One of the great pleasure of the end of the year is finally seeing those films you've been hearing about for months on end, finally getting to behold them with your own eyes. Carol has been earning raves since Cannes in May; The Good Dinosaur had been a source of curiosity and excitement since tales of opportunity and, yes, challenge in its early development. Meanwhile, the Rocky franchise makes a kind-of comeback and Disney rolls the dice on dinosaurs.

 

Carol -- Nov. 20

One of the year's most anticipated films from a major, if underappreciated, director, Todd Haynes' Carol  is a welcome return to the big screen for a director who's spent a few years making amazing long-form projects for HBO and now coming back to theaters with a film that sounds remarkably similar to some of his most brilliant work -- and remarkable in and of itself. Based on a novel by Patricia Highsmith, Carol is a star-crossed love story between a department-stork clerk (Rooney Mara) and an older, married woman (Cate Blanchett) in the '50s, making a dangerous liason all the more difficult. Haynes has gotten brilliant work out of Blanchett before, and has a real talent for meta-movie grandeur; if this is half as good as the brilliant, under-seen Far From Heaven, it'll still be one of the best films of this year.

Secret in their Eyes-- Nov. 20

A remake of the Argentine 2009 winner for Best Foreign Film, Secret in Their Eyes is a thriller with a cast of titans -- including Nicole Kidman and Julia Roberts working together for the first time, with Chiwitel Ejiofor in the mix as well.

Written and directed by Billy Ray (Shattered Glass, Breach), it's a thriller where our leads are a group of investigators and lawyers working on the toughest cases … and are torn apart by the brutal murder of the daughter of one of their own. Promising twists, turns and some of our finest actors, Secret in their Eyes might be the sleeper hit of the fall.

Creed -- Nov. 25

An intriguing mix of an indie director and big-studio schmaltz, Creed is directed by Ryan Coogler of Fruitvale Station, and stars Michael B. Jordan (Fruitvale Station, Fantastic Four). These are freshly-minted talents; what's interesting is that the story has roots stretching back almost 40 years. Jordan stars as the son of Carl Weathers' Apollo Creed, from the Rocky films, a young boxer trying to make his way in the game -- and who finds tutelage and support in the aged-but-wise Rocky Balboa, played by Sylvester Stallone himself. It's hard to judge the film from the trailer -- Coogler has a great eye, of course -- and it remains to be seen if Creed  can go the distance on its own merits or just has the toxic fumes of nostalgia in its tank.

The Good Dinosaur -- Nov. 25

One of the most distinctive-looking films to come out of Disney/Pixar in a long while, The Good Dinosaur is already getting divided reactions, whether it's emotional responses to its trailer or more confused questionings of its mix of big-eyed cartoon characters and painfully realistic backgrounds. The story of a timeline where the dinosaurs weren'' wiped out -- and thereby exist alongside primitive man -- The Good Dinosaur also has a sterling voice cast, including Sam Elliott, Frances McDormand, Steve Zahn and more, but the true test of the film will be when it gets seen by audiences.