Movies

Marvel fans are sure to flock to Disney+ this month as “Fantastic Four: First Steps” makes its streaming debut after grossing $521 million in the theaters worldwide over the summer. Depicting the titular superhero family are Pedro Pascal as Reed Richards/Mr. Fantastic, Vanessa Kirby as Sue Storm/The Invisible Woman, Joseph Quinn as Johnny Storm/The Human Torch and Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Ben Grimm/The Thing. Julia Garner also stars as The Silver Surfer alongside Ralph Ineson as Galactus and Paul Walter Hauser as Harvey Elder/Mole Man.

Guillermo del Toro’s “Frankenstein” arrives on Netflix with strong reviews and Oscar buzz. A passion project from the Oscar-winning filmmaker, del Toro adapts Mary Shelley’s iconic novel with Oscar Isaac as the eponymous mad scientist and Jacob Elordi as his misunderstood creature. At TIFF, the film came in as the runner-up for the fest’s coveted people’s choice award — an accolade that’s traditionally a key bellwether for the Oscar race. The supporting cast includes Mia Goth and Christoph Waltz. 

A24 scored an indie box office hit with “Materialists,” Celine Song’s romance movie that crossed the $100 million mark at the worldwide box office over the summer. Headlined by Dakota Johnson, Chris Evans and Pedro Pascal, the film centers on a New York City matchmaker caught in a love triangle between her deadbeat ex-flame and a millionaire new guy. Variety gave the film a positive review, writing: “It’s a sharp and serious social romantic drama full of telling observations about the way we live now, and about how connected that is (or not) to the way we’ve always lived. And there’s a dark side to it. It’s ‘Sex and the City’ filtered through a sobering reality check.” 

Expect “Freakier Friday” to be a popular streaming choice on Disney+ all holiday season long. The sequel to the 2003 comedy classic once again stars Lindsay Lohan and Jamie Lee Curtis as a daughter and mother who swap places, but this time the women find themselves swapping with the daughter and soon-to-be daughter in law of Lohan’s character. “The movie winds up being rather touching,” wrote Variety‘s film critic Owen Gleiberman in his review. “It’s all about how Harper and Lily, in trying to break up their parents’ engagement, discover that they really do want to be sisters.”

Ari Aster’s “Eddington” struggled at the box office with nearly $14 million worldwide, but the dark comedy is sure to gain more traction when it debuts on HBO Max this month. Starring Joaquin Phoenix, Pedro Pascal, Emma Stone and Austin Butler, the movie is set in a small New Mexico town come undone by politics, COVID and more. “Just when you think you’ve got ‘Eddington’ pinned down as a coherent and even conventional suspense tale, the movie wriggles out from under you and enters a terrain of stranger things,” writes Variety’s chief film critic Owen Gleiberman in his review. 

Benedict Cumberbatch and Olivia Colman lead Jay Roach’s reimagining of the 1989 black comedy “The War of the Roses.” The film follows Ivy (Colman) and Theo (Cumberbatch), a seemingly perfect California couple with successful careers, great kids and a loving marriage. But when Theo’s career begins to nosedive as Ivy’s ambitions take off, their ideal life crumbles and the couple’s hidden resentments bubble to the surface.

“Clint Bentley’s moving adaptation of Denis Johnson’s Pulitzer Prize finalist novella has steadily emerged as one of the most critically acclaimed films of the year — and a potential dark horse best picture contender,” Variety’s Clayton Davis recently wrote about the Netflix original “Train Dreams.” Set in the early 20th-century Pacific Northwest, the film stars Joel Edgerton as Robert Grainier, a solitary railroad worker navigating profound personal loss as the American frontier expands around him.

Directed by Oliver Hermanus (“Living,” “Moffie”) and starring Paul Mescal and Josh O’Connor, “The History of Sound” follows two young men, Lionel (Mescal) and David (O’Connor), in the shadows of WWI who are determined to record the lives, voices and music of Americans. As they begin to log the events, the two fall in love. The film was penned by Ben Shattuck, adapted from his own award-winning short story. The movie also marks Mescal’s first project as an executive producer. 

The “Downton Abbey” franchise comes to an end in “The Grand Finale,” which should delight fans on streaming ahead of Thanksgiving as it launches on Peacock. The synopsis reads: “The Crawley family and their staff enter the 1930s, where Mary finds herself at the center of a public scandal and the family faces financial trouble. The entire household is forced to grapple with the threat of social disgrace and must embrace change as the staff prepares for a new chapter with the next generation leading Downton Abbey into the future.”

