You remember the story: CIA operative Valerie Plame (Naomi Watts) gets made by White House officials following her husband’s (Sean Penn) controversial Times op-ed piece outing the president’s manipulated reasoning for invading Iraq — allegedly. Whoever you believe, you can’t deny the talent roster of Doug Liman’s (the original Bourne, Mr. and Mrs. Smith) Cannes/Hamptons screener.
It’s like: Nothing but the Truth starring a blonde.
Take your: Scooter (wink).
Premieres: November 5

We can’t even hear ourselves above the festival (Sundance, SXSW, Los Angeles) buzz for this indie. Inspired by a terror plot gone awry (Yemeni wannabe bombers overstocked a boat with explosives and watched as it sunk), co-writer/director Chris Morris’s farce about British jihadists fumbling through a suicide bomb plot is sure to be as much of a roar (laughter, that is) as an emotionally engaging film.
It’s like: In the Loop with Jackass slapstick.
Take your: Close friends and a healthy sense of humor.
Premieres: November 5

Roger Michell’s (Notting Hill) latest centers around a TV producer’s (Rachel McAdams) attempt at reviving a dying a.m. talk show co-anchored by quarreling, high-profile hosts (Diane Keaton, Harrison Ford). Shockingly, she finds love somewhere along the way (mmm, Patrick Wilson). Okay, so maybe it’ll end up being just a sappy rom com, but we can’t resist McAdams’s charm.
It’s like: A big-production version of Matt and Meredith.
Take your: Hot date.
Premieres: November 10

Raising skirts in Toronto and the Hamptons, Nigel Cole’s (A Lot like Love, Calendar Girls) Brit import dramatizes the pivotal 1968 Ford Motor Factory strike. Through courage and humor, the women (Sally Hawkins, Jaime Winstone) challenge and ultimately change a system of unequal pay and rights. The feel-good comedy was originally titled We Want Sex, an homage to an actual mishap: The right side of a banner reading “We Want Sexual Equality” collapsed, and the women were left with a little something more to be desired.
It’s like: Norma Rae meets A League of Their Own.
Take your: Grandma. She’s got some Rita O’Grady in her.
Premieres: November 19

Slam-dunk screenwriter and emotionally resonant director Paul Haggis (Million Dollar Baby, Crash, In the Valley of Elah) brings us Russell Crowe’s determined journey to break his wrongfully convicted wife (Elizabeth Banks) out of prison in his remake of the French Pour Elle. That kind of chivalry can’t be ignored.
It’s like: A shorter Shawshank.
Take: A hacksaw, handsome accomplice, and getaway driver (at least that’s what we’d do).
Premieres: November 19

A Belgian new to NYC meets a red-tailed hawk in Central Park and begins documenting his luxury perch atop a Fifth Avenue co-op. In one fell swoop, Pale Male’s nest gets dismantled by the building’s manager, igniting a protest among New Yorkers, birdwatchers, and the media alike. This doc’s love story is as impressive as its wildlife photography.
It’s like: Christian the Lion with wings.
Take your: Fellow animal lover. And something to dry your eyes.
Premieres: November 24

Or as we like to call it, Colin Firth’s (A Single Man, Love Actually) chariot to the Oscars. King George VI, a stammering man whose greatest fear is leading the country, works through his reluctant throne assumption with help from an unorthodox speech therapist (Geoffrey Rush). Slapped with an R rating thanks to one brief scene in which the f-bomb is thrown around like confetti, the period piece elicited standing ovations and audience awards aplenty at Toronto, Telluride, and the Hamptons.
It’s like: A compassionate Elizabeth.
Take: Another couple. This is a solid double-date flick.
Premieres: November 26

Two months ago we were buried in a box. Now we’re stuck Between a Rock and Hard Place (the book on which the film is based) in Oscar winner Danny Boyle’s (Slumdog Millionaire, Trainspotting) newest. Join real-life superman Aron Ralston (James Franco) during his trek through Utah’s wild nooks and crannies — complete with entrapment and eventual rescue. Telluride, Toronto, and London festival-goers have us hyped for Boyle’s energetic, sucks-you-in filmmaking; the kinetic sound track; and Franco’s emotionally stressful progression.
It’s like: Open Water meets Into the Wild.
Take your: Somebody! Anybody! Just go.
Premieres: November 5

Sure, Halloween’s over, but we’re in the mood for one last heart-racing thrill. Hopefully, Patrick Hughes’s debut western/slasher/comedy/horror (starring True Blood Aussie Ryan Kwanten) will deliver just that. Set in the Outback over the course of one night, the feature follows officer Shane Cooper’s nightmare of a first day on duty — Aboriginal escape convict and all.
It’s like: Wolf Creek meets Training Day.
Take: Paul Hogan or someone else who can handle a man-eating panther.
Premieres: November 5

SXSW Jury Award winner for best narrative and Gotham IFA best ensemble nom, the endearing indie stars its writer/director Lena Dunham. Also appearing in the art-imitates-life-imitates-art comedy are Dunham’s mother, sister, and her parents’ Tribeca loft. The story: Equipped with a degree in film theory, an ailing hamster, and a broken heart (it’s what happens when your boyfriend leaves you for Burning Man), 22-year-old Aura returns home to find herself. Witty dialogue, quirky relationship drama, and, of course, tiny furniture — what else could you ask for?
It’s like: Curb Your Enthusiasm meets Running with Scissors.
Take your: Mom, your shrink, and your mom’s shrink.
Premieres: November 12

In Edward Zwick’s (Legends of the Fall, Blood Diamond) adaptation of Jamie Reidy’s memoir Hard Sell, free spirit Maggie (Anne Hathaway) meets her match in professional Viagra pusher Jamie (Jake Gyllenhaal). We look forward to the AFI Fest opener’s generous nudity (for artistic purposes, people), frank discussions on sexuality, and examination of the drug industry’s iron hand tendencies.
It’s like: Jerry Maguire on steroids.
Take your: Gal pals.
Premieres: November 24