Despite appearances to the contrary, November 2016 is no turkey. It's the perfect month for movie lovers to get in some serious watching before Peak Prestige Season™ hits. With an assortment of entertainment as vast and delectable as a Thanksgiving dinner, there's plenty to be thankful for this month --- that is, if you love Books on Screen. 

Fans of Benedict Cumberbatch (and Tom Hiddleston, because six of one...) get a special treat this month with Marvel's latest, Doctor Strange, about a neurosurgeon who --- after he loses the use of his hands in a tragic accident --- finds himself on the front lines of an epic battle between good and evil. Early reviews claim the movie goes for style over substance, but sometimes a good old-fashioned detox is in order. And speaking of style, luxury designer Tom Ford's sophomore effort, Nocturnal Animals, hits theaters later this month and stars Amy Adams and Jake Gyllenhaal as a divorced couple who are hiding dark secrets from each other and themselves. Style? Check! Substance? Only Tom time will tell...although the trailer alone delivers on the thrills.  

If one Amy Adams movie doesn't meet your monthly quota, you can catch her in Arrival mid-month; she plays an expert linguist called in to communicate with extraterrestrial visitors as Earth teeters on the edge of global war. Pretty sure they cast the wrong redhead --- if we learned anything from Spice World (and, let's be honest, we learned everything from Spice World), it's that aliens just want a kiss from Ginger. If you haven't been satisfied by a movie since Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2 came out in 2011, I have some good news for you: the Rowling brand is back in theaters with Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, which takes us back in time to the 1920s with a magical mystery, an ominous threat, and a cagey Colin Farrell. And don't miss Lion, a pre-prestige and quietly moving film based on the true story of Saroo Brierley's quest to find his long-lost family and return home after 25 years.

On TV, Hallmark has a steadfast, if a little premature, offering of holiday movies, kicking off with The Mistletoe Promise early this month. If you haven't already binged "Good Girls Revolt" on Amazon, office intel claims this is the one to watch. And if you're looking for something a little more transgressive, "Good Behavior" premieres on TNT, starring Michelle Dockery as a con artist trying (and failing) to go straight --- Lady Mary she is not. 

There's only so many days this month before our systems get hit with tryptophan and go into hibernation for the winter; make sure to make the most of them! Get out there and enjoy some Books on Screen.

--- Written and compiled by Emily Hoenig

In Theaters:

Doctor Strange
Cast: Benedict Cumberbatch, Tilda Swinton, Rachel McAdams, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Mads Mikkelsen
Director: Scott Derrickson
Distributor: Walt Disney Pictures
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Release Date: November 4th
Based On: Marvel’s Dr. Strange comics by Steve Ditko

Doctor Strange tells the story of world-famous neurosurgeon Dr. Stephen Strange, whose life changes forever after a horrific car accident robs him of the use of his hands. When traditional medicine fails him, he is forced to look for healing, and hope, in an unlikely place --- a mysterious enclave known as Kamar-Taj. He quickly learns that this is not just a center for healing but also the front line of a battle against unseen dark forces bent on destroying our reality. Before long Strange --- armed with newly acquired magical powers --- is forced to choose whether to return to his life of fortune and status or leave it all behind to defend the world as the most powerful sorcerer in existence.

Arrival
Cast: Amy Adams, Jeremy Renner, Forest Whitaker
Director: Denis Villeneuve
Distributor: Paramount Pictures
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Release Date: November 11th
Based On: “Story of Your Life” in STORIES OF YOUR LIFE AND OTHERS by Ted Chiang

When mysterious spacecraft touch down across the globe, an elite team --- led by expert linguist Louise Banks --- are brought together to investigate. As mankind teeters on the verge of global war, Banks and the team race against time for answers --- and to find them, she will take a chance that could threaten her life, and quite possibly humanity.

Elle
Cast: Isabelle Huppert, Laurent Lafitte, Anne Consigny, Charles Berling, Virginie Efira
Director: Paul Verhoeven
Distributor: Sony Pictures Classics
MPAA Rating: NR
Release Date: November 10th (limited)
Based On: OH by Philippe Dijan

Michèle seems indestructible. Head of a successful video game company, she brings the same ruthless attitude to her love life as to business. Being attacked in her home by an unknown assailant changes Michèle's life forever. When she resolutely tracks the man down, they are both drawn into a curious and thrilling game --- a game that may, at any moment, spiral out of control.

Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk
Cast: Joe Alwyn, Steve Martin, Garrett Hedlund, Kristen Stewart, Vin Diesel and Chris Tucker
Director: Ang Lee
Distributor: Sony Pictures
MPAA Rating: R
Release Date: November 11th
Based On: BILLY LYNN’S LONG HALFTIME WALK by Ben Fountain

Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk is told from the point of view of 19-year-old private Billy Lynn, who, along with his fellow soldiers in Bravo Squad, has been hailed as a hero and brought home for a victory tour after a harrowing Iraq battle. Through flashbacks, culminating at the spectacular halftime show of the Thanksgiving Day football game, the film reveals what really happened to the squad - contrasting the realities of the Iraq conflict with America's celebration back home.

