Thanksgiving is a time for many to have a week off from school and spend it with family and friends. When I’m not emptying my wallet while Christmas shopping for my loved ones, I like to see what new movies are out or which ones I’ve missed in the past month.
Thanksgiving week is usually the time for a good chunk of “Oscar bait” movies to come out, but it appears most of them have been pushed back to the end of December, likely out of fear of competing with Star Wars.
But that doesn’t mean there’s not a wide selection to choose from, in fact, quite a number of them hold my interest. So what movies should you check out during your well-deserved time off?
The Peanuts Movie
Now that the film has been released I can safely say it looks like they got it right. Back when I made my 2015 Fall Movie article, I put Spectre as my most anticipated November film with this coming in a close second.
The reason I held back was because this was made by Blue Sky studios. They haven’t had the best track record in terms of their projects, such as the Ice Age and Rio sequels. But thankfully they were able to prove me wrong.
As a major fan of The Peanuts growing up it’s great to see one of my childhood favorites be brought to the big screen and done right.
Despite it being CG animation rather than the traditional 2D, it perfectly replicates the style of Charles Schulz’s beloved characters as it focuses on the unlucky Charlie Brown’s attempting to woo the Red-Haired girl and Snoopy’s never-ending fight against the Red Baron.
Some critics have argued that it plays a little too safe to its nostalgic values and lacks original content, but with this franchise, I honestly don’t mind that approach. Charlie Brown and The Peanuts are timeless characters, they don’t need to be modernized or redone to connect with older and younger audiences.
Creed
Like the fictional boxer’s career, the Rocky series has had some major hits and misses, but based on the positive reactions from both the trailer and the movie, Creed is not something to miss.
The film focuses on Adonis, the son of Rocky’s deceased rival and mentor, Apollo Creed. Growing up without his father, Adonis followed in his footsteps and became a fighter himself. In the movie he travels to Philadelphia to train with the legendary Rocky Balboa, reprised by Sylvester Stallone.
On paper, this sounds like a big risk, given Hollywood’s reputation these days to rehash or reboot older franchises to make a quick buck. But Creed takes itself very seriously thanks to writer and director Ryan Coogler.
Coogler previously made the critically acclaimed Fruitvale Station which also starred Creed’s lead actor, Michael B. Jordan. Those who have seen the earlier screenings say to expect strong performances and to bring a box of tissues, because this looks to be a knockout hit.
The Good Dinosaur
Normally the November Disney movie would be out right now, but things are a little different this time around. Not only will the next Disney animated film, Zootopia, be released in March, but The Good Dinosaur is set to be Pixar’s second 2015 film after the summer hit, Inside Out.
The story focuses on an alternate timeline where the dinosaurs were not killed by an asteroid. It focuses on a young dinosaur named Arlo, who finds himself far away from home and befriends a human cave-boy named Spot.
It has had quite an intriguing history compared to most Pixar films, as the development started back in 2009, but midway through production switched up the directors, writers, designs, and even actors. It was supposed to be released nearly two years ago but kept getting pushed back.
The animation looks breathtaking and it has been getting pretty positive reviews so far. Hopefully this will continue Pixar’s good streak after the success of Inside Out.