THEY'RE BIG, THERE'S A LINEUP ALREADY, AND WHO CARES ABOUT OSCARS, ANYWAY

- Red Cliff: This Chinese epic, directed by John Woo, is based on the Battle of Red Cliffs during the end of the Han Dynasty. The film, released in two parts in China, grossed $124 million in Asia, breaking the record held by Titanic in mainland China. (Dec. 11 in Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver)

- Avatar: James Cameron's long-gestating 3-D epic stars Sam Worthington as a paraplegic war veteran who goes to the planet Pandora, where American invaders have declared the world's humanoid race an inconvenient barrier to valuable resources. There's even an intergalactic love story. Yes, well, they laughed at Titanic, too. (Dec. 18)

- Sherlock Holmes: Remember that cerebral guy at 221B Baker Street and his fuddy-duddy assistant? Well, forget them. Guy Ritchie's version of the story has a martial-arts expert, played by Robert Downey Jr., and his sidekick, played by Jude Law, as they battle for the very existence of England, and also for Rachel McAdams. (Dec. 25)

TRUTH IS STRANGER THAN FICTION--AND SOMETIMES CHEAPER

- The Yes Men Fix The World: Two anti-globalization activists infiltrate legitimate meetings to perpetrate hoaxes that show the problems of unfettered capitalism. (December)

- Me And Orson Welles: Christian McKay gives a convincing performance as Orson Welles in this telling of how the young genius staged Julius Caesar in 1937. Zac Efron stars as Welles' protege and Claire Danes is the love interest. (December)

- The Young Victoria: In Jean-Marc Vallee's historic epic, Emily Blunt plays the young Queen Victoria, just learning how to take control of her own life, and Rupert Friend is Albert, her handsome German cousin. (Dec. 25)

- Big River Man: A documentary about Slovenian swimmer Martin Strel, who attempted to swim down the Amazon River --all 5,432 kilometres of it. (December)

THE OSCAR RACE STARTS WITH THESE MOVIES

- Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans: Nicolas Cage is at his jumpy best in this odd "remake" of a 1992 Abel Ferrara film about, well, a bad lieutenant. The action has been shifted to New Orleans, where Cage, a drug addict and a cop, is investigating a crime ring. Director Werner Herzog keeps the mood wild, and loaded with animals. (December)

- Up In The Air: George Clooney is drawing a lot of attention for his performance in this drama-comedy-romance about a corporate downsizing expert who flies from city to city laying people off. Things get interesting when he meets the woman of his dreams (Vera Farmiga) just as he's about to lose his job, and just when he's on the verge of getting his 10-millionth frequent-flyer mile. (December)

- Nine: It's big, it's a musical and it has Daniel Day-Lewis in it, so the Oscar chances look fairly strong. He plays Guido Contini, a film director surrounded by women, trying to balance his personal and professional lives. It's based on the Fellini film 8½, and the co-stars are an Oscar who's-who: Penelope Cruz, Marion Cotillard, Nicole Kidman, Judi Dench, Sophia Loren. (Dec. 25)

- Invictus: Clint Eastwood-- Mr. Academy Awardhimself-- directs this drama based on the story of how Nelson Mandela helped unite post-apartheid South Africa by rallying the country's rugby team during the 1995 World Cup. Morgan Freeman and Matt Damon costar. (Dec. 11)

- A Single Man: Colin Firth has been getting a lot of buzz for his role in this drama, based on a Christopher Isherwood novel, about an English professor who tries to carry on after the death of his partner. (December)

- Broken Embraces: Pedro Almodovar's new film is set in the world of filmmaking, and concerns a director, now gone blind, and his relationship with a beautiful woman (Penelope Cruz) who is the wife of a rich investor. (Dec. 25)

- The Lovely Bones: Peter Jackson directed this adaptation of the Alice Sebold novel about a 14-year-old girl (Saoirse Ronan of Atonement) who is murdered by a neighbour and now looks down from Heaven and wonders if her body will ever be found. Mark Wahlberg, Rachel Weisz and Susan Sarandon don star. (December)

YOU'LL LAUGH AND CRY

- Armored: A guard at an armoured-truck company steals $42 million in a foolproof heist that isn't so foolproof. Matt Dillon, Laurence Fishburne, Jean Reno, Skeet Ulrich and Columbus Short star. (Dec. 4)

- Brothers: When Tobey Maguire goes missing in the war, his brother Jake Gyllenhaal, comforts his wife, Natalie Portman. But is Tobey gone for good? The drama is based on Susanne Bier's acclaimed Danish film. (Dec. 4)

- Everybody's Fine: A widower (Robert De Niro) sets off on a road trip to reunite his grown children. Kate Beckinsale, Sam Rockwell and Drew Barrymore co-star. (Dec. 4)

- The Private Lives of Pippa Lee: Robin Wright Penn stars in this drama about a woman who

moves with her older husband (Alan Arkin) to a retirement community where the local

store is staffed by Keanu Reeves. (Dec. 4)

- Did You Hear About the Morgans?: Hugh Grant and Sarah Jessica Parker star in this comedy about a quarrelling New York City couple who see a murder being committed and are relocated to small-town Wyoming as part of a witness-protection program. (Dec. 18)

- The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus: A fantasy about a travelling circus that takes people into their imaginations. Heath Ledger died while it was being made: His role has been taken over by Johnny Depp, Colin Farrell, and Jude Law. Terry Gilliam directs. (Dec. 25)

- It's Complicated: Meryl Streep and Alec Baldwin play a divorced couple who have an innocent meeting and then begin an affair, which complicates things for Steve Martin, the architect who's redesigning her kitchen and has other renovations in mind, as well, if you catch my drift. (Dec. 25)

GETTING THE KIDS OUT OF THE HOUSE

- The Princess and the Frog: In this animated musical set in New Orleans, a frog prince needs a kiss from a beautiful girl to be human again. As do we all. (Dec. 11)

- Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel: Alvin and his friends face a rival group, The Chipettes. Me, I want a Hula Hoop. (Dec. 25)