Sentimental Value and Train Dreams: The Most Anticipated Movies in November

Features

Nov 5

September to November is traditionally considered the important film season, as films that have premiered at various international film festivals are typically released during these months, positioning them as frontrunners for the major awards ceremonies in the following year.

Predator: Badlands, Canadian Release Date: November 7

The film is directed by Dan Trachtenberg, known for 10 Cloverfield Lane and his previous two Predator projects, Prey and the animated Predator: Killer of Killers. Elle Fanning (Maleficent series) stars as at least two andriods in the film, Thia and Tessa. The story takes place in the future on a remote planet, where a young Predator, outcast from his clan, finds an unlikely ally in Thia (Fanning) and embarks on a treacherous journey in search of the ultimate adversary. Previous Predator films were told from the human perspective, detailing how mankind coped with the Predator's hunt. This new installment is doing the opposite: it tells the story from a Predator's point of view, detailing the experience of the Predator being hunted. This new direction would necessitate the introduction of many new species of alien predators.

The Predator franchise has seen six films and two Alien crossover movies, Alien vs. Predator, whose plots haven't typically been deeply interconnected. However, the ending of the previous film, Predator: Killer of Killers, revealed that Predators were abducting warriors from different times and locations, including Naru (Amber Midthunder), the protagonist of Prey. After the San Diego Comic Con this July, an extended cut of the film was released and it included cameos of the main characters from the first two Predator films, Dutch Schaefer (Arnold Schwarzenegger) and Mike Harrigan (Danny Glover).We might see more connections to previous entries in Predator: Badlands.

The Predator's Perspective! Final Trailer and Poster Revealed for Predator: Badlands!

Frankenstein, Streaming on Netflix on November 7

Written and directed by the acclaimed Guillermo del Toro, whose works include the Oscar-winning animated film Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio and the Oscar-winning The Shape of Water, this adaptation of the classic sci-fi novel focuses on a brilliant but egotistical scientist who brings a creature to life in a monstrous experiment that ultimately leads to the undoing of both the creator and his tragic creation. The film had its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival two months ago and received good reviews. I also watched the movie at the Toronto International Film Festival last month and felt the overall quality was average.

The film boasts an impressive cast:

Golden Globe Award winner Oscar Isaac (Show Me a Hero) as Victor Frankenstein
Jacob Elordi (Euphoria) as Frankenstein's Monster
Mia Goth (Suspiria) as Elizabeth Lavenza, fiancée of Frankenstein's brother

Other key cast members include Two-time Academy Awards winner Christoph Waltz (Inglourious Basterds, Django Unchained), Felix Kammerer (All Quiet on the Western Front), Lars Mikkelsen (House of Cards), David Bradley (Argus Filch from the Harry Potter film series), and Charles Dance (Game of Thrones). Del Toro's frequent collaborators, cinematographer Dan Laustsen and Oscar-winning composer Alexandre Desplat (The Shape of Water), are also rejoining the director for this project.

[TIFF Review] The Smashing Machine, Frankenstein, Scarlet, Ballad of a Small Player, Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery

Jacob Elordi Unrecognizable as the Creature in New Frankenstein Trailer

Die My Love, Canadian Release Date: November 7

Directed by Lynne Ramsay (You Were Never Really Here), a Cannes Best Screenplay winner, this film's screenplay was written by Ramsay, Enda Walsh, and Alice Birch (Normal People). It stars Academy Award winner Jennifer Lawrence (Silver Linings Playbook), Robert Pattinson (The Batman), LaKeith Stanfield (Judas and the Black Messiah), Academy Award winner Sissy Spacek (Coal Miner's Daughter), and Golden Globe winner Nick Nolte (The Prince of Tides). The film had its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival a few months ago and received good reviews.

The film follows Grace (Lawrence) and her partner Jackson (Pattinson), who have recently moved into an old house deep in the country. With ambitions to write The Great American Novel, Grace settles into her new environment, and the couple welcome a baby soon after. However, with Jackson frequently – and suspiciously – absent, and the pressures of domestic life starting to weigh on her, Grace begins to unravel, leaving a path of destruction in her wake.

