A season's film feast

The Wrestler

Randy "The Ram" Robinson was once a headlining professional wrestler. Now he ekes out a living performing at small community events. Estranged from his daughter, Randy lives for the thrill of the show and the adoration of his fans until a heart attack forces him to evaluate the state of his life. Starring Mickey Rourke, Marisa Tomei, Evan Rachel Wood. Written by Rob Siegel. Directed by Darren Aronofsky. Fox Searchlight

Dec. 19

The Brothers Bloom

High-class con men siblings take on one last job to show an eccentric heiress the time of her life. Starring Rachel Weisz, Adrien Brody and Mark Ruffalo. Written and directed by Rian Johnson. Summit Entertainment

My Name Is Bruce

Actor Bruce Campbell is mistaken for his character Ash from the "Evil Dead" trilogy and forced to fight a real monster in a small town in Oregon. Written by Mark Verheiden. Directed by Campbell. Image Entertainment

Nothing But

the Truth

Kate Beckinsale plays a Washington, D.C., reporter willing to go to jail rather than reveal her source after she outs a CIA agent. With Matt Dillon, Vera Farmiga, Alan Alda and Angela Bassett. Written and directed by Rod Lurie. Yari Film Group

Seven Pounds

"Pursuit of Happyness" director Gabriele Muccino reteams with star Will Smith for a story about an IRS agent with a secret who changes the lives of seven strangers. With Rosario Dawson and Woody Harrelson. Written by Grant Nieporte. Columbia Pictures

The Tale of Despereaux

The adventures of an iconoclastic mouse and an outcast rat seeking to prove to a gloomy kingdom that they are much more than they appear. Voices include those of Matthew Broderick, Dustin Hoffman, Kevin Kline, Christopher Lloyd, William H. Macy, Tracey Ullman, Emma Watson and Sigourney Weaver. Written by Gary Ross, Will McRobb & Chris Viscardi. Directed by Sam Fell. Universal

Yes Man

Jim Carrey stars as a man who enlists in a self-help program based on the concept of answering everything in the affirmative and finds that positivity has its drawbacks. With Zooey Deschanel, Bradley Cooper, Danny Masterson and Terence Stamp. Screenplay by Nicholas Stoller and Jarrad Paul & Andrew Mogel. Directed by Peyton Reed. Village/Roadshow

Dec. 25

Bedtime Stories

Adam Sandler stars as a man who tells his nephews outlandish versions of the titular tales -- which begin coming true. With Keri Russell. Screenplay by Matt Lopez and Tim Herlihy; story by Matt Lopez. Directed by Adam Shankman. Walt Disney Pictures

The Class

Cultures and attitudes clash in the classroom as teachers prepare for a new year at a high school in a tough neighborhood. With Francois Begaudeau. Directed and written by Laurent Cantet. Sony Pictures Classics

The Curious Case

of Benjamin Button

Brad Pitt stars in the unusual tale of a man who is born in his 80s and ages backward. Set in New Orleans at the end of World War I to the 21st century. With Cate Blanchett. Screenplay by Eric Roth. Directed by David Fincher. Paramount

Marley & Me

Owen Wilson and Jennifer Aniston star in this adaptation of John Grogan's bestseller about the family of a neurotic dog. Screenplay by Scott Frank and Donald Roos. Directed by David Frankel. 20th Century Fox

The Spirit

A former rookie cop returns mysteriously from the dead to fight crime from the shadows of Central City and battles it out with his archenemy, the Octopus. Starring Gabriel Macht, Samuel L. Jackson, Sarah Paulson, Scarlett Johansson and Eva Mendes. Screenplay by Frank Miller. Directed by Miller. Lionsgate

Waltz With Bashir

Prompted by his friend's recurring nightmare and its connection to their Israeli army mission in the first Lebanon War of the early '80s, writer-director Ari Folman conducts interviews with old friends and comrades around the world to discover the truth about himself. Sony Pictures Classics

Dec. 26

Last Chance Harvey

Dustin Hoffman stars as a middle-age man at a low point in his life who meets a bristly woman in an airport and is presented with an unlikely opportunity for renewal. With Emma Thompson, Kathy Baker, James Brolin. Written and directed by Joel Hopkins. Overture Films

Revolutionary Road

"Titanic" stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet reunite as a married couple struggling with conformity and expectations in 1950s Connecticut. Screenplay by Justin Haythe. Directed by Sam Mendes. Paramount Vantage

Valkyrie

Tom Cruise stars as Col. Claus von Stauffenberg, a World War II German officer wounded in North Africa, who joins the German resistance's plot to kill Adolf Hitler. With Bill Nighy, Kenneth Branagh, Carice van Houten, Eddie Izzard, Tom Wilkinson and Terence Stamp. Written by Christopher McQuarrie & Nathan Alexander. Directed by Bryan Singer. United Artists

Dec. 31

Defiance