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Coming Soon: Everything to Watch on Netflix, HBO Max and Disney+ and in Theaters in November 2021

Time flies, and 2021 is almost over. The good news is that fall movie season  is very much underway with lots of big upcoming titles — Eternals   is finally here; so are Ghostbusters: Afterlife  and the Dwayne Johnson spy movie Red Notice . Some of November’s film releases may have more than a few chances of getting trophy nominations. I’m talking about Belfast , Spencer  and King Richard , but if you want to know more about the Oscars don’t miss our story on early predictions and frontrunner contenders .

November is also a great month for watching TV, especially during the long Thanksgiving holiday. John Cho stars in Cowboy Bebop , Hailee Steinfeld doubles in the last season of Dickinson  and the new show Hawkeye , and Michael C. Hall returns to his serial killer roots in Dexter: New Blood.

As usual, here’s our selection of new TV shows, returning series, films on streaming and titles you’ll only be able to watch in cinemas. And if you need even more watching suggestions, you can catch up on previously released titles with our recommendation lists for October  and September .

Some of November’s Most Anticipated New Shows

The Shrink Next Door  (November 12), Apple TV+: Call this your new excuse to watch Kathryn Hahn in action after WandaVision . This eight-episode limited series is inspired by true events and stars Will Ferrell as Marty Markowitz and Hahn as his sister, Phyllis. The series follows Marty as he starts seeing the psychiatrist Ike Herschkopf (Paul Rudd) and details how the relationship evolves into manipulation and exploitation on the doctor’s part.

The Wheel of Time   (November 19), Prime Video: Based on Robert Jordan’s fantasy series of books , this eight-episode first season stars Rosamund Pike ( Gone Girl ) as Moiraine, a member of the all-women organization Aes Sedai that can channel magic. Moiraine arrives in the small town of Two Rivers and ventures on a journey with five young women and men. According to prophecy, one of them could save humanity — or destroy it.

Cowboy Bebop  (November 19), Netflix: It doesn’t get cooler — or sexier — than John Cho ( Star Trek ) garbed in a bespoke double-breasted indigo blue blazer, slim pants and white shirt with the collar up. In this live-action adaptation of the anime series of the same name , Cho plays a space bounty hunter named Spike who joins forces with Jet Black (Mustafa Shakir) and Faye Valentine (Daniella Pineda) to chase solar system criminals for money. The first season of Cowboy Bebop  has 10 episodes.

Hawkeye   (November 24), Disney+: Set in post-Blip New York City, this new Marvel Cinematic Universe show sees Jeremy Renner returning to his role of former Avenger Clint Barton, a.k.a. Hawkeye. In the six-episode series, Barton is prevented from returning to his family for Christmas due to a threat from his past. He’ll reluctantly join forces with the 22-year-old archer Kate Bishop (Hailee Steinfeld).

The Beatles: Get Back  (November 25, 26 and 27), Disney+: The Lord of the Rings  and The Hobbit  director Peter Jackson isn’t famous for his ability to make short films. That’s probably why this started as a documentary feature and morphed into a six-hour docuseries. Get Back  takes the audience to January 1969 as the Beatles were writing songs ahead of their first live concert in two years. Jackson drew upon 60 hours of unseen Beatles footage that was shot over 21 days, as well as more than 150 hours of unheard audio.

Must-See Returning TV on Streaming

Dickinson , Season 3 (November 5), Apple TV+: All good things must come to an end, and we’re going to miss seeing Hailee Steinfeld playing poet Emily Dickinson. The 10-episode third and final season of Dickinson  — the show has made our list of the best TV in 2021  — will see Emily facing her most productive time as a writer as the country battles the Civil War and her own family is divided.

Dexter: New Blood  (November 7), Showtime: Technically this isn’t Dexter  season nine but a new and rebooted show. Dexter : New Blood  sees Michael C. Hall returning as our favorite serial killer. The show is set 10 years after the events of Dexter’ s finale when he drove his boat into Hurricane Laura. He’s been living under a false name in the fictional small town of Iron Lake, New York, and rocking the lumberjack look. The 10-episode first season also stars Julia Jones ( The Mandalorian ) as Chief of Police Angela Bishop and Dexter’s girlfriend, Jack Alcott as Dexter ‘s teenage son Harrison, and Jennifer Carpenter returning as Dexter ‘s sister.

