Merriness at the Movies

Now that we've made it through the Thanksgiving feast, it's time to give thanks for the cinematic feast upon us.

From now through Christmas Day, there's a veritable high-end spread of gourmet choices (no turkeys, we hope) tempting moviegoers to max out at the multiplex.

From big guns behind the camera (Oscar-winners Clint Eastwood, James Cameron and Peter Jackson among them) to high-profile stars (from George Clooney to Meryl Streep), this season's selections feature a wide variety of comedy, drama, special effects and acting fireworks.

To help you plan your moviegoing, here's a week-by-week guide to coming attractions. (Bear in mind that, as always, release dates are subject to change -- and some titles might not make it here at all.)

With that caveat, and without further ado, happy moviegoing to all, and to all a good night -- or matinee!

Dec. 4

Open me first: "Everybody's Fine"

Robert De Niro stars as a widower hitting the holiday trail to visit his grown kids (Kate Beckinsale, Sam Rockwell and Drew Barrymore, who plays a Vegas dancer) in this remake of the 1990 Italian original, which starred late great Marcello Mastroianni.

Also on the gift list: Jake Gyllenhaal, Tobey Maguire and Natalie Portman in the war-on-terror drama "Brothers," plus Columbus Short, Matt Dillon and Laurence Fishburne in the heist thriller "Armored."

Dec. 11

Open me first: "Invictus"

Morgan Freeman (as Nelson Mandela) and Matt Damon star for director Clint Eastwood in this post-apartheid drama about the South African leader's attempts to unite his once-divided country through sport.

Also on the gift list: Mark Wahlberg, Rachel Weisz, Susan Sarandon, Stanley Tucci and Saoirse Ronan in "The Lovely Bones," director Peter Jackson's adaptation of Alice Sebold's novel about a murdered girl watching over her surviving family, plus Disney's return to traditional animation with the New Orleans-set "The Princess and the Frog."

Dec. 18

Open me first: "Avatar"

"Titanic's" king of the world, James Cameron, returns to the director's chair with this futuristic adventure about humans battling a distant planet's indigenous population; Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Michelle Rodriguez and Sigourney Weaver lead the cast.

Also on the gift list: Hugh Grant and Sarah Jessica Parker as feuding New Yorkers in the witness-protection comedy "Did You Hear About the Morgans?" And a teen thespian (Zac Efron) finds himself working with a theatrical wunderkind in director Richard Linklater's "Me and Orson Welles."

Dec. 23

Open me first: "Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel"

In this sequel to the 2007 hit, the title trio tackles school, celebrity and a rival female singing group, the Chipettes; Justin Long, Anna Faris, Christina Applegate, Amy Pohler and Las Vegas' own Matthew Gray Gubler lead the vocal cast, while Jason Lee returns as their chipper human pal David Seville.

Dec. 25

Open me first: "Up in the Air"

A frequent-flying corporate terminator (George Clooney) is unexpectedly grounded in this comedy-drama, partially filmed in Las Vegas, from "Juno" director Ivan Reitman.

Also on the gift list: Oscar-winners Daniel Day Lewis, Nicole Kidman, Penelope Cruz, Marion Cotillard, Judi Dench and Sophia Loren in the Tony-winning musical "Nine," plus Robert Downey Jr. as "Sherlock Holmes," Meryl Streep torn between Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin in the comedy "It's Complicated" and Emily Blunt as "The Young Victoria," as in Queen Victoria.

Sometime during the holidays (we hope):

Viggo Mortensen trying to survive post-apocalyptic life in "The Road," based on Cormac McCarthy's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, plus Colin Firth as "A Single Man" and Nicolas Cage in director Werner Herzog's "Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans."

Contact movie critic Carol Cling at ccling@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0272.