Fall Movie Preview Week: November

With November, I close out Fall Movie Preview Week. What about December, you say? Yes, I did promise to give my first impulse reactions to the new movies coming out in that month, but since then I decided, heck with "Entertainment Weekly" and heck with the calendar. Fall isn't December, and December isn't fall. So we'll save that month for later, and we'll call it Holiday Movie Preview. Ooh! Exciting, no?


Anyway, here are some of November's notable scheduled releases, with my desire to see them on a green-light, yellow-light, and red-light basis:


November 2: The Kite Runner (Yellow)
--Ah, we're off to a bad start here. See, I haven't read the book, and I don't think Afghanistan in the 1970s sounds like a great place to visit, even if only on screen. Neither does the Afghanistan of today, actually. Yep, call me a xenophobic, ignorant lout, but I don't want to see this, and I do feel guilty about it, but hey, that's my first impulse. This is directed by Marc Forster, and the book has a pedigree, so we may hear some Oscar talk about this one. So I'm calling this a yellow-lighter. But if I wasn't afraid of seeming like a total rube, I'd be honest and bring out the red light.


2: American Gangster (Green)
--I like but don't love Ridley Scott's movies, but Denzel and Russel Crowe teaming up with the director for a kick-ass crime flick sounds pretty good. And once more I feel guilty about dissing "The Kite Runner." What can I say? Harlem in the 1970s does sound like a great place to visit, though parts of it were probably not much sunnier than Afghanistan. USA! USA! USA!


2: Bee Movie (Green)
--I saw two totally different trailers for this one in the span of a week last month, and each one was hilarious. Just the idea of Jerry Seinfeld voicing a cartoon character is pretty funny, and when you make that character one given to wide-eyed wonder at discovering a larger world--well, that's great.


9: Lions for Lambs (Yellow)
--As I understand it, Tom Cruise, Meryl Streep, and Robert Redford tell us how crummy the war in Iraq is. Does that sound entertaining to you?
OK, perhaps I simplify the premise a tad. But I will say this: When this one draws near, you'll see the word "wattage" used often in referring to the 3 stars. But the wattage on that cast is dimming a bit, isn't it? They have to do a bit more than just show up to make me want to see this movie.


9: Fred Claus (Yellow)
--The only reason I might want to see this is Paul Giamatti as Santa Claus. Otherwise, it looks like a lot of straining-to-be-funny-and-hip stuff from people who haven't made a lot of really funny movies. Vince Vaughn in Swingers was fresh and appealing. Vince Vaughn in 2007 is but this far from making it to the Too Irritating to Watch list.


9: No Country for Old Men (Green)
--The Coen Brothers may be slightly overrated (OK, I'll just say it: They are), but they make interesting movies. This Cormac McCarthy adaptation is apparently a return to dark "Miller's Crossing" territory, and I say, bring it on.


9: Southland Tales (Yellow)
--Hey, comingsoon.net says Richard Kelly's long-awaited Donnie Darko follow-up is coming out 11/9, so I'm listing it. There has been some bad advance word, and you can't help but figure it's a mess. I am a little curious, but as far as waiting for this one goes, I'm still trying to figure out "Darko," but not really trying too hard, if you catch my drift.


16: Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium (Yellow)
--Impressions from the trailer: Enchantment. Whimsy. Fun for the whole family. Or cloying, irritating crap. Dustin Hoffman in eccentric mode. Some effeminate-looking lad who resembles Natalie Portman in the audience surrogate role. A bunch of cool toys coming to life. Who knows if this one will work? I'm gonna wait and see.


16: Beowulf (Yellow)
--We can talk about the literary origins. We can talk about Animated Ray Winstone kicking ass. Oh, we can talk about Robert Zemeckis fascinating animation, presumably improved from his 2004 "The Polar Express."
Yes, let's talk about those things. Anything to avoid admitting we just want to see naked animated Angelina Jolie.


16: Margot at the Wedding (Green)
--Sometimes the cast doesn't make the movie at all. This one features Nicole Kidman, Jack Black, John Turturro, and Jennifer Jason Leigh, and nothing against any of them, but I have never bought a ticket specifically to see a single one. Ah, but this is the new Noah Baumbach joint, and I loved "The Squid and the Whale" enough to want to check out his latest. Years ago, "Kicking and Screaming" was pretty damn good, too. Hopefully this actually does come out in my area around the 16th and doesn't trickle my way after the holidays.


21: Enchanted (Red)
--Cute idea--cartoon princess comes to life in the modern-day "real world," but do I really need women swooning over Patrick Dempsey in another medium? I didn't get the whole Dempsey thing when he started out in movies, and now that he's a big TV star, I wish he'd stay on the small screen. I'm a guy, and I'm just not wired to anticipate any princess movie that doesn't star Anne Hathaway.


30: Cassandra's Dream (Green)
--It's Woody Allen, and I always find myself paying to see his movies. That's just the way it is, and I doubt it'll change this year.