Tiger King , Season 2 (November 17), Netflix: When season one of this true-crime docuseries first streamed in March 2020 it became a viral sensation — helped in part by the fact that half the planet was sheltering at home due to the pandemic. Prepare to be entertained by the feline owners again. “Old enemies and frenemies, including Jeff Lowe, Tim Stark, Allen Glover, and James Garretson return for another season of murder, mayhem, and madness. Thought you knew the whole story? Just you wait,” reads Netflix’s synopsis of season two.

Movies on Streaming

The Harder They Fall (November 3), Netflix (in select theaters October 22): Jay-Z produces and Jeymes Samuel co-writes and directs this stylized western starring Regina King, Idris Elba, LaKeith Stanfield, Jonathan Majors, Delroy Lindo and Zazi Beetz. Majors plays Nat Love, an outlaw who makes justice his last name but is set on revenge against Rufus Buck (Elba). When Buck is released from prison by his gang of professional killers, Love only has one objective in mind: killing his longtime enemy.

Finch   (November 5), Apple TV+: Call this Cast Away  set on a post-apocalyptic Earth. Plus Wilson is now a dog. Tom Hanks plays Finch, a robotics engineer who survives a cataclysmic solar event that leaves Earth uninhabitable. He lives in an underground bunker and creates the robot Jeff (Caleb Landry Jones) to take care of his dog, Goodyear. The three of them embark on a road trip into the American West looking for safety.

The Electrical Life of Louis Wain  (November 5), Prime Video: This story based on real events has the potential to delight many cat people. Benedict Cumberbatch plays Louis Wain, an extravagant artist who popularized the notion of cats as pets with his illustrations of anthropomorphized felines in the late 1800s and early 1900s. The movie is also a beautiful love story between Wain and his wife, Emily Richardson (Claire Foy), who adopted and named him Peter.

Passing   (November 10), Netflix (in select theaters October 27): Actress Rebecca Hall directs and writes this adaptation of Nella Larsen’s novel of the same name . Set in 1929 New York, Tessa Thompson and Ruth Negga play two childhood friends who find each other again later in life. They’re two Black women who can pass as white, but one of them has chosen to live as her true self and the other as white. Both actresses could receive Oscar nominations for their roles here.

Red Notice   (November 12), Netflix: Dwayne Johnson, Gal Gadot and Ryan Reynolds star in this globe-trotting action-comedy. Johnson plays the FBI’s top profiler John Hartley, someone charged with capturing the world’s most wanted art thief, “The Bishop” (Gal Gadot). He partners with the world’s greatest art thief Nolan Booth (Ryan Reynolds), and the three of them end up on a cat-and-mouse chase around the world.

King Richard   (November 19), HBO Max and theaters: Will Smith vies for yet another Oscar nomination with this story directed by Reinaldo Marcus Green where Smith plays Richard Williams, Venus and Serena Williams’ dad. The movie depicts teenage Venus and Serena as they train on abandoned tennis courts in Compton, California, guided by the vision and a 78-page plan their father follows. He’s determined to have his daughters make history.

tick, tick… BOOM!  (November 19), Netflix (in select theaters November 12): Prolific playwright and actor Lin-Manuel Miranda makes his feature directorial debut with this adaptation of the autobiographical musical by Jonathan Larson, the creator of Rent . The film is set in New York in 1990 when Jon (Andrew Garfield) is juggling his work as a waiter in a diner with that of a theater composer hoping to write the next great American musical.

Bruised   (November 24), Netflix: You may get Million Dollar Baby  vibes from this film starring and helmed by Halle Berry, making her directorial debut. In Bruised  Berry plays Jackie Justice, a mixed martial arts fighter forced to leave the sport. Misguided by her manager and boyfriend (Adan Canto), she ends up in the underground fight circuit and is promised a new way into the fight league by a promoter who sees her talent. Jackie will also have to confront her past when her biological son ​​(Danny Boyd, Jr.) shows up in her life.

