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The first weekend in November brought a number of new and interesting films. We got a theatrical release and a few on streaming, including some contenders in this year’s Oscar race. Below are my thoughts on the week’s new releases. You can keep up with everything I’m watching by following me on Letterboxd @knighthawk7734.

Fingernails (Apple TV+)
Starring: Jessie Buckley, Riz Ahmed, and Jeremy Allen White
Synopsis: The latest from Apple TV+ is a romance of sorts. It’s set in an alternate world where a test has been developed to determine if you’ve found true love. All it costs you is a fingernail. It’s left the world in turmoil as many relationships have crumbled under the weight of the test results. But Anna (Buckley) and Ryan (White) have passed the test. Anna is looking for a job and lands a job as a coach at the company that administers the test. There, she’s paired with Amir (Ahmed). They become close and soon Anna begins questioning the test results. Will this new job throw he life into turmoil? It’s a clever concept that plays out decently for director Christos Nikou, who co-wrote the screenplay. Buckley does a decent job in the lead role and there are some interesting ideas here but it’s dry. In addition, the film doesn’t make the most of White and Ahmed. White’s character, in particular, feels too shallowly drawn. It’s a decent and watchable film but it fails to rise to the level of great.
Rating: Rated R for language.
Verdict: Two and a half stars out of five

Nyad (Netflix)
Starring: Annette Bening, Jodie Foster, and Rhys Ifans
Synopsis: Dreams and goals can serve as fuel. For Diana Nyad, a marathon swimmer, her dream fueled her for more than 30 years. At 28, she tried to swim from Cuba to Florida and failed. At 60, she began the attempt to try again. The new biopic, Nyad, chronicles those efforts from Diana (Bening) and her best friend and coach, Bonnie (Foster). Nyad made five attempts, including four after the age 60 before reaching her goal. Her final go took five brutal years of training and struggle before she finally achieved her dream in 2013. The biopic is a look at her internal fortitude and the help she found in Bonnie and navigator John Bartlett (Ifans). It’s an engaging and inspiring look at her fortitude. The performances from Bening and Foster help carry the film as well. This is a great sports biopic that’s well worth checking out.
Rating: Rated PG-13 for thematic material involving sexual abuse, some strong language and brief partial nudity.
Verdict: Three and a half stars out of five

Priscilla (Theaters)
Starring: Cailee Spaeny and Jacob Elordi
Synopsis: We’ve seen the story of Elvis told before. Most recently, it was told in a large scope film last year that earned a Best Picture nomination. Now, we’re getting the story of Elvis and his wife told from a different perspective. This new film, from writer/director Sophia Coppola is based on the book from Priscilla Presley that chronicles her life and love affair with the iconic singer who became her husband. The film focuses on Priscilla (Spaeny), beginning when she was a 14-year-old freshman living in Germany with her family on a military base. She met the singer, and it spanned a relationship that lasted over distance and decades. Eventually, a still high-school-aged Priscilla came to live with Elvis in Memphis. After eight years they married, had a daughter and eventually divorced. Spaeny does a nice job in the lead role. Elordi plays a different kind of Elvis but does a nice job as well. It’s not an exciting story. It’s also painful at times to recount the strange and often-abusive nature of Priscilla’s experience. In last year’s biopic she was a supporting character at best. In this version of the story, we see things through her eyes and it’s often painful. As a film, it’s not an easy watch. It also feels like the story jumps a bit too much and is uneven in the way it unfolds. It’s engaging but wasn’t as compelling or as complete a film as I’d hoped.
Rating: Rated R for drug use and some language.
Verdict: Three stars out of five

Quiz Lady (Hulu)
Starring: Sandra Oh, Awkwafina, Jason Schwartzman and Will Ferrell
Synopsis: This new film is the story of sisters Anne (Awkwafina) and Jenny (Oh), who are thrown back together after their mother skips town owing a huge gambling debt. They’re unsure how to repay the debt until Jenny convinces Anne she should compete on her favorite gameshow. The problem is while Anne has plenty of knowledge, she’s painfully awkward in public. And on the show, she faces a reigning champion (Schwartzman) who is determined to set a record. But with a little encouragement from her sister and a pep talk from the show’s host (Ferrell), Anne’s hero, she finds the strength to make it through the show. This was a delightful comedy. I enjoyed Oh and Awkwafina together. They have a great back-and-forth and really bring the story to life. Schwartzman makes for a fun foil, while this is a delightful supporting performance from Ferrell as well. Director Jessica Yu helps the story move at a good clip pulling out the comedy and drama in the story, while the script from Jen D’Angelo has some good humor and really pulls out these characters. This was one of the pleasant surprises of the week, a fun film with heart that I really enjoyed.
Rating: Rated R for some drug use and language.
Verdict: Three and a half stars out of five

Sly (Netflix)
Synopsis: The other big release from Netflix this week is a documentary about the actor, writer and director Sylvester Stallone, looking back at his life and his career. Stallone has embodied some incredible and iconic characters in franchises that have spanned nearly 50 years. The documentary lets him tell his story in his own words, offering file footage, recorded interviews and input from his friends and family. It’s a fascinating look at the actor and his work and it makes for a compelling and engaging documentary feature. It’s well worth checking out for those who are fans of Stallone’s work.
Rating: Rated R for some language.
Verdict: Three stars out of five