By Chris Kavan - 11/14/19 at 12:04 AM CT
It seems November has not been able to shake off the sequel curse that has befallen so many films this year. Without Joker, it would be an outright underwhelming fall season indeed. There should be a few films that will top $100 million - but even that mark might not be enough to make the latest films any more impressive. This week brings a trio of new films - a reboot (again) of Charlie's Angels, Oscar hopeful Ford v Ferrari and some heavy-hitting actors playing a deceptive game in The Good Liar. Still, for all the star power I don't see any of these opening to huge numbers, but maybe we can get a surprise as November desperately needs something - well, at least Frozen II is on its way...
FORD V FERRARI The closer we get to the end of the year, the more Oscar-hopeful films start popping up. Ford v Ferrari is certainly among them. In the 1960s, Ferrari dominated the race track - leaving competitors in their dust (both figuratively and literally). In order to compete, American car designer (and legend in the field) Carroll Shelby (Matt Damon) with the help of like-minded driver Ken Miles (Christian Bale) decided to put everything on the line in order to design a car not just to compete, but ultimately beat, Ferrari at their own game. Of course, such an endeavor was not without pitfalls - including an intense schedule, corporate interference and a pesky thing called physics. But, against all odds, Shelby got things done and entered the prestigious 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1966 - and the rest is history. The film has a lot of heavy hitters - Jon Bernthal as Ford Executive Lee Iacocca, Josh Lucas as Ford race leader Leo Beebe, Ray McKinnon as chief engineer Phil Remington with Caitriona Balfe and Noah Jupe portraying the wife and son of Miles. This has everything audiences should love: a true story, compelling characters, fast cars and winning! Is it a bit Oscar-baity? Sure. But that doesn't me it won't be enjoyable. Still, maybe check out the documentary The 24 Hour War first.
There are a lot of films about con men - the the people they affect, but perhaps this film has one of the most impressive pairs in Sir Ian McKellen and Dame Helen Mirren. McKellen plays the refined and consummate Roy Courtnay - a con man for life who, in his golden years, seeks out rich women, seduces them, takes their money - and runs (or worse). He finds what seems to be the perfect mark in recently widowed Betty McLeish (Mirren) only to find himself truly developing feelings and playing the most dangerous game of his life. His long-time partner Vincent (Jim Carter) knows getting involved is a bad idea while Betty's grandson, Steven (Russell Tovey) begins to uncover the truth. But it turns out that Roy isn't the only one who is good at deception, as his past comes back to haunt him in a big way. With Bill Condon directing, this should be twisted tour de force featuring some of the biggest British actors of our time. I'm sure this will bring out a mostly adult audience, but I think it will impress those who show up. While I'm not itching for this in theaters, I will definitely check it out at home in the near future.
You want girl power? You've got girl power. Elizabeth Banks puts a new twist on an action-packed trio (and also plays one of the Bosley characters) with Kristen Stewart, Naomi Scott and Ella Balinska playing the new angels. Still working for the mysterious Charlie (otherwise that title wouldn't make any damn sense) - as are more teams, because the group has gone global, with more trios and more Bosley's to help - (including Patrick Stewart, Michael Strahan and Djimon Hounsou). Of course the film focuses on a dangerous technology that must be stopped from falling into the wrong hands - a pretty standard setup - but, unlike most reboots - this one follows in the footsteps, both of the original TV series and McG's action-packed film and its sequel. The film also features Sam Claflin, Jonathan Tucker, Nat Faxon, Chris Pang and Noah Centineo with reported cameos from Lili Reinhart, Hailee Steinfeld, Aly Raisman, Chloe Kim, Ronda Rousey, Danica Patrick and Laverne Cox. Even the soundtrack is female driven, with Ariana Grande, Miley Cyrus, and Lana Del Rey delivering on "Don't Call Me Angel". I'm sure women are going to drive this one - maybe not to the top of the box office but hopefully to a decent opening.
November could sure use a kick in the pants - we'll have to see if any of these new films can deliver a win. I'll be back on Sunday wit the results.
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