By Paul Sheehan, The Envelope

Farewell, you boorish days of summer. From political thrillers to cerebral westerns, a murderous period musical and a heady historical doctrine on religious philosophy, the breadth of subjects filmmakers are tackling this season suggests, when it comes to new films, we've entered the smart set solstice. In the spirit of discovery, we have compiled a group of buzz pictures that awards bodies may pay special attention to in the coming months. We lay out the field, you pick your winners. Take a look at best picture contenders released in 2007.