Warners Bros. is upping the ante for "Gran Torino's" awards run. Studio revealed earlier today that it is moving up the limited release of  the Clint Eastwood pic--he both directed and stars in --by one week, from Dec. 19 to Dec. 12. 

There's more. Warners originally wasn't going to expand any until going nationwide on Jan. 16. Now, "Gran Torino" will expand each weekend before opening wide on Jan. 9. 

That's simliar to the release pattern for Eastwood's Oscar winner "Million Dollar Baby," which came out of nowhere to win best pic. 

"Gran Torino's" trailer is generating tons of buzz on the Internet, while very early screenings for a select group of reviewers and opinion makers have been nothing but positive. Buckle up!