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Bad Santa Comedy about a a pair of thieves who each year take jobs as a mall Santa-and-elf team so they can rob the local retailers on Christmas Eve. Directed by Terry Zwigoff (“Ghost World”) from a screenplay by John Requa & Glenn Ficarra (“Cats & Dogs,” “Looney Tunes: Back in Action”). With Billy Bob Thornton (“Levity,” “Intolerable Cruelty,” “Love Actually”), Tony Cox (“Me, Myself & Irene,” “The Fantasticks”), Lauren Graham (“Sweet November”), Bernie Mac (“Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle”), Ethan Phillips (“For Richer or Poorer”), Cloris Leachman (“Alex & Emma”), John Ritter (“Tadpole”), Joey Bucaro (“S.W.A.T.”) and Lauren Tom (“When A Man Loves A Woman”). Nov. 26. Miramax.     Big Fish Drama about a man who realizes he doesn't really know his dying father because every story the father ever told was brimming with fabrication. Based on the novel by Daniel Wallace (“The Watermelon King”). Directed by Tim Burton (“Sleepy Hollow,” “Planet of the Apes”) from a screenplay by John August (“Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle”). With Ewan McGregor (“Down With Love”), Billy Crudup (“World Traveler”), Jessica Lange (“Titus,” “Masked & Anonymous”), Alison Lohman (“White Oleander,” “Matchstick Men”), Albert Finney (“Traffic”), Steve Buscemi (“Spy Kids 3D: Game Over”), Danny DeVito (“Death to Smoochy,” “Anything Else”) and Helena Bonham Carter (“The Heart of Me”). Nov. 26. Sony.     The Cooler Romantic drama, set in Las Vegas, about a large casino’s “cooler” – a man whose very presence somehow brings bad luck to gamblers – and what happens when he finds love and loses his uncanny ability. Directed by Wayne Kramer from a screenplay by Kramer and Frank Hannah. With William H. Macy (“Seabiscuit”), Alec Baldwin (“Pearl Harbor,” “Dr. Seuss’ The Cat in the Hat”), Maria Bello (“Auto Focus”), Shawn Hatosy (“A Guy Thing”), Ron Livingston (“Adaptation”), Paul Sorvino (“See Spot Run,” “Mambo Italiano”) and Estella Warren (“Kangaroo Jack”). Scope. 101 min. R: Strong sexuality; violence; language; some drug use. Nov. 19 in New York and Los Angeles; wider Dec. 19. Lions Gate.     Elf Comedy about a grown human, raised from infancy at the North Pole as one of Santa’s elves, who heads to New York in search of his biological parents. Directed by Jon Favreau (“Made”) from a screenplay by Favreau, David Berenbaum (“The Haunted Mansion”) and Scot Armstrong (“Old School”). With Will Ferrell (“Old School”), Zooey Deschanel (“Manic”), James Caan (“City of Ghosts”), Mary Steenburgen (“Sunshine State,” “Casa de Los Babys”), Bob Newhart (“Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde”), Daniel Tay (“American Splendor”), Faizon Love (“Blue Crush,” “Wonderland”) and Edward Asner (“The Animal”) as Santa. Flat. PG: Some mild rude humor; language. Nov. 7. New Line.   American Storytellers Documentary featuring in-depth interviews with four filmmakers: John McNaughton (“Mad Dog and Glory,” “Wild Things”), Harold Ramis (“Groundhog Day,” “Analyze This”), John Sayles (“Lone Star,” “Casa de Los Babys”) and Forest Whitaker (“Waiting To Exhale,” “Hope Floats”). Written and directed by Kevin Mukherji. 90 min. Nov. 14 in Los Angeles and Chicago. Indican.     The Barbarian Invasions French-language drama, set in Montreal, about a successful London-based businessman who returns home to mend his relationship with his estranged, dying father. Sequel to 1986’s “Decline of the American Empire.” Returnees include writer-director Denys Arcand (“Poverty and Other Delights,” “Stardom”) and actors Rémy Girard (“The Red Violin”), Dominique Michel (“Laura Cadieux … La Suite”), Yves Jacques (“Alias Betty”),and Dorothée Berryman (“The Red Violin”). Newcomers to the series include Stéphane Rousseau. Also known as “Les Invasion Barbares.” 95 min. Nov. 21 in New York and Los Angeles; wider Dec. 19. Miramax. Blue Gate Crossing Mandarin-language romantic drama about a high school boy who falls for a tomboy classmate, unaware that she is actually a budding lesbian. Written and directed by Yee Chih-yen. With Chen Bo-lin, Guey Lun-mei, Liang Shu-hui, Joanna Chou and Cheng Ming-gin. Also known as “Lanse Da Men.” 82 min. Nov. 14. Strand.     Dr. Seuss’ The Cat In The Hat Comedy about two children who invite an oddly-dressed feline into their house while their mother is out, only to watch him destroy the place with his games. Based on the 1957 children’s book by Dr. Seuss (“How the Grinch Stole Christmas”). Veteran production designer Bo Welch (“Men in Black II”) makes his feature directorial debut from a screenplay by veteran TV writers Alec Berg (“Late Night With Conan O’Brien”), David Mandel (“Saturday Night Live”) and Jeff Schaeffer (“Seinfeld”). Mike Myers (“View From the Top”) plays the title role. His co-stars include Spencer Breslin (“The Santa Clause 2”), Dakota Fanning (“Uptown Girls”), Alec Baldwin (“Pearl Harbor,” “The Cooler”), Kelly Preston (“What a Girl Wants”), Paige Hurd (“Cradle 2 the Grave”) and Amy Hill (“Big Fat Liar”). Flat. 128 min. Nov. 21. Universal.   The Haunted Mansion Comedy about a remote Louisiana mansion haunted by 999 ghosts – and how it inspires a stranded workaholic real estate agent to better connect with his heretofore neglected family. Directed by Rob Minkoff (the “Stuart Little” franchise) from a screenplay by David Berenbaum (“Elf”). With Eddie Murphy (“Daddy Day Care”), Terence Stamp (“My Boss’s Daughter”), Jennifer Tilly (“The Cat’s Meow”), Nathaniel Parker (“Beverly Hills Ninja”), Marsha Thomason (“Black Knight”) and Wallace Shawn (“Personal Velocity,” “Duplex”). Scope. Nov. 26. Buena Vista.