It’s Tuesday again, so it’s time to see what’s hitting shelves this week on DVD. Read the full story

Warner Brothers | USA | 115 min.

I am still living in the enjoyable world of Donnie Darko when it comes to writer/director Richard Kelly. But after seeing his latest film, The Box, the film adaptation to Richard Matheson’s short story Button, Button, which Kelly adapted himself, I am beginning to fear that he’s never going to be able to achieve that level of filmmaking again. While The Box does deliver on the classic confusion aspect that the young director is so well known for, and does look pretty good doing it, much of the film is left unanswered and becomes intolerable.

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Warner Brothers | USA | 115 min.

The Box is a sci-fi thriller with old school style and sensibility. Richard Kelly’s latest is reminiscent to films such as Invasion of the Body Snatchers and other classic paranoia driven films. Similar to those genre classics, this is a buildup that doesn’t disappoint. His third feature is ambitious and a highly entertaining drama with science fiction elements as a backdrop.

Norma Lewis (Cameron Diaz) and her husband Arthur (James Mardsen) live a normal and average life together with their only son.  They’ve recently hit hard times though, they don’t have the biggest cash flow. Norma is a private school teacher and Arthur works for NASA. One morning a mysterious box is left on their doorstep with no explanation to be found. Soon they find out what power the box truly holds when Norma is visited by a mysterious scarred stranger named Arlington Steward (Frank Langella). Steward simply explains that when you push the red button on the box, you’ll receive one million dollars a long with a dead corpse on your hands. They’ll have to live the consequence of having someone they’ve never met die while they get the benefits. Like most people probably would, they push the button. Soon they find themselves caught in way over their heads with Arlington, his employees, and even his employers. Read the full story

November is packed to the brim with films to check out in theaters. Fifteen is a record-high for the list. From a Fantastic adventure to a cracked-out Cage to a bleak Road, there is something for everyone. Check out the list below.

See:

15. 2012 (Emmerich, Nov. 13th)

Synopsis: An academic researcher leads a group of people in a fight to counteract the apocalyptic events that were predicted by the ancient Mayan calendar.

Trailer

Why You Should See It: The two hour and thirty-eight minute runtime may be a bit excessive, but Roland Emmerich’s latest destruction vehicle is about as ultimate as it gets, begging to be seen in a theater.

14. The Young Victoria (Vallee, Nov. 13th)

Synopsis: A dramatization of the turbulent first years of Queen Victoria’s rule, and her enduring romance with Prince Albert.

Trailer

Why You Should See It: Early festival reviews regard Blunt’s performance as one of the best of her career. If period romances are your thing, this isn’t one to miss.

13. Pirate Radio (Curtis, Nov. 13th)

Synopsis: A 1960’s comedy about an illegal radio station run by a band of rogue DJs on a ship in the middle of Britain’s North Sea. By defying the tastes and laws of the ruling government, the disc jockeys hooked their listeners on pop music and its attendant ideas of love and free will.

Trailer

Why You Should See It: A light, enjoyable ride with an entertaining cast and a fantastic soundtrack. It isn’t quite as memorable as Love Actually, Richard Curtis’ previous project, but Pirate Radio (previously known as The Boat That Rocked) has enough crowd-pleasing moments to be worthy of a watch.

12. Red Cliff (Woo, Nov. 20th)

Synopsis: Set during the end of China’s Han Dynasty, two rivaling warlords make a pact to turn their respective armies against a power hungry general bent on taking over their kingdoms.

Trailer

Why You Should See It: The US release of John Woo’s epic is getting trimmed down from 280 minutes to 148 (changes here). Both cuts have received positive reviews and are a supposed “return to form” for the director.

11. The Box (Kelly, Nov. 6th)

Synopsis: A young couple is gifted with a mysterious box that promises them a handsome windfall with deadly consequences.

Trailer

Why You Should See It: Donnie Darko and Southland Tales director Richard Kelly is headed mainstream with this ’70’s sci-fi/thriller throwback. Reviews have been mixed, but after his previous work this is bound to be at least interesting.

10. The Princess and the Frog (Clements + Musker, Nov. 25th)

Synopsis: A fairy tale centered on a young girl named Princess Tiana who lives in New Orleans’ French Quarter during the Jazz Age.

Trailer

Why You Should See It: Disney returns to 2D from the people that brought us Aladdin, The Little Mermaid, and Treasure Planet. The film isn’t getting a wide release until early December, but those in NY and LA should check this out as soon as possible.

9. Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans (Herzog, Nov. 20th)

Synopsis: Terence McDonagh (Cage) is a drug- and gambling-addled detective in post-Katrina New Orleans investigating the killing of five Senegalese immigrants.

