Holiday movie preview

Holiday movie fare will deck the multiplexes with many of the year's most award-worthy releases.

These entries will join a list of contenders that has been filling up for the past several weeks, already including such films as "Flags of Our Fathers," "The Queen" and "The Departed."

This week, we list the most interesting major entries for November and December. As usual at this time of year, many films open in limited engagements and expand later. Release dates are those currently quoted by distributors; all are subject to change.

"Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan": British comic Sacha Baron Cohen ("Talladega Nights") is a reporter from Central Asia, on a tour of the U.S. to see how things ought to be done.
The film is a semidocumentary because Borat has encounters with real people. Festival showing have resulted in appreciative reviews, but some in Washington are not amused. You can imagine how they feel in Kazakhstan. Nov. 3.

"Flushed Away": Animated films are no longer once-a-year events from Disney. Every studio is making them, with such releases coming about once a month. Next year the pace will be even faster. For now, we'll still consider them special. This entry combines DreamWorks computer work with the look and style of Britain's Aardman stop-motion movies ("Wallace and Gromit"), which DreamWorks distributes. The two organizations reportedly clashed during production to the extent that their association may break up. As for the movie: A house mouse meets a sewer rat and before long, we're in the bowels of London. With the voices of Hugh Jackman, Kate Winslet and Ian McKellen. Nov. 3.

"Bobby": Emilio Estevez directs a drama set on the night of Robert Kennedy's assassination, with a raft of fictional characters representing the raft of varied characters present in the Ambassador Hotel. A very large ensemble cast includes seemingly everyone from Anthony Hopkins to Lindsay Lohan to Harry Belafonte. Limited Nov. 17, expands Nov. 23.

"Casino Royale": The 21st James Bond movie introduces Daniel Craig as the new 007 in a story that goes back to the character's first assignment. Aficionados will know that this Ian Fleming novel was the only one not made into a movie by the company that produced all the others but instead became a farcical takeoff in 1967. "Casino Royale" joins the fold and thus becomes the only Bond remake, with the story converted back to the expected action-adventure mode. With Judi Dench, Eva Green and Danish actor Mads Mikkelsen as the villain. Nov. 17.

"For Your Consideration": Christopher Guest ("Best in Show") brings his stock company of improv comics to an account of what happens when a little independent movie becomes the topic of Oscar talk. With such regulars as John Michael Higgins, Eugene Levy and Michael McKean. Nov. 17.

"Happy Feet": Penguins were decidedly the animal of 2004, with hits in animation and a documentary. Now Warner Bros. gives us more, in an animated film about one young bird who's a tap-dancin' fool. With the voices of Elijah Wood, Robin Williams and Nicole Kidman. Nov. 17.

"The History Boys": An adaptation of Alan Bennett's prize-winning play has some early viewers talking Oscars, others saying it's too stage-bound. It's about students and teachers in a British public school (American: private school) as they struggle with exams that get top scorers into the best universities. With Richard Griffiths, Stephen Campbell Moore and Clive Merrison. Nicholas Hytner directs. Nov. 21.

"The Fountain": A sci-fier takes a man on a 1,000-year odyssey to save his beloved wife. Episodes are set in 16th century Spain, the present and the 26th century. With Hugh Jackman, Rachel Weisz and Ellen Burstyn. Darren Aronofsky, who won a lot of attention for much smaller films including his debut with "(pi)," directs. Nov. 22.

"Apocalypto": Mel Gibson certainly goes his own way. Here he directs a historical drama about the ancient Mayans - in a modern descendant of Mayan, with a cast of unknowns. Fate is turning against the civilization, but the leaders say nothing is wrong that more human sacrifices won't cure. The story concentrates on a man caught in the hunt for victims. One question for the maker and his distributors is how much the film will be affected by Gibson's recent rant during a drunken-driving arrest. Dec. 8.

"Breaking and Entering": A landscape architect's state-of-the-art offices in a seedy London neighborhood are repeatedly burgled, leading him on an unexpected journey of discovery. With Jude Law, Juliette Binoche and Robin Penn Wright. Anthony Minghella ("The English Patient," "Cold Mountain") writes and directs. Dec. 8.

"The Good German": In post-World War II Berlin, an American war correspondent joins the hunt for the husband of a former lover. The man is being sought by the U.S. and the Russians. We know Warner Bros. is serious about this movie, because it's in black-and-white. With George Clooney, Cate Blanchett and Tobey Maguire. Steven Soderbergh directs. Dec. 8, wider Dec. 25, wider still Jan 19.

