November's most anticipated films: Napoleon invades, The Marvels takes flight, and more

Cast: Anna Kendrick, Justin Timberlake, Zooey Deschanel, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Anderson .Paak, Ron Funches, Kenan Thompson, Eric André, Kid Cudi, Daveed Diggs, Camila Cabello, Amy Schumer, RuPaul, Zosia MametDirector: Walt DohrnBecause Universal is no fool, in 2020’s Trolls World Tour Poppy and Branch discovered six troll kingdoms, each dedicated to one genre of music—country, techno, funk, classical, pop, and rock—allowing every possible ticket buyer in every corner of the world to find a song to purchase via download. In case you thought that musical well had run dry for , fear not. In the new film, Poppy discovers that Branch has a secret past as part of a boy band. One cringes at the BTS, New Kids on the Block, and Big Time Rush-style songs that will lay siege to our brains in Dolby Atmos. But one also rejoices because the Trolls series is surprisingly warm, funny, and infectiously optimistic. Anna Kendrick and Justin Timberlake return for the threequel and they’re joined by Kenan Thompson, Eric André, Kid Cudi, Daveed Diggs, Camila Cabello, and Amy Schumer, among others. Since the release of Trolls World Tour was compromised by the pandemic, we owe it to the Movie Gods to see Trolls Band Together in a big-ass movie palace. [Mark Keizer]

Cast: Barry Keoghan, Jacob Elordi, Rosamund Pike, Richard E. Grant, Alison Oliver, Archie Madekwe, Carey Mulligan, Paul Rhys, Lolly AdefopeDirector: Emerald FennellAward-winning filmmaker Emerald Fennell—last seen as poor, pregnant Midge in Barbie—returns with her first project since 2021’s critically acclaimed Promising Young Woman. , which Fennell wrote, directed, and executive produced with an assist from Margot Robbie’s LuckyChap Entertainment, is a story of privilege and desire set at a sprawling English estate in the mid-2000s. Barry Keoghan plays Oliver, an Oxford University student who is invited by his aristocratic classmate Felix (Jacob Elordi) to spend the summer with his eccentric family. Sounds simple enough, but we know better. Two words from the official description especially caught our eye: “beautifully wicked.” [Cindy White]

Cast: Julianne Moore, Natalie Portman, Charles MeltonDirector: Todd HaynesNatalie Portman and Julianne Moore in the same film should be reason enough for moviegoers to check out . But, even better, the film is directed by Todd Haynes, the iconoclastic L.A. native whose icy yet piercingly observant films favor subjects like fame (Velvet Goldmine, I’m Not There) and sexuality (Carol, Far From Heaven). In May December, Moore plays a Southern housewife whose long-ago affair with a 13-year-old boy earned her the ire of the tabloid world (think Mary Kay Letourneau and Vili Fualaau). Portman plays the actress shadowing Moore after being cast to play her in a prestige picture. May December premiered in competition at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival where it received excellent reviews on the basis of the Moore/Portman pairing and the humor not usually associated with Haynes. Look for a certain amount of campiness but also the typical Haynesian intellectual detachment that should make the film a fascinating watch. [Mark Keizer]

Cast: Michael Fassbender, Elisabeth Moss, Will Arnett, Oscar Kightley, Amgus Sampson, Rhys Darby, Beulah KoaleDirector: Taika WaititiWe have no doubt that the general contours of the inspirational, based on a true story will follow those of every other underdog sports movie; ragtag team signs new coach, new coach hates assignment, team hates coach, they eventually learn to love each other, and overcome a major obstacle. We also have no doubt the film is going to be a blast because it’s directed by the mischievous and creatively peripatetic Taika Waititi (Thor: Ragnarok and Jojo Rabbit). The movie is based on the of the same name, which charts the fortunes of an American Samoa football team so bad they once lost a World Cup qualifying match 31-0. In Waititi’s fictionalized take, Michael Fassbender stars as the Dutch-American coach who reluctantly decamps to Oceania to turn around his new squad of no-talent misfits. The Oscar-winning Waititi excels at subverting genre material and making it feel fresh and unexpected. Look for Next Goal Wins to do the same for the underdog sports movie. [Mark Keizer]

Release Date: November 22 (in theaters), Apple TV+ (to be announced)Cast: Joaquin Phoenix, Vanessa Kirby, Tahar RahimDirector: Ridley ScottAny new filmic take on the life of military leader and French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte will inevitably be compared to the version that the late director Stanley Kubrick spent years preparing in the 1960s (with Jack Nicholson reportedly onboard as Napoleon), only to abandon it due to cost concerns and the box office failure of director Sergei Bondarchuk’s 1970 biopic, . Now it’s to tell the Emperor’s story, and even though Scott’s recent output has been spotty, we’re still excited about it. Joaquin Phoenix feels like the perfect choice to play Napoleon (he’s kinda the perfect choice to play anyone, actually) and, as Napoleon’s wife, Josephine, Vanessa Kirby is a great replacement for the terrific Jodie Comer, Scott’s original choice who left the project when Covid messed with her schedule. Just the thought of huge battle scenes with hundreds of (hopefully non-CGI) soldiers and a story that combines French history with Napoleon and Josephine’s relationship has us ready to enlist when it’s released in late November. [Mark Keizer]

Cast: Bradley Cooper, Carey Mulligan, Matt Bomer, Maya Hawke, Sarah SilvermanDirector: Bradley CooperWell you can’t say Bradley Cooper lacks ambition. After shocking the moviegoing world by starring in and directing a fantastic new take on A Star Is Born, Bradley is back, starring in and directing Maestro, a biopic about iconic conductor and composer Leonard Bernstein. While the film looks to be a wide-ranging examination of Bernstein’s often controversial life, if reports are to be believed it’s Carey Mulligan who steals the show (she steals every show, really) as Bernstein’s wife, whom he married following his previous relationship with a man, played by Matt Bomer. As a director, Cooper is pulling out all the stylistic stops, shooting in color and in black and white, and switching between widescreen and TV aspect ratios. As the title character, the Actors Studio alum is doing similar, including wearing a prosthetic nose which briefly ignited the ire of the internet. Had it been released during the first 100 years of cinema, this intimate epic about love and music would have enjoyed a healthy run at only the biggest movie palaces. However, now it’s on Netflix which thankfully still has no trouble writing big checks for prestige directors to pursue their dream projects. [Mark Keizer]