Friday is the beginning of the last leg of movie year 2009, with five major releases opening in Lincoln.

So even after you've seen George Clooney gape at goats and Jim Carrey "Bah, Humbug!" it up, a score of flicks are still on the horizon.

Here, we preview the films we think will make the biggest splashes this season. Each snippet also includes our biased, arbitrary prediction on the film's potential merits.

As far as we can tell, it's gonna be another season of gifts and turkeys alike.

Note: Release dates are tentative because who knows when these movies might actually make it to Lincoln.

"2012" (Nov. 13)

John Cusack tries to save his family when the world ends. Good?: Director Roland Emmerich is no stranger to mega-budgeted disaster porn. If you like to watch stuff go smash, clank or BOOM!, this is probably a must-see. 2 stars

"The Blind Side" (Nov. 20)

It appears that Sandra Bullock took acting lessons from Foghorn Leghorn to play a well-to-do Southerner whose family takes in a homeless boy. They change his life. He changes theirs. And he ends up being pretty good at football. Good?: This movie has taken a true story and soaked it in cliché and schmaltz. 1 star

"New Moon" (Nov. 20)

The second installment in the "Twilight" saga finds vampire Edward and human Bella broken up. Bella seeks a rebound in the wolfboy next door. Good?: Despite a change in director and bigger FX budget, "New Moon" looks an awful lot like the last movie: Edward brooding. Bella angsty. 1 star

"Precious" (Nov. 20)

Our title character is an overweight, illiterate teen in Harlem who's got A LOT of problems. She's pregnant with her second kid and living under the wrath of her abusive mother. She attends an alternative school to get her life back on track. Good?: The film, and Mo'Nique's performance as the girl's horrid mother, got raves at Sundance. Might be too grim for most audiences. 3 stars

"The Road" (Nov. 25)

The long-awaited adaptation of Cormac McCarthy's story of a father and son trying to survive the post-apocalypse. Good? Viggo Mortensen as the star. John Hillcoat as director. Nick Cave on music. In theory, the movie's a perfect adaptation. We'll see. 3 stars

"Old Dogs" (Nov. 25)

Divorcee Robin Williams and bachelor John Travolta have their lives overturned when they have to take care of 6-year-old twins. Good?: Seen this one before and that one was probably funnier. But it will still be a smash. 1 star

"Bad Lieutenant: Port of New Orleans" (December TBA)

Nic Cage has made a career of playing flamboyantly insane characters. He's found his most unhinged role yet in Terence McDonagh, a New Orleans cop gone wrong. Good?: Director Werner Herzog and Nicolas Cage working together - should be messy, disquieting and exhilaratingly strange. 4 stars

"Fantastic Mr. Fox" (December TBA)

Indie icon Wes Anderson takes a shot at stop-motion animation with this warm-looking adaptation of the Roald Dahl classic. Good?: Anderson's tween sensibilities certainly seem in line with the world Dahl created. Plus, the omnipresent George Clooney voices Mr. Fox. It would be hard to mess this up. 4 stars

"Me and Orson Welles" (Dec. 11)

Richard Linklater directs this close-to-the-truth story of Orson Welles' famed stage adaptation of "Julius Caesar." Good?: Young English actor Christian McKay has received good notices, but the box office draw here is Zac "High School Musical" Efron. Will the kids come see a period piece? 3 stars

"Avatar" (Dec. 18)

James Cameron's first film since "Titanic" is a 3D sci-fi adventure about a Marine in a wheelchair who infiltrates an alien species as a giant blue avatar. Good?: Ten years in the making, this one is sure to be visually stunning. Hope the story holds up. 3 stars

"Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel" (Dec. 25)

Pop sensations Alvin, Simon and Theodore give up superstardom to return to school, where they attempt to win a battle of the bands against three singing female chipmunks in this animated sequel to the 2007 hit. Good?: Nope. 2 stars

"Sherlock Holmes" (Dec. 25)

Guy Ritchie directs. Robert Downey Jr. makes Holmes a troubled action hero. Jude Law turns Watson into a grizzled war vet. They're fighting an occultist a la Alastair Crowley. Good?: Downey is sure to create a far different Holmes than ever seen before, and Ritchie guarantees it will be cinematically out there. 4 stars

"Up in the Air" (Dec. 25)

George Clooney plays a traveling corporate ax-man who flies around the country firing people but finds he's on the chopping block. Directed by Jason Reitman of "Juno" fame, it has a few scenes filmed in Omaha. Good?: It received rave reviews at festival screenings for its populist treatment of economic hardship and the feisty combination of Clooney and Vera Farmiga. 4 stars

"Nine" (Late December):

Daniel Day-Lewis puts on his singin' and dancin' shoes as a movie director who can't seem to find peace with all the women in his life. Good?: Looks like a sexy, rip-roaring musical from "Chicago" director Rob Marshall. Great cast. Joining Day-Lewis is Judi Dench, Nicole Kidman, Penelope Cruz, Marion Cotillard and Sophia Loren. 3 stars

"Invictus" (Late December)

Morgan Freeman plays Nelson Mandela and Matt Damon the captain of the South African national rugby team who come together to help heal the nation. Clint Eastwood directs. Good?: Eastwood directs Freeman and Damon in an uplifting story. Why not? 3 stars

"The Lovely Bones" (Late December)

Peter Jackson moves from fantasy/action into a ghostly realm with this adaptation of the novel about a young girl who dies in an accident and comes back to watch over her family. Good?: Jackson is on a roll and is certain to put his stamp on this one. 3 stars