Come anticipate the season's new releases with me

The next few months are fertile ground indeed for the film industry- Nov/Dec time means not only a deluge of Christmas family films/"blockbusters" but represents a golden chance for anyone with stakes in a film likely to catch the attention of critics (end of year polls) or oscar voters (now moved up to February). Thus, we already have "The Matrix Revolutions", "Sylvia", "Mystic River", "Elf", and "Elephant". These are to follow:

Bad Santa: Con men dressed as santa and attendant elf plan a robbery. Billy Bob Thornton stars (as "santa"), also features Bernie Mac (!), and John Ritter (RIP). Story by Joel and Ethan Coen. Directed by Terry Zwigoff. Oh dear, I smell a big fat dud, but I hope I'm wrong. For some reason, the Coen brothers providing a "story" (not a script, mind you) feels horribly wrong. I really rate Zwigoff, and will no doubt go and see this, but the whole thing smells like an Indiana farhmouse. Anticipation rating: Mild to none.

The Barbarian Invasions: The same characters from Denys Arcand's "The Decline of the American Empire" are revisited seventeen years later. Starring Remy Girard, Dorothee Berryman, Marie-Josee Croze. Written and directed by Denys Arcand. A big winner at Cannes, this looks to have a nice kind of fin-de-siecle catharsis to it, which I always tend to enjoy. Nice ensemble cast, good director, "award-winning" screenplay. Anticipation rating: Fair

Calendar Girls: "The Full Monty", but with middle-aged women and nudie calendars. And Helen Mirren and Julie Walters! Directed by Nigel Cole. My mum is just going to love, love, love this. Not exactly my kind of thing, but hell, I'll probably end up seeing it anyways. Bound to be a minor hit or a complete flop, but Helen Mirren's always watchable. Anticipation level: Negligible

Carnage: Okay, listen carefully. Ready? This film follows the various sections of a slain bull as they come into the possession of several people across Europe. Starring Chiara Mastroianni and Angela Molina. Directed by Delphine Gleize. K-classic idea for a film! A neat little story idea, (hopefully) a bit of magic realism, a handful of hott Eurostars, and you've got my undivided love and attention! This was another big festival winner, and a first-time feature from Ms. Gleize. I cannot wait to see it. Anticipation level: High

The Child I Never Was: A fictionalised account of the life of pubescent German serial killer Jurgen Bartsch. Starring Tobias Schenke and Sebastian Urzendowsky. Directed by Kai S. Pieck. Lashings of Catholic guilt, murder, and youth gone astray. This certainly sounds promising. I haven't seen any trailers or heard any festival buzz, but this certainly got my attention. Anticipation level: Middling

Cold Mountain: Civil War-era hijinks as Jude Law travels home to be with sweetheart Nicole Kidman. Renee Zellweger, Donald Sutherland, and Philip Seymour Hoffman also star. Directed by Anthony Minghella. Along with "Girl With A Pearl Earring", I will be seeing this whether I want to or not- Mrs Nordic with her love of literary adaption and Anthony Minghella and Jude Law (a lethal combination! In more ways than one, depending on your individual tastes!) will surely insist on giving this one a fair viewing, something which I remain totally ambivalent about. Though it will be amusing to see Jack White "acting" in Civil War garb. Anticipation level: Biblical (if you are Mrs Nordic or someone like her), dread (anyone else)

The Company: A "small ensemble piece" by old Bob Altman, set in the world of ballet. Written by and starring Neve Campbell (?????). Also featuring Malcolm McDowell (?????????????????). Well, what can I say? Certainly a weird prospect if not an enticing one. I wonder if McDowell has a sinister turn as an evil ballet dancer with criminal intentions. I used to have, errrrrr, a "thing" for Neve Campbell, so it might be nice to see her do "Pret-A-Porter" meets "Swan Lake", though when you put it like that...Anticipation level: Meager

The Cooler: William H Macy stars as the "cooler" of the title- a regular schuck with such bad karma that he is employed by a casino to curse the fortunes of many a hopeful gambler. Also starring Alec Baldwin. Directed by (surely not the?) Wayne Kramer. Is it me, or is this the millionth movie release featuring William H Macy in a Vegas setting? Or am I thinking of "Owning Mahoney" with Philip Seymour Hoffman? Or "Hard Eight" with Philip Baker Hall? It's the three names/PT Anderson connection that gets me confused. Anyway, this looks like something I would see if there was nothing else at the video store. I have a soft spot for William H Macy. Anticipation level: Fair

La Fleur Du Mal: New one from the still-prolific septuagenarian Claude Chabrol, not to be confused with Baudelaire's novel, this concerns the dastardly doings of a rich family living in the Bordeaux region. Starring Nathalie Baye and Benoit Magimel. I really enjoyed the last few Chabrol films, so I will definitely be parting with some cash to go and see this. Advance word has it that the film is a little slow, but very well acted. Anticipation level: Healthy

