Bridget Nordquist

Finally, after months of slaving over textbooks, papers, and homework, most of us will soon get a well-deserved break. So what will you do with all your extra time? Well, if you’re like me, you will be spending hours upon hours in a deliciously dark movie theatre. With so little time and so many movies, how can you optimize time? Enter Bridget with brilliant advice on the must-see films of the holiday season.

First, let’s jump right to the big flicks with Oscar potential. “Dreamgirls” hits screens Dec. 15 as a much talked about musical starring Beyonce Knowles and Jamie Foxx. With the same director that brought us “Chicago,” this movie looks to be big. Also premiering that same week is “The Pursuit of Happyness,” (spelling intentional) starring Will Smith in what looks to be a heart-warming movie with a potentially Oscar-worthy performance from Smith. On Dec. 8, “Blood Diamond” with Leonardo DiCaprio comes out. If you enjoyed Leo’s performance in “The Departed,” catch him in this one where he looks to be equally compelling, but with an interesting accent this time.

Also, a few big budget thriller/dramas will be hitting screens soon. For all of you who have been waiting for years for Sylvester Stallone to put on his boxing gloves again, your wait is over. “Rocky Balboa” will arrive Dec. 20 with a story that will hopefully be better than “Rocky V.” Mel Gibson’s weird tale of the Mayan civilization called “Apocalypto” is available on Dec. 8. I’ve seen the trailer for that one several times and still don’t know what the heck it’s about or if I want to spent seven bucks on it. And finally, the movie that I’ve been anticipating for months, “Eragon” premieres on Dec. 15. Based on a hit novel trilogy, “Eragon” is kind of Harry Potter meets Lord of the Rings and thus looks like an awesome movie.

If you need family fun or feel good movies try any of these in December: “Charlotte’s Web” starring Dakota Fanning, “The Holiday” with Cameron Diaz and Kate Winslet, “We are Marshall” featuring Matthew McConaughey, or a “The Nativity Story.”

There are tons of other great films available for your viewing pleasure this holiday season. Hop online and check out some trailers and previews for sneak peaks of all the movies I mentioned and more. The popcorn is waiting and the lights are dimmed.