Many summer movies are still lingering in theaters, and yet the one thing already on the minds of Hollywood movers and shakers is that little golden guy.

Oscar talk at the beginning of October is ridiculous, of course; but that isn’t stopping me, either. So in honor of all that is sensational in Hollywood, here’s a look ahead at five movies that might or might not make their way into Oscar season ­— or quite simply, five opening before the end of the year I want to see the most.

5. Marie Antoinette (Opens Oct. 20) — Director Sofia Coppola still has the weaknesses of a young filmmaker, but she’s fascinating nonetheless. Three years after Lost in Translation, she returns with this account of the life of the famous French queen that boasts anachronistic fashion (Converse — quelle horreur!) and a modern (and surely well-chosen) soundtrack.

The real test with this one will be, well, if it sucks like people say it does. To say it got the guillotine treatment at the Cannes Film Festival would be an understatement, and Kirsten Dunst is a notoriously weak actress. To Coppola’s credit, the concept is so intriguing those things hardly matter.

4. Little Children (Limited release Oct. 13) — Twisted tales of marital infidelity are nothing new to the movies, but this one is in the hands of four-time Oscar nominee Kate Winslet, In the Bedroom director Todd Field and Tom Perrotta, author of the novel Election.

The real draw for this one, though, is the film’s trailer: a superbly edited, beautifully shot and erotic couple of minutes that hold a world of promise.

3. Volver (Limited release Nov. 3) — If there are three directors making movies right now that will be around decades down the road, Spanish filmmaker Pedro Almodóvar is one of them. His 2002 release Talk to Her was a disturbing and oddly romantic look at unrequited love, and 2005’s Bad Education was the best film noir since L.A. Confidential. Volver is already getting Best Actress buzz for Penélope Cruz, and its plot—a ghost story with touches of his 1999 film, All About My Mother — sounds just as wildly original as his past three films.

2. The Departed (Oct. 6) — Martin Scorsese has had a rocky road as of late, with 2004’s rambling The Aviator and 2002’s messy Gangs of New York, but this one sounds fool-proof: “Gimme Shelter” as the opening song, Jack Nicholson as a crime boss, a rumored-to-be super-violent third act and some solid material (2002’s excellent Chinese film Infernal Affairs, of which this film is a remake) to work with. Forget concerts and keggers — this is your best bet for entertainment this weekend.

1. For Your Consideration (Limited release Nov. 24) — Oscar voters are unlikely to get within 10 miles of Christopher Guest’s newest mockumentary, if only because it skewers the ripe-for-parody world of the Academy Awards itself. This healthy dose of mockery, though, is exactly what Oscar needs, and if Guest’s post-2000 track record is any indication—2000’s Best in Show and 2004’s A Mighty Wind being the two best comedies of this decade — he looks to be headed for a trilogy.