The holiday movie season is in full swing.  Here’s a look at some of the films to watch for (release dates are subject to change):   

NOV. 30    “Killing Them Softly” Starring Brad Pitt, Ray Liotta, James Gandolfini and Richard Jenkins. Directed by Andrew Dominik.    Plot: An enforcer must track down crooks who robbed the Mob.    What to expect: Box office totals will be driven by Pitt’s appeal.   

DEC. 7    “Playing for Keeps” Starring Dennis Quaid, Jessica Biel, Uma Therman and Gerard Butler. Directed by Gabriele Muccino.    Plot: A man’s attempt to reconnect with his son gets sidetracked by a job.    What to expect: Will fill the void of romantic comedies.   

DEC. 14    “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey”      Starring Orlando Bloom, Hugo Weaving, Cate Blanchett, Elijah Wood and Martin Freeman. Directed by Peter Jackson.    Plot: Bilbo Baggins joins a quest to reclaim the lost Dwarf Kingdom of Erebor.    What to expect: It will be a monumental launch for this film franchise.

DEC. 19    “Zero Dark Thirty” Starring Joel Edgerton, Kyle Chandler, Chris Pratt and   Harold Perrineau. Directed by Kathryn Bigelow.    Plot: Navy SEAL Team 6 searches for Osama Bin Laden.    What to expect: Could be the surprise hit of the holiday season.   

DEC. 21    “This is 40” Starring Paul Rudd, Leslie Mann, John Lithgow and Megan Fox. Directed by Judd Apatow.    Plot: A look at the lives of   Pete and Debbie a few years after“Knocked Up.”    What to expect: Hard to say since Apatow’s humor is hit and miss.    “Jack Reacher” Starring Tom Cruise, Robert Duvall and Rosamund Pike. Directed by Christopher McQuarrie.    Plot: A detective looks into a sniper shooting.    What to expect: Cruise is a safe bet when he’s not in a   musical.   

DEC. 25    “Les Misérables” Starring Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe, Anne Hathaway and Amanda Seyfried. Directed Tom Hooper.    Plot: An ex-prisoner’s life changes when he agrees to care for a young girl.    What to expect: The popularity of the stage production will make this a   box office hit.    “Django Unchained” Starring Jamie Foxx, Leonardo DiCaprio and Samuel L. Jackson. Directed by Quentin Tarantino.    Plot: A slave works with a German bounty hunter to track killers.    What to expect: It’s a Tarantino film, so expect this pre-Civil War film to be action-packed and bloody.    “Parental Guidance” Starring Billy Crystal, Bette Midler, Tom Everett Scott and Marisa Tomei. Directed by Andy Fickman Plot: A grandfather’s parenting skills are tested.    What to expect: Crystal and Midler should produce plenty of laughs.    “Guilt Trip” Starring Seth Rogen, Barbra Streisand and Yvonne Strahovski. Directed by Anne Fletcher Plot: An inventor and his mother go on a road trip.    What to expect: It all depends on how much chemistry Rogen and Streisand have.   

--Rick Bentley, Fresno Bee