Your turkey may still have been thawing, but the movie holiday season started yesterday with "Four Christmases," "Australia" and "Transporter 3." They piggybacked on last week's teen sensation "Twilight" and animated adventure "Bolt."

This time of year, movies run along two tracks, although they sometimes cross: Family films, such as "The Tale of Despereaux" and "Marley & Me," and Oscar and Top 10 bait such as "Milk," "Frost/Nixon" and "Doubt."

If the holidays mean holiday movies to you, the Harris Theater, Downtown, will host family Saturday matinees for the next month: Saturday, "A Christmas Story"; Dec. 6, "Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas"; Dec. 13, "Elf"; and "Dec. 20, "White Christmas."

Movies will be shown at 2 and 4:15 p.m. Tickets are $6; an advance family package of $20 guarantees four seats to a movie. For tickets, go to the Box Office at Theater Square, 655 Penn Ave., or call 412-456-6666. You can also buy them at the door.

And it doesn't get any better than this: Pittsburgh Filmmakers will show "It's a Wonderful Life" for free at the Regent Square Theater Dec. 19-22. If your credit card debt equals or far exceeds the $8,000 Uncle Billy lost at the bank, you may need the freebie more than ever.

As we were reminded with "The Road," dates are subject to change, but here is a look at what is coming our way.

THIS WEEK

"Four Christmases" -- Vince Vaughn and Reese Witherspoon play a San Francisco couple who cannot escape for the holidays and find themselves trapped spending it with -- oh, the humanity -- family.

"Australia" -- "Moulin Rouge" director Baz Luhrmann reunites with Nicole Kidman in this epic set in Australia on the brink of World War II. She is an English aristocrat who goes to Oz and joins forces with a rough-hewn local (Hugh Jackman) to save the land she inherited.

"Transporter 3" -- Jason Statham returns as Frank Martin, a former Special Forces operative who specializes in high-risk deliveries. This time, he's transporting a kidnapping victim from Marseilles to Odessa.

"Patti Smith: Dream of Life" -- Created during an 11-year span, this documentary focuses on the punk poet whose 2007 Pittsburgh show was No. 3 on the PG's list of best concerts of the year. (Opens Friday.)

"A Girl Cut in Two" -- French master of suspense Claude Chabrol directed and co-wrote this film about a TV weathergirl torn in two directions by two men. It takes as its starting point the murder of architect Stanford White by Pittsburgh millionaire Harry K. Thaw. (Friday)

DEC. 4

"The Yes Men" -- Not to be confused with "Yes Man," this is a documentary about activist-pranksters who impersonate World Trade Center spokesmen on TV and at business conferences around the world.

DEC. 5

"Punisher: War Zone" -- Another stab at comic book character Frank Castle, played in the 2004 movie by Thomas Jane and here by Ray Stevenson. In this go-round, vigilante-hero Castle sets his sights on an overeager mob boss.

"JCVD" -- "Sudden Death" star Jean-Claude Van Damme portrays himself (sort of) in this action-comedy about the nature of fame.

"Nobel Son" -- Tale of familial dysfunction, lust, betrayal and ultimately revenge featuring Alan Rickman as the winner of the Nobel Prize for chemistry whose only son is kidnapped on the eve of the ceremony and who refuses to pony up the ransom.

DEC. 12

"The Day the Earth Stood Still" -- Reinvention of the 1951 classic, with Keanu Reeves as an alien whose arrival triggers a global upheaval. As governments and scientists race to unravel the mystery behind his appearance, a woman (Jennifer Connelly) and her stepson are caught up in his mission.

"Milk" -- Sean Penn plays the openly gay Harvey Milk, the pioneering San Francisco supervisor who was murdered, along with the city's mayor, by a fellow politico named Dan White. The supporting cast includes James Franco, Emile Hirsch, Diego Luna and, in a far cry from "W.," Josh Brolin as the shooter.

