Weekend Watch - November 2024 Recap

                Welcome back to the Weekend Watch where each week we take a look at a new piece of film or television media and give it a rating, review, and recommendation. This week, we’ve come to the end of another month and will be recapping the best new films released in the US in the month of November. As always, they’ll be categorized (Long Shots, Possible Things, and Sure Things) according to their likelihood of making it to this year’s twenty-five best films once it’s all said and done in March. November brought us the best offerings of the year so far, complete with strong animation entries, great blockbusters, some of the year’s biggest awards contenders, and even some decent indie films. Let’s get into it.

Long Shots:

Blitz: One of the most anticipated films of the year was Steve McQueen and Apple’s World War II anthology film about Londoners living through the German air assault. Now that it’s out, we know that it doesn’t quite live up to the hype, overextending itself by telling too many stories for any single one to connect impactfully with the audience. It’s still technically solid, and McQueen is a great filmmaker, so it still bears mentioning.

Emilia Pérez: Another of the much-anticipated films with awards potential that dropped this month, Jacques Audiard’s musical about a Mexican crime lord whose decision to live as a trans woman opens the potential for a new life finally landed on Netflix this month to a slew of mixed reviews. Early festival success hasn’t translated fully to the wider audience, and while it’ll still probably make waves with its strong performances, the content doesn’t ever hit hard enough to be a real deal come awards season.

The Piano Lesson: Netflix’s forays into the awards world this year seem particularly cursed with Malcolm Washington’s adaptation of August Wilson’s play landing with the weakest reception for an adaptation of the acclaimed playwright’s works so far. The performances look to still be making this a film worth watching, but it’s not the heavy hitter that Ma Rainey’s and Fences were.

Heretic: The Hugh Grant-led horror film about a Mormon mission gone wrong seems to have struck the right notes for a horror film. Unfortunately for it, there’s already been a slew of higher brow horror films to fill the year’s conversation about good horror. Even a strong turn from Grant as the villain might not break it into the final conversation.

Christmas Eve in Miller’s Point: One of the month’s early holiday films, this big family Christmas film about a teen trying to find her place in town and her family has starkly divided critics and fans. Critics love the film for its twisting of holiday tropes while audiences seem less than convinced. Check it out for yourself to see which side you come down on.

Gladiator II: Ridley Scott’s best film since The Martian (2015) sadly lacks the heart of its predecessor. Strong action and a solid Denzel performance elevate the film, but they can’t fully distract from the fact that it’s a less emotionally driven rehash of the 2000 Best Picture winner.

Joy: A Netflix film that has flown considerably under the radar this month is their film about the first “test tube baby”. Thomasin McKenzie, James Norton, and Bill Nighy form the trio of leads that have made this film a middling success with those who have seen it. Though it probably won’t make the biggest of waves, it should still find an audience with those who’ve enjoyed Netflix’s slew of films based on true stories over the past ten years.

Queer: Luca Guadagnino’s second film of the year and second collaboration with writer Justin Kuritzkes (Challengers and the “Potion Seller” YouTube video) hasn’t had quite the same level of crowd-pleasing success as their first collab. Everyone seems to agree that Daniel Craig gives the best performance of his career, but the film itself is a bit too out there and odd for people to have fully embraced it.

Possible Things:

Juror #2: Yet another “final” film from nonagenarian filmmaker Clint Eastwood had its limited theatrical release this month. The legal thriller about a juror who discovers an unexpected connection in his own life to the trial on which he serves seems to be the best film the director has put out in some time. Minimal support from WB Discovery and a slew of other excellent films this year will probably keep it outside of the conversation at the end of the day, but it sounds like a solid film for fans of the director.

A Real Pain: Jesse Eisenberg’s most acclaimed writing/directing outing landed this month in the form of his collaboration with Kieran Culkin (Succession) in their film about cousins who attend a Holocaust tour of Poland after the death of their grandmother. Culkin’s performance seems to be the standout, but the film also has legitimate shots at getting into the conversation for screenplay, lead actor, and picture.

Small Things Like These: Cillian Murphy is back at his indie work after his Oscar win last year, and his film about a man uncovering the secrets of his local convent has those who have seen it raving. It’s not the highest profile release of the month, but it’s certainly one of the most interesting for those tired of the underperforming awards hopefuls of 2024.

All We Imagine as Light: Payal Kapadia’s Indian romantic drama has long been considered one of the best international films this year, and it continues to hit the right notes with those who see it. Unfortunately, it’ll need to continue to rely on audience and critic love because politics have kept India from submitting it as their pick for Best International Feature, much like RRR before it.

The Seed of the Sacred Fig: While it initially looked to be running a distant second to Emilia Pérez for International Feature, the reviews of the film that got Mohammad Rasoulof exiled from his home nation of Iran remain incredibly strong, surging it to the front of the pack thanks to Germany’s decision to submit it for their nation. If you can find the film about a father struggling to hold his family together in Iran amidst external and internal unrest, it’s definitely worth checking out.

Sure Things:

Look Back: The anime film adaptation of the writer of Chainsaw Man’s more personal manga about two friends who syndicate a manga together in their adolescence before drifting apart in their post-school lives landed after a limited theatrical release this month on Amazon. It is fantastic, if a bit short, and everyone who has seen it tends to agree that it’s an all-timer, even if it gets zero love from any of the awards bodies.

Flow: The wordless Latvian animated film about a cat’s adventure after being displaced by a flood is currently one of the frontrunners to receive a nomination for Best Animated Feature this year. Between its unique and beautiful animation and fun concept that should impact the whole family, it’s easy to see why it stands here.

Wicked: Jon M. Chu’s film adaptation of the iconic musical’s first act arrived with incredible success this month, winning its first weekend at the box office, launching its stars into awards conversations, and thrilling audiences and critics alike. Expect to be hearing about this one for a while even beyond awards season, especially as fans begin to anticipate its second part next November.