Saving the best for last

Why is it that Hollywood holds out till the bitter end before offering up some of its best movies? Some say it's to keep these movies fresh in people's memories as they're voting for Oscars. But if the movie is truly memorable, wouldn't that memory last a few months? Whatever the reason, here are some of the flicks that stand a chance when it comes to the Academy Awards. (Of course, a few are simply crass efforts to cash in as the kiddies are out of school).
NOV. 18
"Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire"
Stars: Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint
With Harry's fourth year at Hogwarts nigh, the orphan wizard is plagued by a horrible vision: he senses Lord Voldemort and his familiars, the Death Eaters, are out for murder more than ever. Hogwarts, meanwhile, is prepping for the Triwizard Tournament, where the school will face-off against two other academies, the Beauxbatons and the Durmstrang.
"Walk the Line"
Stars: Joaquin Phoenix, Reese Witherspoon
A chronicle of country music legend Johnny Cash's life, from his early days on an Arkansas cotton farm to his rise to fame with Sun Records in Memphis, where he recorded alongside Elvis Presley and Jerry Lee Lewis.
NOV. 23
"Rent"
Stars: Taye Diggs, Wilson Jermaine Heredia, Rosario Dawson
Friends in New York City's East Village struggle with life, love and AIDS. Directed by Chris Columbus.
"The Ice Harvest"
Stars: John Cusack, Billy Bob Thornton, Connie Nielsen
Charlie Arglist (Cusack), a dim-bulb lawyer-turned-crook, attempts a Christmas Eve heist, hoping to swindle the local mob out of some money.
"Just Friends"
Stars: Ryan Reynolds, Amy Smart, Anna Faris
At his high school reunion, a womanizer (Reynolds) gets the chance to come face-to-face with the old crush (Smart) who turned his heart cold.
NOV. 25
"Yours, Mine and Ours"
Stars: Dennis Quaid, Rene Russo, Jerry O'Connell
"Pride & amp; Prejudice"
Stars: Keira Knightley, Matthew MacFadyen, Brenda Blethyn
The Bennett family wishes to marry off all five of their daughters, but headstrong Elizabeth (Knightley) is the fly in their matrimonial ointment. A solution seems to be found in the brooding Mr. Darcy (MacFayden), but it's hate at first sight for both... until something unexpected blooms. Based on the Jane Austen novel.
DEC. 2
"Aeon Flux"
Stars: Charlize Theron, Frances McDormand, Sophie Okonedo
Four hundred years in the future, as a disease has wiped out most of the Earth's population, many of those who have survived live in Bregna, a walled city-state ruled by scientists. A mysterious operative (Theron) aligned with an underground rebellion, is dispatched by her handler (McDormand) to assassinate a top government official.
DEC. 9
"The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe"
Stars: Tilda Swinton, Georgie Henley, William Moseley
The four Pevensie children travel through their wardrobe to the land of Narnia, where they learn of their destiny from a lion messiah.
"Memoirs of a Geisha"
Stars: Ziyi Zhang, Ken Watanabe, Michelle Yeoh
A 9-year old girl from a Japanese fishing village is sold to a geisha house in Kyoto. Able to survive the harsh treatment and training, she transforms herself into one of the most desirable geishas in the land, just as World War II begins to rear its head. Based on the runaway bestseller by Arthur Golden.
"Brokeback Mountain"
Stars: Jake Gyllenhaal, Heath Ledger, Michelle Williams
Two young, modern-day cowboys (Gyllenhaal and Ledger) meet in the early '60s as both work as ranch hands on a sheep ranch in Wyoming. The two form a lifelong bond, even as their lives diverge and one becomes a rodeo star and the other a ranch hand. Based on the novel by Annie Proulx.
DEC. 16
"King Kong"
Stars: Naomi Watts, Jack Black, Adrien Brody
A filmmaking crew searches for a mythic monster on a far-away island.
"Big Momma's House 2"
Stars: Martin Lawrence, Emily Procter, Nia Long
On his latest assignment, FBI agent Malcolm Turner (Lawrence) once again goes undercover as Big Momma, and works as a nanny for an unhappily woman (Procter) who is under investigation for murder.
"The Family Stone"
Stars: Dermot Mulroney, Sarah Jessica Parker, Claire Danes
At Christmastime, Everett Stone (Mulroney) comes home to his loving family with his girlfriend Meredith (Parker) in tow. Everett wants to propose, Meredith wants to accept, but the family, who has bristled at Meredith's presence in their home, want things to turn out differently.
DECEMBER 23
"Munich"
Stars: Eric Bana, Daniel Craig, Marie-Jos & eacute;e Croze
In the tragic aftermath of the 1972 Munich Olympics, a Mossad agent (Bana) tracks Palestinian terrorists who assassinated Israeli athletes.
DEC. 25
"The Producers"
Stars: Nathan Lane, Matthew Broderick, Uma Thurman
Max Bialystock (Lane), a faded Broadway producer, latches on to a get-rich-quick scheme concocted by his neurotic accountant, Leo Bloom (Broderick). But their plan to unveil the worst musical ever written takes a series of unexpected comic turns.