16. THE GIRL IN THE SPIDER'S WEB (NOVEMBER 9)



Plot Summary: Lisbeth Salander, the cult figure and title character of the acclaimed Millennium book series created by Stieg Larsson, will return to the screen in The Girl in the Spider’s Web, a first-time adaptation of the recent global bestseller.

The Breakdown: She hasn't been on the big screen since Rooney Mara played her in David Fincher's Girl with the Dragon Tattoo in 2011, but now feels like the proper time for Lisbeth Salander to make her overdue return. The Girl in the Spider's Web further rounds out a busy year for star Claire Foy, who also plays a leading role in First Man and looks to deliver an impressively chameleonic performance as Lisbeth here, under Fede Alvarez's direction. No doubt, this sequel/reboot isn't the ideal outcome for fans of Fincher's Dragon Tattoo, but Spider's Web may yet manage to successfully revitalize the Millennium film series.

15. THE BALLAD OF BUSTER SCRUGGS (NOVEMBER 16)



Plot Summary: The Ballad of Buster Scruggs is a six-part Western anthology film, a series of tales about the American frontier told through the unique and incomparable voice of Joel and Ethan Coen. Each chapter tells a distinct story about the American West.

The Breakdown: Leave it to the Coen Brothers to develop a western anthology TV show for Netflix, then turn around and make it a movie instead. The Ballad of Buster Scruggs sounds like a very Coen-y project in other respects too, be it the idiosyncratic titles of its individual segments (including, the titular one) or its cast of tried and true character actors (Tim Blake Nelson, Liam Neeson, Brendon Gleeson, and so on). Interestingly enough, the Brothers' previous western (2010's True Grit) was also their last film to really gain some proper traction during awards season. Will history repeat itself this year, in that respect?

14. FANTASTIC BEASTS: THE CRIMES OF GRINDELWALD (NOVEMBER 16)



Plot Summary: At the end of the first film, the powerful Dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald (Johnny Depp) was captured by MACUSA (Magical Congress of the United States of America), with the help of Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne). But, making good on his threat, Grindelwald escaped custody and has set about gathering followers, most unsuspecting of his true agenda: to raise pure-blood wizards up to rule over all non-magical beings. In an effort to thwart Grindelwald’s plans, Albus Dumbledore (Jude Law) enlists his former student Newt Scamander, who agrees to help, unaware of the dangers that lie ahead. Lines are drawn as love and loyalty are tested, even among the truest friends and family, in an increasingly divided wizarding world.


The Breakdown: Crimes of Grindelwald promises to be more exciting and dramatic than its predecessor, but also serve up more of the delightful magical creatures that audiences loved from the first Fantastic Beasts adventure. At the same time, J.K. Rowling and David Yates' Wizarding World sequel continues to draw fan criticism for casting Johnny Depp as the eponymous villain and (possibly) being wishy-washy with its portrayal of Dumbledore and Grindelwald's romance. Here's to hoping the actual movie goes over well in the end, if only because we still have - potentially - three more Fantastic Beasts films to go after this one.

13. WIDOWS (NOVEMBER 16)



Plot Summary: "Widows" is the story of four women with nothing in common except a debt left behind by their dead husbands' criminal activities. Set in contemporary Chicago, amid a time of turmoil, tensions build when Veronica (Oscar winner Viola Davis), Linda (Michelle Rodriguez), Alice (Elizabeth Debicki) and Belle (Cynthia Erivo) take their fate into their own hands and conspire to forge a future on their own terms.


The Breakdown: Shame and 12 Years a Slave director Steve McQueen is back at last with Widows, a crime-thriller that looks as riveting as his previous dramatic offerings. The movie is further led by a great ensemble and was cowritten for the big screen by Gillian Flynn (Gone Girl, Sharp Objects), in case there was any doubt that McQueen's latest would have some real substance to go along with its genre elements. This one may yet provide some excellent counter-programming to November's big tentpoles, while at the same time giving Fox a mainstream contender in the upcoming movie awards season derby.

12. RALPH BREAKS THE INTERNET (NOVEMBER 21)



Plot Summary: “Ralph Breaks the Internet” leaves Litwak’s video arcade behind, venturing into the uncharted, expansive and thrilling world of the internet - which may or may not survive Ralph’s wrecking. Video game bad guy Ralph (voice of John C. Reilly) and fellow misfit Vanellope von Schweetz (voice of Sarah Silverman) must risk it all by traveling to the world wide web in search of a replacement part to save Vanellope’s video game, Sugar Rush. In way over their heads, Ralph and Vanellope rely on the citizens of the internet - the netizens - to help navigate their way, including a webite entrepreneur named Yesss (voice of Taraji P. Henson), who is the head algorithm and the heart and soul of trend-making site “BuzzzTube.”


The Breakdown: It's not quite the Disney princess crossover that many fans want, but Ralph Breaks the Internet is shaping up to be a pretty fun return to - and expansion of - the Wreck-It Ralph universe. Like the Toy Story sequels, Ralph Breaks the Internet may yet succeed in studying the franchise's beloved protagonists in greater depth, while at the same time serving up loads of clever Easter Eggs involving the many IPs that the Mouse House owns (and they own quite a few now, as you might have noticed). That said: how about Vanellope and the other princesses go on a solo adventure for Wreck-It Ralph 3?