Fanboys Anonymous

Welcome to another edition of 6 Flicks Picks, wherein I list all of the upcoming films that are scheduled to be released in the United States for the month which is about to begin and break down which ones I'll be watching in theaters, which ones I'll wait to rent at home, and which ones I'll be skipping out on entirely. After going through the list, I'll choose which six films stand out to me as the ones I want to see the most, even if there are more or less than six that interest me.

Note: The list below is based primarily off the expanded nationwide USA release dates on IMDB as well as some other random outlets if possible, so some information may be different. If I am missing some of the limited releases or the dates conflict in some fashion, please let me know in the comments below and any adjustments and corrections will be made!

Without further ado, another new month means another new set of films, so what's coming soon to theaters in November 2016?



Doctor Strange

Synopsis: A former neurosurgeon embarks on a journey of healing only to be drawn into the world of the mystic arts.

Will I watch? = Yes

Trolls

Synopsis: A troll princess and her companion, the one unhappy troll try to rescue her friends from being eaten by their nemeses.

Will I watch? = No

Hacksaw Ridge

Synopsis: WWII American Army Medic Desmond T. Doss, who served during the Battle of Okinawa, refuses to kill people and becomes the first Conscientious Objector in American history to be awarded the Medal of Honor.

Will I watch? = Maybe

Loving

Synopsis: Richard and Mildred Loving, an interracial couple, are sentenced to prison in Virginia in 1958 for getting married.

Will I watch? = No

The Eagle Huntress

Synopsis: The Eagle Huntress follows Aisholpan, a 13-year-old girl, as she trains to become the first female in twelve generations of her Kazakh family to become an eagle hunter.

Will I watch? = No

Peter and the Farm

Synopsis: Peter Dunning is the proud proprietor of Mile Hill Farm, which sits on 187 acres in Vermont. The land's 38 harvests have seen the arrivals and departures of three wives and four children, leaving Peter with only animals and memories. The arrival of a film crew causes him to confront his history and his legacy, passing along hard-won agricultural wisdom even as he doubts the meaning of the work he is fated to perform until death. Haunted by alcoholism and regret, Peter veers between elation and despair, often suggesting to the filmmakers his own suicide as a narrative device. He is a tragedian on a stage it has taken him most of his life to build, and which now threatens to collapse from under him. At once a postcard from paradise and a cautionary tale for our times, Peter and The Farm sifts through the potential energy of a human life, that which is used and that which is squandered.

Will I watch? = No


Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk

Synopsis: 19-year-old Billy Lynn is brought home for a victory tour after a harrowing Iraq battle. Through flashbacks the film shows what really happened to his squad - contrasting the realities of war with America's perceptions.

Will I watch? = No

Almost Christmas

Synopsis: A dysfunctional family gathers together for their first Thanksgiving since their mom died.

Will I watch? = No

Arrival

Synopsis: A linguist is recruited by the military to assist in translating alien communications.

Will I watch? = Yes

Shut In

Synopsis: A heart-pounding thriller about a widowed child psychologist who lives in an isolated existence in rural New England. Caught in a deadly winter storm, she must find a way to rescue a young boy before he disappears forever.

Will I watch? = No

Elle

Synopsis: A successful businesswoman gets caught up in a game of cat and mouse as she tracks down the unknown man who raped her.

Will I watch? = No

The Love Witch

Synopsis: A modern-day witch uses spells and magic to get men to fall in love with her, in a tribute to 1960s pulp novels and Technicolor melodramas.

Will I watch? = No


Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

Synopsis: The adventures of writer Newt Scamander in New York's secret community of witches and wizards seventy years before Harry Potter reads his book in school.

Will I watch? = Maybe

The Edge of Seventeen

Synopsis: High-school life gets even more unbearable for Nadine when her best friend, Krista, starts dating her older brother.

Will I watch? = No

Bleed for This

Synopsis: The inspirational story of World Champion Boxer Vinny Pazienza who, after a near fatal car crash, which left him not knowing if he'd ever walk again, made one of sports most incredible comebacks.

Will I watch? = No

Manchester by the Sea

Synopsis: An uncle is forced to take care of his teenage nephew after the boy's father dies.

Will I watch? = Maybe

Nocturnal Animals

Synopsis: An art gallery owner is haunted by her ex-husband's novel, a violent thriller she interprets as a veiled threat and a symbolic revenge tale.

Will I watch? = Maybe

The Eyes of My Mother

Synopsis: A young, lonely woman is consumed by her deepest and darkest desires after tragedy strikes her quiet country life.

Will I watch? = No

A Street Cat Named Bob

Synopsis: Based on the international best selling book. The true feel good story of how James Bowen, a busker and recovering drug addict, had his life transformed when he met a stray ginger cat.

Will I watch? = No

Life on the Line

Synopsis: A crew of men who do the high-wire work of fixing the electrical grid are hit by a sudden deadly storm.

Will I watch? = No


Moana

Synopsis: A young woman uses her navigational talents to set sail for a fabled island. Joining her on the adventure is her hero, the legendary demi-god Maui.

Will I watch? = Maybe

Bad Santa 2

Synopsis: Fueled by cheap whiskey, greed and hatred, Willie teams up once again with his angry little sidekick, Marcus, to knock off a Chicago charity on Christmas Eve.

Will I watch? = Yes

Lion

Synopsis: A five-year-old Indian boy gets lost on the streets of Calcutta, thousands of kilometers from home. He survives many challenges before being adopted by a couple in Australia; 25 years later, he sets out to find his lost family.

Will I watch? = No

Allied

Synopsis: In 1942, an intelligence officer in North Africa encounters a female French Resistance fighter on a deadly mission behind enemy lines. When they reunite in London, their relationship is tested by the pressures of war.

Will I watch? = Maybe

Rules Don't Apply

Synopsis: An unconventional love story of an aspiring actress, her determined driver, and the eccentric billionaire who they work for.

Will I watch? = No

Mifune: The Last Samurai

Synopsis: This story revolves around a Japanese samurai known as mifune. He is from a humble farm in Hiroshima who must protect his family from yet another attack by the Americans. Watch as he battles through tough mobsters such as the yakuza.

Will I watch? = No

Which films make the cut?

6. Manchester by the Sea — This is sort of on par with Allied and Nocturnal Animals, narrowly beating out Moana at the moment (but that is much more likely of a film I'll watch) but what gives it a slight edge into the final six above them is how I get the feeling that after watching it, I wouldn't feel disappointed. It seems like the trailers present a rather straightforward drama about a man becoming a surrogate father, but the other two films could turn in weird directions that might ruin the films. I wouldn't be super excited to see Manchester by the Sea, although come time for the Academy Awards, I have a feeling Casey Affleck will be in the running for Best Actor and watching this in advance should be good homework.

5. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them — Harry Potter is certainly not my favorite franchise, but I do appreciate the series. I'm not too excited about this prequel, though, as it's set in an era that I have no special interest in, which may prove to be a bit of a barrier. However, why not, right?

4. Hacksaw Ridge — After years of being in the doghouse, this movie has turned Mel Gibson's career around into the positive. That's saying something, considering all the crazy stuff he had going on before. If it's that good, then I'm intrigued, and the fact that it has Oscar buzz just amplifies that.

3. Arrival — This feels like the darker version of Contact. Hopefully, it's more along those lines of a true "first contact" film rather than turning into a thriller of some sort. I'm very curious about this.

2. Bad Santa 2 — There's only three movies I make a point to watch every Christmas, which are the first two Home Alone films and Bad Santa. Of course I'm seeing this.

1. Doctor Strange — As much as I'm not a fan of the character, I've had my tickets for well over a week already.