Christmas film preview

With no Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings movies in cinemas this year, film fans could be left scratching their heads at what to watch instead.

So Adam from Newsround Showbiz has checked some of the contenders hoping to get you watching this Christmas.

Christmas with the Kranks
(Released - 3 December)
A family decide to ditch Christmas in favour of a Caribbean holiday, but the people in their town say "bah humbug" to that and turn against them.

Soon the neighbours are protesting on their front lawn and demanding that they put up their Christmas lights. The reviews aren't great and the critics reckon it will be a turkey.

Polar Express
(Released - 3 December)
This animated movie is based on a book that's a Christmas classic in the States. A lucky boy gets picked up by a magic train that takes him to the North Pole.

It stars Tom Hanks, Tom Hanks and Tom Hanks - the film-makers used the same technology that produced Gollum so that he could play loads of parts.

Ella Enchanted
(Released 17 December)
Anne Hathway from The Princess Diaries plays a princess (again). She is put under a spell that means she can never misbehave. She runs away from her evil step-mother to get the spell reversed.

It's one part Shrek, one part Cinderella. The movie is packed with elves, fairy-tale castles, ugly step-sisters and handsome princes. Anne Hathaway could be casting a spell at the box office this Christmas.

Lemony Snicket's A Series Of Unfortunate Events
(Released 17 December)
Fans have waited for ages for A Series of Unfortunate Events to reach the screen. This movie crams in action from the first three books.

It has a top-notch cast: Jim Carrey heaps on the make-up to play evil Count Olaf and Jude Law is narrator Lemony Snicket.

The books are massive and the buzz is huge. In a Christmas without Harry Potter this is guaranteed to be a hit.