November

This movie had a great structure. I liked exploring the real emotional reactions of "denial", "despair" and "acceptance" when dealing with trauma with the main character played by Courtney Cox. This movie is really difficult to talk about without giving it away and that is the one thing you don't want to happen when watching this movie. Trying to figure it out is what makes this intriguing.

I will say that the movie kept my interest and was terrific up until the ending. It is the type of ending that you can figure out so it doesn't "cheat" you. But it still wasn't a satisfying ending. Why? Because there were too many elements that were thrown in and even though I can understand why the main character would go through the thought processes that she did, I don't think that I would if I were in her shoes. That is, if I understood the ending properly.

I saw this film on a whim. I had not great expectations for either the film or Courtney Cox, who I remembered as an airhead on Friends. However, I was pleasantly surprised. I was taken in within the first few minutes and spent my time trying to figure out what actually happened. I had several theories, but it was not until the end that the secret is revealed. My jaw dropped to the floor and I knew that I had seen a beautiful work of art. I had to watch it again to see if I could pick out the clues. There were very few. But it made perfect sense. Cox was wonderful! Her performance in this movie made a fan out of me. I cannot wait for her next dramatic role. The story, the directing, the cinematography as well as the acting are superb. I cannot recommend this movie any more than 'see it' Make up your own mind, but give it a chance. You will be amazed.

Harrison's 'November' is quite an interesting piece of cinema. Shot with HD camera on a minimum budget, the film take us through the stages of of a young photographer's grief. But for whom is she grieving or who's death is she coming to terms with? That becomes apparent in the end. The movie's divided into three chapters: denial, despair and acceptance (stages of grief). The director presents hints through each stage as the truth slowly unfolds. Harrison's execution is quite simplistic in terms of technique. The visuals have a washed out look but are nonetheless intriguing. He uses a lot of symbolic elements, like the different gloomy colours in each segment, and a gloomy soundtrack. The entire film rests on Courteney Cox and she does an exceptional job. It's great to see her in a different role and the actress needs to do more movies. The supporting cast, that includes James LeGros and Anne Archer are very good. 'November' is quite a well made film. It is thought provoking and dark but many will dislike it most likely because of the theme. Many have complained that there is no plot but, in my opinion, I find that to be a ridiculous statement as the story (which I briefly mentioned earlier) is pretty obvious. Whether one likes it or not, I say 'November' is worth the watch.

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

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. :)