New movies to watch in November

Two big year-end blockbusters — both of them unexpected sequels — are among the many new movies to watch in November as we enter the holiday / award noms season.

Ridley Scott returns to Ancient Rome after nearly 25 years with Gladiator II (Nov. 22). Paul Mescal, Denzel Washington, Connie Nielsen and Pedro Pascal star in this film set years after the events of its predecessor. Mescal is Lucius, who is forced to enter the Colosseum after his home is conquered by the tyrannical Emperors who now lead Rome with an iron fist. (Read our complete Gladiator II review.) For something a little lighter, there’s also Disney’s Moana 2 (Nov. 27). After receiving an unexpected call from her wayfinding ancestors, Moana journeys alongside Maui and a new crew to the far seas of Oceania and into dangerous, long-lost waters for another epic adventure.

Another major movie release this November is Wicked (Nov. 22), the adaptation of the extremely popular Broadway musical that presents an alternative origin story of The Wizard of Oz’s Glinda and the Wicked Witch of the West. While running at 160 minutes, just 5 minutes shorter than the stage production, the film is Part 1 of 2. Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo star as Elphaba, an ostracised but defiant girl born with green skin, and Glinda, a privileged aristocrat born popular, who become extremely unlikely friends in the magical land of Oz.

If spooky season extends all the way into the fall for you, there are a few films keeping the Halloween spirit alive throughout November. Spirit in the Blood (Nov. 1) is a horror thriller about a pack of teenage girls who embrace their own dark nature to fight against the evil spirits they believe killed a young girl in a secluded religious mountain community. In Heretic (Nov. 8), Hugh Grant stars as the “diabolical” Mr. Reed, the subject of an attempted conversion by two Mormon missionaries who find it difficult to leave after they enter his home. (Read our Heretic cast interview.)

Always playing with new technology, Robert Zemeckis uses de-aging tech to create Here (Nov. 22). Tom Hanks and Robin Wright star in this drama that covers the events of a single spot of land and its inhabitants, spanning from the past to well into the future. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the film uses generative AI technology to face-swap and de-age actors in real time instead of using additional post-production methods.

Three films that screened in competition at Cannes will also be released in Montreal this month:

Jacques Audiard’s unusual musical, Emilia Pérez (Nov. 1), is about a lawyer offered a job to help a notorious cartel boss retire and transition into living as a woman, fulfilling a long-held desire. Zoe Saldana, Karla Sofía Gascón and Selena Gomez shared the prize for best actress at Cannes. 

Andrea Arnold is also back with Bird (Nov. 8), is about a 12-year-old girl named Bailey who lives with her single dad Bug and brother Hunter in a squat in North Kent, England. Bug doesn’t have much time for his kids, and Bailey, who is approaching puberty, seeks attention and adventure elsewhere. 

All We Imagine as Light (Nov. 29) is a poetic drama set in Mumbai, where Nurse Prabha’s routine is troubled when she receives an unexpected gift from her estranged husband. Her younger roommate Anu, meanwhile, tries in vain to find a spot in the city to be intimate with her boyfriend.

For some local cinema, Concordia alumni Meryam Joobeur makes her feature debut with Who Do I Belong To? (Nov. 1), about a Tunisian woman who is caught between her maternal love and her search for the truth when her son returns home from war and unleashes a darkness throughout their village. (Read our Meryam Joobeur interview.) Sophie Deraspe’s follow-up to Antigone is Shepherds (Nov. 15), about the pastoral adventure of a young Montreal advertising executive who moves to France to become a Provençal shepherd.

From critically acclaimed stop-motion filmmaker Adam Elliott (Mary and Max), Memoir of a Snail (Nov. 8) is the bittersweet story of a melancholic woman called Grace Pudel — a hoarder of snails, romance novels and guinea pigs.

For some Christmas-season content, Dwayne Johnson, Chris Evans, J.K. Simons and Lucy Liu star in Red One (Nov. 15), an action comedy about an infamous bounty hunter trying to save a kidnapped Santa Claus. 

November is also a big month for Montreal film festivals. From Nov. 6 to 17, Cinemania will showcase French cinema from around the world, accommodating anglo viewers with English subtitles. The 30th edition of image+nation, dedicated to sharing the stories and experiences of LGBTQ+ communities, runs from Nov. 20 to 30. For documentary fans, RIDM takes place this year from Nov. 20 to Dec. 1. ■

This article was originally published in the November 2024 issue of Cult MTL. Check Montreal cinema showtimes here.

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