By John Corrado

New releases for the week of November 1st, 2024.

Theatrical Releases:

Here (Wide Release): This latest from director Robert Zemeckis serves as a Forrest Gump reunion with stars Tom Hanks and Robin Wright and screenwriter Eric Roth. Adapted from a graphic novel, Here is an ambitious drama that all unfolds in the same location across centuries, which Zemeckis pulls off with the camera locked in a static shot and digitally “de-aged” actors. I’m in the minority on this, but I admired the effort. It doesn’t always work as a narrative piece or as a technological experiment (the de-aged faces can look waxy). But Here has enough engaging moments across its sweeping scope, and enough invention in its construction, to be worth seeing. (Full Review)

Emilia Pérez (Limited Release): French director Jacques Audiard’s ambitious mix of musical, Mexican melodrama, love story, and cartel crime thriller is now playing in limited release, before hitting Netflix on November 13th. Zoe Saldaña stars as a Mexican lawyer who gets entangled with a transgender cartel leader (Karla Sofía Gascón), who needs help transitioning. It’s a lot, but Audiard locks us in to his audacious vision, with strong performances from his power trio of Saldaña, Gascón, and Selena Gomez, who were collectively awarded the Best Actress prize at Cannes. (TIFF 2024 Review)

More Releases: Hitpig! (Wide), Absolution (Wide), Juror #2 (Limited), Dahomey (Limited), Levels (Limited), Lost on a Mountain in Maine (Limited), Cellar Door (Limited), Lumina (Limited), Bagman (Limited)

Streaming Releases:

The Substance (MUBI): After a surprisingly successful run in theatres, director Coralie Fargeat’s brilliant body horror satire The Substance is now available to stream exclusively on MUBI (it was released yesterday for Halloween). It’s still one of the best movies of the year, built around a pair of compelling performances from Demi Moore and Margaret Qualley. (TIFF 2024 Review)

More Releases: Music By John Williams (Disney+), Time Cut (Netflix)