3. Great Expectations
An adaptation of one of Dickens greatest novels just in time for the Winter season - what could possibly go wrong? Quite a lot, as I thought BBC1 found out with their mediocre TV version of Great Expectations back in January. Fear not, though, as this time around Harry Potter director Mike Newell is on hand to give BBC Films the chance to provide us with the proper rendition of this classic tale. Newells Goblet Of Fire happened to be for me the second-best entry in the Rowling series adaptations (just behind Deathly Hallows Part 1 and just ahead of Part 2), and thus I have a lot of faith in the well-known director to hit the ball out of the park once again here. Its not just through Newell that we have some top talent working on the project, however: Jeremy Irvine, Helena Bonham-Carter, Ralph Fiennes and Robbie Coltrane are all just the tip of the iceberg in terms of the impressive round of British names the helm has enlisted to his cause. We must not forget either that Great Expectations in itself remains a stunning narrative that could well compel and captivate audiences once again so long as it is indeed handled with the respect that seems to be indicated by the strong trailer campaign. That even Stateside critics are starting to take note of what could have been a low-key Brit exclusive production just goes to show how much potential there is for this one to succeed both in your eyes and indeed in the wider box office rankings. Released on November 30th.