8. Carnage

Roman Polanski directs this taut adaptation of the Broadway play that is a darkly comic drawing room exercise. It finds two upperclass couples (Jodie Foster and John C.

Reilly and Kate Winslet and Christoph Waltz) who come together to discuss a schoolyard brawl that occurred between their two sons. Needless to say, the air of civility between the couples soon falls to the wayside and their true natures emerge. Running a mere 79 minutes, this modern version of Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? pulls no punches. (Dec. 16)

9. Sherlock Holmes:

A Game of Shadows

Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law return as Holmes and Watson and they must do battle with the detective’s arch enemy, Dr. Moriarity (Jared Harris). Expect as much action as plot twists and an air of the exotic with the addition of Noomi Rapace (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo) as a mysterious gypsy. (Dec. 16)

10. Young Adult

Screenwriter Diablo Cody reunites with her Juno director, Jason Reitman, for this tale of a woman afflicted with Peter Pan Syndrome (Charlize Theron) who returns to her hometown after divorcing her husband, intent on breaking up the marriage of her high school sweetheart (Patrick Wilson). Expect razorsharp dialogue and a comic look at human frailty. (Dec. 16)

11. The Adventures of Tintin

Having already grossed north of $150 million overseas, Steven Spielberg’s big-screen adaptation of the cult European comic strip is a high-spirited adventure in the Indiana Jones vein. That the Oscar-winning director employs motion capture techniques and the 3-D format for the first time only adds to the intrigue of this groundbreaking production. (Dec. 21)

12. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

The American version of the international best-seller finds David Fincher (The Social Network) at the helm, bringing the first adventure of expert computer hacker Lisbeth Salander (Rooney Mara) to the big screen. The perverse mystery at the film’s core is tailormade for Fincher’s sensibilities, while a cast that includes Daniel Craig, Christopher Plummer and Robin Wright points to this one being a guaranteed winner. (Dec. 21)

13. Mission Impossible:

Ghost Protocol

Tom Cruise returns as Ethan Hunt and he’s on the run with the rest of his team. They’ve been accused of bombing the Kremlin and need to go to great lengths to clear their names. Rumor has it this will be Cruise’s last mission and that co-star Jeremy Renner has been recruited to step into his shoes in order to keep the franchise going. Whether this means Hunt will meet his maker on this mission remains to be seen. (Dec. 23)

14. We Bought a Zoo

Cameron Crowe (Jerry Maguire) wrote and directed this based-on-a-true-story feature about a single dad (Matt Damon) who tries to jumpstart his life by taking his two children to a new home in the country that happens to be part of a zoo. Heartwarming and life-affirming, the film also stars Scarlett Johansson, Elle Fanning and Thomas Haden Church. (Dec. 23)