Sentimental Value, Canadian Release Date: November 14

Directed by Joachim Trier, the director of The Worst Person in the World, this film won the Grand Prix, the second-highest award, at this year's Cannes Film Festival and is considered a strong Oscar contender. The cast includes Renate Reinsve (The Worst Person in the World), Golden Globe winner Stellan Skarsgård (Chernobyl), Elle Fanning (the Maleficent franchise), and Cory Michael Smith (Saturday Night). The film won the Grand Prix, the second-highest award, at this year's Cannes Film Festival and is considered a strong contender for next year's Oscars.

A man who’s always prioritized his work, Gustav Borg (Stellan Skarsgård) is long estranged from his daughters Nora (Renate Reinsve), a gifted stage actress, and the more grounded Agnes (Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas), now immersed in family life years after performing in one of her father’s most revered movies. He finds a surprising source of support after a Hollywood star, Rachel Kemp (Elle Fanning) discovers his films at a festival retrospective. As preparation for Gustav’s new movie begins with Rachel in the role that Nora had rejected, the uniquely personal nature of his script — based on a tragedy that took place in the house that remains central to the Borgs’ lives — draws the family members together again in ways they could not predict.

[TIFF Review] Sirāt, The Fence, It Was Just an Accident, Sentimental Value

The Running Man, Canadian Release Date: November 14

The film is directed by Edgar Wright (Baby Driver) and co-written by him and Michael Bacall, who also co-wrote Wright's previous film Scott Pilgrim vs. the World. While Wright's early films were primarily comedies, his recent work showcases a growing versatility. He successfully ventured into the crime-comedy genre with the acclaimed Baby Driver and explored horror with Last Night in Soho. This new take on The Running Man appears to be his largest-scale and most mainstream project to date. The novel was previously adapted into a 1987 film starring Arnold Schwarzenegger. This new adaptation will star Glen Powell (Top Gun: Maverick) in the lead role. Other cast members include William H. Macy (Room), Lee Pace (Foundation), Emilia Jones (CODA), Michael Cera (Scott Pilgrim vs. the World), Daniel Ezra, Emmy winner Sean Hayes (Will & Grace), Jayme Lawson (Sinners), Colman Domingo (Sing Sing), and Marvel villain Thanos actor Josh Brolin.

In a near-future society, The Running Man is the top-rated show on television—a deadly competition where contestants, known as Runners, must survive 30 days while being hunted by professional assassins, with every move broadcast to a bloodthirsty public and each day bringing a greater cash reward. Desperate to save his sick daughter, working-class Ben Richards (Glen Powell) is convinced by the show’s charming but ruthless producer, Dan Killian (Josh Brolin), to enter the game as a last resort. But Ben’s defiance, instincts, and grit turn him into an unexpected fan favorite—and a threat to the entire system. As ratings skyrocket, so does the danger, and Ben must outwit not just the Hunters, but a nation addicted to watching him fall.

Keeper, Canadian Release Date: November 14

The film is directed by Osgood Perkins (Longlegs, The Monkey), making it his third collaboration with Neon in the span of a year and a half. The Monkey's production was forced to delay due to the Hollywood strikes in 2023. As a result, the director sought out a cast and crew who were unaffected by the strikes, including a group of Canadian writers and actors, to create this horror film. This included the two leads: Tatiana Maslany (She-Hulk: Attorney at Law) and Rossif Sutherland (Orphan: First Kill).

Train Dreams, Streaming on Netflix on November 21

Directed by Clint Bentley, the writer of Sing Sing, who co-wrote the script with the director of Sing Sing, Greg Kwedar. Based on the novel of the same name by Denis Johnson, the film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival this past January to great reviews. It stars two-time AACTA Award winner for Best Supporting Actor Joel Edgerton (Animal Kingdom, The King), Felicity Jones (The Brutalist), Clifton Collins Jr. (Westworld), BAFTA winner Kerry Condon (The Banshees of Inisherin), and William H. Macy (Room).

