If October is the season for spookiness and December the one for being jolly, November must be the month dedicated to big-name directors and their latest projects. Both the Edinburgh Filmhouse and the Glasgow Film Theatre have November programmes fit to burst with some of the biggest names in the world of Hollywood releasing their new-born babies into the world. Check out the full programmes on the respective websites linked above, but highlights are found below:
David Michôd / UK, Australia, Hungary / 2019 / 133 mins
Timothée Chalamet takes on another starring role as Prince Hal – soon to become Henry V – as he finds himself on the English throne after the untimely death of his monomaniacal father. Tasked with clearing up the royal mess his dear old dad left behind, Hal must juggle disgruntled nobles, palatial politics and looming war.
@ Filmhouse from Fri 1 Nov
Chris Morris / UK, USA / 2019 / 88 mins
Acerbic wit Chris Morris returns after a lengthy hiatus from his last film (the controversial but hilarious Four Lions) with a similarly-themed romp set on the other side of the pond. In it, a mentally unhinged but harmless preacher is intentionally weaponised by the CIA, in an attempt to prevent a terrorist attack before it happens by creating it in the first place. Slapstick meets satire.
@ Filmhouse from Fri 1 Nov
Martin Scorsese / USA / 2019 / 209 mins
Martin Scorsese teams up with his old buddy old pal Robert De Niro in this fictional biopic of an erstwhile mafia hitman who looks back on the ups and downs of his life from the sanctity of his senior years. Al Pacino and Joe Pesci provide textbook support for a classic Scorsese yarn that examines the mental and emotional toll a life in the mob leads to.
@ Filmhouse from Fri 15 Nov
@ GFT from Fri 15 Nov
Ken Loach / UK, France, Belgium / 2019 / 100 mins
Ken Loach is up to his old tricks with this tale of a victim of the 2008 financial crash who, after losing his house and his job, jumps at the chance to earn some cash as a zero-hours delivery driver. However, the complete lack of support or benefits leaves him all at sea, while his wife’s carer career proves no easier and the pair’s relationship begins to suffer the strain.
@ Filmhouse from Fri 22 Nov
@ GFT from Fri 1 Nov
Noah Baumbach / USA / 2019 / 136 mins
A writer (Adam Driver) and his actress wife (Scarlett Johansson) find that their relationship may well have come to its conclusion when she lands a job in LA and he’s keen to stay in NY. Despite their best efforts to keep their separation amicable, sore wounds and old grudges rise to the surface as they revisit the various stages of their romance.
@ Filmhouse from Fri 22 Nov