The Holocaust-centered, World War II-era story of Defiance is about Jewish brothers who escape Nazi-occupied Poland and join Russian resistance fighters. The movie will slip into a few theaters before Christmas to qualify it for Oscar consideration, and then hit approximately 2,000 screens on Jan. 16. Given that Defiance star Daniel Craig will be just barely coming down from the almost certain mega-success of Quantum of Solace (Sony), I have a strong hunch that he has an excellent shot at being a Golden Globe nominee for Best Actor Drama when noms are released on Dec. 11.

By the time Defiance gets to the mass market, however, it could be opening in the shadow of something even bigger. Easily the most mysterious movie project of 2008 is Gran Torino. Booked to open on an unspecified date in December for months, Gran Torino is finally ready for the road, with Warner Bros. pegging the film to open in limited release Dec. 17. With director Clint Eastwood also stepping in front of the camera for the first time since Million Dollar Baby — he'll play a cranky, racist coot, a Korean War veteran who reportedly comes to terms with Asians in his neighborhood — this tale of redemption could be a giant at the Academy Awards.

Gran Torino is not related to Eastwood's Dirty Harry movies, but it may play as a symbolic and hopeful bookend to his Harry Callahan character in the same way that Unforgiven dismantled the myth of his many cowboy antihero roles. Clint has hinted that this could be his final acting role. "Yeah, it'll probably be my last" Eastwood told USA Today scribe Anthony Breznican in a recent interview. "I'll be drummed out of it after this one." (Breznican reports that the iconic star appended a "Nah, I'm just kidding" to his retirement pronouncement, but also said that it has crossed his mind that he may not act again.) If the idea that Eastwood could be stepping away from acting catches on, the it seems certain he'll be a mortal lock for a Golden Globe nomination, and an even stronger bet for the Oscars than Craig.

It is very hard to bet against Clint Eastwood. His career is unparalleled. Since turning 70, he has been a mainstay on Oscar night with a Best Director nomination for Mystic River, a Best Picture and Best Director win for Million Dollar Baby (along with a Best Actor nomination, to boot) and a Best Picture and Best Director nomination for Letters From Iwo Jima in 2007. While other filmmakers tend to work more infrequently as they age, and with less commercial and critical success, somehow Eastwood just gets better and better.

Eastwood is always an active participant in the release plan for his movies, and he and Warner Bros have played this one perfectly. Important playdates through the holidays to build word-of-mouth, and then this story of racial understanding will go wide for the holiday weekend. Perfect timing. It could just be the right movie, on the right weekend, on the way to another major Oscar run for Clint.