elle Fanning, among other A-list actors.
With the 50th Hunger Games having double the tributes and big names attached, “Sunrise on the Reaping” should be an exceptionally dramatic and thrilling entry into the franchise.
Given how popular the “Hunger Games” franchise is, you might struggle to get a ticket to this film’s opening weekend. May the odds be ever in your favor!
The Further Mis-Adventures of Cliff Booth
David Fincher and Quentin Tarantino are two Hollywood titans I’d never expect to team up. Fincher’s seriousness, no-nonsense directing and Tarantino’s bombastic, chaotic and somewhat freaky scripts seem like polar opposites.
That said, their first film together shows surprising promise, with a raunchy ride through 1970s Hollywood with “The Further Mis-Adventures of Cliff Booth.” Written by Tarantino and directed by Fincher, the film is a sequel to 2019’s “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” and picks up eight years later from the prequel in 1977.
The titular protagonist has moved on from his days as a Hollywood stuntman and works odd jobs as a fixer for the entertainment industry’s biggest names.
Booth’s latest job is to deliver a briefcase of cash for television star Charlie Peters and cover up a nasty plot that threatens the actor’s career. He gets pulled into a web of betrayals, extortion and violence as the mission grows increasingly complicated, with gangsters gunning for the cash.
Along Booth’s tear through Hollywood, he runs into the colorful characters in Peters’ inner circle, including his wife, Toni, played by Carla Gugino, and football-champ-turned-actor Hot Rod Harrison, played by Yahya Abdul-Mateen II.
The film is delightfully chaotic and high-octane like many of Tarantino’s other films. Combined with Fincher’s rock-solid directing, this movie will be nothing short of spectacular.
“The Further Mis-Adventures of Cliff Booth” hits theaters Nov. 25 on a two-week, IMAX-only run before it drops on Netflix Dec. 23. Don’t miss out on seeing what Booth gets up to in his latest outing, especially when it’s produced by some of Hollywood’s top talent.
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