And a Few Movies You’ll Only Be Able to Watch in Theaters

Eternals (November 5): Marvel’s latest big cinematic spectacle is directed by the Oscar-winning Chloé Zhao and stars Angelina Jolie, Salma Hayek, Gemma Chan, Kumail Nanjiani, Brian Tyree Henry and the Game of Thrones  alums Kit Harington and Richard Madden. You can read our full review of this story about a group of immortal superheroes who’ve been calling Earth home for thousands of years and protecting humans from the villainous Deviants.

Spencer   (November 5): If you enjoyed season four of The Crown  or if you were a fan of Pablo Larraín’s Jackie , with Natalie Portman as Jackie Kennedy, you’ll want to check out Spencer . Kristen Stewart stars as Princess Diana and has pretty much secured an Oscar nomination. As he did with Jackie , Larraín doesn’t make conventional biopics but focuses on very particular moments in his characters’ lives. Spencer  follows a Christmas celebration at the Queen’s estate in Sandringham where the full royal family gathers and when Diana and Charles’ (Jack Farthing) marriage has already imploded.

Belfast   (November 12): This could be one of the big titles in terms of Oscars nominations this year. Written and directed by Kenneth Branagh, Belfast  is set in Branagh’s hometown and based on his own experiences growing up in Northern Ireland during the late 1960s. The black and white film stars Judi Dench, Jamie Dornan, Ciarán Hinds, Caitríona Balfe and the 10-year-old Jude Hill.

Ghostbusters: Afterlife  (November 19): Paul Rudd and Finn Wolfhard from Stranger Things star in this new chapter from the original Ghostbusters  universe. The movie is co-written and directed by Jason Reitman ( Up in the Air ), who happens to be the son of the director of the first and second Ghostbusters  flicks, Ivan Reitman. Ivan Reitman also produces.

House of Gucci  (November 24): After The Last Duel  — which we liked a lot  —, here comes Ridley Scott’s second big movie this year. Inspired by the true story of the family behind the Italian fashion house of Gucci, the film stars Adam Driver, Jared Leto, Jeremy Irons, Salma Hayek, Al Pacino and Lady Gaga speaking in delightful Italian-accented English. The story follows the murder of Maurizio Gucci (Driver), head of Gucci. Gaga plays his wife, Patrizia Reggiani.

Licorice Pizza   (November 26): Paul Thomas Anderson does a coming-of-age story in this movie set in the San Fernando Valley, California, in 1973. The film stars Alana Kane (Alana Haim) and Gary Valentine (Cooper Hoffman) as they fall in love. The film also features Bradley Cooper and Anderson’s real-life partner, Maya Rudolph.

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Classic Copyright Cases – Ghostbusters

Written by | November 30, 2020

So here I am, once again, confined to my house for another lockdown. Although, what better an opportunity to tell you about another Classic Copyright Case?

This month we have Ray Parker Jr’s unequivocally classic 1984 song Ghostbusters up against Huey Lewis and the News’ I Want a New Drug (for those of you who are not familiar with Huey Lewis, just watch American Psycho ).

Back in the 1980s, the producers of Ghostbusters knew they had pure gold in their hands – but what is a great film without a great soundtrack? Clearly, they were aware of this, so they approached Lindsey Buckingham of Fleetwood Mac fame to hit them up with a theme tune. However, Buckingham declined, citing his own personal reason of not wanting to be typecast as the musician who does soundtracks.

Next, they approached Huey Lewis and the News who were on fire at the time after the release of their 1983 album Sports . However, unfortunately for the producers of Ghostbusters the band already had their hands full with the soundtrack for another 80’s belter, Back to the Future.

The producers then turned their heads to Ray Parker Jr and, as he says, gave him a three-day deadline to produce a theme tune for Ghostbusters . No biggie. Nevertheless, Ray Parker Jr delivered against the odds and the producers loved what he had come up with (not to mention the rest of the world to follow). The song soared to unspeakable heights and became an enduring mainstay of 1980s pop culture and music.