Bob Odenkirk returns as the overworked assassin Hutch in “Nobody 2,” a sequel to the 2021 action movie which also stars Connie Nelson, John Ortiz, Colin Hanks, RZA, Christopher Lloyd and Sharon Stone. After deciding to take his family to a tourist town for a vacation, Hutch unexpectedly finds himself dealing with a crime boss after encountering her local bullies. The movie grossed $41 million worldwide over the summer.

DreamWorks Animation’s sequel “The Bad Guys 2” features the voices of Sam Rockwell, Marc Maron, Awkwafina, Craig Robinson, Anthony Ramos, Zazie Beetz, Danielle Brooks, Natasha Lyonne and more. The synopsis from Peacock reads: “Our now-reformed Bad Guys are trying (very, very hard) to be good, but instead find themselves hijacked into a high-stakes, globe-trotting heist, masterminded by a new team of criminals they never saw coming: The Bad Girls.”

Richard Linklater’s Cannes darling “Nouvelle Vague” is a valentine to the making of Jean-Luc Godard’s iconic 1959 “Breathless” and to the beginnings of the French new wave movement. Shot on 35mm film in black-and-white, the film stars Guillaume Marbeck as Jean-Luc Godard, Aubry Dullin as Jean-Paul Belmondo and Zoey Deutch as New Wave darling Jean Seberg. Linklater’s movie depicts the young Godard as a film critic, as a friend to other New Wave filmmakers such as Francois Truffaut and Jacques Rivette and as a director whose relationships with Seberg and Belmondo gave birth to one of cinema’s most iconic touchstones. 

The Netflix animated movie “In Your Dreams” features the voices of Craig Robinson, Simu Liu and Cristin Milioti. The official synopsis reads: “‘In Your Dreams’ is a comedy adventure about Stevie and her brother Elliot who journey into the absurd landscape of their own dreams. If the siblings can withstand a snarky stuffed giraffe, zombie breakfast foods, and the queen of nightmares, the Sandman will grant them their ultimate dream come true…the perfect family”

On August 30, 1972, John Lennon performed at the “One to One” benefit concert at Madison Square Garden. It was his only full-length show after leaving The Beatles. This new HBO documentary includes restored footage from the concert and other never-before-seen material from its production. Per HBO: “The documentary takes that legendary musical event and uses it as the starting point to explore 18 defining months in the lives of John and Yoko.”

Shih-Ching Tsou’s “Left-Handed Girl” is Taiwan’s official Oscar entry this year and was picked up by Netflix earlier this year. Co-written and edited by “Anora” Oscar winner Sean Baker, the movie follows a single mother and her two daughters as they relocate to Taipei to open a night market stall. The cast includes Janel Tsai, Nina Ye, Teng-Hui Huang and Shih-Yuan Ma.

“The Ugly Stepsister” freaked out the Sundance Film Festival at the start of the year and is now arriving on Hulu this month. From director Emilie Blichfeldt comes a body-horror reimagining of the classic Cinderella story. “The Ugly Stepsister” follows Elvira as she prepares to earn the prince’s affection at any cost. In a kingdom where beauty is a brutal business, Elvira will compete with the beautiful and enchanting Agnes to become the belle of the ball. Lea Myren, Thea Sofie Loch Naess and Ane Dahl Torp star.

Nick Offerman gives a powerful dramatic performance in the crime thriller “Sovereign,” written and directed by Christian Swegal in his feature film debut. The movie follows an anti-government fanatic and his son who venture across the country while constantly finding themselves on the wrong side of the law. It’s loosely based on real-life events surrounding the West Memphis police shootings in 2020.

“The Worst Person in the World” star Renate Reinsve is a protective mother who comes under fire in Halfdan Ullmann Tøndel’s “Armand,” which was shortlisted for last year’s international Oscar race after winning the Caméra d’Or for best first feature at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival.  “Armand” centers on well-known actress Elisabeth, who is abruptly called into a parent-teacher meeting at her 6-year-old son’s school. Here she is presented with allegations that trigger a tangled web of accusations between parents and faculty.

“Come See Me in the Good Light” won Sundance’s 2025 Festival Favorite award. The synopsis explains the movie is a “poignant and unexpectedly funny love story about poets Andrea Gibson and Megan Falley, who face an incurable cancer diagnosis with joy, wit, and an unshakable partnership. Through laughter and unwavering love, they transform pain into purpose, and mortality into a moving celebration of resilience.”

The Rebel Wilson-led action comedy “Bride Hard” begins streaming on Hulu this month. Wilson plays Sam, a maid of honor for her childhood best friend. Out of her comfort zone, and with fellow bridesmaids judging her every move, she struggles to maintain her cover. But when a team of mercenaries take the uber-wealthy guests hostage, it’s up to Sam to do what none of the other bridesmaids can – wage war on anyone who would ruin the most important day of her best friend’s life.

