A motley mix of movies will hit the big screen this month, varying from much-awaited sequels to a front-running film for the Best Picture Oscar.
“12 Years a Slave,” which received rave reviews from its screenings at film festivals in New York City, Toronto, Canada, and Telluride, Colo., opened in wide release Friday. Adapted from Solomon Northup’s 1853 autobiography of the same name and already generating serious Oscar buzz, the film – directed by British independent filmmaker Steve McQueen – stars Chiwetel Ejiofor (“Children of Men”) as Northup, a free black man in 1840s New York who is kidnapped and sold into slavery. Ejiofor is joined in awards contention by Michael Fassbender (“X-Men: First Class”) as a sadistic plantation owner and newcomer Lupita N’yongo, who makes her film debut as a slave who bears the brunt of her owner’s attention. The film sounds like a distinct contrast to last year’s revenge drama “Django Unchained,” and with its massive ensemble – which includes Brad Pitt, Benedict Cumberbatch (“Sherlock”) and Sarah Paulson (“American Horror Story”) – “12 Years a Slave” will make for an intriguing trip to the theater.
Friday, “Thor: The Dark World” will take the box office by storm. The sequel to 2010’s “Thor,” the film sees Chris Hemsworth return as the Marvel Universe version of the Norse god to fight a new, dangerous enemy (Christopher Eccleston, “Doctor Who”) threatening to plunge the world into darkness. This film also sees the return of several of the first film’s co-stars, including Natalie Portman as researcher Jane Foster, Anthony Hopkins as Thor’s father Odin and Tom Hiddleston as Thor’s nemesis Loki. Seeing a 3-D and IMAX release, this sequel looks visually pleasing and should see plenty of commercial success.
Another Oscar contender opens Nov. 15 as “Nebraska,” the newest film from acclaimed filmmaker Alexander Payne (“Election,” “The Descendants”), hits theaters. Screened for the first time at the Cannes Film Festival in May, as well as festivals in Telluride, Colo., and New York City, the film, which was shot in black and white, follows an elderly man (Best Actor contender Bruce Dern) who goes on a road trip with his son (Will Forte, “MacGruber”) from their Montana home to collect a Publisher’s Clearinghouse cash prize in Nebraska. The trailer hints at a low-key road-trip comedy in the American heartland with an intriguing look at dementia, family and life. Stellar reviews from its festival screenings bolster the seemingly entertaining film.
What may be the biggest film this month in terms of the box office, is the much-anticipated “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire,” an adaptation of the sequel to Suzanne Collins’ best-selling book and hit movie “The Hunger Games.” With a title change that takes a page out of the “Twilight” playbook, “Catching Fire” follows heroine Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) as she returns to the arena alongside Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson) to fight in a new edition of the Hunger Games as hints of rebellion begin to come forth in the dystopia of Panem. With the majority of the first film’s cast returning, along with new additions Philip Seymour Hoffman (“Capote”) and Jena Malone (“Sucker Punch”) as well as a star-laden soundtrack, including new songs from Christina Aguilera, Coldplay, Imagine Dragons and Of Monsters and Men, audiences will flock to cinemas to see “the girl on fire” once again when “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire” hits theaters Nov. 22.
Closing out the month Nov. 27 is Spike Lee’s return to mainstream cinema with “Oldboy.” A remake of the Korean film of the same name, the film is a mystery-thriller about an advertising executive (Josh Brolin, “Men in Black 3”) who, after being kidnapped and held in solitary confinement for 20 years, goes on a vengeful quest to find his captor. Co-starring “District 9” star Sharlto Copley and rising star Elizabeth Olsen (“Liberal Arts”), “Oldboy” sounds like a tense and gritty thriller that could captivate audiences and critics alike.
