It's time to add some steam to the gravy train that is holiday family movies. This month starts it out with Scrooge, adds some stop-action Mr. Fox, and ends with Robin Williams and John Travolta having a bromantic coming of age. There's also a sequel to some little known movie. I think it's Dusk? Dawn? No, sorry, "Twilight." Luckily someone has slipped in some good movies too.

November 6

A Christmas Carol

Jim Carrey is Scroogin' it up in theaters this holiday. Despite the fact that Jim Carrey is the go-to guy for over the top holiday characters (I'm looking at you, Grinch), the movie, complete with a 3D treatment, looks amazing.

The Fourth Kind

Scary movies that portray real life events is a new fad in Hollywood. "Paranormal Activity" is a good example of blurring the line between reality and fiction. Others have had complicated marketing campaigns to blur the line, like "The Blair Witch Project" or more recently "Cloverfield." This film takes it one step further. In the trailer, everyone's favorite zombie hunter Milla Jovovich walks on and explains that she's portraying a real live person and that evidence of the movie comes from filmed sessions. The action is then interwoven with seemingly real life footage of people having encounters of the fourth kind. It's not clear how much of the footage is in the actual movie, but it definitely adds a scare factor.

November 13

2012

Loyal readers know that I have a soft spot for John Cusack. But John, you're pushing it a bit with this one. We get that the Mayan calendar ends in 2012 and we'll probably all be dead. Don't make us wish for it faster by making wacky disaster movies.

The Fantastic Mr. Fox

This flick marks Wes Anderson's foray into the animated. He's got some good material (It's based on Ronald Dahl's book) and some familiar actors to work with like Owen Wilson, George Clooney, and Jason Schwartzman. The trailer alone feels like a Wes Anderson film, which by itself is a feat considering the stop action technology.

Pirate Radio

Does anyone else get excited when seeing the Focus Features logo tagged on films? They remind me of the Miramax of old with their selection of good movies. Pirate Radio appears to be one of those. Philip Seymour Hoffman leads a team of radio rebels to 70's England where rock-n-roll has been banned on the airwaves. Add Bill Nighy and Nick Frost and you've got a winner of a movie.

November 20

Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans

Attention: Movie-goers! Nic Cage has a new hair piece. Despite the toupee glue, Werner Herzog is the only thing holding this thing together. Abel Ferrara was not so pleased with the idea of the remaking of his 1992 film "Bad Lieutenant" that starred Harvey Keitel. Allegedly, he wished anyone involved a fiery death. Ouch.

The Twilight Saga: New Moon

Overabundance of hair spray. Check. Deep emotional stare. Check. Glittery vampires that shouldn't be called vampires at all. Check! My only hope is that there is a baseball scene that can be laughably bad, instead of, well, just bad.

November 25

Ninja Assassin

Not just an assassin. Not just a ninja. But a ninja assassin! The movie stars Reese Witherspoon ... just kidding. Honestly it looks like they didn't even bother to come up with a story and instead pieced together long fighting scenes. If nothing else, it'll live up to its name.

Old Dogs

John Travolta is making movies that are so similar that they are now rhyming. "Old Dogs" vs "Wild Hogs." It's all about coming of old age with this guy. Robin Williams co-stars as Travolta's business partner and best friend. Those two + teenage kids in need of adults = silver screen shenanigans.

The Road

Aragorn, err Viggo Mortensen, is put in charge of helping his family survive a post-apocalyptic world. It's based on "No Country for Old Men" writer Cormac McCarthy's 2006 novel. There's nothing like a little walk down a road filled with evil people to make the turkey go down. If you're picking a movie filled with disaster, pick the one without John Cusack.

More Than a Game

This flick is probably perhaps better known as the LeBron James movie. It focuses on the James' high school basketball team and the experience that catapulted him to the national stage. The movie weaves home videos, family photographs and one-on-one interviews with the team together for an hour and a half long ode to basketball. Sponsored by Nike. No, really.