The Fog of War: Former US Secretary of Defense, Robert S McNamara discusses many of the key political events of the last century, with the aid of archival footage and newly declassified White House documents. Directed by Errol Morris. Aaah, this looks great. Great great great. Right up my strasse, and I will indeed be first in line to see it. Anticipation level: Very high

Girl with a Pearl Earring: Scarlett Johansson stars as the maid who became a muse (and more) to Vermeer (Colin Firth). Directed by Peter Webber. Like I said, I will be there whether I like it or not. Mrs Nordic is obsessed with Tracy Chevalier's book, which she has read twice over. To be fair, this certainly has potential. It will of course be very interesting to see if Johansson is "stretched", and in so doing gain some oscar potential. I hope so. But Colin Firth as Vermeer?? Seriously? Anticipation level: Middling

In America Ugh. Jim Sheridan's semi-autobiographical tale of an Irish family's immigration to America. Starring Samantha Morton and Paddy Considine. Please no. I have sat through the trailer for this several times and it grabs my throat with its evil saccharine children and poisonous Oirishy. As an "immigrant" to the US myself, I'm sure I would be unable to sit through this for too long without hacking at the screen with a bread knife. Kill me now. Anticipation level: Fear!

In My Skin: Esther Van stars, writes, and directs as a woman who becomes obsessed with slicing open her own skin. Sounds interesting, but the trailer for this is very, very silly. I will probably wait for the reviews. Anticipation level: Curious

Luther: Joseph Fiennes as Martin Luther! Directed by Eric Till. Could well be hilarious. I expect to see a s1utsky thread on how great this is in the not too distant future! Anticipation level: Depends on how much of a train-wreck this is.

Mambo Italiano: Italian-American cliche' unbound as two parents struggle with the requisite Catholic Guilt as their son's "new roommate" turns out to be anything but. Starring Paul Sorvino, Ginette Reno, Luke Kirby, and Peter Miller. Directed by Emile Gaudreault. Could go either way. Should it choose the path of extended sitcoms like "My Big Fat Greek Wedding", my apathy will be deafening. Anticipation level: Please Mama Don't Hurt 'Em.

New Suit: Hollywood laughs at itself, and hopefully makes some $$$ in the process. Jordan Bridges plays a young screenwriter who accidentally creates buzz for a "hot" script that doesn't actually exist. Also stars Dan Hedaya. Directed by Francois Velle. If, like me, you see "The Player", "Day Of The Locust", or even "Ivansxtc" as the pinnacle of this mini-genre, the cutesy stuff doesn't really wash. That said, I am a big fan of "Bowfinger". Anticipation level: TBC

One From the Heart: Finally remixed and restored, Coppola's doomed whimsy shot entirely on a soundstage is re-released for your delectation. Starring Teri Garr, Natassja Kinski, and Raul Julia. Okay, it's not a new release, but I would really like to see this on a big screen! Anticipation level: Bring it on!

The Singing Detective: Dennis Potter's series adapted for the big screen by Keith Gordon. Robert Downey Jr stars. I won't mince words. This looks awful. Unforgiveable. I have never seen the original series, but I know many poor, betrayed souls who have. Anticipation level: Dud, Where's My Car?

So Close: Described as "Hong Kong action on stillettos", whatever that means. Concerns the quiet, genteel life of two highly-trained, well-armed female assassins. Starring Shu Qi and Zhao Wei. Directed by Cory Yuen. Yuen choreographed "Romeo Must Die" so this will probably be something to see. Plus, female assassins are back in vogue this year! Anticipation level: Kick ass

The Statement: Michael Caine plays a Nazi executioner sheltered by the Catholic church. Also starring Tilda Swinton, Charlotte Rampling, and Alan Bates. Directed by Norman Jewison. The good news is that Michael Caine is just becoming even more watchable in his old age, and this looks like a great part for him, with an excellent supporting cast. The bad news is that Jewison's films tend to be hit or miss, and don't always deal too well with their "weighty" subject matter. I will certainly see a matinee of it. Anticipation level: Evil Alfie

The Triplets of Belleville: Animated tale about a young boy who enters the Tour De France only to be kidnapped. His rescue is aided by the "triplets" of the title- three aging music-hall singers. Directed by Sylvain Chomet. This is at the top of my list. It looks charming, musical, fun, and beautifully drawn. I cannot wait. Anticipation level: Dangerously high

21 Grams: Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu's eagerly awaited "meditation" on death, love, revenge, and redemption. Starring Sean Penn, Benicio Del Toro, and Naomi Watts. As discussed on its own thread, this is destined to divide everyone that's seen it. The trailer is indeed gloomy and a little pretentious, and Inarritu could not have chosen a trio of more unpredictable actors. Should be something to see, though. Anticipation level: High

*deep breath*

Enough for know, though if anyone has details of Thomas Vinterberg's "It's About Love", I am heavily anticipating that, and it is worthy of discussion here.