Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn Nationwide Hollywood powerhouses Steven Spielberg and Peter Jackson have joined forces to bring “The Adventures of Tintin” to the big screen beginning this December. The planned three-part series begins with the Spielberg-directed “The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn,” a performance capture 3D film based on the popular series of comics created by Belgian artist Hergé. The film follows Tintin and Captain Haddock, who set off on a treasure hunt for a sunken ship. It’s a no-brainer that this picture should be a shoo-in for Best Animated Film come February. Opens 12/21 Girl with the Dragon Tattoo Nationwide “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” is the first film in Columbia Pictures’ three-picture adaptation of Stieg Larsson’s literary blockbuster “The Millennium Trilogy.” Directed by David Fincher (“Se7en,” “Fight Club,” “The Social Network”) and starring Daniel Craig and Rooney Mara, the film is based on the first novel in the trilogy, which altogether has sold 50 million copies in 46 countries and became a worldwide phenomenon. Expect a heavy Oscar push for this one. Opens 12/21 Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol Nationwide Tom Cruise leads the fourth film in the famed spy series with “Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol.” Anticipation is high for this one after one hell of a resurgence in interest in the life of agent Ethan Hunt following the stellar J.J. Abrams offering back in 2006. The latest is the first live-action picture from Brad Bird, the mastermind behind Pixar classics “The Incredibles” and “Ratatouille.” In the latest installment, the IMF is shut down when it’s implicated in the bombing of the Kremlin, causing Ethan Hunt and his new team to go rogue to clear their organization’s name. Jeremy Renner, Ving Rhames and Tom Wilkinson also star. Opens 12/21 The Skin I Live In Canton Palace Based on Thierry Jonquet’s novel “Mygale,” “The Skin I Live In” is director Pedro Almodóvar’s first film with former regular Antonio Banderas in 21 years. Described as Almodóvar’s take on a horror story, the film follows a plastic surgeon, traumatized by tragedies from this past, who uses a mysterious woman as his test subject and the key to his obsession. “The Skin I Live In” should be part of the select few come Oscar talk at year’s end. Thursday, 12/22 at 7:30 p.m. Friday, 12/23 at 7:30 p.m. We Bought a Zoo Nationwide Cameron Crowe, the director of such classics as “Singles,” “Almost Famous” and “Jerry McGuire” returns with “We Bought A Zoo.” Based on a memoir by Benjamin Mee about how the author and his family used their life savings to buy a dilapidated zoo in the English countryside that is on the verge of destruction, the flick stars Matt Damon and Scarlett Johansson. As with most December films, this film should make the list come Academy Award season. Opens 12/23 Saint Cedar Lee This twisted Christmas film from the Netherlands depicts a darker side of St. Nicholas and gives chilling new meaning to the old holiday adage “You better watch out.” In Dutch with English subtitles. Opens 12/23 War Horse Nationwide Steven Spielberg takes another stab at live action in this highly anticipated film. Based on both a British children’s novel and a stage adaptation of the same name, “War Horse” looks to be a critical darling ripe for the award season. The film follows a young gent named Albert and his horse, Joey, who is sent to the trenches of World War I. Though Albert is not yet old enough to enlist in the war, he heads out to find his horse. Chock-full of brilliant, yet relatively unknown (at least here in the States) British actors, “War Horse” should be a must-see picture. Opens 12/25 The Darkest Hour Nationwide Yet another attempt at 3D zaniness, this sci-fi picture takes place in Russia where a young couple gets caught up in an alien invasion. Olivia Thirlby and Emile Hirsh star in this film produced by acclaimed Russian filmmaker Timur Bekmambetov, the madman behind such films as “Wanted” and “Night Watch.” Opens 12/25 The Artist Cedar Lee Taking home the Best Actor Award at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, “The Artist” pays tribute to the silent-film era. The story takes place in Hollywood during the late 1920s and focus on a declining actor along with a rising new actress in a time when the silent cinema was on the verge of bowing down to the new talkie pictures. This French film itself is not only filmed in stark black and white but also is a silent film as well. One of our most anticipated releases here at the Buzzbin offices. Opens 12/25