However, when Huey Lewis and the News caught wind of the song, they were not happy. Have a listen to I Want a New Drug and compare it to the Ghostbusters theme song – pretty similar wouldn’t you say? This, coupled with the fact that the song was in the top 10 of the charts at the time and indeed the producers had even contacted Huey Lewis first certainly raised some eyebrows.

Huey Lewis sued Ray Parker Jr and Columbia Pictures for copyright infringement . Columbia settled out of court with Huey Lewis signing a confidentiality agreement in exchange for an undisclosed, although presumably mammoth, sum of money. This meant that the parties were not allowed to talk about the settlement.

Yonks later, VH1 covered Huey Lewis and the News in a 2001 Behind the Music special. Most likely forgetting that there was still a legally binding confidentiality agreement in place, Huey Lewis discussed the settlement in the documentary. Oops. Ray Parker Jr then had his own turn and sued Huey Lewis for breaching the confidentiality agreement.

Even later, Ray Parker Jr ended up suing the label and publishers but I won’t even go into that – it just goes to show that, when large sums of money are involved in the music industry, lawsuits are rife.

As always, our specialist solicitors and music lovers here at Briffa are always on hand to help with all things music, be it contracts, claims or even just a free chat about what’s what. Please do not hesitate to contact us at [email protected] or on 020 7096 2779 for a free consultation.

Written by Alex Fewtrell, Solicitor

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Hired Gun: Ray Parker Jr. explains Ghostbusters theme song origin exclusive clip

Devan Coggan (rhymes with seven slogan) is a staff writer at Entertainment Weekly. Most of her personality is just John Mulaney quotes and Lord of the Rings references.

When Sony dropped the trailer for the new Ghostbusters movie a few weeks ago, there were multiple references to the original 1984 film, including proton packs, the Ecto-1, and plenty of slime. But perhaps the most obvious callback was the trailer’s soundtrack: a simple piano version of Ray Parker Jr.’s iconic theme song.

In this exclusive clip from the upcoming music documentary Hired Gun, Parker discusses how he was initially reluctant when Columbia Pictures called him and asked him to write the theme song for Ivan Reitman’s new comedy. The “sort of retired” musician first said no, especially because Reitman insisted on using the word “Ghostbusters” in the song, but he ended up composing the track in just a few days.

“To this day, people ask me, ‘Are you tired of hearing people say, who you gonna call?’” Parker says. “Well, no! It’s like, am I tired of holding the best lotto ticket or the best thing to ever happen? No.”

WANT MORE EW? Subscribe now to keep up with the latest in movies, television and music.

“Ghostbusters” went on to hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, and it was nominated for Best Original Song at the Oscars. Huey Lewis and the News later accused Parker of plagiarizing the “Ghostbusters” melody from their song “I Want a New Drug,” and Parker and Columbia Pictures settled out of court. The settlement included a confidentiality agreement, and Parker sued Lewis when he discussed the lawsuit in a 2001 Behind the Music special.

Directed by Fran Strine, Hired Gun delves into the musicians who tour and record with well-known superstars, never becoming household names on their own. The film screens Friday at South by Southwest .

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Screen Rant

Ghostbusters' missing detail debunked a dark venkman theory.

One detail from the novelization of the first Ghostbusters movie debunks a dark fan theory about Venkman's plans for his date with Dana Barrett. 

One detail from the novelization of the original Ghostbusters film disproves a dark theory regarding Peter Venkman's intentions heading into his date with Dana Barrett. This theory centers around the question of how Venkman acquired the medication he used to sedate Barrett after determining that she had been demonically possessed. However, even ignoring the book, there are details in the film which clearly refute the idea that Venkman, for all his questionable habits, would ever take advantage of a woman unable to give consent.

The first Ghostbusters movie was hard to quantify when it was released in 1984, as it mixed elements of comedy, action, science-fiction, and horror. This conflict was present even in the  original screenplay conceived by Dan Aykroyd , which was designed as a vehicle for Aykroyd and his Saturday Night Live co-star John Belushi, yet darker and more focused on the science-fiction elements of the concept than humor. This has led to some conflict among fans of the franchise regarding the balance of comedic and horrific elements in subsequent Ghostbusters spin-offs.

