Holiday movie preview: Season has something for everyone

Robert Downey Jr. as the Master of Deduction. Peter Jackson directing a movie with no hobbits. Meryl Streep without an accent. Robert De Niro as the father of Drew Barrymore. Yes, the holiday movie season is upon us, and the films poised to descend on the multiplexes and the arthouses before the end of the year just might make it to an Oscar ballot — or might vanish, forgotten, into the cold night.

Nonetheless, the season holds something for everyone, even those who've been yearning for a new "Alvin and the Chipmunks" movie. (Come on, raise your hand.) The list below strives to be inclusive, but is by necessity tentative; movie release dates can change as rapidly as the price on a holiday sweater.

DEC. 4

"Armored": Matt Dillon and Laurence Fishburn stage a heist against their own armored-transport company in this action thriller.

"Brothers": Danish director Susanne Bier's fine 2003 drama, about a woman who turns to her brother-in-law for comfort when her soldier husband is reported dead, gets an American remake, starring Natalie Portman, Jake Gyllenhaal and Tobey Maguire.

"The End of Poverty": Philippe Diaz's documentary explores poverty in the context of the global economy.

"Everybody's Fine": More family drama: Robert De Niro plays a widower trying to connect with his children, played by Drew Barrymore, Kate Beckinsale and Sam Rockwell. Good-looking family, that.

"La Danse": All pointe shoes, all the time. Legendary documentarian Frederick Wiseman ("Titicut Follies") turns his camera to the Paris Opera Ballet.

"The Maid": From Chile and last seen at SIFF, Sebastián Silva's drama focuses on a maid who worries that her 23-year position is threatened.

"The Strip": Five employees at an electronics store are the focus of Jameel Khan's indie comedy.

"Transylmania": College kids in Romania! Vampires! Beer pong! Well, I made up that third bit, but maybe it's true. This one's a horror comedy, hoping to follow in "New Moon's" toothprints.

"Up in the Air": George Clooney, in full-on movie-star mode, plays a corporate downsizer in the new comedy from Jason Reitman ("Juno," "Thank You For Smoking"). Vera Farmiga and Anna Kendrick co-star.

DEC. 11

"Earth Days": Robert Stone's documentary examines the development of the modern environmental movement.

"Invictus": Clint Eastwood will turn 80 in the spring, but he's still making a movie every year, and usually a good one. (Pause while we all feel unproductive.) This drama, set in 1990s South Africa, stars Morgan Freeman (as Nelson Mandela) and Matt Damon.

"Me and Orson Welles": Richard Linklater directs this 1930s tale of a young man (Zac "High School Musical" Efron) who lucks into a role in a play directed by Orson Welles.

"The Princess and the Frog": Disney's latest foray into hand-drawn animation, set in New Orleans and featuring the voices of Anika Noni Rose ("Dreamgirls"), Terrence Howard, John Goodman and Oprah Winfrey.

"The Private Lives of Pippa Lee": Rebecca Miller wrote and directed this tale of a May-December marriage, starring Robin Wright and Alan Arkin.

"Serious Moonlight": Meg Ryan goes a bit dark, so I hear, in this comedy about a woman who takes revenge on her cheating husband (Timothy Hutton). Cheryl Hines, of "Curb Your Enthusiasm," directs.

"The Slammin' Salmon": The Broken Lizard troupe ("Super Troopers") returns with a comedy set in a Miami restaurant.

DEC. 18

"Avatar": Yes, this is that blue movie. James Cameron's much-buzzed 3D space adventure, with Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana and the ever-awesome Sigourney Weaver.

"Did You Hear About the Morgans?" Well, no, I didn't. Never fear: this romantic comedy starring Hugh Grant and Sarah Jessica Parker just might be cute enough to help lift the genre out of its slump.

"Flame & Citron": Mads Mikkelsen, who played the villain Le Chiffre in the last two James Bond movies, stars in this Danish World War II drama.

"They Came to Play": Alex Rotaru's documentary follows the contestants of the International Amateur Piano Competition.

DEC. 23

"Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel": They're baaaack. Need I say more?

DEC. 25

"Broken Embraces": The latest collaboration between Pedro Almodóvar and Penélope Cruz (so brilliantly entwined for "Volver") is the twisty tale of a blind movie director and the woman who inspires him.

"It's Complicated": Meryl Streep, Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin form a potentially delicious romantic triangle in this comedy from Nancy Meyers ("Something's Gotta Give").

"The Lovely Bones": Alice Sebold's novel, narrated by a murdered child, comes to the screen starring Saoirse Ronan ("Atonement"), Mark Wahlberg and Rachel Weisz. Peter Jackson, in a dramatic departure from "The Lord of the Rings," directs.

"Nine": Hold on to your fishnets — Rob Marshall ("Chicago") is back, with singing and dancing and a whopper of a cast: Daniel Day-Lewis, Judi Dench, Marion Cotillard, Nicole Kidman, Penélope Cruz, Kate Hudson, Sophia Loren and, yes, Fergie (the singer).

"Sherlock Holmes": Elementary, my dear Watson. Robert Downey Jr. dons the detective's cape in Guy Ritchie's period adventure, with Jude Law on hand as the master's sidekick.

"A Single Man": There's Oscar buzz for Colin Firth in this tale of a professor mourning his lover in 1960s California, directed by fashion designer Tom Ford.

"The Young Victoria": Emily Blunt ("The Devil Wears Prada") plays the British monarch in her early years, alongside Rupert Friend, Paul Bettany and Miranda Richardson. Fun fact: Fergie (the duchess) is a producer.

JANUARY

These movies are due in Seattle theaters in early 2010, but Oscar-eligible for 2009.

"Crazy Heart": Jeff Bridges gets what's said to be his best role in years as a hard-living country singer. Colin Farrell and Maggie Gyllenhaal co-star.

"The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus": Heath Ledger makes his final screen appearance in Terry Gilliam's fantastical tale of a traveling magician.

"The Last Station": Christopher Plummer and Helen Mirren play Leo and Sofya Tolstoy; James McAvoy and Paul Giamatti lurk nearby. I'm in.

"The White Ribbon": Much-praised at film festivals, the latest from German filmmaker Michael Haneke ("Funny Games," "Cache") is a drama set in a small German village just before World War I.

Moira Macdonald: 206-464-2725 or mmacdonald@seattletimes.com