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
Cast: Eddie Redmayne, Katherine Waterston, Ezra Miller, Colin Farrell, Samantha Morton
Director: David Yates
Distributor: Warner Bros.
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Release Date: November 18th
Based On: FANTASTIC BEASTS AND WHERE TO FIND THEM by J. K. Rowling

The year is 1926, and Newt Scamander has just completed a global excursion to find and document an extraordinary array of magical creatures. Arriving in New York for a brief stopover, he might have come and gone without incident, were it not for a No-Maj (American for Muggle) named Jacob, a misplaced magical case, and the escape of some of Newt's fantastic beasts, which could spell trouble for both the wizarding and No-Maj worlds.

Nocturnal Animals
Cast: Amy Adams, Jake Gyllenhaal, Michael Shannon, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Laura Linney, Armie Hammer
Director: Tom Ford
Distributor: Focus Features
MPAA Rating: R
Release Date: November 18th (limited)
Based On: TONY AND SUSAN by Austin Wright

Winner of the Grand Jury Prize at the 2016 Venice International Film Festival, Nocturnal Animals is a haunting romantic thriller of shocking intimacy and gripping tension that explores the thin lines between love and cruelty, and revenge and redemption as a divorced couple discover dark truths about each other and themselves.

A Street Cat Named Bob
Cast: Luke Treadaway, Ruta Gedmintas, Joanne Froggatt, Bob the Cat
Director: Roger Spottiswoode
Distributor: Sony Pictures
MPAA Rating: NR
Release Date: November 18th
Based On: A STREET CAT NAMED BOB by James Bowen

This film Bob' tells the moving and life-affirming true story of the unlikely friendship between a young homeless busker, James Bowen, and the stray ginger cat named Bob who changed his life.

Lion
Cast: Dev Patel, Rooney Mara, Nicole Kidman, Sunny Pawar, David Wenham, Nawazuddin Siddiqui
Director: Garth Davis
Distributor: The Weinstein Company
MPAA Rating: NR
Release Date: November 25th
Based On: A LONG WAY HOME: A Memoir by Saroo Brierley

Five-year-old Saroo gets lost on a train which takes him thousands of kilometers across India, away from home and family. Saroo must learn to survive alone in Kolkata, before ultimately being adopted by an Australian couple. Twenty-five years later, armed with only a handful of memories, his unwavering determination, and a revolutionary technology known as Google Earth, he sets out to find his lost family and finally return to his first home.
 

On TV:

The Mistletoe Promise (TV Movie)
Cast: Jaime King, Luke Macfarlane, Lochlyn Munro
Director: David Winning
Network: Hallmark
Airdate: Premieres Saturday, November 5th at 8pm ET
Based On: THE MISTLETOE PROMISE by Richard Paul Evans

A chance meeting between two strangers who share a disdain for Christmas results in The Mistletoe Promise, a pact to help them navigate their holiday complications --- together. But as they spend more time with each other and experience the magic of Christmas the phony couple discovers there may be more to their contract than business. 

Finding Father Christmas (TV Movie)
Cast: Erin Krakow, Niall Matter, Wendy Malick
Director: Terry Ingram
Network: Hallmark
Airdate: Premieres Sunday, November 13th at 9pm ET
Based On: FINDING FATHER CHRISTMAS by Robin Jones Gunn

Christmas for Miranda is a painful reminder of the family she never had. Her mother died when she was young, never revealing the identity of her father. But, three days before Christmas, she unexpectedly receives a clue as to the whereabouts that takes her to a beautiful New England town where she meets Ian, a young man who helps with her search. As the clues lead to her father's identity and Miranda discovers the possibility of love in Ian, and she learns that her father lived in the small town and now she knows his family (her brother and her biological father's wife). She faces a terrible decision.... Should she share the truth and risk losing the family she has just found, or leave and keep the secret forever? This Christmas promises to be life-changing for Miranda with a new chance at life and love." 

"Good Behavior"
Cast: Michelle Dockery, Juan Diego Botto, Lusia Strus
Network: TNT
Airdate: Premieres November 15th; Tuesdays at 9pm ET
Based On: GOOD BEHAVIOR by Blake Crouch

Letty Dobesh, a thief and con artist, is released from prison. She reunites with her 10-year-old son, who is being raised by her mother; and she regularly sees her substance-abuse counselor, whose motives for helping her are questionable. Letty soon overhears a hitman being hired to kill a man's wife and sets out to prevent it, which puts her on a collision course with the killer to the point of starting a relationship with him.

