The Plot: In the sequel to Madagascar, Alex the lion (voiced by Stiller) and his friends board an NYC-bound plane (that's been "repaired" by their penguin pals), only to find themselves touching down in the African plains. It's an opportunity for the animals to encounter their own kind for the very first time, and to discover, while various plots play out, what "home" truly means to each of them.

THE BUZZ: Say what you will about the original's primitive animation and whatnot, but it tallied up over $400 million in worldwide receipts, so this crack-a-lackin' sequel comes as no surprise -- but did it really require three years to come together? Maybe those psychotic penguins held out for more money. Maybe this time around the creative talent behind the camera will have more going on in the wild (something sorely missing from the first movie). And while we expect a big return here, we're more primed for Kung Fu Panda and Dreamworks' 2009 offerings such as Monster vs. Aliens.

The Plot: Set in northern Australia before World War II, an English aristocrat (Kidman) who inherits a sprawling ranch reluctantly pacts with a stock-man (Jackman) in order to protect her new property from a takeover plot. As the pair drive 2,000 head of cattle over unforgiving landscape, they experience the bombing of Darwin, Australia, by Japanese forces firsthand.

THE BUZZ: Originally Russell Crowe was set to star opposite Kidman in this paean to the antipodean outback, but everyone's favorite bad boy balked at the salary, stating, "I don't do charity work for major studios." Charming or surly? In stepped Wolverine to help Mrs. Keith Urban herd cattle, and while we couldn't be happier that Jackman and Kidman will play dueling cheekbones, the combination of dust, sweat, and livestock seems a far cry from Luhrmann's usually spangled-and-sumptuous milieu. This better deliver more than cattle or you're looking at the Australian Atonement come Oscar time.

The Plot: In his sixth year at Hogwarts, Harry Potter discovers even more about the evil Lord Voldemort's past, thanks to his mentor Dumbledore and mysterious textbook marked "This book is the property of the Half-Blood Prince." By the end of the year, nothing will ever be the same.

THE BUZZ: Director David Yates is again at the helm for this sixth film, which if the book is any indication, trods into decidedly grown-up territory -- we have left Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans far behind. Good news: screenwriter Steve Kloves is back, and the newest high profile cast additions include Jim Broadbent as professor Horace Slughorn) and Helen McCrory as Draco's nefarious mum. (Don't know her? She was Cherie Blair in The Queen) The bad news? You will probably need a hug by the time the credits roll -- darkness, death and despair loom highly for our hero.

The Plot: A comedy about a married couple (Witherspoon and Vaughn) from two divorced families who are tasked with attending four Christmas Day celebrations.

THE BUZZ: Sounds more like Christmas with the Kranks to us, given the reports that Reese and Vince didn't exactly get along during filming. That's going to make promoting the movie interesting; picture them on daytime TV together: him rumpled and probably hungover, her glowering and taking questions about her other upcoming projects. Maybe this one should end with the main characters going about their separate ways. That sure seems to work for The Break Up ...

The Plot: A father (Mortensen) and son (Smit-McPhee) walk for months across a ravaged, post-apocalyptic landscape in search of civilization.

THE BUZZ: Can you mine another Cormac McCarthy novel for Oscar gold? We have to imagine that's the plan here for McCarthy's Pulitzer Prize-winning, Oprah-endorsed tale of an unexplained cataclysm decimating life as we know it in the U.S. John Hillcoat (The Proposition) is a stellar pick to frame the father and son's gritty survival instincts, and we can already see Viggo being positioned for a Best Actor nomination, but if this is intended to be an Oscar hopeful, we feel as though some of the novel's most ghastly images -- cannibalism is just the beginning, dear ones -- will be sanitized. Personally, we're primed for Guy Pearce's role, and if you are familiar with the story, you know exactly what we're saying.