9) “Sicko”
Michael Moore sure has taken his time getting “Sicko” to the screen. Ever since it was announced in 2004, Moore has tried to avoid notice while questioning pharmaceutical companies, sent out a plea for participants on his website declaring “tell me your nightmare HMO stories,” and even taken time out to visit a fat farm. The Weinstein Company will release his “Fahrenheit 9/11” follow up in the fall, and perhaps we’ll see another Oscar contender.

8) “Little Children”
Todd Field has taken his time between freshman and sophomore efforts. This time around, he looks to dark literature yet again with the adaptation of Tom Perotta’s Little Children. New Line Cinema, largely diversifying its output in recent years, hopes to land critical and awards notices with another down-tuned drama as it did with last year’s “A History of Violence.” This one will be one to watch in the ensemble awards.

7) “Catch a Fire”
Phillip Noyce is a highly uneven, hit and miss director. However, he turns his mind to politics more often than most filmmakers, and sometimes those decisions happen at the right time. “Catch a Fire” (formerly “Hotstuff”) could be one of those instances, as Derek Luke stars in the likely Oscar caliber role of South African freedom fighter Patrick Chamusso. This looks to be the big film in the Focus Features stable this year.

6) “The Departed”
This one is high on many viewers’ radars. While I don’t expect any real return to artistic form for Martin Scorsese with this remake of “Infernal Affairs,” I always look forward to a Scorsese film. Even his critical and popular misses I find thoroughly engaging. The cast he’s assembled for “The Departed” is an intriguing one, but the notion of seeing Jack Nicholson in a Martin Scorsese picture is admittedly at the top of reasons to anticipate this thing.

5) “The Good German”
George Clooney in black and white again? Let’s see it. Steven Soderbergh takes a break from the foolish experimentation and empty romps and digs into this Joseph Canon adaptation. Warner Bros. has highly skilled Oscar personnel this year, and so we could certainly see this film competing for Best Picture representation. Clooney stars opposite Cate Blanchett and Beau “Where ya been?” Bridges.

4) “Charlotte’s Web”
A live action version of note of E.B. White’s classic book has evaded screens for a long time. This year, Walden Media steps back up to the plate of children’s entertainment with this adaptation, boasting effects on the level of 1995’s “Babe.” We could be looking at a holiday box office smash, or perhaps merely modest returns are in its future. Regardless, a warm time at the movies, and a nostalgic one, this promises to be.

3) “For Your Consideration”
A film that dissects and borderline ridicules Hollywood’s yearly parade of public relations in the form of Oscar campaigns has been needed for quite some time, wouldn’t you say? I’d like to see the shenanigans put on display by no one other than Christopher Guest, whose poking and prodding skills have been honed through years of mockumentary filmmaking. And wouldn’t it be a hoot to see something like this actually embraced by the Academy?

2) “Fast Food Nation”
I recently read through Eric Schlosser’s book, which Richard Linklater adapts to the screen later this year, and was thoroughly disgusted and fascinated at the same time. I’m highly interested in seeing what the process of developing this dense piece of journalism into a film has been, and if it holds up to the labels comparing it to “Traffic,” I think we’ll be in for a highly interesting experience to say the least.

1) “Miami Vice”
My most anticipated of the year back in March is still going strong, as I truly cannot wait to see what Michael Mann has in store for a project he’s nurtured for years. It took a while for “Collateral” to grow on me in 2004, but literally everything else Mann has touched (well…with the exception of the horrid “The Keep”) turns to gold as he remains one of, if not the most interesting working director in the game.