Trailer

Why You Should See It: I had the pleasure of seeing Herzog’s wild ride at the Toronto International Film Festival. Cage delivers a wildly eccentric performance, only heightened by the extravagant amount of drugs pumping through his system throughout the entire film.

8. Ninja Assassin (McTeigue, Nov. 25th)

Synopsis: Raizo (Rain) is a rogue ninja who comes to the aid of Mika Coretti (Harris), a Berlin-based Interpol agent who has linked the shadowy Ozunu Clan, a secret society of assassins who trained Raizo, to a series of murders. Most dangerous to them both is Takeshi (Yune), Raizo’s former ally and the assassin leading the charge of Ozunu killers to Berlin.

Trailer

Why You Should See It: From James McTeigue, the man behind V For Vendetta, comes all that style with little substance. Early reports and the trailer suggest you are getting exactly what the title promises.

7. The Messenger (Moverman, Nov. 20th)

Synopsis: A soldier (Foster) struggles with an ethical dilemma when he becomes involved with a widow of a fallen officer (Morton).

Trailer

Why You Should See It: From the co-writer of I’m Not There, comes another Iraq war story. This one looks more in the quality of The Hurt Locker, with award worthy performances from Ben Foster and Woody Harrelson.

6. Broken Embraces (Almodovar, Nov. 20th)

Synopsis: Blind screenwriter Harry Caine (Homar) reveals the secrets of his past to a young associate, from his former life as a filmmaker working under his given name, to the accident which claimed his sight and led to a break-up with Lena (Cruz), a now-famous actress who lives in a gilded cage with her wealthy older partner.

Trailer

Why You Should See It: This isn’t as off kilter or extraordinary as Almodovar’s other works, but with visuals as stunning as the performances this is an engaging drama a step above the rest.

5. A Christmas Carol (Zemeckis, Nov. 6th)

Synopsis: An animated retelling of the Charles Dickens novel about Ebenezer Scrooge (Carrey), a Victorian-era miser who is taken on a journey of self-redemption, courtesy of several mysterious Christmas apparitions.

Trailer

Why You Should See It: The new Zemeckis motion-capture project still looks a bit creepy, but it fits perfectly with a story like this. This should also prove to be a worthy prep before Avatar revolutionizes the 3D field next month.

4. The Men Who Stare at Goats (Heslov, Nov. 6th)

Synopsis: In Iraq, reporter Bob Wilton (McGregor) meets Lyn Cassady (Clooney), whose seemingly wild claim – that he’s a member of the U.S. Army’s First Earth Battalion, a unit that employs paranormal powers in their missions – causes Wilton to join Cassady’s hunt for the battalion’s founder, whose gone missing.

Trailer

Why You Should See It: From the team behind Good Night, and Good Luck comes a twisted, silly political satire. The change of pace from the serious war films will be welcomed by many.

3. Fantastic Mr. Fox (Anderson, Nov. 20th)

Synopsis: Angry farmers, tired of sharing their chickens with a sly fox, look to get rid of their opponent and his family. Based on the book by Roald Dahl.

Trailer

Why You Should See It: Wes Anderson’s first take on animation has been met with peculiar allegations, but his style looks like it hasn’t changed and all the stuff white people love is still intact. Searchlight is marketing it as a family film so I wonder if its success will be similar to Where The Wild Things Are. Both films don’t seem like sweeping crowd-pleasers, but his fans are sure to find solace in this new project.

2. Precious: Based On The Novel Push by Sapphire (Daniels, Nov. 6th)

Synopsis: In Harlem, an overweight, illiterate teen (Sidibe) who is pregnant with her second child is invited to enroll in an alternative school in hopes that her life can head in a new direction.

Trailer

Why You Should See It: The first film to grab the top prize at the Sundance Film Festival AND the Toronto International Film Festival. Backed by Oprah Winfrey and Tyler Perry, there is quite a large amount of Oscar buzz, specifically related to Mo’Nique’ s remarkable performance.

1. The Road (Hillcoat, Nov. 25th)

Synopsis: A father (Mortensen) and son (Smit-McPhee) walk for months across a ravaged, post-apocalyptic landscape in search of civilization.

Trailer

Why You Should See It: In release turmoil for awhile, we are finally getting John Hillcoat’s adaptation of Cormac McCarthy’s The Road. I saw this at TIFF and it is bleak: uncomfortably, depressingly bleak. If one can handle it, they are bound to discover one of the best films of the year. All the performances are top-notch and the production design is something to behold.

Check out the next page to see what to avoid this month.