November

Impeccably designed and crafted psychological study appears at first to be in an artistic disarray, yet the filmmakers' strategy is very clever and they have put together an excellent--if brief--thriller about living in a state of limbo. A young photography teacher experiences a night in November within three different frameworks, each with much the same detail but a different outcome in the scenario. It's impossible to criticize the minutiae since the movie's agenda isn't made clear until the finish, but some of the plot-points can be frustrating (such as the photo of a mysterious hand under a market bin, or a police investigator carping about not getting a clear look at a convenience store robber when the store itself had four security cameras going). Nevertheless, the well-chosen cast, particularly Courteney Cox in the lead, is flawless and the mood music and arty cinematography--while at times overstated--is haunting. *** from ****

I was lucky enough to see this film at the Sundance Film Festival (2004). It is a very intense thriller in which Courteney Cox (very different from her Friends work) plays a photographer whose boyfriend (the always excellent James Legros) is shot and killed in a corner store robbery.

The movie starts to get more complicated as Cox's character begins to have flashbacks of the event, replaying it in different scenarios and subtle variations. In each version, we seem to get closer to the "truth" of the actual event.

The film is small in scale, but looks and sounds terrific. I couldn't quite believe it when the director said it was shot in 15 days.

It is surprisingly emotional, while at the same time, intellectually demanding. I can't wait to see this film again when it's released. It is a movie that will undoubtedly benefit from multiple viewings. 10/10

I am not a fan of the TV show "Friends", but I have been impressed with some of the work the cast members have done outside of the show (David Schwimmer's performance in BAND OF BROTHERS, for one). Courteney Cox is nothing short of excellent here, and there are good performances from other cast members, especially Anne Archer, who I've liked ever since I saw her with James Coburn in 1972's rodeo picture, THE HONKERS. Nora Dunn also turns in a good performance, and if all the leads were as strong, my overall impression of "NOVEMBER" would be different.

But the casting of James LaGros in a major role here doesn't work at all. I don't know if it was the inexperienced director or a bad fit for the role (certainly LaGros has plenty of experience himself), but he's hard to watch, especially when sharing a scene with Cox, who acts circles around his one dimensional performance. This dynamic was so distracting that it pulled me out of the story for a moment whenever he was on screen.

Fortunately he's not on all the time, for November is almost completely from Cox's character's perspective. It's perhaps a study in perception more than anything else, a modern suspense thriller that really isn't a who-dun-it as much as a painful reconstruction of events. Because the film doesn't cheat and cut to someone else's perspective just to answer the viewers' questions (a courageous and applaudable choice for the filmmakers), there are questions that remain unanswered for a majority of the picture. When the time came to give answers, I didn't always feel there was enough information to do so properly, but that's a minor issue. These weren't the "drive you crazy" plot points, but smaller things I thought should have been clear by the film's end.

Aside from these problems, I never felt the film drag (as is often the case in lower budget pictures), so the few story problems did not occur in the editing room as far as I can tell. The short running time reflects this, and these filmmakers understand that one shouldn't be so inclined to make epic length pictures unless it's absolutely critical to the story (a point the major studios seem to forget quite often). If I have issue at all with the run time here, it's the snail pace at which the end credits roll (I guess they were making sure we could read it all). Regardless, the major questions that create suspense were nicely revealed; the time flew by watching the film unravel, and there was certainly a "payoff" for me by the end.

A better directed and/or cast actor opposite Courteney Cox would've boosted my rating on this film a couple of stars. I suppose that's why the big time casting directors get the big bucks; the leads can make a film. But a miscast actor, as in "NOVEMBER", almost broke this otherwise enjoyable movie. 6 out of 10.

Greetings again from the darkness. Although I never got the "Friends" fascination, I have always thought Courtney Cox has potential as a movie actress. On this one point, I believe "November" succeeds. She does have a nice screen presence, even when made out to be frumpy, deceitful and purposefully confusing.

This mess of a movie is presented by two relative new comers to the movie biz, director Greg Harrison and writer Benjamin Brand. Both may have something to offer, but it definitely is not on display here. The movie bills itself as a psychological thriller, but the best of these are smart, exciting and intense. This one is only intense for the viewer as we try to assemble the mish-mash of pieces. The M Night Shyamalan wanna-bes use Courtney's photos as clues to what really happened at the crime scene. The use of color change (Courtney's hand bag) and lens focus are also supposed to "assist" us with the timeline and understanding the real story. As the detective says in one scene, "it is too artsy for its own good".

The twists on the Anne Archer (as Courtney's mom) scene are fun to watch, James LeGros is capable as the murdered boyfriend, and the supporting cast is fine, but what kills this one is the failed presentation. I always admire filmmakers who will take a risk (there aren't enough of them), but this one proves there is little uglier than when that risk fails.

This definitely fits the "Diamonds in the Rough" category for me, and I hope others check it out. It stars Courteney Cox as Sophie, and James LeGros as her boyfriend Hugh. As the movie begins, they are on their way home from dinner at a restaurant, when Sophie stops the car at a corner grocery and asks Hugh to go in and get some snacks. After he is gone for a little while, the grocery is held up and three people are shot dead by the robber, including Hugh. This happens on November 7th, which is a very important date to the movie. Flash forward, and Sophie is talking to her shrink about her headaches, and the visions and flashbacks she is having. She teaches a photography class, and while showing slides in the class, a slide comes up of the corner grocery where the incident happened, with her car parked out front and her in it. This baffles her, and she calls in the police, who discover, she was the one that took the picture. hmmm, impossible you say, well not in this movie, because this is only one of three visits the movie makes to that fateful evening of November 7th, each with a different version of the actual events.

"November" was picked to play at the Sundance Film Festival, and won a few awards. It's a very low budget, shot in fifteen days on HD, and is almost a student film. The photography is awesome, with a cool soundtrack, and outstanding acting. Courteney Cox is not prettied up at all in this movie, and she reminds me so much of Margot Kidder. And I LOVE Margot Kidder. Not just in looks, because she at times is almost a dead ringer for Margot, but in her acting style too. This is a psychological thriller all the way, and some may figure this out way in advance, and others may be thoroughly confused. For me, it shows what up and coming filmmakers can do with little money, when the material they have to work with is high quality. I'm not suggesting you go out and buy this little gem, but certainly it's worth a rental. I liked it very much, and it comes with two commentaries, both very good. Check it out, if you get a chance. :)