A December Bride (TV Movie)
Cast: Jessica Lowndes, Daniel Lissing, April Telek
Director: David Winning
Network: Hallmark
Airdate: Premieres Sunday, November 20th at 8pm ET
Based On: DECEMBER BRIDE: A Year of Weddings Novella, Book 1 by Denise Hunter

Aspiring interior designer Layla is dreading the Christmastime wedding of her cousin who’s marrying Layla’s ex-fiancé. Although Seth is the one responsible for introducing the bride and groom, she begrudgingly accepts his offer to be her date as she’s out of options. Seth gets carried away at the reception and announces they’re engaged, forcing a mortified Layla to keep up the pretense.

“The Flash”
Cast: Grant Gustin, Candice Patton, Rick Cosnett, Danielle Panabaker, Carlos Valdes, Tom Cavanagh, Jessie L. Martin
Network: The CW
Airdates: Tuesdays at 8pm ET
Based On: THE FLASH: DC Comics character created by Robert Kanigher, John Broome and Carmine Infantino

Barry is living his dream life --- his parents are alive, he’s asked Iris West on a date and he can finally be a normal guy as Central City has another speedster, Kid Flash, running around saving the city. When Barry starts forgetting parts of his old life, the Reverse Flash taunts his nemesis and tells him that there will be serious repercussions for Barry and the ones he loves if he continues to live in this alternate universe. In addition to losing his memories, his powers will also start to fade. When disaster strikes, Barry must decide if he wants to continue to live in this world as Barry Allen or return to his universe as The Flash.”

“Arrow”
Cast: Stephen Amell, Emily Bett Rickards, David Ramsey, Willa Holland, Paul Blackthorne, John Barrowman, Echo Kellum
Network: The CW
Airdates: Wednesdays at 8pm ET
Based On: DC Comics character Green Arrow created by Mort Weisinger and George Papp

Oliver’s new recruits for Team Arrow are Curtis, Wild Dog and Evelyn Sharp. Unfortunately, the Green Arrow’s training methods prove to be too much for some of them to handle. Meanwhile, in the flashbacks, Oliver’s initiation into the Bratva continues.

"The Durrells in Corfu" (Limited Series)
Cast: Keeley Hawes, Josh O'Connor, Callum Woodhouse, Daisy Waterstone, Milo Parker 
Director: Steve Barron and Simon Nye
Network: PBS
Airdates: October 16th—November 20th; Sundays at 8pm ET
Based On: MY FAMILY AND OTHER ANIMALS by Gerald Durrell

A tight budget and desperation drive the Durrells to sink their meager savings into boat fare to Corfu, where they hope to find a refuge more welcoming for their bohemian ways than the stuffy UK they leave behind. They arrive on an island with no beach resorts, night clubs, tourist shops or even electricity --- for this is 1935. What Corfu does have is endless opportunity for living, loving, shooting and animal collecting.

"Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency" (Limited Series)
Cast: Elijah Wood, Samuel Barnett, Christian Bako, 
Director: Robert Cooper
Network: BBC America
Airdates: Saturdays at 9pm ET
Based On: DIRK GENTLY’S HOLISTIC DETECTIVE AGENCY by Douglas Adams

Following the bizarre murder of a millionaire, Todd finds himself in the orbit of Dirk Gently --- an eccentric detective who believes they’re destined to solve the mystery together.

"Queen Sugar"
Cast: Rutina Wesley, Dawn-Lyen Gardner, Kofi Siriboe, Tina Lifford
Director: Ava DuVernay, Oprah Winfrey
Network: OWN
Airdates: Wednesdays at 10pm ET
Based On: QUEEN SUGAR by Natalie Baszile

The series follows the life of two sisters, Nova Bordelon, the formidable journalist and activist from New Orleans, and Charley Bordelon, a modern woman, who, with her teenage son Micah, leaves her upscale apartment in Los Angeles and moves to the heart of Louisiana to claim an inheritance from her recently departed father --- an 800-acre sugarcane farm.

"Quarry"
Cast: Logan Marshall-Green, Jodi Balfour, Peter Mullan
Director: Greg Yaitanes
Network: Cinemax
Airdates: Fridays at 10pm ET
Based On: The Quarry series by Max Allan Collins

A Marine returns home from Vietnam in 1972, only to find himself being shunned by those he loves and demonized by the public.

"The Exorcist"
Cast: Alfonso Herrera, Ben Daniels, Geena Davis
Director: Jeremy Slater
Network: Fox
Airdates: Fridays at 9pm ET
Based On: THE EXORCIST by William Peter Blatty

Two very different men tackle a family's horrifying case of demonic possession.

"Poldark"
Cast: Aidan Turner, Eleanor Tomlinson, Heida Reed
Director: Edward Bazalgette, William McGregor
Network: PBS
Airdates: Sundays at 9pm ET 
Based On: The Cornwall series by Winston Graham

In 18th century Cornwall, times are as tough as the rocky shoreline: unemployment, hunger, and sickness are widespread among the working class, while the wealthy landowners prosper. Only one man dares to defy the status quo, and he is behind bars. After a new generation of viewers fell in love with adventurer Ross Poldark, season one's tragic cliffhanger left fans everywhere reeling. What will become of our swashbuckling hero? Can the ever-resilient Demelza find a way to save him?