November is shaping up to be a particularly good month for film and television. With the evenings drawing in and winter fast approaching, there are few better excuses to head to the cinema or settle in for a good series. This month's selection offers plenty to get excited about, from Hollywood blockbusters and long-awaited television returns to independent cinema and thought-provoking documentaries. There are some exceptional names involved, too, with Martin McDonagh returning to the director's chair, Peter Berg tackling a remarkable wartime story and the world of J.R.R. Tolkien preparing for another chapter. Here are the eight releases on our radar this November.

In cinemas · 20 November

More than a decade after The Hunger Games first arrived on our screens, the franchise shows little sign of slowing down. Its latest instalment takes us back to Panem, 24 years before Katniss Everdeen's story, to explore the 50th Hunger Games and the origins of one of the series' most intriguing characters, Haymitch Abernathy. Joseph Zada takes on the young Haymitch, with an impressive supporting cast including Ralph Fiennes, Jesse Plemons and Elle Fanning. Directed once again by Francis Lawrence, Sunrise on the Reaping promises a darker look at the spectacle, politics and brutality that made the original films such a success. For anyone who grew up with the franchise, this should be worth a trip to the cinema.

In cinemas · 6 November

Few directors have mastered the art of dark comedy quite like Martin McDonagh. Following the success of The Banshees of Inisherin and Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, the filmmaker returns with Wild Horse Nine, a political comedy-drama set against the backdrop of Chile in 1973. John Malkovich and Sam Rockwell play two CIA agents sent to Easter Island shortly before the Chilean coup, where their assignment becomes increasingly complicated. Steve Buscemi, Parker Posey and Tom Waits complete an extraordinary ensemble. Expect McDonagh's trademark sharp dialogue, morally questionable characters and a story that manages to be both darkly funny and deeply unsettling. This could be one of the month's most interesting releases.

Netflix · 25 November

There is no shortage of films about the Second World War, but The Mosquito Bowl approaches the conflict from a rather different perspective. Directed by Peter Berg and based on Buzz Bissinger's book, the film tells the extraordinary true story of a group of American college football stars who enlisted in the Marines and found themselves preparing for one of the Pacific War's most brutal campaigns. Before heading into battle, the men played a remarkable football game on Guadalcanal, an encounter that would become part of wartime sporting folklore. Starring Nicholas Galitzine and Bill Skarsgård, it's a story about friendship, sacrifice and the extraordinary circumstances in which sport can bring people together.

Netflix · Available now

For an entire generation, Matthew Perry will forever be remembered as Chandler Bing, the quick-witted, sarcastic and endlessly lovable character who helped make Friends one of the most successful sitcoms in television history. But behind the laughter was a far more complicated story. This new three-part Netflix documentary explores Perry's extraordinary career, his long battle with addiction and the personal struggles that accompanied his fame. Featuring previously unseen family material and intimate interviews with those who knew him best, it promises a moving portrait of a man whose influence extended far beyond the television screen. Released on 27 October, it's one of the documentaries worth catching up with this November.

In UK cinemas · 20 November

The extraordinary rise and fall of Elizabeth Holmes and her blood-testing company Theranos has already inspired books, documentaries and a television drama. But You Can See Everything promises a rather different perspective. Directed by Nathan Fielder and Lance Oppenheim, the film begins just 34 days before Holmes is due to enter prison, when the disgraced Silicon Valley entrepreneur invites a documentary crew into her world. What follows is a remarkable three-year journey into the life of one of the technology industry's most controversial figures. Given Fielder's reputation for blurring the boundaries between reality and performance, this is unlikely to be a conventional documentary. For anyone fascinated by ambition, deception and the culture of Silicon Valley, it's one to watch.

In cinemas · 6 November

One of the more intriguing international releases this month comes from Spanish filmmakers Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi, better known as Los Javis. La Bola Negra tells the interconnected stories of three men living across different periods of Spanish history, exploring themes of identity, desire, family and the weight of the past. Inspired in part by the unfinished work of Federico García Lorca, the film moves between 1932, 1937 and 2017, bringing together an ambitious narrative with an impressive cast that includes Penélope Cruz and Glenn Close. Having already attracted considerable attention on the international festival circuit, including a directing award at Cannes, it looks set to be one of the year's most interesting European films.

Netflix · Available now

Not everything worth watching this November is a new release. Christopher Nolan's Interstellar arrives on Netflix this month, offering the perfect excuse to revisit one of the most ambitious science-fiction films of the past two decades. Starring Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway and Jessica Chastain, the film follows a group of astronauts searching for a new home for humanity as Earth becomes increasingly uninhabitable. More than a decade after its original release, its extraordinary visual effects, Hans Zimmer's unforgettable score and surprisingly emotional story have lost none of their impact. Nolan has made some remarkable films, but Interstellar remains one of his finest achievements. If you haven't seen it, now is the time. And if you have, it's well worth watching again.

Season 3 · Prime Video · 11 November

Amazon's hugely ambitious adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien's Middle-earth returns for a third season this November, and the stakes have never been higher. Set five years after the fall of Eregion, the new series finds Middle-earth on the brink of catastrophe as Sauron's armies continue their conquest and the Dark Lord turns his attention to forging the One Ring. The scale of the production has always been extraordinary, from its sweeping landscapes to its elaborate costumes and spectacular battle sequences, and this latest instalment promises more of the same. With the story moving closer to the events that will ultimately shape The Lord of the Rings, there is plenty for Tolkien enthusiasts to look forward to. An epic way to round off this month's viewing list.