Why is it that all the really good movies tend to come out at once, around this time of year, so that me and my student budget have to decide which ones I can afford to go to?  Oh yeah, that’s right...the studios want to get them all out in time for Oscar nominations.  Grrr.

I missed “Darjeeling Limited” (don’t worry Marissa, I will see it!), but caught “No Country for Old Men,” which was spellbinding (I’m a sucker for Cormac McCarthy and the Coen Brothers).  Here are the other films coming out this winter that I find promising:

Juno:  This flick, written by Diablo Cody, follows a teenage girl as she deals with pregnancy.  Preliminary reviews say it’s witty and not overly-sentimental, although full of sentiment.  A fine and difficult line to tread. 

Atonement:  Some of my friends gave me a lot of flack for liking Joe Wright’s version of “Pride and Prejudice” a few years ago – but if all those nay-sayers had even seen it, they’d know it was an excellent movie.  Wright is an amazing director, and although I agree it wasn’t as faithful of an adaptation as the BBC miniseries, it is a much better movie.  I’m curious to see what Wright does with “Atonement.”

The Savages:  Laura Linney.  Philip Seymour Hoffman.  Siblings caring for their ailing father.  This movie promises to be explosive. 

Alvin and the Chipmunks:  Ha!  Yeah right.  Why on Earth did 20th Century Fox think this was a good idea? 

Sweeny Todd:  Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, and Alan Rickman star in this dark musical about the Demon Barber of Fleet Street directed by, who else but, Tim Burton.  Enjoy your meat pies this winter, folks! 

Persepolis: Based on the graphic novel by Marjane Satrapi (who happens to co-direct the film, too), this animated film explores the Iranian Revolution through a young girl’s eyes.  It is defiantly not a children’s movie.  And I highly, highly, highly recommend all of Satrapi’s graphic novels. 

There Will Be Blood: Paul Thomas Anderson, who brought us “Magnolia” and “Boogie Nights,” returns with a film inspired by Upton Sinclair’s “Oil.” Rumor has it this could easily be the best picture of the year (possibly even better than “No Country For Old Men,” although that’s a tall order).  We’ll have to wait until December 26 to find out…