"Blood Diamond": In the African country of Sierra Leone, a struggle over "conflict diamonds" makes a civil war much worse. Two men - a South African mercenary and a local fisherman - hunt for a rare gem that could transform their lives. With Leonardo DiCaprio, Djimon Hounsou and Jennifer Connelly. Edward Zwick, who has the epic touch, directs. Dec. 15.

"Dreamgirls": Twenty-five years ago, this musical was a Tony-winning hit; finally, here's the screen version. It's about the rise of a singing trio during the tumultuous '60s and '70s. Eddie Murphy is getting Oscar mentions for his role as the headliner for whom the trio become backup singers. With Jamie Foxx, Beyonce Knowles and three-time Tony-winning dancer Hilton Battle. Limited Dec. 15, wide Dec. 25.

"Eragon": In the season's fantasy-adventure, a young man learns his destiny, a revelation achieved with help of a dragon who proves useful in other ways as well. You may not be astonished to hear that an empire is at stake. Based on a best-selling novel. With Edward Speleers, Jeremy Irons and Djimon Hounsou. Dec. 15.

"The Painted Veil": In W. Somerset Maugham's story from the '20s, a physician and a socialite marry and settle in Hong Kong among a dissolute expat circle. An epidemic on the mainland gives the couple an unexpected chance at redemption. With Edward Norton and Naomi Watts. (Film buffs will remember the 1934 vehicle for Greta Garbo.) Limited Dec. 15, expands in stages through Jan. 19.

"Venus": A lot of acting is in store with a comedy about a pair of aging British thespians. The arrival of a teenage girl makes the man feel spry again. With Peter O'Toole, Vanessa Redgrave and newcomer Jodie Whittaker. Dec. 15.

"Charlotte's Web": This adaptation of the children's classic is being positioned as a live-action movie, although there must be animated sections. As nonparents may need to be told, the story involves a pig that starts out as a runt but is raised into a prize porker. He makes friends with a wise spider who lives in the barn. With Dakota Fanning, Julia Roberts and Oprah Winfrey. Dec. 20.

"The Good Shepherd": The early years of the CIA are viewed through the career of one of its founders, Edward Wilson, recruited as a young man from Yale's Skull and Bones society, a breeding ground of future leaders. Wilson's methods become standard operating procedure at the agency. With Matt Damon, Angelina Jolie and Robert De Niro, who also directs. Dec. 22.

"Night at the Museum": In the season's top action comedy, a museum guard on the night shift finds that dioramas and other exhibits come alive with often alarming results, especially when a skeleton of a T. Rex starts moving. Only an effigy of Teddy Roosevelt offers help. With Ben Stiller, Dick Van Dyke and Robin Williams. Dec. 22.

"Rocky Balboa": Yes, a sequel after all these years. Would you believe that our hero is once more called into the ring? You'd better, because that's the premise. The comeback gets started when a virtual Rocky beats the current champ in a computer simulation. With (who else?) Sylvester Stallone, Burt Young and Milo Ventimiglia. Stallone, now 60, also writes and directs. Dec. 22.

"Children of Men": In the not-too-distant future, mankind has lost the ability of reproduce. A former radical must protect the most valuable person on Earth: the last pregnant female. With Clive Owen and Julianne Moore. Alfonso Cuaron ("Y Tu Mama Tambien," "Harry Potter 3") directs. Dec. 25.

"Notes on a Scandal": When an art instructor joins the faculty of a British school, an older teacher senses a kindred spirit. But she is not the only one drawn to the newcomer. The art instructor begins a clandestine affair with a student as the older woman keeps the matter hushed up. With Cate Blanchett, Judi Dench and Bill Nighy. Dec. 25.

"Perfume: The Story of a Murderer": In 18th century France, a young man uses his exceptional sense of smell to create the finest perfumes. But his obsession to capture the elusive scent of young womanhood leads him into a deadly obsession, as the subtitle indicates. With Ben Whishaw (an English actor who's being touted as a new Olivier), Rachel Hurd-Wood and Dustin Hoffman. Tom Tykwer ("Run, Lola, Run") directs. Dec. 27, wider Jan. 5.

"Factory Girl": The boom-bust story of Edie Sedgwick, the star of Andy Warhol's Factory, takes us to the hyperhip '60s. A Harvard graduate with a trust fund, she seems to embody the raffish glamour of the decade, but inside she is a fragile lost soul, not able to withstand such blows as a failed romance with a major rock star. With Sienna Miller ("Casanova," "Alfie"), Guy Pierce and Hayden Christensen. Dec. 29.

"Miss Potter": In the high summer of Victorian and Edwardian England, Beatrix Potter develops as a storyteller with such tales as "Peter Rabbit." With Renee Zellweger, Ewan McGregor and Emily Watson. Chris Noonan directs his first film since the hit "Babe" (1995). Dec. 29, wide Jan. 12.