Somehow it’s already the penultimate month of 2015. Crazy, right?
As much as the fact that’s already November, the upside of being in the 11th month of the year is that a coupe of the biggest, most anticipated films of the year are on deck. Add in the return of one of the most dominant athletes on the planet, a wide spectrum of musical releases and books galore and you’ve got a month with plenty to going on to get us to December.
Here’s the November 2015 Primer.
Sports! (All Month)
November is a great month for sports fans as the NFL hits the meat of its season and the NBA and NHL really get rolling. Mix in some college football, the MLS Playoffs and the conclusion of the World Series and you’ve got a full slate of games worth watching.
Established Authors Return (Various Dates)
Throughout the month, several of the top serialists will deliver new works to the shelves of your local bookstore or direct to your e-reader, including James Patterson, Michael Connell and Janet Evanovich. Add in new books from John Irving, Mitch Albom and Leah Remini’s memoir Troublemaker and you’ve got a month of good reads.
Press Play (Various Dates)
No matter your taste in music, there is a little something new for you in the month of November as Ellie Goulding, Jeezy, Cee Lo Green, Tim McGraw and Justin Bieber all deliver albums. The standout of the month, however, will undoubtedly be Adele’s third album 25, whose lead single “Hello” is already blowing up, rightfully so.
Game Time (Various Dates)
Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 and Fallout 4 arrive in the next month, meaning there will be plenty of hours logged on consoles and computers around the globe. While those two titles are pretty much sure things, the interesting wild card release of the month is Deadpool, which precedes the feature film of the same name. It could be fun or it could be a mess; we’ll have to wait and see.
Brown, Charlie Brown (November 6)
The Peanuts Movie brings Charlie Brown and the rest of the gang to life in theatres on the opening weekend of the month, but there is another familiar name that will likely be collecting all the ticket dollars as Daniel Craig returns as Bond, James Bond in Spectre.
Customary Christmas Family Ensemble Flick (November 13)
Almost every year, there is a Christmas-themed family comedy that hits theatres. This year, it’s Love the Coopers, which stars Diane Keaton, Olivia Wilde and Ed Helms (amongst others) and should be good for some harmless laughs. Also out in the second week of November is The 33, the cinematic telling of the story of the Chilean miners who were stuck underground for more than two months in 2010.
UFC Makes History in Melbourne (November 14)
In addition to potentially setting a new company attendance record at Etihad Stadium in Melbourne, UFC 193 marks the first time in the organization’s history that women’s fights occupy the main and co-main event slots on the card. Bantamweight champ Ronda Rousey defends her title against undefeated former world champion boxer Holly Holm in the main event, while unbeaten strawweight titleholder Joanna Jedrzejczyk faces Canadian contender Valerie Letourneau in the co-main event.
CFL Playoffs (November 15, 22 and 29)
The Canadian Football League wraps up its regular season and kicks off the playoffs in the month ahead, culminating with the 103rd Grey Cup on November 29 at Investors Group Field in Winnipeg, Manitoba.
The Battle Ends in the Capitol (November 20)
Katniss Everdeen and the rest of the revolutionaries take their fight to President Snow in The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 2, the conclusion of the wildly successful, extremely popular and thoroughly entertaining series. In addition to the end of the saga in Panem, this week also brings The Night Before, Legend and The Secret in Their Eyes.
Apollo’s Son and an Oscar Contender (November 25 and 27)
The final week of the month brings two movies that fall at completely different ends of the spectrum to theatres. On one hand, there is Creed, a spin-off to the Rocky series with Michael B. Jordan playing Apollo Creed’s son and Sly Stallone back as the veteran pugilist who mentors the young fighter. On the other hand, there is The Danish Girl, with last year’s Best Actor winner Eddie Redmayne making a bid to pull of “The Hanks” as Lili Elbe, one of the first known recipients of gender reassignment surgery.
