No sense waiting until January 1 to look ahead to 2009, at least when it comes to movies. Hollywood has been prepping for next year since last year, with some projects in the planning stages while Barack Obama was only a blip on the evening news.

On the next two posts, I've listed a few dozen titles that seem like solid bets for box office success or Oscars prestige (because we know those don't usually go hand-in-hand). Release dates are subject to change, especially from this faraway vantage.

You'll notice that no releases in January or February are noted, when Hollywood uses its muscle and marketing on late-year releases for maximum ticket sales and awards momentum.

Oh, new stuff will be hitting theaters but if those movies were truly worthwhile they'd open in the summertime or on holiday weekends. Consider those early 2009 movies as your summertime video rentals (that won't compete with the juicy stuff in theaters then). Here we go:

Watchmen (March 6) -Alan Moore's classic graphic novel on screen is what fanboyz (and girlz) are panting to see. St. Petersburg's Patrick Wilson plays one of several former superheroes reunited to investigate the murder of their friend in a pre-apocalyptic world. (Watch trailer)

Monsters vs. Aliens (March 27) - The title's high concept, Dreamworks' fun approach to animation and a killer cast of voices (Reese Witherspoon, Seth Rogen, Paul Rudd, Stephen Colbert) make this THE 'toon of the year. (Watch trailer)

Hannah Montana: The Movie (April 10) - Maybe Miley Cyrus' fans will have grown out of that habit by April. Doubt it.

The Soloist (April 24) - This was touted as a 2008 awards contender then pushed back to next spring. Jamie Foxx and Robert Downey, Jr. are talented enough to overcome the stigma that late uncertainty brings. (Watch trailer)

X-Men Origins: Wolverine (May 1) - Hugh Jackman returns as the most popular X-Man, perhaps kicking off a series of origins projects since the first trilogy played out. Can't wait to see how Beast was born. (Watch trailer)

Star Trek (May 8) - Delayed from the holiday season, J.J. Abrams' reboot of the franchise is poised to be one of 2009's biggest hits. Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto are Kirk and Spock 2.0, younger and hopefully better actors. (Watch trailer)

Angels & Demons (May 15) - Ron Howard films the prequel to The Da Vinci Code, another theological thriller set when Tom Hanks' hair looks normal. (Watch trailer)

Bruno (May 15) - Sasha Baron Cohen does his Borat thing on more unsuspecting people, this time posing as a flamboyantly gay fashionista.

Night at the Museum: Battle at the Smithsonian (May 22) - Same Ben Stiller and Robin Williams routines, different museum to trash. (Watch trailer)

Terminator: Salvation (May 22) - James Cameron makes a big comeback in 2009 with two new adventures (see part 2 for Avatar).  (Correction: Cameron ducked out of T:S) This one has grown-up John Connor (Christian Bale) still battling those Skynet villains. (Watch trailer)

Up (May 29) - Pixar continues its serious approach to animation with a fantasy about an old man (voice of Ed Asner) on a helium balloon flight over South America. (Watch trailer)

Land of the Lost (June 5) -The 1970's Saturday morning cult classic becomes a movie starring Will Ferrell as ranger Rick Marshall, Danny McBride (Tropic Thunder) as Will and Anna Friel as Holly.

The Taking of Pelham 123 (June 12) - Remake of a superb 1974 thriller, in which subway hijackers hold passengers for ransom. Denzel Washington plays the detective negotiating with lead crook John Travolta.

Year One (June 19) - Jack Black and Michael Cera playing cavemen on the loose. I smell MTV Movie Awards.

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (June 26) - More robo-cars and noise from director Michael Bay, working with the same core cast (Shia LaBeouf, Megan Fox, Josh Duhanel) because they know a cash cow when they milk it.

For more movies (July-December), click here.