"Nothing Like the Holidays" -- Last year brought "This Christmas" with an African-American family reunited in Los Angeles, and this year it will be the Rodriguez clan in Chicago celebrating the season. John Leguizamo, Freddy Rodriguez, Debra Messing and Alfred Molina lead the cast.

"Ashes of Time Redux" -- Restored, remastered and reworked version of Wong Kar Wai's legendary martial arts film "Ashes of Time." It's structured according to seasons and features cello solos by Yo-Yo Ma in a new score by Chinese composer Wu Tong.

"Last Year at Marienbad" -- New print of the 1961 art film from Alain Resnais.

DEC. 19

"Yes Man" -- Jim Carrey is a man whose life is going nowhere until he signs up for a self-help program based on always saying yes. From the book by Danny Wallace, with a supporting cast led by Zooey Deschanel.

"Seven Pounds" -- After playing the last man on Earth and a surly superhero, Will Smith tackles an IRS agent with a fateful secret who embarks on a journey of redemption by changing the lives of seven strangers. Cast includes Rosario Dawson, Michael Ealy, Barry Pepper and Woody Harrelson.

"The Tale of Despereaux" -- Modern fairy tale, based on the book by Kate DiCamillo, about a courageous mouse, a good-hearted rat, a princess and a servant girl. Matthew Broderick speaks for the animated title character, and Dustin Hoffman, Emma Watson, Tracey Ullman and Robbie Coltrane are other key voices.

"Doubt" -- Meryl Streep is likely to earn her 15th Oscar nomination for her turn as a rigid, righteous nun who believes a priest is guilty of wrongdoing. Philip Seymour Hoffman, Amy Adams and Viola Davis also star in this adaptation of the award-winning play.

"Christmas on Mars" -- Flaming Lips frontman Wayne Coyne conceived of this as a hallucinogenic sci-fi fable about a malfunctioning space station, a Christmas pageant and the impending birth of the first baby on the planet.

DEC. 25

"Marley & Me" -- John Grogan's best-selling book about the "world's worst dog" has been turned into a movie starring Owen Wilson, Jennifer Aniston, Eric Dane, Alan Arkin and lots of very cute dogs.

"Bedtime Stories" -- Adventure comedy featuring Adam Sandler as a hotel handyman who tells his niece and nephew stories that mysteriously come true.

"The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" -- Inspired by an F. Scott Fitzgerald story, it's about an "elderly" baby who grows up but gets younger with each passing year. Sounds weird, but the preview is mesmerizing and Brad Pitt is Button.

"Valkyrie" -- Tom Cruise, apparently with and without an eye patch, plays a World War II German officer caught up in a plot to assassinate Hitler. Based on a real story and directed by Bryan Singer, "Valkyrie" also stars Kenneth Branagh, Bill Nighy, Tom Wilkinson and others.

"The Spirit" -- Frank Miller of "300" and "Sin City" fame adapts Will Eisner's comic book series about a former rookie cop who returns mysteriously from the dead as the Spirit (Gabriel Macht) to fight crime, especially the villainous Octopus (Samuel L. Jackson).

"Frost/Nixon" -- Frank Langella, who won a Tony for his portrayal of Richard Nixon on Broadway, reprises his role and so does Michael Sheen as David Frost in this adaptation of the play about the landmark TV interviews. The movie re-creates the on-air interviews along with the behind-the-scenes maneuvering and negotiations.

"The Reader" -- Kate Winslet and Ralph Fiennes star in an adaptation of the international best-seller (and Oprah Book Club selection) about a woman, her one-time teenage lover and the Nazi war crime trial that reunites them.

"Hurricane Season" -- A year after Hurricane Katrina, a high school basketball coach (Forest Whitaker) in Marrero, La., assembles a team of players who previously attended five schools and leads them toward a state championship.

DEC. 26

"Slumdog Millionaire" -- Kenneth Turan from the Los Angeles Times called this the "best old-fashioned audience picture of the year." It's the story of an 18-year-old orphan from the slums of Mumbai who is one question away from winning 20 million rupees on India's "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?"

