Put away your superhero tights, your Harry Potter capes and your vampire makeup. No, I’m not saying you need to put away childish things — there are too many family-friendly films on board for that. But the holidays don’t offer the usual blockbusters based on franchise properties that appeal mostly to the teenagers that line Hollywood’s pockets during the summer. With families gathered for Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah and other holidays, studios offer more films than ever that appeal to the young and the young at heart. For those with more sophisticated tastes, this is also the best time of year: Executives release likely Oscar contenders late in the year, in the hopes they’ll be fresh in the minds of Academy members who will do nominating duties early in 2012. ‘Shame’
Opens: December 2
The names: Michael Fassbender, Carey Mulligan
The story: Michael Fassbender, who’s offered star-making work this year in “X-Men: First Class” and the upcoming “A Dangerous Method,” plays a man whose sex addiction proves even more troublesome when his young sister moves into his New York apartment.
The prediction: The NC-17 rating will lose the film some viewers — but gain it some edgy cachet.
The bottom line: The experimental artist Steve McQueen will find his work exposed to a larger audience because of his emotionally and physically exposing film.
‘New Year’s Eve’
Opens: December 9
The names: Sarah Jessica Parker, Jessica Biel, Ashton Kutcher, and many more
The story: It’s one of the most romantic — or depressing — nights of the year, and a lot of beautiful people are looking for love.
The prediction: From Robert De Niro to Michelle Pfeiffer, Sofia Vergara to Josh Duhamel and Zac Efron to Lea Michele, this movie has a heartthrob for everybody.
The bottom line: First “Valentine’s Day,” now “New Year’s Eve.” What holiday will Garry Marshall turn into a sappy movie next?
‘The Iron Lady’
Opens: December 16
The names: Meryl Streep, Jim Broadbent, Anthony Head, Richard E. Grant
The story: The life of the most famous female political leader since Cleopatra is brought to the big screen.
The prediction: Streep, who has 16 Oscar nominations, including two wins, will add to her record number of nods for her portrayal of former British prime minister Margaret Thatcher.
The bottom line: Before the movie had even started filming, it was blasted by critics on both the left and the right — proving that the tough-minded conservative is just as controversial a figure now and she was in office in the 1980s.
‘The Artist’
Opens: December 16
The names: Jean Dujardin, B?r?nice Bejo, John Goodman
The story: Jean Dujardin won the best actor award at Cannes for this film — in which he doesn’t say a word.
The prediction: ‘The Artist’ takes place during the transition from silent cinema to talkies, but this black-and-white, silent film won’t be anything like the similarly themed “Singin’ in the Rain.”
The bottom line: Its creative concept and intriguing mix of French and Anglophone actors — including Malcolm McDowell and James Cromwell — should make for a successful arthouse run.
‘Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows’
Opens: December 16
The names: Robert Downey Jr., Jude Law, Jared Harris, Rachel McAdams
The story: Downey and Law are back as the immortal crime-solving duo Holmes and Watson in this sequel to Guy Ritchie’s 2009 film.
The prediction: The original “Sherlock Holmes” was Ritchie’s biggest box office hit. Downey is one of Hollywood’s greatest comeback stories, returning from rehab to an inspired career. The combination should prove as profitable as ever.
The bottom line: Even though the clever Stephen Fry joins the cast as Sherlock’s brother, Mycroft, don’t expect anything but another action flick that has little to do with the characters created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.
‘Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy’
Opens: December 16
The names: Gary Oldman, Colin Firth, Tom Hardy, Ciaran Hinds
The story: Gary Oldman replaces Alec Guinness in the first feature-film adapation of John le Carre’s classic spy tale.
The prediction: Oldman plays George Smiley, who comes out of retirement to catch a Russian double-agent in the MI6. With suspects including Firth, Hinds, and Toby Jones, this is one cat-and-mouse game you won’t want to miss.
The bottom line: Spy films are a mainstay of Hollywood; rarely do they have this kind of pedigree.
‘A Dangerous Method’
Opens: December 16
The names: Michael Fassbender, Keira Knightley, Viggo Mortensen
The story: Director David Cronenberg pokes at the very themes of his often controversial work with this period drama about the beginnings of psychoanalysis.
The prediction: All three stars — Mortensen is Freud, Fassbender is Jung, and Knightley is a patient-turned-lover-turned-analyst who comes between them — could get buzz come Oscar time.
The bottom line: It might look like a costume drama, but this is a Cronenberg costume drama — so prepare for some naughty scenes involving the troubled character played by the beautiful Knightley.
‘Young Adult’
Opens: December 16
The names: Charlize Theron, Patrick Wilson, Patton Oswalt
The story: “Young Adult” describes the kind of books written by Charlize Theron’s character; it also describes her level of emotional maturity in this rare comedy that stars Theron.
The prediction: Director Jason Reitman and screenwriter Diablo Cody team up again, following on the surprising success of their 2007 film, “Juno.”
The bottom line: It’s one of the few light films being released this month — though Reitman never makes comedies without an element of seriousness.
‘The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo’
Opens: December 21
The names: Daniel Craig, Rooney Mara, Stellan Skarsgard
The story: The second film — but first English-language adaptation — of the first book in the phenomenally successful trilogy by late Swedish author Stieg Larsson.
The prediction: The books are some of the best-selling of modern times; David Fincher made one of the most acclaimed films of 2010, “The Social Network”; Daniel Craig moonlights as James Bond. You take a guess at how this film will fare.
The bottom line: The film could make a star out of Mara, who had a small but memorable role in “The Social Network.” She put everything into the role — even getting real piercings all over her body.
‘The Adventures of Tintin’
Opens: December 21
The names: Jamie Bell, Andy Serkis, Daniel Craig
The story: Herge’s comic creation, an enthusiastic young Belgian reporter named Tintin, is one of the last century’s most popular comic books…
The prediction: …in Europe. But though Americans aren’t so familiar with the name of the character, they well know the name of the director of this 3D, motion capture film: Steven Spielberg.
The bottom line: This is one parents might drag their children to: Besides Spielberg behind the scenes, British comics Simon Pegg and Nick Frost appear in the film.
‘Mission: Impossible — Ghost Protocol’
Opens: December 21
The names: Tom Cruise, Jeremy Renner, Paula Patton
The story: Tom Cruise is off the couch and back on the screen in his fourth turn as IMF agent Ethan Hunt.
The prediction: You might think that audiences have tired of this action franchise by now. But the last film, like the others, easily topped the box office the weekend it was released.
The bottom line: Those who don’t like heartwarming family films or Oscar bait need something to see over the holidays.
‘We Bought a Zoo’
Opens: December 23
The names: Matt Damon, Scarlett Johansson, Thomas Haden Church
The story: This family film is based on the true story of a man who did just what the title says.
The prediction: Cameron Crowe’s first family film stars Damon as the single father who, with his children, tries to bury his grief by renovating a dilapidated zoo. Johansson is the looker who helps him do it.
The bottom line: Crowe needs this one to work: He’s been on a downward trajectory since the heights of 1996’s “Jerry Maguire” and 2000’s “Almost Famous.”
‘War Horse’
Opens: December 25
The names: Jeremy Irvine, Emily Watson, David Thewlis
The story: Based on the hit West End play, which was itself based on a novel, this inspirational story centers on a beloved horse who is sold to the cavalry during World War One and the British boy who loves him. Though too young to enlist, the young man heads to France to find him.
The prediction: This family-friendly tale is exactly the kind of movie many viewers want to open on Christmas Day.
The bottom line: Spielberg will compete with himself, both for box office and Oscar nods: He directed “War Horse,” as well as “Tintin.”
