As usual, this November is a stacked month at the box office, with films like “Godzilla Minus Zero,” “The Further Mis-Adventures of Cliff Booth” and “I Play Rocky” making their way into theaters. Paramount+ has a set of perfect companion pieces for this trio, including some of David Fincher’s finest work and the best movie in the “Rocky” franchise.
Here are the three best movies to watch on Paramount+ this week.
“Creed”
This month, “I Play Rocky” takes audiences into the crazy making-of story behind Sylvester Stallone and John G. Avildsen’s 1977 Best Picture winner. Many viewers will certainly flock to revisit that classic (or watch it for the first time), and they’re right to do so. But when it comes to the best film in this nine-movie franchise, I have to give “Creed” the slight edge.
In his 2015 reboot, Ryan Coogler and co-writer Aaron Covington breathe new life into the long-running boxing franchise, centering a new story around legacy and lineage. Michael B. Jordan delivers one of his finest performance as the new underdog Adonis Creed, while Stallone delivers his best turn in this role as the aging Rocky Balboa. “Creed” is emotional, rousing and sure to get you on your feet by the end.
“Godzilla” (2014)
The world’s greatest kaiju just stomped back into theaters in Takashi Yamazaki’s “Godzilla Minus Zero,” an epic sequel to his 2023 Oscar-winning reinvention of the mighty lizard monster. Godzilla has had a handful of revamps this century, including Gareth Edwards’ 2014 spin on the character, which launched the still-ongoing MonsterVerse franchise. That series has become, appropriately, larger than life over the past decade-plus, but screenwriter Max Borenstein (working off a story by David Callaham) laid a solid, relatively grounded foundation in this visually stunning debut.
“Gone Girl”
Fans of David Fincher and Quentin Tarantino may be revisiting some of their work this month as the duo team up on “The Further Mis-Adventures of Cliff Booth,” a follow-up to the latter’s “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.” That Brad Pitt-led spinoff puts Fincher back in the world of twisty crime fiction — a world he’s nailed several times over. Just look at Fincher’s “Gone Girl,” an adaptation of Gillian Flynn’s novel of the same name.
Featuring exceptional leading performances from Ben Affleck and Rosamund Pike, Fincher unleashes in this layered mystery about a man who becomes the prime suspect after his wife vanishes. It’s hard to pick a best movie in a career as storied as his, but “Gone Girl” certainly ranks among Fincher’s upper echelon.
