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I want to be a Yes Man.

Kim Hollis: Our staff's forecasts for the month of December indicate that this month's expected heavyweights are Yes Man, Bedtime Stories, The Day the Earth Stood Still, Seven Pounds and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. How would you personally rank these films, and is there something outside of this group you believe could be one of the top December releases?

Brandon Scott: I think Despereaux and Gran Torino might surprise. I think the Despereaux trailer is not half bad (yes, this is lavish praise for an animated film from me) and Torino not only has a good trailer, but a Best Actor in Eastwood now with his recent win from the National Board of Review. I think that Despereaux has the chance to catch some holiday traffic as one of the only animated films in the marketplace over the Christmas frame. Similarly, I think Torino has the potential to appeal to broad audiences from older adults on down. Seeing Clint as an actor for the first time in a while and re-thinking his Dirty Harry persona excites me and I think it could translate to exciting some audiences as well. Do I think it will surpass some of the other films mentioned? Perhaps. I think Button is going to underperform. I was really high on this film earlier in the year but I am already waning on it. It's long and critically not quite where I thought it might be at this early juncture. I am pulling for Fincher but I kind of see a possible letdown there.

Scott Lumley: Yes Man looks like a pure Jim Carrey comedy and those are always killer. The Day the Earth Stood Still looks tempting to me but I'm terribly afraid it's going to suck. Bedtime Stories has potential to break out as well.





But out of everything on that list, I think Yes Man is the biggest hit. I'm really looking forward to that one.

Sean Collier: Bedtime Stories is going to pull in crazy money, and will be the easy pick for just about every family movie night for a month or so. Yes Man will probably do quite well, but isn't going to set the world on fire. I'm also looking for Benjamin Button to underperform. I'm very interested to see what Milk does this weekend, but it can only go so high. I'm going to go out on a limb, though, and put the upset special collar on Marley and Me.

Max Braden: I've now seen Benjamin Button and would briefly describe it as Legends of the Fall meets Forrest Gump as written by Nicholas Sparks. Seven Pounds doesn't stand a chance against it in my mind and I think with most audiences, despite Will Smith's power status. I'm only moderately interested in Carrey's repeat of Liar, Liar, and I doubt The Day the Earth Stood Still will be memorable. The trailer that is charming me the most is Despereaux, and I could see that being the top December release if Sandler weren't such a lock. I just wish The Wrestler would be embraced by wide audiences.

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