Guide

Streaming highlights in November: the movies and series you just can’t miss

1/11/2023

Translation: Veronica Bielawski

New month, new streaming recommendations. From series to films, here’s what you can stream on Netflix, Sky, Disney+, Paramount+ and Apple TV+ this November.

How many biscuits are in one pack of Speculoos? About 53. Though I have to admit that’s pure speculation on my part! On the other hand, my series and movie tips for this November are less speculative. Unless I’ve forgotten something. If I have, do let me know in the comments.

All the Light We Cannot See (miniseries)

Are you familiar with the Pulitzer Prize-winning book All the Light We Cannot See, published by author Anthony Doerr in 2014? I wasn’t. And perhaps I’m worse off for it. The book is about two young people who meet in France during the Second World War: Marie-Laure LeBlanc, a blind girl living in Paris, and Werner Pfennig, a German boy growing up in an orphanage who’s later drafted into the Wehrmacht. Their paths cross when Werner is ordered to go to France to track down and kill Marie-Laure. Werner becomes a radio operator – and Marie-Laure runs a resistance radio station.

The special thing about the book is that the story is divided into two storylines: first, we learn Marie-Laure’s view of things, then Werner’s. Sounds like a must-read to me. Or a must-watch. Lead actress Aria Mia Loberti has received ample praise from critics. She’s joined by top-class supporting actors such as Mark Ruffalo and Hugh Laurie. And Shawn Levy, known for Stranger Things among other shows, is directing the material together with Peaky Blinders author Steven Knight.

Start: 2 November
Where: Netflix

Sly (documentary)

Sylvester «Sly» Stallone – the man, the myth, the legend. His story is truly that of the underdog nobody believes in, who fights and wins against all odds. A superstar today, Stallone’s life was anything but easy back in 1976. With facial paralysis on one side, the cards seem stacked against his dream of pursuing a career in acting. But Sly refuses to give up. Even at his lowest, on the verge of giving up and living on the brink of crime. But he pulls it off. At the tender age of 30, he delivers a movie that would not only go on to win an Oscar, but also prove one of the best sports films of all time. And he does so single-handedly, serving as the writer, director and leading actor. Against all odds, he succeeds. With a budget of a meagre one million dollars – and in just 28 days of filming.

Which movie am I talking about? Rocky.

There’s no way I’m skipping out on this Netflix documentary. Unfamiliar with Sly’s career? All the more reason to watch the doco! Alternatively, you can read an article of mine linked above, in which I went all the way back into the depths of his childhood. I’m hard-pressed to find another story that’s as inspiring as his.

Start: 3 November
Where: Netflix

Invincible (Season 2)

I can hear you exclaiming, «Finally!» through the screen. With good reason – the wait for the second season of Invincible did feel cruelly long. After all, this animated series is currently getting top ratings. And rightly so. Invincible impresses with its well-developed characters, exciting stories and plot twists that pack a punch that feels almost physical.

The story follows Mark Grayson, voiced by The Walking Dead star Steven Yeun. Grayson is a young superhero following in the footsteps of his proud father Omni-Man, the most powerful superhero of all time (voiced by the force of nature that is J.K. Simmons). But what begins as a classic superhero story develops into a profound tale about morality, responsibility and the consequences of superpowers. And it doesn’t shy away from raw, gruesome and shocking violence.

Start: 3 November
Where: Prime Video

«Deutsches Haus» (miniseries)

The young Eva Bruhns (Katharina Stark) has a good life. Her parents’ inn, «Deutsches Haus» (English: German house), is doing well, she’s contributing to the household with the money she makes as a Polish interpreter, and her engagement to a wealthy retail heir is imminent. But then she’s asked to attend court in Frankfurt am Main at short notice to interpret at the first criminal trial in which former SS officers are to be charged for crimes committed at the Auschwitz concentration camp. The trial not only unearths the true extent of the Nazi’s machinery of extermination, but also the hypocrisy of Eva’s own family, who try to sweep their own complicity under the rug.

A tough topic; the Frankfurt Auschwitz trial of 1963 was one of the most important court proceedings in German post-war history. It was the first significant step in the legal reappraisal of Holocaust crimes, making the true extent of Nazi Germany’s atrocities known to the general public – in particular, the murder, torture and abuse of millions of Jews, Roma and prisoners of war in German concentration camps during the Second World War.

An absolute must-watch for me, not least because the miniseries «Deutsches Haus» is the first cinematic adaptation of the trial. It’s based on the 2018 novel of the same name, authored by Annette Hess, who serves as the showrunner for the series.

Start: 15 November
Where: Disney+ (Star)

Yellowstone (Season 5, Part 1)

Now, an insider tip that’s no longer an insider tip: Yellowstone. Season 1 was released back in 2018. Initially scorned by critics, it proved so successful that a second season was quickly cemented. And the audience, which was crucial to the series’ survival, was proved right. Yellowstone is since highly regarded by critics and has been nominated for numerous Emmys and Golden Globe Awards, including in categories such as Outstanding Drama Series and Best Television Series – Drama.

If you ask me, this is because it’s currently difficult to find another series that’s as visually stunning as it is exciting. Yellowstone is set in the eponymous national park located in Montana, where the Dutton family tries to protect their ranch empire against other ranchers, land developers and Indians – by force, if necessary. And no, the series is not set in the past like its spin-off 1923, back when it was normal for people to sometimes have to take the law into their own hands. But hey, that’s just how country life works in breathtaking Yellowstone. To this day. And this is precisely what makes it so damn good.

