For young to old, funny to serious, our holiday movie guide is stuffed with gifts for all sorts. Here’s a list of movies, grouped by genre, that will be released over the next two months.

(Opening days are subject to change.)



For action/ adventure junkies



More than any other film this holiday season, James Cameron’s sci-fiopus “Avatar” (scheduled opening is Dec. 18) has a huge buzz. For both good and bad reasons.



First, it’s a return to the big screen by the man behind the first two “Terminators,” “Aliens,” “The Abyss” and “Titanic.”



Second, “Avatar” will mark the debut of the new 3-D process Cameron has been working on for a decade.



Third, it stars Sam Worthington, maybe the best actor from Down Under since Russell Crowe.



Got you salivating yet?



The downside: Cameron seems to believe his “king of the world” stuff, so the film could take itself way too seriously. And early footage of the computer-generated aliens and battle scenes looks like a high-end video game—fun but not convincing.



The world’s most famous detective gets a radical do-over thanks to slam-bam director Guy Ritchie (the former Mr. Madonna) and star Robert Downey Jr. in

_“Sherlock Holmes” ⁽Christmas Day).



The setting remains late 19th century London, but add pugilism (boxing) and kinky sex (the trailers show a naked Holmes tied to a brass headboard). Stir in Jude Law as Doctor Watson and Ritchie’s proclivity for action and you have the potential for a crowd pleaser.



Another sort of spectacle will be provided by the Chinese-made “Red Cliff” ⁽December). Directed by Hong Kong action auteur John Woo, this epic tale of civil war and intrigue during the Han dynasty features the proverbial cast of thousands (as well as recognizable faces like Tony Leung). It’s a prime example of kill-them-all theater.



The starless

_“Ninja Assassin” sounds like a dozen kung fu-ers we’ve already seen—but we’re mildly intrigued that James McTeigue (“V for Vendetta”) is at the helm.



An armored car robbery goes seriously wrong in

_“Armored” (December), directed by Nimrod Antal (of the horror motel entry “Vacancy”) and starring Columbus Short, Laurence Fishburne and Matt Dillon.



For hopeless romantics



Ain’t love grand? Except that in most of these films, love conquers only after some rough patches.



Fans are in a frenzy over to-day’s opening of

_“The Twilight Saga:New Moon,” ^thesecond installment in Stephenie Meyer’s vampire phenomenon (See review on Page 4). This time Bella (Kristen Stewart) is torn between the vampire Edward (Robert Pattinson) and her American Indian pal Jacob (Taylor Lautner) who, it turns out, is a werewolf.



In "Did You Hear About the Morgans?" ⁽December) an estranged New York City couple (Hugh Grant, Sarah Jessica Parker) are forced into an uncomfortable cohabitation when a witness protection program ships them to the Wyoming boonies. Marc Lawrence (who hit box office gold with the comedies “Miss Congeniality” and Grant’s “Music and Lyrics”) directs from his own screenplay.



“It’s Complicated” ⁽Christmas Day) lives up to its title with a plot about a woman (Meryl Streep, always on a streak) who’s being courted both by her ex (Alec Baldwin), who now has a young trophy wife, and longtime friend Steve Martin.



It’s the brainchild of writer/director Nancy Meyers (“The Parent Trap,” “Something’s Gotta Give”), who corrals the female audience. But what about the guys?



And just so straights won’t have all the fun, there’s

_“A Single Man,” ^anadaptation of Christopher Isherwood’s novel about a day in the life of an English professor (Colin Firth) who is trying to carry on after the car crash death of his lover (Matthew Goode).



For serious souls



This time of year, Hollywood embraces the dramas it has no time for in the rest of the popcorn- littered year.



“The Road” ^isnot a pretty picture. It’s based on Cormac Mc- Carthy’s Pulitzer-winning novel about the post-apocalyptic trek of a father and son. An emaciated, coughing Viggo Mortensen struggles to find a safe haven for his boy (Kodi Smit-McPhee) and a reason to go on living.



It’s brilliant and would have gone in our “Oscar snob” category, except I suspect Hollywood is terrified of this subject matter.



Also opening soon is

_“The Messenger,” ⁱⁿwhich an Iraq War hero (Ben Foster) is ordered to spend the final weeks of his enlistment informing families that their loved ones have been killed in action. Woody Harrelson is the hard-bitten veteran who teaches him the ropes; Samantha Morton is the mourning Army wife with whom he begins an ill-advised flirtation.



A 1990 Italian film starring Marcello Mastroianni is the inspiration for

_“Everybody’s Fine” (December), in which widower Robert De Niro travels around the country visiting his estranged children.



Good director (Kirk Jones, who did “Nanny McPhee” and “Waking Ned Devine”) and fine supporting players (Sam Rockwell, Kate Beckinsale, Drew Barrymore, Melissa Leo), but the Italian original was a downer. Hope this one has more uplift.



“Brothers” ⁽December) is an American version of a celebrated Danish film of the same name.



