Here comes the good stuff

The holiday season, from Thanksgiving to New Year's, is prime time to catch a flick, whatever your tastes.

Movies can also offer the perfect escape when you've spent too much quality time with your family during the holidays.

Plus, the countdown to awards season has begun. With visions of Golden Globes and Oscars dancing in their heads, studios save up what they think are their heaviest hitters for this time of year, so they'll be fresh in the minds of those who vote.

Already this weekend, Academy Award junkies are checking out James Franco's desperate will to live in “127 Hours,” Naomi Watts as outed spy Valerie Plame in “Fair Game” and Anne Hathaway falling hard in “Love and Other Drugs.” Meanwhile, those who prefer more escapist fare can ogle Christina Aguilera and Cher in “Burlesque”; see ex-con Dwayne Johnson get revenge in “Faster”; or take the family to the Disney cartoon “Tangled.”

Here are 10 award contenders and 10 potential crowd pleasers due by the end of the year. Release dates are for the coasts, particularly for the Oscar fare, so some will arrive in Omaha a bit later.

BOX OFFICE BAIT

Dec. 3

“All Good Things” | Did Ryan Gosling kill his beautiful wife, Kirsten Dunst? This thriller is based on an unsolved 1982 case centered on a wealthy New Yorker.

“I Love You Phillip Morris” | Jim Carrey is a small-town cop who turns con man, then falls for cellmate Ewan McGregor in prison. Black comedy based on a true story.

Dec. 10

“The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader” | Dragons, dwarves and lost warriors are part of the voyage aboard the Dawn Treader, a royal ship, in Book 3 of the C.S. Lewis series.

>>>>>>>> “The Tourist” Mysterious beauty Angelina Jolie drags Johnny Depp into a world of danger, intrigue and Russian mobsters in this romantic thriller set in Venice.

Dec. 17

“Tron: Legacy” | The 1982 original “Tron,” a sci-fi tale of a video game designer (Jeff Bridges) pulled into the game by a tyrannical computer, flopped. Now it's a cult classic. In this sequel Garrett Hedlund plays Bridges' grown son, who follows Dad into the digital grid.

“Yogi Bear” | Jellystone Park's smarter-than-the-average bear faces a park closing in this combination of animation and live action.

“How Do You Know” | Paul Rudd and Owen Wilson compete for the affections of Reese Witherspoon in this rom-com from writer-director James L. Brooks (“As Good as It Gets”).

Dec. 22

“Little Fockers” | The family is still dysfunctional as all the grandparents gather for their grandchild's birthday party. Ben Stiller, Robert DeNiro, Dustin Hoffman, Blythe Danner and Barbra Streisand return.

“Gulliver's Travels” | Digital effects drive this comedy based on the classic novel, and Jack Black stars as Gulliver.

>>>>> “Country Strong” | Gwyneth Paltrow learned to play guitar and did her own singing in this story of a fallen country star fresh out of rehab.

GOING FOR GOLD

Dec. 3

“The King's Speech” | Colin Firth plays Britain's King George, who must work with a speech therapist (Geoffrey Rush) to overcome a stutter as he unexpectedly takes the throne.

“Black Swan” | Ballerina Natalie Portman preps to star in “Swan Lake” but has competition from Mila Kunis. Friendship with a dark side ensues. Barbara Hershey plays Portman's mother.

Dec. 10

“The Fighter” | A docudrama about boxing lightweight Micky Ward (Mark Wahlberg), whose half brother (Christian Bale) helps his rise to a title fight. David O. Russell directs.

“Frankie & Alice” | An emotionally damaged stripper (Halle Berry) has multiple personality disorder.

Dec. 17

“Rabbit Hole” | Aaron Eckhart and Nicole Kidman struggle after the sudden death of their young son. Dianne Wiest is Kidman's mother. Based on the Pulitzer-winning play.

Dec. 22

“True Grit” | A Coen brothers remake of the 1969 John Wayne Western finds Jeff Bridges playing Marshal Rooster Cogburn, with Hailee Steinfeld as feisty Mattie, Matt Damon as the Texas ranger and Josh Brolin as murderous Tom Chaney.

Dec. 25

“The Illusionist” | French animator Sylvain Chomet (“The Triplets of Belleville,” 2003) returns with another acclaimed story, this time of an out-of-work magician.

Dec. 29

“Biutiful” | A father (Javier Bardem) raising two kids learns he has terminal cancer. From the director of “Babel,” Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu.

“Another Year” | Mike Leigh (“Secrets & Lies”) directs Lesley Manville as a lonely woman who causes problems in this emotionally honest portrait of family and friend dynamics. Jim Broadbent co-stars.

Dec. 31

“Blue Valentine” | Ryan Gosling and Michelle Willaims star as a married couple trying desperately to save their marriage. A gut-wrenching drama.

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