DVD/Blu-ray Release Calendar: November 2018

▣ BlacKkKlansman Trailers

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Spike Lee’s best-reviewed narrative feature since 1989's Do the Right Thing tells the true story of Ron Stallworth (Denzel’s son John David Washington) the only black detective in the Colorado Springs Police Department in the early 1970s, when he infiltrated the local chapter of the Ku Klux Klan. When his interactions with the Klan go beyond phone calls, Ron teams up with his colleague, Flip Zimmerman (Adam Driver), to take down the hate group. Lee’s film won the Grand Prix (second place) prize at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival.

▣ Claire's Camera Trailers

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Writer-director Hong Sang-soo reunites with his In Another Country star, Isabelle Huppert, and pairs her with the star of five of his films, Kim Min-hee, for a story about a camera that might be magical. Filmed during the 2016 Cannes Film Festival when Huppert was there for Elle and Kim for The Handmaiden, the film follows Claire (Huppert), a school teacher, and Manhee (Kim), as they try to understand the circumstances behind Manhee’s recent firing from her job as a film sales assistant.

▣ Incredibles 2 Trailers

Brad Bird’s sequel to his 2004 Pixar hit The Incredibles picks up immediately after the end of the first film. The Parr family must deal with The Underminer, but they face a bigger challenge when Helen/Elastigirl (Holly Hunter) goes off to save the world, leaving Bob/Mr. Incredible (Craig T. Nelson) in charge of the family. Better Call Saul's Bob Odenkirk and Jonathan Banks join a voice cast that also returns Sarah Vowell and Samuel L. Jackson.

▣ Juliet, Naked Trailers

In this romantic-comedy from director Jesse Peretz (Our Idiot Brother), Rose Byrne’s Annie strikes up a transatlantic correspondence with Tucker Crowe (Ethan Hawke), a reclusive singer-songwriter with whom her boyfriend Duncan (Chris O’Dowd) is completely obsessed. An adaptation of a Nick Hornby novel, Juliet, Naked received mixed reviews when it premiered at Sundance earlier this year, though the score improved a bit when the film reached theaters in August.

▣ The Meg Trailers

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When an incomprehensibly massive prehistoric shark threatens the crew of a deep-sea scientific mission, Jason Statham's former Navy captain must save the day. This action-thriller is based on a 1997 book by Steve Alten and comes from director Jon Turteltaub (National Treasure). The result isn't great, but that won't stand in the way of a sequel.

▣ Mile 22 Trailers

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Director Peter Berg's fourth straight collaboration with star Mark Wahlberg (following 2016's Patriots Day) finds the latter playing a CIA agent in Indonesia. He's charged with transporting a targeted informant to an airport from the city center 22 miles away. The action film also stars John Malkovich and Ronda Rousey. Critics found the result shallow and mostly unwatchable.

▣ The Third Murder Trailers

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Before he won the Palme d’Or for Shoplifters (which finally heads to theaters this month), Hirokazu Kore-eda (After the Storm, Our Little Sister) took a dip in the genre pool with this murder mystery/courtroom drama that addresses the death penalty in Japan through the story of defense attorney, played by Masaharu Fukuyama (Like Father, Like Son), who takes on the case of a murder suspect played by Kôji Yakusho (13 Assassins). While it’s not Kore-eda’s best reviewed film, it does have a few strong supporters, including the Japanese Academy, who awarded the film best director, screenplay, editing, supporting actress, supporting actor and film.

▣ Blindspotting Trailers

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Written by and starring Rafael Casal and Daveed Diggs, Carlos López Estrada‘s debut feature about best friends who grew up together in Oakland but face an uncertain future received a variety of reactions—from very positive to mixed—when it premiered at Sundance in January. Featuring a distinct style with lush colors and moments of spoken-word performance, the film follows Diggs’ Collin as he tries to make it through three more days of probation while hanging out with Casal’s troublemaking Miles and witnessing a police shooting.

▣ Crazy Rich Asians Trailers

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The surprise, potentially game-changing hit of the summer finds Now You See Me 2 director Jon M. Chu adapting the first book in Kevin Kwan’s bestselling trilogy. The rom-com follows New Yorker Rachel Chu (Constance Wu) to Singapore as she accompanies her boyfriend, Nick Young (Henry Golding), to his best friend’s wedding, only to discover that Nick is one of the wealthiest and most desired bachelors in the country. Michelle Yeoh plays Nick’s hyper-critical mother, and Awkwafina, Gemma Chan, Jimmy O. Yang, and Ken Jeong have supporting roles. A rarity for its nearly all-Asian cast and female lead character, the film is a massive success now matter how you analyze it, grossing more (domestically) than any other rom-com in 13 years.

▣ We the Animals Trailers

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Director Jeremiah Zagar’s excellent narrative feature debut, co-written with Daniel Kitrosser, is based on Justin Torres’ 2012 novel. The film reveals how the volatile relationship between a mother (Sheila Vand) and father (Raul Castillo) affects their three sons. Two of the boys, Manny and Joe, become more like their father, but Jonah, the youngest, escapes into an imaginary world. The film’s use of magical realism and animated sequences earned Animals the Innovator Award in the NEXT section of the 2018 Sundance Film Festival.

▣ Searching Trailers

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In the tradition of the Unfriended series, Aneesh Chaganty’s debut feature takes place entirely on computer screens as it follows a father’s search for his missing daughter (Michele La). John Cho stars as David Kim, a concerned father who uses his missing daughter’s laptop to aid in the investigation. Debra Messing plays the detective assigned to the case. Under its original title of Search, the film won the Audience Award in the NEXT section of this year’s Sundance Film Festival, where it also received excellent reviews.

▣ Sharp Objects Miniseries

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After his adaptation of Big Little Lies won eight Emmy awards last year, director Jean-Marc Vallée returned to HBO this summer with another miniseries based on a book. This time, the source material is Gillian Flynn's novel Sharp Objects, with an adaptation scripted by Flynn and Marti Noxon (UnREAL, Buffy the Vampire Slayer). A widely praised Amy Adams heads the cast as a reporter who returns to her hometown to investigate the killings of two young girls. Also starring are Patricia Clarkson, Chris Messina, Elizabeth Perkins, Eliza Scanlen, and Matt Craven.