Blockbuster season is upon us - again. Two massive superhero Movies will be coming out just 14 days apart from one another in November. But awards season is coming up as well, which means some Oscar contenders could bubble to the surface. All in all, there are more movies worthwhile of inclusion than the list allows, forcing the dismissal of films such as "LBJ" and "Roman J. Israel. Esq." Here are the four movies you need to check out next month.
4. 'Wonder'
This has the potential to one of the feel-good movies of the month. It's based on a bestseller about a boy whose facial differences have caused him to be ostracized from school and the social norms of childhood.
Jacob Tremblay ("Room") is starring as August Pullman. Julia Roberts, Owen Wilson, and Daveed Diggs also star. There is sure to be an in-your-face moral by the end of this movie - but who says that has to be a bad thing? [November 17]
3. 'Justice League'
Most of the recent DC movies have been somewhat lackluster when compared to their Marvel brethren, but there is some momentum carried over from the overwhelming success of "Wonder Woman." The DC film universe has already had a film featuring two main superheros (Batman and Superman), so this won't feel as much like a leap as "The Avengers" did. There is a lot of pressure on Zack Snyder to set up the releases of other DC films, though, including "Aquaman." [November 17]
2. 'Murder on the Orient Express'
The cast for this Agatha Christie adaptation is phenomenal.
Kenneth Branagh - who is also directing - plays the detective trying to solve the murder on a train. Some of the possible suspects are characters played by Johnny Depp, Judi Dench, Josh Gad, and Penelope Cruz. The cast is dynamite and the story is well-fleshed out - it's only a question of whether or not Branagh's aesthetic can combine modernism with a story built for 1934, not 2017.
[November 10]
1. 'Thor: Ragnarok'
Judging by the trailers and marketing materials, there is a clear effort to make this Marvel film feel more like the popular "Guardians of the Galaxy" movies. There's nothing wrong with that on the surface, but perhaps it's a sign that superhero fatigue is as real of a concern at Marvel as it is among the general public.
It's been some time since we've seen the Hulk, with Bruce Banner skipping out on the events in "Captain America: Civil War." Perhaps his appearance will pump some juice back into the MCU ahead of 2018's outsized "Avengers: Infinity War." [November 3]
