Your guide to new films in cinemas across Australia this week, 18 to 24 November 2024.
For the monthly guide to new film releases, head to our guide for new films in November.
New movies
21 November
Goodrich
A father seeks the help of his adult daughter to raise his young twins after his second wife leaves him.
Director: Hallie Meyers-Shyer
Cast: Michael Keaton, Andie McDowell, Mila Kunis
Classification: M
Country: USA
Runtime: 111m
ScreenHub: Godzilla at 70: a brief history of movies’ most memorable monster
No Other Land
Made by a Palestinian-Israeli collective, this documentary shows the destruction of the West Bank’s Masafer Yatta by Israeli authorities and the unlikely friendship that blossoms between Palestinian activist Basel Adra and Israeli journalist Yuval Abraham.
Director: Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal, Yuval Abraham, Basel Adra
Cast: N/A
Classification: CTC
Country: Palestine/Norway
Runtime: 92m
Strange Creatures
Two estranged brothers are forced back into each others lives when they’re tasked with scattering the ashes of their recently deceased mother in the country town where she grew up.
Director: Henry Boffin
Cast: Lucy Barrett, Francesca Waters
Classification: CTC
Country: Australia
Runtime: 87m
Wicked
Elphaba (Erivo), a defiant girl born with green skin, and Glinda (Grande), a privileged aristocrat born popular, become unlikely friends in the magical Land of Oz. As they struggle with their opposing personalities, their friendship is tested as both begin to fulfill their destinies as Glinda the Good and The Wicked Witch of the West.
Director: Jon M. Chu
Cast: Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande
Classification: PG
Country: USA
Runtime: 160m
23 November
Royal Ballet & Opera 2024-25: Alice’s Adventures In Wonderland
Tumble down the rabbit hole in this ballet adaptation of Lewis Carroll’s famous family story.
Director: Christopher Wheeldon
Cast: N/A
Classification: CTC
Country: UK
Recently released
14 November
Aquarius
Documentary on the dawning of the Aquarius Festival in Nimbin 1973 – an alternative gathering embraced by activists, hippies, and radicals that changed a town (and a generation) forever. The small northern NSW dairy town was the perfect location, surrounded by farmland and rainforest. The inhabitants (all 300 of them) hoped the event would bring young people to their struggling town. Thousands arrived, all willing to contribute to the festival, whether by playing instruments or digging drains. It wasn’t quite all saunas, nudity, acrobatics, and chilled-out bliss, however: festivalgoers faced down police interference, internal chaos, drugs and personal dramas. Nonetheless, countless participants found kinship as well as a blueprint for a sustainable life.
Director: Wendy Champagne, Oren Sidler
Cast: N/A
Classification: CTC
Country: Australia
Runtime: 82m
The Best Christmas Pageant Ever
The absolute worst kids in the history of the world are taking over their local church Pageant – and they just might unwittingly teach a shocked community the true meaning of Christmas.
Director: Dallas Jenkins
Cast: Judy Greer, Lauren Graham, Pete Holmes
Classification: G
Country: Canada
Runtime: 100m
Christmas Eve in Miller’s Point
On Christmas Eve, a family gathers for what could be the last holiday in their ancestral home. As the night wears on and generational tensions arise, one of the teenagers sneaks out with her friends to claim the wintry suburb for her own.
Director: Tyler Taormina
Cast: Elsie Fisher, Michael Cera
Classification: M
Country: USA
Runtime: 107m
Dragon Ball DAIMA
Mysteriously transformed into mini versions of themselves, Goku and his friends travel to the Demon Realm to uncover the truth and find a cure.
Director: Aya Komaki, Yoshitaka Yashima
Cast: Masako Nozawa, Koki Uchiyama
Classification: CTC
Country: Japan
Runtime: 83m
Gladiator II
Years after witnessing the death of the revered hero Maximus at the hands of his uncle, Lucius is forced to enter the Colosseum after his home is conquered by the tyrannical Emperors who now lead Rome with an iron fist. With rage in his heart and the future of the Empire at stake, Lucius must look to his past to find strength and honor to return the glory of Rome to its people.
Director: Ridley Scott
Cast: Paul Mescal, Pedro Pascal, Joseph Quinn
Classification: M
Country: USA/UK
Runtime: 148m
Memory
Sylvia (Chastain) is a social worker who leads a simple and structured life. This is blown open when Saul (Sarsgaard) follows her home from their high school reunion. Their surprise encounter will profoundly impact both of them as they open the door to the past.
Director: Michel Franco
Cast: Jessica Chastain, Peter Sarsgaard
Classification: MA
Country: USA/Chile/Mexico
Runtime: 100m
17 November
Kiss Me, Kate: The Musical
Adrian Dunbar (Ridley) and Broadway royalty Stephanie J. Block (Into The Woods) lead a stellar cast in this production of Kiss Me, Kate, filmed live at the Barbican in London especially for the big screen.
Director: Bartlett Sher
Cast: Adrian Dunbar, Stephanie J. Block