Mark Whalberg returns for the Apple sequel “The Family Plan 2.” The synopsis reads: “It’s the holiday season and Dan (Wahlberg) has planned the perfect vacation for his wife Jessica (Michelle Monaghan) and their kids to celebrate overseas—until a mysterious figure from his past (Kit Harington) shows up with unfinished business. An international game of cat-and-mouse ensues as Dan and his family battle, bicker, and bond their way through a series of bank heists, holiday hijinks, and car chases amid scenic European terrain.”

A ripped Orlando Bloom headlines “The Cut” opposite Caitríona Balfe and John Turturro. He plays a journeyman boxer struggling to make weight ahead of his final chance at winning the title. Variety praised Bloom for giving “an all-time great performance” in a rave review, adding: “What separates Bloom’s performance from the pack is the way he carries himself. The Boxer is always rankled and always on guard, with eyes that seem to dart and search for opportunity. He has a suppressed hunger within him, and tight facial muscles that speak to a rough upbringing.”

“Fire and Water: Making the Avatar Films” will premiere Nov. 7 exclusively on the streaming service Disney+. The two-part documentary will offer a deep-dive into the making of 2022’s “Avatar: The Way of Water” as well as a glimpse at the upcoming “Avatar: Fire and Ash” with behind-the-scenes footage and interviews with cast and filmmakers. Some of the many names that appear in the film include Cameron, the late producer Jon Landau, and stars Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldaña and Kate Winslet.

Joe, Nick and Kevin Jonas are giving Jonas Brothers fans the ultimate holiday gift with their new Disney+ movie “A Very Jonas Christmas,” which features cameos from Billie Lourd, Laverne Cox, KJ Apa, Andrew Barth Feldman, Andrea Martin, Kenny G, Justin Tranter, Randall Park and Jesse Tyler Ferguson. The plot synopsis reads: “Kevin, Joe and Nick Jonas face a series of escalating obstacles as they struggle to make it from London to New York in time to spend Christmas with their families.”

Even with a handful of Oscar contenders launching on Netflix this month, from “Frankenstein” to “Train Dreams,” the streaming giant will probably lure in the most viewers with its original rom-com offerings like “Champagne Problems.” The official synopsis reads: “Sydney Price (Minka Kelly) is a determined executive who gets the chance to lead a major acquisition for Chateau Cassell, a beloved champagne house. She travels to France around Christmas as part of the negotiations and has a charming run-in with Henri Cassell (Tom Wozniczka), a stranger who turns one simple evening into something special. But her plans for a whirlwind romance are quickly upended when she discovers that this charming Parisian is the founder’s son of the very company she is hoping to acquire.”

Expect another Netflix hit movie with “Jingle Bell Heist.” The synopsis reads: “Sophia (Olivia Holt), a sharp-witted retail worker, and Nick (Connor Swindells), a down-on-his-luck repairman, are small-time thieves with their eyes on the same Christmas Eve score: robbing London’s most notorious department store. Forced into an uneasy alliance, as secrets surface and feelings for each other deepen, Sophia and Nick put their relationship and the heist in jeopardy.”

With Celine Song’s “Materialists” making its streaming world premiere on HBO Max this month, it’s only fitting the streamer is also bringing Song’s rapturous debut “Past Lives” to its library for November viewing. Nominated for two Oscars (best picture and best original screenplay), “Past Lives” follows Greta Lee’s Nora as she reconnects with her childhood sweetheart (Teo Yoo), confronting what her life might have been. The drama was named the fourth best movie of 2023 by Variety film critic Peter Debruge.

The Blumhouse horror movie “Drop” arrives on Prime Video this month at no extra cost to subscribers after making its streaming debut on Peacock over the summer. Meghann Fahy stars as a widowed mother whose first date takes a nightmarish turn when she begins receiving threatening text messages. “Christopher Landon crafts a pulpy surveillance mystery that gives way to something giddy and exciting,” reads Variety’s review. “The film’s complicated setups are executed with a deft and capable hand.”

Bong Joon Ho and Robert Pattinson’s “Mickey 17” becomes available on Prime Video at no extra cost to subscribers this month. Based on the 2022 novel “Mickey7” by Edward Ashton, “Mickey 17” stars Robert Pattinson as an “expendable,” a clone that is sent on fatal missions colonizing an ice planet and then “reprinted” with most of his memories intact every time he dies. The supporting cast includes Mark Ruffalo, Steven Yeun, Naomi Ackie and Toni Collette.