Start: 10 November
Where: Sky Show with Entertainment Pass (Switzerland) / Paramount+ (Germany)

The Crown (Season 6, Part 1)

The Crown, one of Netflix’s biggest success stories, is entering its final phase. Naturally, the Queen is still the focus – and still played by Imelda Staunton. She’s the third actress to portray Queen Elizabeth II over the course of the series. The Crown tells the fictionalised but kind-of-accurate story of the British monarch, beginning with her coronation in 1947, as depicted in Season 1.

Season 6 plays out in the 1990s. We’re getting ever closer to that fateful event: the tragic passing of Princess Diana. It left a mark on many of us. It was what caused me to really grasp the institutional significance of the monarchy in Great Britain. It all began with the media war surrounding Diana and Charles. And ended with the accident that killed the princess.

Start: 16 November
Where: Netflix

Monarch: Legacy of Monsters (series)

Almost two months ago, I reported on the upcoming Japanese Godzilla movie. True to the motto: who needs Hollywood, anyway? Well, Hollywood certainly isn’t stopping, bringing out a Godzilla series. It’s set in the Monsterverse, Warner Brothers’ cinematic universe. All three previous Godzilla films since 2014 as well as Kong: Skull Island from 2017 are part of it.

The series is called Monarch: Legacy of Monsters and tells a story that spans three generations between the 1950s and the present day. It’s not a direct sequel to Godzilla vs. Kong, but a prequel intended to close the historical gaps between the films so far. Sounds exciting. I’ll be giving it a watch.

Start: 17 November
Where: Apple TV+

Squid Game: The Challenge (game show)

Guys, I don’t know how to feel about this one. What Netflix is doing with its adaptation of the sadistic, socially critical premise of Squid Game feels wrong. After all, Squid Game isn’t just any old game in the series. It’s an experiment organised by the rich. They’re so bored with abundance that they invite the desperately poor to play games. So poor that they can’t feed themselves and their families. Anyone who doesn’t pass a game round is «disqualified». That is, executed. And so, killing others in between games means less competition. Whoever makes it to the end will earn many millions in prize money – a way out of their misery.

The concept was the brainchild of South Korean director and screenwriter Hwang Dong-hyuk. However, he never wanted his series to be taken as a sensationalist satisfaction of sadistic ideas, but rather as a warning. A cri de coeur. Squid Game not only points out South Korea’s grievances that have been swept under the carpet, but really digs into them a surprisingly drastic way. Now, two years later, the concept has been turned into a game show – and its social criticism reduced to absurdity.

For example, the American participants clap their hands with joy at the sight of the oppressive dormitories from the series. They celebrate every dollar bill that falls into the jackpot, which in the series symbolises the death of other participants. And they can hardly contain their tears of joy when entering the disturbing «Red Light, Green Light» game set. I don’t want to be hypocritical, but I have to admit my curiosity has got the better of me. I’ll be tuning in – if only to deliver you an epic rant on the whole thing.

Start: 22 November
Where: Netflix

Faraway Downs (miniseries)

No, this isn’t déjà vu. Faraway Downs is indeed the 2008 movie Australia – but in series format. It’s divided into six chapters, you get an entire extra hour of material compared to the movie’s running time of 2 hours and 45 minutes, and a completely new ending (which I don't recommend you google due to spoilers). And large parts of the story have been completely recut and rearranged. This should benefit the narrative style of the series, which is, in fact, different to that of a movie.

But why even create this series? Well, it’s no secret that eccentric director Baz Luhrmann (Moulin Rouge) was never happy with the film Australia, not least because of the ending, which was forced on him by the studio, as well as bad reviews at the time. And yet, the film was once considered a potential Oscar contender. Then, a decade later, came the Covid pandemic. Filming of his film Elvis stopped. Luhrmann, having too much time on his hands, once again started rummaging through the Australia material, which had never been fully exhausted. That’s when the idea came to him: why not remake the movie with the never-shown footage as a series fit for today’s streaming landscape? Improved – and with his ending.

So, 15 years after the movie’s release, English aristocrat Sarah Ashley (Nicole Kidman) is once again transported to the unruly Australia of 1939, where she reluctantly takes over her husband’s cattle farm, who had been murdered. With the help of the pithy Drover (Hugh Jackman), she even succeeds. But the vengeful Neil Fletcher (David Wenham) begins to sabotage them and their venture. And then the Second World War breaks out.

Start: 26 November
Where: Disney+ (Star)

Header image: Yellowstone, Paramount

71 people like this article

Luca Fontana

Senior Editor

Luca.Fontana@digitecgalaxus.ch

I write about technology as if it were cinema, and about films as if they were real life. Between bits and blockbusters, I’m after stories that move people, not just generate clicks. And yes – sometimes I listen to film scores louder than I probably should.

Guide

Practical solutions for everyday problems with technology, household hacks and much more.

Show all

These articles might also interest you

Guide
August streaming highlights
by Luca Fontana
Guide
November streaming highlights: the films and series you just can’t miss
by Luca Fontana
Guide
October streaming highlights
by Luca Fontana