The Best Movies of November 2018

November is an underrated movie month. Thanksgiving sees plenty of blockbusters roll into theaters to take advantage of people being off work and spending time with their families. We also get plenty of Oscar hopefuls rolling into wider releases across the country. Essentially, whether you’re a film snob or a movie populist, there’s something for you. (Did I just entrench myself as a film snob by using the term “movie populist”? You be the judge!) That means that MovieBabble’s list of the best movies of November 2018 was a difficult one to put together. But in the end, we all won. Yay us!

Here are MovieBabble’s choices for the best movies of the month:

#3: Widows

How cool is it that Steve McQueen made a popcorn flick? After great films like Hunger, Shame, and 12 Years a Slave, Widows had a LOT to live up to and it certainly delivered.

Interestingly, despite being the most accessible movie in McQueen’s filmography, it still has a lot in common with his previous work as it focuses on character and how they stand for a much bigger discussion of society. Though Widows is predominately a pulpy thriller with delicious intrigue, it has a lot to say about politics and income inequality in some of the United States’ biggest cities, accented beautifully by one of the best long takes of the year.

Every single one of these women takes an amazing journey by the end of the film and I really hope that these fine actresses are rewarded for their efforts come Oscar season.

*To read the site’s full review of Widows, please click here.

image via The Wrap

#2: The Favourite

If you’ve seen Dogtooth, The Lobster, or The Killing of a Sacred Deer, you know director Yorgos’ Lanthimos’ deal by now. His work is awkward, oddly hilarious, a little depraved, and always fascinating. The Favourite continues Lanthimos’ streak of great, undeniably esoteric films that might just become an Oscar front runner.

The Favourite is riot from start to finish (or at least until everything becomes seriously dark and depressing) that plays off of the charm of its talented cast. To use a baseball analogy, every actor has their best stuff, pitching a collective gem that will surely garner a few nominations. Olivia Colman, Emma Stone, and Rachel Weisz are all locks and Nicholas Hoult is a dark horse for a Best Supporting Actor nom.

The Favourite is just so odd that it makes its statements about wealth and equality all the more fascinating and unique. I’m sure plenty of people will hate this movie — I can’t wait to see a few grandmothers storm out of the theater who thought they were going to get an inoffensive costume drama — but we need more oddities in our Oscar films.

*To read the site’s full review of The Favourite, please click here.

image via Slash Film

#1: Roma

Sean Coates of MovieBabble is on a personal campaign to make sure that everyone sees Roma before it hits Netflix on December 14th…and so is director Alfonso Cuarón. Its rich cinematography is enhanced by an even greater scope. This kind of movie is made for the big screen, so I suggest you do yourself a favor and find the theater closest to you that’s playing it.

Roma excels in its subtlety which is even more amazing considering that it is made up of mostly first-time actors. One of my personal favorite quotes from the great Roger Ebert was that film is like a “machine that generates empathy.” This line perfectly describes Roma which has been called one of the most human stories put to screen in recent memory.

Roma will most likely break through as one of the few foreign language films to receive a nomination from the Academy for Best Picture when they hand out their awards (there’s only been ten of such nominations in the history of the Oscars). I’m all for it; by all accounts this is one of the best movies of the year.

*To read the site’s full review of Roma, please click here.

image via Vulture

In Case You (Or I) Missed It

Here’s a few more noteworthy films that just missed the top three:

Ralph Breaks the Internet

This long overdue sequel to Wreck-It Ralph is incredibly solid from start to finish with a great bit of social commentary on the current state of life online. Though it never becomes unbelievable or Earth-shattering, it’s a perfectly suitable follow-up to one of the better animated movies of the decade.

Overlord

Isn’t it nice that movies are getting weird again? Well, I guess not everyone thinks that way since Overlord wasn’t exactly the biggest box office hit of the year. But still! Overlord is one of the better historical zombie flicks that we’ve had, and it’s really nice to see such a neat twist on the zombie genre.

image via IndieWire

Creed II

This is the eighth film in the Rocky Extended Universe (or REU for short) so you can’t really expect something that’s totally different from its predecessors. And yet, for what it does, it does it incredibly well with strong character moments and an emphasis on drama rather than cheese. I left the theater with a big smile; I’m sure many of you did the same.

image via The Hollywood Reporter

Thanks for reading! What are your thoughts on the best movies of November 2018? Comment down below!

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