Related: What Happened to Ray, Winston & Peter Between Ghostbusters 2 & Afterlife

To that end, some fans have reconsidered and reanalyzed certain aspects of Ghostbusters that have not aged well in the decades since its release. It has been noted, for instance, that the original film has a surprisingly conservative viewpoint, painting government regulation and environmental protection as bad things, with an EPA agent trying to shut down the Ghostbusters after being denied the right to inspect their facilities. So too have some fans come to question the character of Dr. Peter Venkman and his treatment of women, particularly the Ghostbusters' first client, Dana Barrett.

The Dark Venkman Theory

The first scene of Ghostbusters to feature Peter Venkman (Bill Murray) quickly established him as a flirtatious fixer, rigging a test for psychic abilities in order to secure a date with an attractive test subject. If Ray Stantz was the heart of the Ghostbusters and Egon Spengler the brains of the operation, Peter Venkman was the face, handling most of the company's public relations and press. Despite holding doctorates in parapsychology and psychology, Venkman was shown to have the heart of a conman, treating science, in the words of Dean Yeager of Columbia University, " as   some kind of dodge or hustle ." He was also far more interested in Dana Barrett (Sigourney Weaver) as a prospective romantic partner than as a client when she came to the Ghostbusters for help with her haunted apartment.

Later in the movie, after Venkman had persuaded Barrett to go out on a date with him, he arrived at her apartment to find her dressed in a diaphanous red dress that left little to the imagination. Barrett asked if Venkman was the Keymaster and introduced herself as Zuul the Gatekeeper, before trying to seduce Venkman, who kept asking if he could talk to Dana Barrett instead of Zuul. This led to Venkman sedating Barrett with " about 300 cc's of Thorazine " before calling in to Ghostbusters HQ and learning that Spengler was questioning a man who also claimed to be a servant of the ancient god Gozer  known as the Keymaster.

The question of why Venkman just happened to have enough Thorazine to render an adult woman unconscious gave rise to a dark fan theory that Venkman went into his date with Dana Barrett intending to drug her. Clever fans have pointed out that it would have been impossible for Venkman to legally acquire the drug, which requires a prescription. This suggests that in addition to having plotted to make a woman insensible, Venkman was also a thief, likely stealing the medication or a prescription pad from one of his fellow Ghostbusters who did have a medical degree.

Related: How A '90s Ghostbusters Cartoon Predicted Ghostbusters: Afterlife

A Ghostbusters Novel Detail The Movie Didn't Mention

Thankfully, a solution was provided in  Ghostbusters: The Supernatural Spectacular, a novelization of the first Ghostbusters film written by Richard Mueller, based on the final shooting screenplay by Harold Ramis and Dan Aykroyd. During the scene in which Peter Venkman discovered that Dana Barrett had been possessed by Zuul, he was described as going through the drawers of her dresser, thinking " She’s an artist...she's got to have some Valium somewhere ." The novel does not specify what medication Venkman used to sedate Barrett, but does confirm he used what was at hand rather than something he just happened to have with him.

This interpretation of events is subtly confirmed in the Ghostbusters film. In the scene where Venkman checks in with Spengler, disheveled dresser drawers can clearly be seen in the background. This suggested that Venkman had searched for some kind of sedative that Dana Barrett was already taking. While it was a bit of a coincidence that she might be taking strong sedatives, the movie further justified this conceit with an earlier remark by Barrett's neighbor, Louis Tully (Rick Moranis) , that he was buying lots of generic brand acetylsalicylic acid from Walgreen’s for his headaches. This hinted that the two neighbors were under some sort of psychic stress before they became possessed by the Keymaster and Gatekeeper of Gozer.

