Happy December! Wow, we’re already in the last month of the year, can you believe it? Thanks to El Niño, it’s been a pretty mild Winter with not much snow so far, not that I’m complaining. I know folks who are into Winter sports might not enjoy this, but I’m glad temps will still be mild even looking at a two-week forecast. Looks like we’ll still be in the 40s in mid-December!
I had a pretty hectic November for some odd reason so I only watched a dozen new movies. Well, I’ll be starting December with a quick weekend getaway trip to Vegas very early morning tomorrow, and I usually spend my time on flights catching up on newer releases I’ve missed.
Here’s what I watched last month:
NEW MOVIES
(films indicated with * are directed by women)
What Happens Later* – my review
Quiz Lady* – my review
Meg 2: The Trench
I enjoyed the first one, which was preposterous, expectedly dumb, but entertaining. Well, this one is even dumber and more preposterous, but only somewhat entertaining. Of course, Jason Statham is the master in destroying the most unkillable beings, but it’s actually Jing Wu and Cliff Curtis who are the scene stealers, there are a couple of hysterical scenes featuring both of them. At nearly two hours, it’s way past my welcome though.
Next Goal Wins – my review
The Pigeon Tunnel (doc)
I stumbled upon an older interview of John le Carré on MPR’s Fresh Air with Terry Gross as a promo for this documentary, so of course I had to see it right away. I’m not much of a reader but I love so many movies/series based on Le Carré’s aka David Cornwell’s works. Directed by Errol Morris, it’s partially based on the celebrated author’s own novel. I had no idea that his personal life was equally fascinating and it explains why he knew what it takes to make a good spy.
Maestro
review upcoming
Dream Scenario – my review
The Crime is Mine
review upcoming
Nimona
I actually found out about this movie about a shape-shifting character because Netflix sent me a poster as part of the FYC (For Your Consideration) campaign. I’m glad they did as it’s one of the best looking animated films I’ve seen recently. Love the innovative animated visual style and it’s notable for its LGBT representation. Voiced by Chloë Grace Moretz and Riz Ahmed, the story is pretty inventive and Nimona is a refreshingly fun character. The mature themes about celebrating one’s unique identity and accepting the ‘other’ are timely, but the movie is perhaps more suitable for older tweens.
Wish* – my review
Saltburn* – my review
Full Time
review upcoming
TV SERIES
I love the first season of The Gilded Age which I think is even more watchable than Downton Abbey, also created by Julian Fellowes. Yes it’s kinda soap-opera-ish as the old and new money are competing, but the setting in a period of immense economic change in the United States amps up the stakes. The set pieces, costumes, etc. are pure eye candy, I sure hope there’ll be season 3 and beyond!
As for LUPIN, it’s definitely one of my fave Netflix shows, and you can read about why here. I immensely enjoy the Parisian setting and Omar Sy is effortlessly charming and playful as France’s most-wanted gentleman thief. I’m only three episodes in so far and things get more personal for Assane Diop in S3. I also hope they’ll keep renewing this series!
I’ve already completed the 52 Films By Women challenge last month. But I saw four movies #directedbywomen in November: What Happens Later, Quiz Lady, Wish, and Saltburn, which brings the total 2023 tally so far to 60!
Per Women In Film (WIF) organization, the basic rules are simple: watch 52 films directed by women within the course of one year and share what you watched on social media, using the hashtag #52FilmsByWomen to spread the word, and get more people talking about the women filmmakers that don’t always get attention.
NOVEMBER 2023 MOVIE OF THE MONTH
I love A Star Is Born so I was looking forward to seeing Bradley Cooper’s sophomore feature in which he also stars. He delivered once again… it’s been Cooper’s lifelong passion project about his own artistic hero Leonard Bernstein and let’s just say he does the musical legend justice.
So what did you see in November and which one(s) are your favorites?
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FLIXCHATTER FILM BLOG 
60 films! Nice!!! I’m at 62 now. My favorite film of November is a tie. Petite Maman and Eight Hours Don’t Make a Day. I really hope to see Maestro though there’s a lot to catch up on as I just got Netflix back.
