Nicole Kidman and Dakota Blue Richards in The Golden Compass

2007 = Cinema Heaven?

Now that the Oscar tornado has left a trail of triumph (Martin Scorsese) and humiliation (Eddie Murphy), let's take a look in the crystal ball to see what potential crowd-pleasers and award winners await us this year. David Fincher's Zodiac gets the ball rolling this Friday, and so far the critics are eating it up.

The Namesake (March 9): Hit-and-miss director Mira Nair (Monsoon Wedding, Vanity Fair) adapts Jhumpa Lahiri's powerful family drama about a young man who breaks away from his Indian family's traditions. Rising star Kal Penn stars as Gogol.

The Nanny Diaries (April 20): I never had any desire to read the bestselling book, but the film intrigues me because it's directed by Shari Springer Berman and Robert Pulcini, the team that brought us the incredible American Splendor. The ubiquitous Scarlett Johansson leads the cast.

Spider-Man 3 (May 4): This summer's blockbuster lineup includes the fifth Harry Potter installment and Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End. Given the high quality and sheer geeky fun of the first two Spider-Man movies, I'm putting my money on Peter Parker.

Atonement (August 31): Joe Wright, who directed the lukewarm 2005 adaptation of Pride and Prejudice, takes on the challenging novel by British master Ian McEwan. The bad news is that Wright has once again chosen the dismal Keira Knightly as his lead actress. Hopefully supporting actors James McAvoy (The Last King of Scotland) and Vanessa Redgrave can make up for the shortcomings of Anorexia Annie.

Stop Loss (October 7): After wowing the world with Boys Don't Cry in 1999, indie director Kimberly Peirce vanished from the film scene. Now she's back in action with this tale about an American soldier who decides not to return to his tour of duty in Iraq after his leave in Texas.

Beowulf (November 16): This is one of the coolest monster stories ever, but director Robert Zemeckis has been in a creative slump for a decade. Even if it's not a knockout, it's hard to imagine that the battles between Beowulf and Grendel's mother won't be a blast.

The Golden Compass (December 7): I'm a big fan of Phillip Pullman's His Dark Materials fantasy trilogy, which consists of The Golden Compass, The Subtle Knife and The Amber Spyglass. Despite the inspired casting of Nicole Kidman and Daniel Craig in lead roles, I'm concerned that director Chris Weitz (About a Boy, American Pie) might not have enough experience to pull off such a huge and sophisticated spectacle.

I'm Not There (Premieres at Cannes in May, U.S. release date unknown): Todd Haynes follows the beloved Far From Heaven with this experimental inquiry into the life of Bob Dylan. No less than seven actors portray the legendary singer/songwriter, with a stab at transvestitism by Cate Blanchett.

*All release dates are subject to change