’Tis the most important movie month of the year, when Hollywood, indie producers, and foreign filmmakers trot out their best product, hoping for Oscar nominations.

Apocalypto is director/co-screenwriter Mel Gibson’s remarkable movie set in the 16th century Yucatan. It was a time when the Mayans subjugated and terrorized weaker tribes, enslaving the women and using the men for human sacrifice. Rudy Youngblood is Jaguar Paw, a man on deck for the next round of sacrifices, his pregnant wife and son hidden from the Mayan invaders as he seeks a way out. His perilous journey to the Mayan city, opulent images of the dangerous jungle, and the brilliant performances by the fierce Mayan characters all make for a mesmerizing experience. Gibson used the ancient Mayan tongue to great success. His take on recent history is, of course, insane, but this is undeniably a work of art from a mad genius.

Miss Potter stars Renée Zellweger as Beatrix Potter, the daughter of a stuffy solicitor in Edwardian England. Expected to find a suitable husband and live a quiet life, Potter instead wrote the most popular series of children’s books of all time. Ewan McGregor plays her publisher and fiancé, and Emily Watson is feisty as her best friend and the sister of her publisher. Ms. Zellweger is enchanting here.

Off the Black is another in a string of independent movies starring Nick Nolte, who has been appearing regularly in quality smaller films. The title refers to a pitch thrown just outside the black edges of home plate, outside the strike zone, and this one begins with his making a game-ending controversial call on such a throw. Trevor Morgan portrays the losing pitcher, who vandalizes the umpire’s home that night. Instead of calling the police, the umpire forges a bond with the unhappy boy. Nolte is a master at portraying the grizzled world-weary sort with a huge back story. But why release a baseball picture in December?

We Are Marshall is the perfect movie to appear during the climax of the college football season. It’s based on the true story of a 1970 plane crash that took the lives of the coaching staff and nearly the entire football team of West Virginia’s Marshall University. The school decided to scrap the football program, but protests convinced officials to try to rebuild. Matthew McConaughey plays the new coach who takes on the seemingly insur-mountable task. It’s filled with clichés, but this tragic true tale manages to move.

Blood Diamond depicts the shocking conditions a decade ago in the diamond mines of Sierra Leone, at the time one of the poorest, most chaotic countries of Africa. Leonardo DiCaprio, mastering a Rhodesian accent, plays a former mercenary and smuggler. Djimon Hounsou of Amistad is compelling as a miner whose son is kidnapped by roving guerillas who intend to brainwash him into becoming a child soldier. Oscar winner Jennifer Connelly plays an idealistic American journalist in this stunning depiction of corruption, the sin-ister international diamond trade, and the search for a huge gem the miner has hidden to ensure a better life. It is one of the most stunning .lms of the year, and if DeCaprio isn’t nominated for The Departed, he’s sure to be honored for Blood Diamond.

Will Smith is bound for an Oscar nomination for The Pursuit of Happyness, in which he portrays Chris Gardner, a real-life single father and salesman in San Francisco struggling to keep a roof over his head and that of his son, portrayed by Smith’s 8-year-old boy, Jayden. This movie will tug at your heart strings as no other movie has in years.

Home of the Brave is a compelling drama about the trials of veterans of the current war in Iraq returning to the States and adjusting to civilian life. Samuel L. Jackson’s family threatens to fall apart, leading him to drink, and Jessica Biel, whose character lost a hand from a roadside bomb, finds civilian life almost unbearable. Think of it as a The Best Years of Our Lives for our time.

The Holiday is a formulaic but surprisingly engaging romantic comedy. Kate Winslet and Cameron Diaz meet online and agree to switch homes for two weeks. Jude Law and Jack Black are their romantic interests, and for his role as a retired screenwriter in an endearing subplot, 91-year-old Eli Wallach should cop an Oscar nomination.

Venus may find Peter O’Toole—nominated for an Oscar more often than any other actor—finally grabbing one as an aged actor who befriends his friend’s grandniece, who’s come to London to look after her uncle. Theirs is a tender friendship in a movie that deals with life’s heavier issues.

Children of Men is a riveting futuristic action thriller set in a world in which women have lost the ability to reproduce. Clive Owen portrays a man guarding the only woman to become pregnant in 18 years. His job is to transport her to a safe haven where she can give birth and possibly save humankind. The scenes of urban warfare are among the most terrifying ever filmed.

Letters From Iwo Jima is director Clint Eastwood’s brilliant companion piece to his recent Flags of Our Fathers, only this time the battle is told from the perspective of the Japanese. Ken Watanabe portrays the commander of 5,000 ragtag soldiers, vastly outnumbered, who write poignant letters home, knowing their doom is inevitable.

Notes on a Scandal boasts luminous performances from two Oscar winners who will vie for honors once again. Dame Judi Dench is a veteran teacher at a British secondary school, and Cate Blanchett plays the school’s new art teacher. A shocking event plunges their friendship into chaos and recrimination in one of the most powerful dramas of the year. Only an intrusive score that telegraphs every emotion threatens this otherwise perfect drama.