I’m at 61 now as I saw a movie directed by a woman on the plane 🙂 You should absolutely see MAESTRO as soon as it’s released, it’s one of my faves of the year!
Yeah, last month went by so fast but I’m glad the weather has been “warm” so far this year. And I don’t mind if we don’t get heavy snow or sub zero temps for the rest of the cold season. Have fun in Vegas. Where you staying? I was there in October and it’s a pain getting around because of the F1 race mess. But it’s over now and hopefully you won’t run into the same issues as I did.
The only new movie I saw last month was The Killer. Rewatched a bunch of movies, including The Lord of the Ring saga from part 1-6. Got around to watching some of the 4K discs that I bought, Batman Begins, Three Days of the Condor and The Fugitive. Started a couple of episodes of Netflix’s new show called Obliterated, it’s basically Mission: Impossible meets The Hangover and it’s hilarious. I watched 1 episode of Lupin Part 3, wasn’t as interesting as I thought but I’ll finish it later. And watched two episodes of the new season of Fargo.
Hey Ted! We stayed at Paris Hotel this time which was a convenient location. I saw there were still some leftover constructions from the F1 race, and some Uber drivers said it was really a pain to have them there, but unfortunately they’ve signed on for 10 years!!
Wow, well done on rewatching all 6 films of LOTR, I so love those films though I wish The Hobbit were better. I saw ads for Obliterated in Vegas, now I’m curious!!
Nice, I’ve never stayed at Paris but we did go to Vanderpum restaurant on our last night in Vegas. As for F1, that 10 year contract, I think that may not last that long. The race that took place last month, wasn’t as successful as they hoped. Many local restaurants and bars complaint about the lack of business during the event since most of the tourists that attended the race only stayed on the Strip. Also, regular Vegas tourists stayed away during the race since many don’t care about car racing. Rumors has it that if the event next year don’t get a lot of visitors, Vegas might cancel the event entirely. BTW, did you go check out the Sphere? The short movie by Darren Arofnosky was quite amazing.
I enjoyed The Hobbit trilogy a bit more this time since I watched them all in 3D on my big screen, still not as good as the original trilogy. I don’t know if I can recommend Obliterated to you since I know you’re not into super raunchy comedies. This show is very raunchy just like the Hangover films. But if you don’t mind that then you might enjoy it. I thought it’s a hilarious show.
Yeah, the Uber driver told me that most people didn’t care for the race as it was bad for business. Lots of hotels/restaurants jacked up their prices and like you said, it drove away business from them as lots of regular tourists avoid going there.
No I didn’t check out the Sphere as we didn’t have time, and I read reviews about Aronofsky’s film as being a not-so-subtle environmental propaganda, so that kinda turn me off. Maybe next time we’ll check it out when the hype dies down.
Yeah, I did check out Obliterated trailer yesterday, you are right, not for me, ahah. One of the reasons I love LUPIN is that even though it’s a spy action series, it’s also pretty classy with no violence, gore, or raunchy scenes, but still has plenty of mystery and suspense. That’s really my kind of show!
Yup, hotels on the Strip jacked up their room rates when the F1 event was announced. But they ended up slashing those prices weeks before the race because they didn’t get as many bookings as they thought. I watched Vegas vloggers on YouTube and they went around bars and restaurants during the race week and many places were mostly empty.
Hmm, I didn’t think Aronofsky’s short movie at the Sphere was propaganda, I mean he’s telling the truth about where we headed as the globe is eating itself. But no matter where you stand when it comes to that subject, the movie itself was a visual feast and it showed off that giant screen. I’m waiting for Nolan to make a film for that screen.
Yeah I feel bad for the rideshare drivers, they definitely hated having the race there, and so did hoteliers/retailers/restauranteurs!
I guess I’ll wait to see Sphere until the hype dies down. Obviously I agree we have dire environmental concerns but don’t need to be hit over the head w/ it. Yeah, Nolan would be the right filmmakers for that format!