Why Venkman's Behavior In The Movie Doesn't Fit The Theory

Even without the novelization's explanation of where Venkman got the drugs to sedate Dana Barrett and the subtle evidence suggested by the rummaged-through dresser, the dark Venkman theory doesn't hold water in the face of one simple fact: Venkman repeatedly rejected Zuul's advances. When the possessed Barrett answered the door, she made it more than clear what her intentions were, asking Venkman, " Do you want this body ?" before trying to force herself on him. The  Ghostbuster played by Bill Murray refused, however, after it became clear that Dana was not in control of her own actions and that she was not indulging in some sort of kinky roleplaying scenario.

If Peter Venkman had gone into his date with Dana Barrett with the intention of drugging her and taking advantage of her, it is highly unlikely he would have turned Zuul down. He certainly wouldn't have made his now-famous declaration that he made it a rule " never to get involved with possessed people ." Venkman may have been a bit of a sleaze in how he treated women in Ghostbusters , but he was repeatedly shown to have a good heart when push came to shove.

More: The Original Ghostbusters Were The Worst Part of Afterlife (And That's Good)

‘Ghostbusters’ Origin Story: How John Belushi and Cocaine Helped Inspire Slimer

Movie monster maker Steve Johnson says making the gross ghost was “the most annoying horrendous experience I’ve ever had”

To this day, “Ghostbusters” fans still wear shirts and sport posters of the disgusting phantom known as Slimer. But the months-long process of designing him was apparently an exercise in insanity.

In an excerpt from his upcoming book, “Rubberhead Volume II: Sex, Drugs and Special FX,” monster movie maker Steve Johnson discussed how he spent months struggling with the “Ghostbusters” team getting Slimer’s look just right. The excerpt, first posted on Bloody Disgusting , is filled with sarcasm and offers a look into the mad mind of the man who made monsters for the “Nightmare on Elm Street,” “Poltergeist,” and “American Werewolf” series.

“That was the most annoying horrendous experience I’ve ever had working with art directors, producers, and directors, ever,” Johnson hisses. “In the beginning they asked for a ‘smile with arms’ but before I knew it, it was a goddamn bleeding nightmare.”

“‘Give him 13% more pathos, put ears on him, take his ears off, less pathos, more pathos, make his nose bigger, now his nose is too big, make his nose smaller…’ Are you kidding? ‘Make him more cartoony, make him less cartoony’. I almost f—ing severed my own head during that process.”

And after all of that, Johnson was told 24 hours before the final version of Slimer had to be completed to make Slimer resemble John Belushi, who was slated to play the ghost prior to his death in 1982.

“So I pulled out a stack of headshots of John Belushi, poured a gram of cocaine on it and started chopping lines up,” Johnson said, completing his wild story by saying that the ghost of Belushi himself appeared to him in the final hours and told him, “Watch that s–t Steve, it’ll kill you. ”  That was referring to the cocaine, which was part of the drug injection that killed the comedian.

Johnson has launched a Kickstarter campaign for “Rubberhead, Volume II,” which will contain more bizarre stories from the SFX artist’s career. The campaign ends on Wednesday.

Was the Ghostbusters Theme Stolen from Huey Lewis?

By stacy conradt | oct 31, 2013.

The Issue: Allegedly, the producers behind Ghostbusters approached Ray Parker, Jr. and asked him to come up with a song that included the name of the film, but was rather simple otherwise. They played Huey Lewis’ “I Want a New Drug” for Parker as an example of the sound they wanted, and Parker apparently just lifted the bass line and guitar riff almost directly. Huey Lewis and his people sued for $5 million.

The Ruling: They settled out of court, and the terms of the settlement were confidential until Huey Lewis did VH1’s Behind the Music series in 2001, when he said, “The offensive part was not so much that Ray Parker, Jr. had ripped this song off, it was kind of symbolic of an industry that wants something—they wanted our wave, and they wanted to buy it. ... [I]t's not for sale. ... In the end, I suppose they were right. I suppose it was for sale, because, basically, they bought it."

Parker then sued Lewis for breaching the confidentiality agreement. It doesn’t appear that the results of that lawsuit were made public, and it looks like people are keeping their mouths shut this time.

See Also: 11 Artists Accused of Music Plagiarism