When a soldier (Tobey Maguire) is reported missing in action in Afghanistan, his ne’erdo- well brother (Jake Gyllenhaal) straightens up to look after his distraught sister-in-law(Natalie Portman) and the kids. To his amazement he discovers he loves the responsibility ... and his brother’s wife. It might be the rare remake that can stand up to the original.



In his dotage Clint Eastwood continues to conquer new territory. “Invictus” ⁽December) is the true story of how newly elected South African President Nelson Mandela (Morgan Freeman) united his country through its national soccer team. Shot on location in South Africa, it co-stars Matt Damon as the coach.



“The Lovely Bones” ⁽January) is a heavy-duty fantasy based on the best seller, in which a murdered girl (Oscar nominee Saoirise Ronan) watches her distraught family (Mark Wahlberg, Rachel Weisz) and her murderer/rapist (Stanley Tucci) from the hereafter. After years of big-budget spectacles (the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy, “King Kong”) it will be interesting to see director Peter Jackson return to the emotional intensity of 1994’s “Heavenly Creatures.”



Comedy for the moderately jaded



After all that holiday joy and good cheer, some of us need to hunker down with a bit of dark comedy. Happy to oblige.



The makers of “Napoleon Dynamite” are back with

_“Gentle-men Broncos,” a comedy about a nerdy young sci-fiwriter who goes on the warpath when an established novelist (“The Flight of the Conchords’” Jemaine Clement) steals one of his yarns. In case you were wondering, “broncos” are the sci-ficharacters.



Director Jason Reitman, who wowed us with “Juno,” soars back with

_“Up in the Air” ⁽Christmas Day) about a corporate downsizing expert (George Clooney) who lives out of suitcases and never really comes to earth. His own job is threatened just as he discovers what could be the perfect woman (Vera Farmiga).



For the whole family, Grandma on down



In the old days, every Hollywood movie was fit for the entire family.



Not so much anymore.



But the holidays are always a reliable source of family entertainment— usually animated.



Based on a story by Roald Dahl (of “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” fame),

_“Fantastic Mr. Fox” ⁽opening Wednesday) has an unusual pedigree: It’s a stop-motion animated fantasy from Wes Anderson (“Rushmore,” “The Royal Tenenbaums”) with George Clooney providing the voice of the sly fox who always eludes the farmers bent on his demise. Great supporting voice cast: Meryl Streep, Bill Murray and Michael Gambon.



For something different, try Disney’s “The Princess and the Frog” (December), a retelling of the bedtime classic that here is rendered in good old-fashioned cell animation (you know, the way cartoons looked before “Toy Story”). And here’s a Disney first: The heroine, a girl living in ’20s New Orleans, is African- American.



On the live action front is “Old Dogs” ⁽opening Wednesday), in which business partners John Travolta and Robin Williams are saddled with 6- year-old twins. “Two Men and a Baby?” It’s directed by Walt Becker of “Wild Hogs” fame (we’ll let you decide if that’s a good thing).



Live action and animation blend in

_“Alvin and the Chipmunks:



The Squeakquel”



(Christmas Day), reuniting the singing critters with human pal Dave (Jason Lee). Will the fans who made the first film into a $217 million smash come back for more?



For Oscar snobs



There’s no guarantee that any of these films will get any Academy Award nominations. But they have the sort of stars and subject matter that Oscar responds to.



“Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire,” finally opening today in area theaters, has wowed audiences at Sundance and beyond. This story of an obese, illiterate young woman (Gabourey Sidibe) carrying her own father’s child has oomph both behind the camera (Oprah Winfrey and Tyler Perry co-produced) and on the screen (Mo’Nique, Mariah Carey, Lenny Kravitz). Lee Daniels directs. It might be this year’s “Slumdog.”



Before she became a stuffy gray lady on coinage, Britain’s Queen Victoria was a hottie. Or at least she had a fairly normal sex life. That’s the allure of “The Young Victoria” ⁽Christmas Day), which features Emily Blunt as Her Highness, Rupert Friend as her beloved Prince Albert and a strong supporting cast that includes Amanda Richardson, Paul Bettany and Jim Broadbent.



“Nine” ⁽Christmas Day) has Oscar written all over it. This musical adaptation of Federico Fellini’s classic “8” features Oscarwinner Daniel Day-Lewis reminiscing and singing about the many women in his life: Kate Hudson, plus Oscar winners Penelope Cruz, Marion Cotillard, Sophia Loren, Nicole Kidman and Judi Dench. That’s plenty to croon about. (Which raises the question: Can he sing?) Oh, yeah. It’s directed by Rob Marshall, who won an Oscar his first time out with “Chicago.”



“Nine” sounds intriguing. But with its obscure source material, unknown score and grown-up sensibilities, can it possibly match the popular success of “Chicago”?



Finally there’s “The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus” (no opening date yet) featuring the last screen performance of the late Heath Ledger. Terry Gilliam’s cinematic fantasies have always been more art house than mainstream, but perhaps a last chance to see Ledger will push this one over the edge.•