Orphaned at a young age, Robert Grainier (Joel Edgerton) grows into adulthood among the towering forests of the Pacific Northwest, where he helps expand the nation’s railroad empire alongside men as unforgettable as the landscapes they inhabit. After a tender courtship, he marries Gladys (Felicity Jones) and they build a home together, though his work often takes him far from her and their young daughter. When his life takes an unexpected turn, Robert finds beauty, brutality and newfound meaning for the forests and trees he has felled.

Wicked: For Good, Canadian Release Date: November 21

The first part of Wicked premiered last November to good reviews, winning Oscars for Best Costume Design and Best Production Design, as well as a Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Director. It also ranked fifth globally last year with over $750 million at the box office. This second chapter was filmed concurrently with the first, with the same cast and crew, suggesting a similar level of quality. It remains to be seen if it can achieve similar success.

Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo), now demonized as The Wicked Witch of the West, lives in exile, hidden within the Ozian forest while continuing her fight for the freedom of Oz’s silenced Animals and desperately trying to expose the truth she knows about The Wizard (Jeff Goldblum). Glinda, meanwhile, has become the glamorous symbol of Goodness for all of Oz, living at the palace in Emerald City and reveling in the perks of fame and popularity. Under the instruction of Madame Morrible (Oscar® winner Michelle Yeoh), Glinda is deployed to serve as an effervescent comfort to Oz, reassuring the masses that all is well under the rule of The Wizard. As Glinda’s stardom expands and she prepares to marry Prince Fiyero (Olivier award winner and Emmy and SAG nominee Jonathan Bailey) in a spectacular Ozian wedding, she is haunted by her separation from Elphaba. She attempts to broker a conciliation between Elphaba and The Wizard, but those efforts will fail, driving Elphaba and Glinda only further apart. The aftershocks will transform Boq (Tony nominee Ethan Slater) and Fiyero forever, and threaten the safety of Elphaba’s sister, Nessarose (Marissa Bode), when a girl from Kansas comes crashing into all their lives. As an angry mob rises against the Wicked Witch, Glinda and Elphaba will need to come together one final time. With their singular friendship now the fulcrum of their futures, they will need to truly see each other, with honesty and empathy, if they are to change themselves, and all of Oz, for good.

Zootopia 2, Canadian Release Date: November 26

The film is directed by Jared Bush and Byron Howard (Encanto), with Bush also contributing to the screenplay. In addition to the returning cast from the first film, Oscar winner Ke Huy Quan (Everything Everywhere All at Once) will voice Gary the snake, who is pursued by the two protagonists. Colombian singer Shakira, Fortune Feimster (The Mindy Project), Emmy winner Quinta Brunson (Abbott Elementary), and Jean Reno (Da 5 Bloods) will voice Gazelle the gazelle singer, Nibbles the beaver, Dr. Fuzzby the quokka, and Bushron the goat police officer, respectively. Michael Giacchino, the Oscar-winning composer for Up, will also return to score the sequel.

After cracking the biggest case in Zootopia’s history, rookie cops Judy Hopps (voice of Ginnifer Goodwin) and Nick Wilde (voice of Jason Bateman) find their partnership isn’t as solid as they thought when Chief Bogo (voice of Idris Elba) orders them to join the Partners in Crisis counseling program. But it doesn’t take long for their partnership to be put to the ultimate test when they find themselves on the twisting trail of a mystery tied to the arrival of a venomous snake in the animal metropolis.

Nine Years Later: Disney Drops Final Trailer for Zootopia 2

If you are interested in upcoming movies to be released in Canada, please visit the Movie Release Schedule page on this website!

Photo and Source: 20th Century Studios, Netflix, MUBI, Elevation Pictures, Paramount Pictures, Universal Pictures, Walt Disney Studios

Predator: BadlandsFrankensteinDie My LoveSentimental ValueThe Running ManKeeperTrain DreamsWicked: For GoodZootopia 2

Edison Lau