Seen: November 2024
My monthly watch list
So! Many! Movies!
November saw the release of some of my highly anticipated awards season movies, so much popcorn was consumed. There were some other Criterion picks and TV shows that were viewed this past month, but I’m on a big push to see a majority of the awards season favorites before the end of the year.
An additional note: I’m starting to log my movies on Letterboxd, so find me @brnllobombshell to see some quick and pithy movie reviews of whatever I watch. So far, I’ve really enjoyed using the platform to connect to other movie lovers!
This is the gist of everything I’ve seen this month. As a reminder, this is not a complete list of every movie or show I’ve seen over the course of a month. Occasionally, I’ll watch a scene of something here or there, or I’ll watch an episode or two of a specific show. My personal Rule of Thirds dictates that if I’m not sold on a movie by the end of the first act or a TV show’s first three episodes, I’ll turn it off. I have yet to walk out of a movie I’ve seen in theaters, but the Rule of Thirds applies for theatrical releases, too. If I’m watching a TV show over the course of a few months, or if I’m watching something that releases one episode per week, I’ll write a little blurb about it when I finish the final episode of the season.
Below is a list of all the complete movies and TV seasons I’ve watched over the course of the previous month. This is my version of director Steven Soderbergh’s annual roundup, although Hunter Harris also provided a lot of inspiration.
Without further ado, here’s what I watched in November:
MOVIES
Anora (2024)
New Release - Seen In Theaters
Read my beer and movie pairing here. As advertised, a wild and delightful ride of a movie. It feels a lot like Sean Baker’s magnum opus, and a worthy Palme d’Or winner.
A Real Pain (2024)
New Release - Seen In Theaters
Why don’t we have more great buddy comedies about cousin relationships? Sometimes the only person that can truly tell you the truth is someone who knows first hand just how crazy family can get. Jesse Eisenberg’s screenplay is one of my favorites of the season, and Kieran Culkin is achingly perfect in every scene.
Civil War (2024)
First Time Watch
Read my wine and movie pairing here. Watched this a week before Election Day, which in hindsight was a choice. Surprisingly, this turned out to be more of a journalistic ethics movie than a political dystopian lecture. Also really liked my wine pairing for this, if I do say so myself.
Emilia Pérez (2024)
New Release
Still thinking about this movie, and impatiently awaiting a rewatch. The logline made me curious, but the first scene sold me. Great screenplay, an audacious directorial vision, and some challenging, stellar performances from Karla Sofía Gascón, Zoe Saldaña, and Selena Gomez.
Funny Girl (1968)
First Time Watch
Watched on Criterion 4K. I’ve seen scenes from this movie over the years, but neither Enrico nor I had sat through the entire movie from start to finish. Barbra is a singular talent. Omar Sharif deserved better makeup.
Gladiator (2000)
First Time Watch
A mandatory pre-Gladiator II watch, and well worth having the original fresh in the mind before seeing the sequel in theaters. The emotional impact of the last scene is my favorite bit of Ridley Scott directing ever, and a historically great scoring moment. Some bits of dialogue seemed oddly prescient, proving that the time is right for a sequel.
Gladiator II (2024)
New Release - Seen In Theaters
Well that happened. Third Act Ridley Scott is a genre all its own. Denzel is in a very different movie than everybody else, but I’m not mad at it.
Pandora’s Box (1929)
First Time Watch
Watched on Criterion 4K. The painstaking effort to restore this film is palpable and appreciated. Really wish I had known this was gonna be a full length movie before I downed a movie beer, but hey.
Running Scared (1986)
First Time Watch
When you give the husband the remote. Gregory Hines and Billy Crystal have no business having this much fun together. Had no idea long johns would be such a pivotal plot point. Jimmy Smits forever.
The Piano Lesson (2024)
New Release
August Wilson is a tricky playwright to adapt in a cinematic format, but I think The Piano Lesson manages to broaden the world of the show better than others in Netflix’s Century Cycle. Danielle Deadwyler is magnetic here, and I feel like John David channels his father’s early work more here than ever before.
Wicked (2024)
New Release - Seen In Theaters
Read my wine and movie pairing here. Something has changed within me. My inner teenager is healed. Major props to Jon M. Chu for bringing in lore from all previous visits to Oz, all while bringing his own perspective and letting his (very capable) ensemble take their roles and own them. This is Cinema with a capital C.
TV SHOWS
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