"Let the Right One In" -- Not all vampires look like Robert Pattinson; sometimes they look like unkempt, raven-haired girls walking barefoot in the snow, as in this Swedish film. A winner at the Tribeca Film Festival, it promises both a sweet coming-of-age tale and a gory vampire story, set in 1982.

"Monsieur Verdoux" -- New print of 1947 black comedy in which Charlie Chaplin plays a Frenchman who woos and murders rich Americans for their money.

"Neighborhood Narratives" -- Inspired by "Paris, je t'aime," this 100-minute collection of short films celebrates nine Pittsburgh neighborhoods.

JAN. 9

"Gran Torino" -- Clint Eastwood directs and, for the first time since "Million Dollar Baby," acts in the story of an iron-willed veteran who is forced by his immigrant neighbors to confront his long-held prejudices.

"Bride Wars" -- Kate Hudson and Anne Hathaway are childhood friends who get engaged to their beaux within hours and, due to a clerical snafu, book their weddings at the Plaza Hotel in New York for the same date. Thus the title.

"The Unborn" -- Supernatural thriller about a demonic spirit that haunts a young woman and threatens everyone she loves. Odette Yustman and Gary Oldman star.

"Not Easily Broken" -- Drama about love and family, adapted from the T.D. Jakes book of the same name and starring, among others, Morris Chestnut and Taraji P. Henson.

JAN. 16

"Revolutionary Road" -- "Titanic" co-stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet are reunited in an adaptation of a Richard Yates novel. When he turns into a man with a routine job whose nerve has gone missing and she becomes a less-than-happy homemaker in Connecticut, they wonder if they can or should start again in Paris.

"Defiance" -- Daniel Craig, Liev Schreiber and Jamie Bell star as Jewish brothers during World War II who turn a primitive struggle to survive into something far more consequential -- a way to avenge the deaths of their loved ones by saving thousands of others.

"Brothers Bloom" -- Globe-trotting comedy about the last great adventure of the world's best con men and the bored, single New Jersey heiress they target. Adrien Brody, Mark Ruffalo and Rachel Weisz star, along with Rinko Kikuchi ("Babel").

"I've Loved You So Long" -- Family, freedom and forgiveness are explored in the story of sisters Juliette (Kristin Scott Thomas) and Lea (Elsa Zylberstein). After spending 15 years in prison for an unspeakable crime, Juliette goes to live with Lea, whose household includes her husband, their two daughters and her father-in-law.

"My Bloody Valentine 3-D" -- Remake of the 1981 horror film, shot in Western Pennsylvania this past summer, about an inexperienced coal miner who causes an accident that sets off a deadly chain of events. Cast includes Jensen Ackles, Jaime King, Kerr Smith and Pittsburgher Tom Atkins.

"Hotel for Dogs" -- A sister and brother, played by Emma Roberts and Jake T. Austin, find a place to hide their dog and wind up giving shelter to most of the strays in town in this comedy/adventure.

ALSO IN JANUARY

"The Wrestler" -- This is the movie that should earn Mickey Rourke his first Oscar nomination. He's an over-the-hill wrestler, estranged from his daughter, ailing and pining for a stripper reluctant to let him into her life.

"Last Chance Harvey" -- Romance starring Dustin Hoffman and Emma Thompson. He's a jingle writer who flies to London to attend his daughter's wedding, only to discover her stepfather will walk her down the aisle, and she's a workaholic he meets in an airport bar while drowning his sorrows.

"Inkheart" -- Cornelia Funke book about a girl whose father has a secret ability to bring book characters to life when he reads them aloud. Cast includes Brendan Fraser, Paul Bettany, Helen Mirren, Jim Broadbent, Andy Serkis and Eliza Hope Bennett. (Jan. 23)

"Underworld: Rise of the Lycans" -- No less than Michael Sheen and Bill Nighy star in this action thriller pitting aristocratic vampires against barbaric werewolves. (Jan. 23)

"The Uninvited" -- Remake of a Korean horror film, starring Elizabeth Banks as an evil stepmother. (Jan. 30)