From blockbusters to indie films, all the buzzed-about flicks to see this season

Nov. 10
MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS

The gist: Thirteen strangers are stuck on a train while a detective tries to solve a murder. Of course, everyone’s a suspect.
The stars: Kenneth Branagh, Michelle Pfeiffer, Penélope Cruz, Judi Dench, Leslie Odom Jr. and so many more
The good: That stellar cast and a beloved Agatha Christie novel as the source material.
The bad: The book has been around long enough that you should know whodunit. Maybe Branagh, also the director, throws in a twist?
Recommended if you like: Snowy European vistas, gloriously coiffed mustaches, Judi Dench playing scandalized but also very wealthy so it’s all beneath her, Michelle Pfeiffer’s cinematic renaissance

Nov. 10
LADY BIRD

The gist: A coming-of-age story of a confused, but whip-smart, teen going through her last year of high school in Sacramento
The stars: Saoirse Ronan, Laurie Metcalf
The good: This is actor Greta Gerwig’s directorial debut, and it already has Oscar buzz for her smart storytelling and the lived-in performances.
The bad: It’s Juno-esque indie fare, so it could hit some predictable, indulgent notes.
Recommended if you like: Mother/daughter bickering/bonding, nostalgia for 2002, mumblecore

Nov. 17
JUSTICE LEAGUE

The gist: Batman and Wonder Woman recruit a band of superheroes (not the Marvel ones, but the DC Comics ones) to save the planet from catastrophe of some sort.
The stars: Ben Affleck and Gal Gadot return, with Jason Momoa, Ezra Miller and Ray Fisher
The good: Wonder Woman was a hit this summer, and fans have been waiting for a full ensemble of DC characters.
The bad: Director Zack Snyder also did Batman v Superman, which critics saw as too serious and brooding. The trailer for this one at least has a little comic relief.
Recommended if you like: Form-fitting armor; those scenic underwater shots during the Finding Nemo credits—but with Jason Momoa; the usual amount of relentless world destruction

Nov. 22
COCO

The gist: A young, aspiring musician finds himself magically transported to the Land of the Dead and learns about his family’s secret history.
The stars: Voice work from Gael García Bernal, Benjamin Bratt, newcomer Anthony Gonzalez and more
The good: The Pixar animation looks stunning, per usual, and it’s got an all-Latino voice cast, which is pretty unprecedented.
The bad: Themes of death and the afterlife, plus some not-so-subtle digs on the topic of immigration, might steer some families away.
Recommended if you like: Sugar skulls, Ancestry.com, declaring you’ve just gotten something in your eye while watching a kids’ movie

Nov. 24
CALL ME BY YOUR NAME

The gist: A young man develops a secret relationship with his scholarly father’s intern during a summer in Italy in the 1980s.
The stars: Timothée Chalamet and Armie Hammer
The good: Director Luca Guadagnino is known for his sensual Italian style (see I Am Love with Tilda Swinton), and this movie has garnered critical acclaim for its delicate portrayal of a gay coming-of-age story.
The bad: While the story tackles the heartbreak of first love, summers spent vacationing in Italian villas aren’t exactly a universal experience of youth.
Recommended if you like: Bike rides, Sufjan Stevens, ’80s-era short shorts, will-they-or-won’t-they anticipation, #feelings

Dec. 1
THE DISASTER ARTIST

The gist: A movie about a movie, this one telling the origin story of what’s widely considered one of the worst movies of all time, Tommy Wiseau’s The Room
The stars: James Franco (who directs and takes the lead role), Dave Franco, Seth Rogen, Alison Brie
The good: It’s filled with great comedic actors giving a genuine (even lovingly rendered?) portrayal of a film crew just as perplexed as the rest of us over how this movie was even made.
The bad: Like Franco himself, it’s all very meta. Will the movie work beyond cult fans of an obscure and really bad film?
Recommended if you like: Intentionally bad acting, struggling to make it in Hollywood, inexplicable accents

Dec. 8
THE SHAPE OF WATER

The gist: Set against the Cold War, a lonely janitor in a high-security government lab discovers—and sort of falls for?—a creature kept in captivity.
The stars: Sally Hawkins, Octavia Spencer, Michael Shannon
The good: Guillermo del Toro knows his way around fairy tales with a touch of malice.
The bad: The live-action Beauty and the Beast made the original animated romance suddenly seem icky for many of us. How about with the Creature from the Black Lagoon?
Recommended if you like: Shades of green, movie titles that Nicholas Sparks probably once considered for a book title, the idea of a surprise Hellboy spinoff

Dec. 15
STAR WARS: THE LAST JEDI

The gist: Starting right where The Force Awakens left off, this one follows Rey’s Jedi training with the elusive Luke Skywalker, while Finn and Poe take on Rebel missions and Kylo Ren continues to brood.
The stars: Daisy Ridley, Mark Hamill, John Boyega, Adam Driver, Oscar Isaac, Carrie Fisher
The good: If this new trilogy keeps channeling the magic of the original, the second installment should be the most finely crafted and meatiest—and somebody might even lose a hand.
The bad: Those who thought The Force Awakens too closely mirrored A New Hope may not be thrilled to find just as many similarities to The Empire Strikes Back here.
Recommended if you like: Running with lightsabers, training montages, Oscar Isaac in flight suits, keeping track of the ever-expanding Star Wars universe

This article was originally published in the November 2017 issue of 225 magazine.