Netflix has posted its November releases, which are highlighted (lowlighted?) by at least three films that set a rather dark tone.
While October is known for terrifying and frightening films, November is slated to be a rather somber month on Netflix. Look, I love a good comedy as much as the next person, but I can’t remember a single line from any movies starring Adam Sandler or Will Farrell. Films that offer a darker look at the world tend to leave indelible impressions. Three of the streaming service’s newest releases this month offer a dark look at various aspects of life, and I, for one, welcome the clouds.
The Ivory Game
Set for a November 4 release, The Ivory Game (2016) is one Netflix’s newest programs. This documentary takes a dark and somewhat depressing look at the ivory trade’s impact upon the mortality of African elephants. The film documents the actions of wildlife activists as they try to stop poachers engaging in the illegal ivory trade. The Ivory Game is directed by documentarian Kief Davidson and award-winning director and cinematographer Richard Ladkani.
Take Me to the River
On November 12, Take Me to the River (2015) makes its Netflix debut. If you want to make a dark movie, set the plot around an American family. At least that’s what the trailer of Take Me to the River suggests. A family reunion of a fractured family is in the inciting action in this America drama. The film tells the story of Ryder (Logan Miller), a naïve California teen who stumbles upon an ugly and long-buried secret while visiting his aunts, uncles, and cousins in Nebraska. River stars Robin Weigert, who’s best known for her role as Calamity Jane on HBO’s Deadwood.
Men Go to Battle
Judging by its trailer, Men Go to Battle could win the prize for the most awkward film debuting on Netflix this month. Men Go to Battle is a period piece set in 1861 amidst the American Civil War. A fight between the Mellon brothers, Francis and Henry, causes Henry to join the Northern side. This leaves Francis behind to manage their failing farm on an unforgiving patch of Kentucky earth. If quirky and peculiar films are your thing, add Men Go to Battle to your queue. It stars Tim Morton as Henry and David Maloney as Francis Mellon.
A Stark November
November is the perfect time for these and other dark Netflix movies. Here in Michigan, the eleventh month of the year typically means grey skies, chilling winds, and a landscape that seems bereft of life. It also means we’ve fallen back in our daylight savings time, which causes the sun to appear to dip behind the horizon at a time much earlier than we’re accustomed. It’s the perfect setting to pop some popcorn and curl up with these and many more of the November releases on Netflix.
Here’s everything that’s coming in November to the streaming service:
November 1
The African Queen (1951)
Alfie (2004)
Bob the Builder: White Christmas (2008)
Candyman 2: Farewell to the Flesh (1995)
The Confessions of Thomas Quick (2016)
Cujo (1983)
The Doors (1991)
The Heartbreak Kid (2007)
Jetsons: The Movie (1990)
King’s Faith (2013)
Love, Now (2012)
Norman Lear: Just Another Version of You (2016)
Pervert Park (2014)
Ravenous (1999)
Stephen King’s Thinner (1996)
Tales from the Darkside: The Movie (1990)
Thomas & Friends: A Very Thomas Christmas (2012)
Thomas & Friends: Holiday Express (2012)
Thomas & Friends: Merry Winter Wish (2010)
Thomas & Friends: The Christmas Engines (2014)
Thomas & Friends: Ultimate Christmas (2009)
November 2
Dough (2015)
Food Choices (2016)
Meet the Blacks (2016)
November 4
The Crown: Season 1
Dana Carvey: Straight White Male, 60
The Ivory Game (2016)
Just Friends (2005)
World of Winx: Season 1
November 9
Danger Mouse: Season 2
November 11
All Hail King Julien: Season 4
Case: Season 1
Estocolmo: Season 1
Roman Empire: Reign of Blood: Season 1
Tales by Light: Season 1
True Memoirs of An International Assassin (2016)
Under the Sun (2015)
November 12
Take Me to the River (2015)
November 13
Chalk It Up (2016)
November 14
Carter High (2015)
November 15
Dieter Nuhr: Nuhr in Berlin
K-POP Extreme Survival: Season 1
Men Go to Battle (2015)
The Missing Ingredient: What is the Recipe for Success? (2016)
November 16
The 100: Season 3
Burn After Reading (2008)
Jackass 3.5: The Unrated Movie (2011)
Paddington (2014)
November 17
Lovesick: Season 2
Paranoid: Season 1
November 18
The Battle of Midway (1942)
Beat Bugs: Season 2
Colin Quinn: The New York Story
Divines (2016)
Prelude to War (1942)
San Pietro (1945)
Sour Grapes (2016)
Thunderbolt (1947)
Tunisian Victory (1944)
Undercover: How to Operate Behind Enemy Lines (1943)
Why We Fight: The Battle of Russia (1943)
WWII: Report from the Aleutians (1943)
November 22
Mercy (2016)
Avail 11/23/16
Penguins: Spy in the Huddle: Season 1
November 25
3%: Season 1
Boyhood (2014)
Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life
Michael Che Matters
November 29
Silver Skies (2016)
November 30
Ghost Team (2016)
I Dream Too Much (2016)
The Jungle Book (2016)
Level Up (2016)
Traded (2016)
