Fall previews. November.

November 3

• Borat: Cultural Learnings of American for Make Benefit of Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan. Sharon Waxman's much discussed preview (NYT). Stephanie Zacharek: "[Sacha Baron] Cohen's humor can make you feel complicit in an unclean act - you might feel a twinge of guilt for laughing. Then again, complicity is part of humor: The very things we're not supposed to laugh at are sometimes the funniest. And there are sections of Borat that constitute the most sharply pointed satire I've seen in years." (Salon) Trailer..

• Commune. "Instead of a shameless loving tribute to all things hippie, Commune takes 'a tell it like it is' approach. And we learn that free is relative and the path to Utopia might require structure." Jonathan W Hickman (Entertainment Insiders).

• The Flock. Andrew Lau directs Richard Gere and Claire Danes. The Coming Soon file.

• Flushed Away. EW. Premiere. Trailer.

• A Soap. Me (here).

• Volver. AO Scott tracks "Penélope Cruz's Journey" (audio slide show; NYT). Paul Julian Smith vs Peter Matthews (Sight & Sound). Cannes reviews. Earlier: "Viva Pedro."

November 8

• Iraq in Fragments. Hannah Eaves interviews director James Longley and co-producer John Sinno (here). Online listening tip. Zoom In's Annie Frisbie also talks with Longley.

• The Last Atomic Bomb.

November 10

• Cautiva. London Film Festival.

• Fur. Logan Hill talks with Steven Shainberg (New York). Trailer (if you can get it to play).

• God Grew Tired of Us. David D'Arcy (here).

• A Good Year. David D'Arcy (here). Trailer.

• Harsh Times. David Ayer directs Christian Bale. Trailer.

• Stranger Than Fiction. "[C]ontrived to the point of being contorted and misshapen; its self-conscious fifth-dimension trippiness is like a bad tune you can't get out of your head." Stephanie Zacharek (Salon. Premiere. Trailer.

November 15

• Wild Tigers I Have Known. "In its ultimately unsuccessful quest to elicit emotional sincerity from mannered stylization, the film comes across as the work of a director who - similar to his budding, bewildered protagonist - is still engaged in a process of self-discovery and definition." Nick Schager (Slant). Trailer at the site.

November 17

• The Aura. Juan Manuel Freire (here). Related: "Fabián Bielinsky, 1959 - 2006." Trailer (Spanish with French subtitles).

• Bobby. Brian Geraghty and Shia LeBouf are two of Karin Durbin's "Six Breakthrough Performances" (NYT). Venice reviews.

• Candy. Me (here). Trailer.

• Casino Royale. Benjamin Svetkey's EW cover story. David Katz on Daniel Craig as the new Bond (Esquire). Trailer at the site.

• Come Early Morning. Joey Lauren Adams's directorial debut. Clip at the site.

• Fast Food Nation. Bobby Cannavale is one of Karin Durbin's "Six Breakthrough Performances" (NYT). Cannes reviews. Trailer.

• Flannel Pajamas. Reviews and another set of reviews. Trailer at the site.

• For Your Consideration. EW. Premiere.

• Happy Feet. EW. Premiere. Trailer.

• The Piano Tuner of Earthquakes. "It's not the big break through moment that many Brothers Quay fans were hoping for and it has some serious narrative flaws but it is absolutely one of the most visually arresting films you will ever see." Todd at Twitch. Trailer.

• Slow Burn. "Despite the game genre efforts of a vet cast and a solid tech package, this dauntingly convoluted urban riff on The Usual Suspects, shot in 2003 and only now being unveiled, fails to ignite the imagination and has direct-to-video etched all over it." Eddie Cockrell (Variety).

• Tenacious D in "The Pick of Destiny. EW. Premiere. Trailer.

November 22

• Backstage. "I honestly wasn't expecting much from actress-director [Emmanuelle] Bercot's groupie-meets-idol story, but the film is a deliciously trashy rock and roll fantasy that plays out like a sleazy All About Eve." Filmbrain. "[O]ne of the most self-assured debut features that I've seen in years." Jonathan Marlow (here). More praise from Aaron Hillis (Premiere). Trailer.

• Déjà Vu. EW. Trailer.

• The Fountain. Venice reviews. Trailer.

• The History Boys. "With its rambunctious comedy, serious themes and peerless ensemble acting, The History Boys has been a magnet for theater prizes." A backgrounder from Sylviane Gold (NYT). Trailer.

Click back to September or October or on to December.

Posted by dwhudson at September 10, 2006 2:03 PM