1 May December (Opens Friday, November 17) Todd Haynes does doubles and much-meta with Julianne Moore and Natalie Portman in the story of a Hollywood actress probing tabloid events of two decades earlier for a film role.
2 Priscilla (Opens Friday, November 3) Another Sofia Coppola Rapunzel lets down her fair hair.
3 Napoleon (Opens Wednesday, November 22) Joaquin Phoenix, who Ridley Scott calls “the best player of damaged goods,” opens his kitbag on the fields of France. As per custom, Sir Ridley promises that his 158-minute running time is modest beside a longer cut of four-and-a-half-hours, one which also portrays the early life of Joséphine.
4 Saltburn (Opens Friday, November 24) The sophomore outing from Oscar-winning British filmmaker Emerald Fennell (“Promising Young Woman”) satirizes the “hail Julian Fellowes well-met,” post-“Brideshead Revisited,” snoot-cocked upper class British picture. May violence ensue.
5 The “Sound of Music” Sing-A-Long (Friday, November 24-Sunday, November 26; December 2-3) The hills are alive, plus Christopher Plummer shreds a Nazi flag with vigor. Plus: souvenirs, costume competition and on-screen lyrics.
Ray Pride is Newcity’s Senior Editor and Film Critic. He is a contributing editor of Filmmaker magazine.
Ray’s history of Chicago Ghost Signs is planned for publication next year. Previews of the project are on Twitter and on Instagram. More photography on Instagram.
Film Top 5: September 2023 At press time, the studios had not yet made counter-offers to the demands of striking actors and writers; the fall movie season and beyond is more unpredictable than any time since the pandemic began.
Film Top 5: January 2023 Epic movies at a single sitting, including "OUT 1," "Sátántangó" and "Dekalog"; two months of Billy Wilder movies in 35mm; and one creepy doll.
