COMING ATTRACTIONS

The remaining weekends of the year are jam-packed with Academy Award hopefuls big and small. Although summer releases such as “The Dark Knight” and “Wall-E” as well as more recent releases such as “Changeling” and “Rachel Getting Married” have already earned their fair share of Oscar buzz, there is still plenty more golden potential packed into November and December:

This week

Crowd pleaser: Daniel Craig is back for a second time as James Bond on Friday in “Quantum of Solace.” Marc Forster directs from a script by Oscar veteran Paul Haggis.

Academy favorites: “Slumdog Millionaire,” out today, premiered to raves at the Toronto International Film Festival in September, with many critics proclaiming it “best picture.”

Nov. 21

Crowd pleaser: This weekend goes to the dogs when the animation contender “Bolt” hits theaters.

Nov. 26

Crowd pleasers: Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman star in Baz Luhrmann’s “Australia,” a sweeping period piece set in pre-World War II Oz that could earn Luhrmann his first directing nom.

Academy favorites: Sean Penn headlines “Milk,” which tells the story of San Francisco’s first openly gay elected official and opens in limited release. Penn, Josh Brolin and James Franco are contenders in lead and supporting actor categories.

Dec. 5

Crowd pleaser: Beyonce could bring in the audience and a big award push for her turn as soul singer Etta James in “Cadillac Records.”

Academy favorite: Look for momentum to build for “Frost/Nixon,” from director Ron Howard, in its bid for a best picture Oscar and nominations for Michael Sheen and Frank Langella.

Dec. 12

Crowd pleaser: “The Day the Earth Stood Still” could make a showing in the visual effects category.

Academy favorites: Director Steven Soderbergh’s two-part epic “Che,” about revolutionary Che Guevara, gets a qualifying run as a single film this weekend, alongside acting heavyweight “Doubt,” which stars Oscar veterans Philip Seymour Hoffman and Meryl Streep. “The Reader,” whose production calendar was sped up to work it into this year’s academy season, gets a limited release (on Dec. 10). And Michelle Williams is earning raves for her role in “Wendy and Lucy.”

Dec. 17

Academy favorite: Clint Eastwood’s second contender of the year, “Gran Torino,” features him directing himself as a Korean War veteran carrying some psychological baggage.

Dec. 19

Crowd pleasers: Another entry in the animated film category, “The Tale of Despereaux,” about a misfit mouse who loves to read.

Academy favorites: “Seven Pounds” presents Will Smith as a despondent FBI agent who decides to help seven strangers. Costar Rosario Dawson is earning some early buzz. “The Wrestler” makes its way to theaters on a wave of raves for Mickey Rourke’s performance. Meanwhile, Mark Ruffalo, Rachel Weisz and Adrien Brody star in the con man caper “The Brothers Bloom,” which gets a qualifying run in New York and L.A.

Dec. 25

Crowd pleasers: Lionsgate’s “The Spirit,” written and directed by graphic-novelist Frank Miller, follows a rookie cop who’s fighting evil forces in his city. There are sure to be lots of glorious costumes and special effects.

Academy favorites: David Fincher’s backward-aging epic “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” stars Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett. France’s Oscar submission, “The Class,” examines clashing cultures at a tough high school. Israel’s submission, “Waltz With Bashir,” is an animated look at the memories of Israeli soldiers in the Lebanon war.

Dec. 26

Academy favorites: There’s a lot of Oscar history in “Revolutionary Road” with Sam Mendes directing and Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet starring. In addition, Bryan Singer directs Tom Cruise in “Valkyrie,” which details a plot to kill Adolf Hitler that develops within Nazi ranks, and double Oscar winners Dustin Hoffman and Emma Thompson team up in “Last Chance Harvey.”

Dec. 31

Academy favorites: A qualifying run goes to the World War II drama “Defiance,” about Jewish brothers who establish a community of refugees who wait out the war in the forest. “Good” stars Oscar nominee Viggo Mortensen as a German literary professor in the 1930s whose work is appropriated for government propaganda.

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