The Film Fix: Previews, Reviews of What’s Streaming in November
By JONATHAN W. HICKMAN, Special to The Paper
Below are reviews and capsules of various movies or series streaming this month.
Review rating … A “Fix” is recommended with a rating between 6 and 10. A “No Fix” is not recommended with a rating between 1 to 5.
Streaming Selects
NETFLIX
Stranger Things (season 5, Vol. 1, November 26) – The final concluding chapter of the hugely popular Netflix “Stranger Things” series is split into three separate sections, referred to as “Volumes.” November sees four episodes in Vol. 1, with episodes 5, 6, and 7 for Vol. 2 dropping on Christmas Day. The grand finale releases on December 31, 2025, for prime New Year’s Eve viewing.
This season’s fun in the Upside-Down world and in the town of Hawkins picks up in the fall of 1987. The core youngsters return to once again do battle with the villain, Vecna. Showrunners are hyping the show as the “biggest” yet, with an emphasis on throwing the viewer into the action from the jump. Will Byers (Noah Schnapp) is said to have a bigger role this time around, and “Terminator” star Linda Hamilton joins the cast. However, series fans will be happy to learn that Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) is returning and is still on the run from government forces interested in harnessing her unique abilities.
APPLE TV+
Pluribus (premieres November 7) – From the pen of “Breaking Bad” creator Vince Gilligan comes an odd-looking series starring “Better Call Saul’s” Rhea Seehorn. The show is by Apple as, “The most miserable person on Earth must save the world from happiness.” The mercurial trailers tease Seehorn’s Carol Sturka living in a strange, magical world where anything she wants, she gets. Other details include that Carol is immune to a happiness virus of some sort. “Breaking Bad” fans will be excited to learn that at least part of the story takes place in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
HBO MAX
Eddington (premieres on November 14) – 5/10 No Fix Rating – Director Ari Aster’s ongoing relationship with Oscar-winning actor Joaquin Phoenix takes on a slightly more intelligible aspect over their last collaboration, 2023’s alienating “Beau is Afraid.” Unfortunately, “Eddington’s” provocative setup devolves into almost incoherence, as the Aster method takes over.
“Eddington” is set in the fictitious town of Eddington, New Mexico, in May of 2020, shortly after cities and states began to implement pandemic-era masking and lockdown requirements in March of that year. Phoenix plays Joe Cross, the town’s sheriff. The story revolves around a conflict that Cross has with the town’s mayor, Ted Garcia (Pedro Pascal), and Cross’s wife, Louise (Emma Stone). Even with the outstanding cast, “Eddington” is a picture that decides that ending with a deafening hail of bullets means something, even though it adds up to very little.
PEACOCK
All Her Fault (Now Streaming) – This limited series stars “Succession’s” Sarah Snook as Marissa Irvine, a mother searching for her lost child. A disturbing nightmare narrative unfolds as Marissa arrives to collect her son, Milo, from his first-ever playdate. But the woman who comes to the door of the house isn’t the same mother Marissa encountered when she dropped Milo off, and she knows nothing about the boy or his whereabouts. Dakota Fanning plays one of Marissa’s friends, as the search for Milo dominates the action that’s mainly set in Chicago. The eight- episode show is adapted from the novel of the same name by Andrea Mara.
HULU
Sovereign (November 7) – Following its limited theatrical release, the well-regarded “Sovereign” makes its Hulu streaming premiere in November. The film stars Nick Offerman as Jerry Kane, a man who has immersed himself in the Sovereign Citizen movement, which sees US government laws as illegitimate. His radical distrust of authority spirals into tragedy after he and his teen son (played by Jacob Tremblay) become involved in a violent traffic stop. Dennis Quaid plays a police chief involved in the investigation.
Book of Clarence (November 11) – 8/10 Fix Rating – “The Book of Clarence” might be an uneven, irreverent, and outlandish experiment, but don’t call it blasphemous. I’d wager that it’s one of the most unapologetically religious and inspirational pictures in the last twenty years. The film stars LaKeith Stanfield in the dual role of twins, the title character, and his brother, the apostle known as Doubting Thomas. This brainy doubling decision provides Stanfield with a challenging platform on which to work at two different speeds, and in doing so, it shows the talented performer’s remarkable acting range. People of faith should celebrate what director Jeymes Samuel accomplishes within a thin veneer of Christian ideology.
DISNEY+
Freakier Friday (streaming premiere around November 12) – 6/10 Fix Rating – Disney renews one of its classic properties with the legacy sequel “Freakier Friday.” By leaning into the broadly appealing PG rating, the film effectively reminds fans of what they loved about the 2003 film, a remake of the beloved 1976 original. However, the jury is out on whether there is a future in a “Freaky” franchise, as nostalgia will only take one so far. Lindsay Lohan and Jamie Lee Curtis return as daughter and mother who, along with Lohan’s character’s daughter and a friend, go through another magical switching adventure. “Freakier Friday” is a light-hearted body-swap movie that rides on Curtis’s ability to balance remarkably between wacky comedy and genuine drama.
THANKSGIVING MOVIE SUGGESTIONS
Planes, Trains and Automobiles (1987) – John Hughes’ comedy classic is a perennial Thanksgiving favorite. Steve Martin and the late great John Candy play two very different businessmen forced to travel together during the snowy holiday season. Their journey is as endearing and deeply moving as it is hilarious.
The Ice Storm (1997) – This contrarian, hard-hitting drama takes place during Thanksgiving in 1973. The film is directed by Ang Lee (see “Life of Pi” and “Brokeback Mountain”). The story involves the Hoods, a suburban Connecticut family (played by Kevin Kline, Joan Allen, Tobey Maguire, and Christina Ricci). The story concerns the repercussions from a sexually charged party and the politics of the time. The stellar cast includes Sigourney Weaver in top form.
Krisha (2015) – This psychological drama captures one of the most intense and disturbing Thanksgiving family dinners ever captured on film. Writer/director Trey Edward Shults (see “It Comes at Night” and “Waves”) cast his real-life aunt, a terrific Krisha Fairchild, in the lead and shot the film in his mother’s house in Houston. Fairchild plays a woman who returns to her family for the holidays after being away for ten years. Unfortunately, unsettling demons come back to haunt her in this pressure cooker of a debut feature for the talented Shults.
A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving (1973) – On the lighter side, this heartwarming animated classic has the hapless title hero trying to put together a Thanksgiving dinner for Peppermint Patty, Linus, Marcie, and the gang. Of course, faithful dog Snoopy and the small, yellow bird Woodstock join in the holiday fun.
Jonathan W. Hickman is an entertainment attorney, filmmaker, college professor, and novelist. More about Jonathan can be found by visiting: filmproductionlaw.com.
