Movies in November
A select few
The month of November; a month like no other (well not really but the choice is entirely mine no?). As I write this, I’m listening to Gasoline by Halsey from her BADLANDS album and it just feels so trippy and fits in perfectly with my picture of Dr. Strange above.
That is not why you are here is it?
You’re here to discover the movies I am looking forward to seeing next month. There are a number of movies being released in the month of November but I am really only really interested in two. Maybe three. I’ll talk about the third one before I end this (maybe).
Dr. Strange (Marvel Studios)
The first obviously is Dr. Strange from the Marvel Studios factory and I have not looked forward to a Marvel movie like this since the The Avengers hit the cinemas back in 2012.
Growing up, I didn’t really read much of Dr. Strange and would only hear about him much later when he was referenced by another character. I can’t even remember where, when or by whom and at this point it really doesn’t matter. Over time though, I read a couple pages of comics that he featured in and I was able to understand a bit of who he is.
Dr. Steven Strange is an arrogant egomaniac who believes in himself and his abilities. One day however, he is involved in an accident that destroys his hands and in trying to find some way to heal himself, he comes in contact with forces that he never knew existed and discovers that he has the power to save the world from the unimaginable as Sorcerer Supreme.
I saw this story in a cartoon once and being a lover of fantasy and magic, his character blew me away. I liked the fact that magic in this world had no evil consequences and could be used for good or bad. It was simply dependent on the individual using said powers. I never for even an instant believed that it would ever be made into a movie much less be so highly anticipated (even if only by Marvel fans). Let’s face it though, there was a time when no one would really have taken such a movie seriously and would have looked on dubiously to watch if it would fail or be a success.
It speaks to the efforts of Kevin Feige and the others that support him. Being a true lover of these characters, he has poured his heart and soul into creating this universe and while the efforts aren’t always without their flaws, it (the movies and the studio) has become such a force to be reckoned with that even such a little known character as Dr. Strange has heavy potential.
Then by the time you really take a close look as what is being done with the movie, you have to be impressed! I mean trailers can deceive yes, but one look at the Dr. Strange trailer and the first impression is “woaw, this sure does look a lot like Inception but damn it looks cool.” Now we only have to wonder what Marvel has up their sleeves with this one.
The second thing that makes us (okay me) take this movie seriously are those involved. First off when I heard that Benedict Cumberbatch was involved, I couldn’t believe it. This is a man who picks movies that truly speak to him and in each one I have seen, he is always a force to be reckoned with. Whether it’s as the voice of Smaug in The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug or as Sherlock Holmes in Sherlock. He is such a serious character actor that as soon as I heard he was cast, all doubt went out the window. His resume speaks for itself.
Yes I know this may be a bit presumptive, but if you can mention a movie that he was in which wasn’t lauded by critics, I would love to know it. Truly I would. Aside from him, we also have Chiwetel Ejiofor; another actor that knows his chops. Isn’t amazing how the best English actors are being snatched up to play Marvel characters? Honorary mention to Tilda Swinton and Mads Mikkelsen (of Hannibal fame).
I know the visuals will be insane, I know the acting will be top notch and I know the soundtrack will be everything I want it to be. What I am hoping for, is that at the end of the day, this movie ends up being one of the best movies of the year and one of the best of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Here’s the trailer below for those who are yet to see it:
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (Warner Brothers)
It feels so good to be back here again after all these years! The last Harry Potter movie; Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows pt2 was released in 2011 to critical and financial acclaim. For ten years, we had watched The Boy Who Lived grown up to vanquish He Who Must Not Be Named.
It wasn’t always smooth sailing, but with visionary directors like Christopher Columbus, Alfonso Cuarón and David Yates at the helm, the franchise started and ended on a really high note and we have been craving for more.
Finally we get our wish!
The feature film is based on the book by J.K. Rowling under the pseudonym of Newt Scamander. It’s such a neat trick used here. I tried finding a High Definition version of the original book cover but I couldn’t get it so this will have to do. I have the e-book and it such a delight to read as she makes the book appear to be one in the custody of Harry Potter and friends so it is filled with notes, jokes and little things that make this book such a delight to read and have.
The book tells the reader about various creatures in the Wizarding World; where they live, how to treat them, take care of them and the like. Now while the book is pretty short and one might say there isn’t much to be used for a screenplay here, J.K. shows her talents once more as she wrote the screenplay for the movie.
Now of course a Google search will tell you all of this, but what gets me so excited to be back here is the fact that David Yates returns as director once more and will be the only director within the Harry Potter verse to direct more than one movie. He got better as he went along and by his last movie, it was so near perfect that Deathly Hallows pt2 is by far my best Harry Potter movie.
Not only is Yates returning, we also have Eddie Redmayne playing the title character of Newt Scamander and if you have seen him in Theory of Everything and The Danish Girl, you know that he is a really good actor who knows how to play subtle characters that have a lot of depth and I look forward to seeing him play a wizard.
We also have Colin Firth in his first appearance in the Wizarding World and I’m excited to see how it all turns out.
I have stayed away from all stories and articles concerning this film because I want to go into it absolutely fresh and I want to be surprised. Harry Potter is very dear to me and I believe that this will not disappoint. So fingers crossed that J.K. Rowling, Eddie Redmayne, Colin Firth, David Yates and the rest of the crew deliver on the expectations that fans have.
Fingers crossed very tightly!
Honorary mention to Moana ( Walt Disney Animation Studios) and Hacksaw Ridge by Mel Gibson. I think he is a visionary director and I look forward to his first film in over a decade.
