[ot-caption title=”November films are attracting a pretty large crowd at the movie theaters despite little anticipation. (via, Kenneth Lu/Flickr)”]

After the financially disastrous month for movies in October, November sees the release of smaller and less anticipated films. Last month was very troubling for film studios because many of the highly anticipated films for November were rushed to a wide release in October. With so many high caliber films in October, no single film, besides The Martian, was able to thrive on its own. With that in mind, this month has people with much lower expectations for films. Also, with fewer films crowding movie theaters, many are hoping that November will be a more financially successful month. So far, things are off to a good start, with the latest James Bond film, Spectre, premiering with the second highest debut for the Bond franchise.

Spectre – November 6, 2015

One of the biggest blockbusters that came out this year is the latest installation to the Daniel Craig James Bond Series. The latest entry, titled Spectre, follows James Bond as he investigates a cryptic message that leads him to on ominous and villainous organization named Spectre. Similar to the previous Bond movie, Skyfall, Spectre is directed by Sam Mendes, who rose to prominence with 1999’s American Beauty. However, Spectre failed to really entice the reviewers, receiving a mediocre score of 63% from Rotten Tomatoes. Reviewers appreciated the film for its adrenaline filled action scenes, but could not shake the feeling that they had seen this all before. Calvin Wilson of the St. Louse Post-Dispatch simply stated that Spectre “isn’t bad – just slightly disappointing.” On its own, Spectre seems to be a fun action-filled film, but, unfortunately, Spectre cannot fill the shoes of the critically acclaimed Skyfall.

Spotlight – November 20, 2015

With most of the Oscar contenders released in October, November is relatively light in the deep and heavy category of drama. That said, November still does have a few Oscar hopefuls. One such film is Tom McCarthy’s Spotlight. Starring the reinvented Michael Keaton, alongside Mark Ruffalo and Rachel McAdams, Spotlight tells the true story of the Boston Globe’s investigation of abuse in the Catholic Church. Richard Roeper of the Chicago Sun-Times exclaimed that Spotlight is “one of the best movies I’ve ever seen about the art and the science of newspaper reporting.” The film, with a 97% on Rotten Tomatoes, is already being talked about as an Oscar front runner, with a drama that honors the real life story and its subjects.

The Night Before – November 20, 2015

After the infamous launch of 2014’s The Interview, Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg have been under pressure to make a successful film that proves to Sony that investing a lot of money into their comedies is a worthwhile effort. Their newest film, The Night Before, seems to be the best shot at proving their star power. Evan Goldberg, who usually is at the helm of these films, is actually part of the writing team this time, while Seth Rogen stars alongside Joseph Gordon-Levitt. The film is directed by Jonathan Levine, who worked with both Gordon-Levitt and Rogen in 2011’s 50/50. The film follows Rogen, Gordon-Levitt, and Anthony Mackie as they try to find the “Nutcracka Ball,” the best Christmas party in New York City. Like most of Seth Rogen’s previous films, The Night Before is receiving mixed, but mostly positive reviews. While some reviewers are loving the unflinching and insensitive comedy, others are not gushing over the excessive profanity. Bruce Kirkland of the Toronto Sun explained, “The new movie is profane, insane, politically incorrect, religiously irreverent and ridiculously funny.”

The Good Dinosaur – November 25, 2015

This year has been quite the year for Pixar. With the incredible success of this summer’s Inside Out, and Finding Nemo’s sequel, Finding Dory, on the way, there is a lot to look forward to regarding Pixar’s upcoming films. With the wait for Finding Dory proving hard for many Pixar fans, many are looking to The Good Dinosaur for their Pixar fix. The Good Dinosaur follows an Apatosaurus named Arlo who befriends a human boy. While not many reviews have been released for The Good Dinosaur yet, early reviews are mostly positive. The consensus seems to be that while The Good Dinosaur does not compare to Inside Out, it is nonetheless a fun and exciting Pixar film. As Justin Change of Variety wrote, “It’s no knock on The Good Dinosaur to note that it is neither as ingeniously conceived nor as emotionally wrenching as this summer’s Inside Out.”

While November does not have the incredible line up of films October had, November still features a lot special and enjoyable films. No matter which film you decide to see, you will have a great time at the movie theater. With snow birds and crowds of northern visitors flying in for the beginning of the holiday season, the movie theater is the perfect solution to escape the crowded beaches and restaurants; so enjoy!

Sources: Hollywood Reporter, IMDB, Rotten Tomatoes, Variety, Toronto Sun, Chicago Sun-Times, St. Louse Post Dispatch