Fall Movie preview

For once, the summer can't end fast enough. Or at least that's the case in Hollywood, which is hoping to reboot its fortunes after a mediocre movie-going season that was mostly met with shrugs from apathetic audiences.

True, Iron Man 2, The Twilight Saga: Eclipse, Shrek Forever After, Toy Story 3 and Inception all performed extremely well. But the response wasn't nearly so enthusiastic for such other big-ticket items as The A-Team, Prince of Persia, The Sorcerer's Apprentice and Knight and Day.

Fall, of course, is usually when the studios pack away their toys and haul out the grown-up Oscar bait. This year is no exception, with the volume of movies for adults up exponentially -- even if a certain, eagerly awaited teenage wizard is sure to overshadow them all.

Here then is a rundown of major releases from now until mid-November when the U.S. Thanksgiving weekend kicks off the holiday movie season. But that's another preview. As always, all release dates are tentative.

The Town Sept. 17

The people: Directed by Ben Affleck, who also anchors an ensemble that includes Mad Men's Jon Hamm, Gossip Girl's Blake Lively, Rebecca Hall and The Hurt Locker's Jeremy Renner.

The plot: Affleck portrays a career criminal who falls for the bank teller (Hall) he recently victimized. Hamm is the FBI agent tracking him, while Renner is a member of Affleck's crew, concerned about his colleague's actions.

The prediction: Say what you will about Affleck's career in front of the camera, but as a director, he's got the goods (as evidenced by 2008's kidnapping thriller Gone Baby Gone). Promisingly, he's tackling similar territory here: Adapting a best-selling crime novel, set in Boston, with a crackling-good cast.

Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps Sept. 24

The people: Directed by Oliver Stone; starring Michael Douglas, Shia LaBeouf, Josh Brolin and Carey Mulligan

The plot: Fresh out of prison, Gordon Gekko (Douglas, reprising his Oscar-winning role from the 1987 original) hopes to redeem himself in the eyes of his daughter Winnie (Mulligan) by befriending her fiancé Jacob (Shia LaBeouf), who's a financial trader.

The prediction: The sequel -- which clearly hopes to tap into the anti-Wall Street zeitgeist -- received a warm, if not ecstatic response, at this past May's Cannes film festival. That likely means Stone and Douglas will fall short of the acclaim they gloried in two decades ago -- but without sullying their legacy.

The Social Network Oct. 1

The people: Directed by David Fincher (Fight Club); starring Jesse Eisenberg, Andrew Garfield, Justin Timberlake and Rooney Mara.

The plot: A film about Facebook may sound about as engrossing as a Twitter television series, but Fincher's film -- penned by the brilliant Aaron Sorkin (The West Wing, A Few Good Men) -- dramatizes the egos, personality clashes and legal battles that exploded in the aftermath of the creation of the social media monstrosity. As the tagline says, "You don't get to 500 million friends without making a few enemies."

The prediction: Friend me. If anyone can make a moody, involving film about a topic as innocuous as Facebook, it's Fincher. The movie will open the prestigious New York Film Festival, which suggests it more than delivers. Furthermore, two of its cast members have landed high-profile roles in future Sony productions -- a sign of confidence. Garfield is the new Spider-Man, while Mara, who has a small but pivotal role, won the fiercely sought-after role of Lisbeth Salander in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo opposite Daniel Craig.

Paranormal Activity 2 Oct. 22

The people: Directed by Tod Williams; starring Katie Featherston.

The plot: After 2009's Paranormal Activity grossed more than $100 million in North America on a purported production budget of $15,000, a sequel was inevitable. The question is, was the first film a one-time phenomenon, like The Blair Witch Project, or can the zero-budget conceit sustain sequels?

The prediction: A massive opening, especially in pre-Halloween October, is guaranteed. Whether it can sustain that momentum will depend on the film itself. Williams, though, is an intriguing choice: he directed the under-valued drama The Door in the Floor.

Hereafter Oct. 22

The people: Directed by Clint Eastwood; starring Matt Damon, Cecile DeFrance and Bryce Dallas Howard

The plot: Eastwood and Damon, playing a psychic, reunite for a supernatural drama that interweaves multiple ghost stories together.

The prediction: The screenplay by Peter Morgan (Frost/Nixon) has clear echoes of The Sixth Sense. And remember Eastwood is no slouch when it comes to generating spine-tingling suspense -- as he demonstrated with his 1971 directorial debut, Play Misty for Me.

Due Date Nov. 5

The people: Directed by Todd Phillips (The Hangover); starring Robert Downey Jr., Zach Galifianakis, Michelle Monaghan, Juliette Lewis and Jamie Foxx

The plot: Downey Jr. takes a break from comic-book action to star as Peter Highman, a high-strung, expectant father racing across the U.S. to be home in time for his child's birth. But his meticulous plans are thwarted by an oddball man-child played by Galifianakis.

The prediction: Planes, Trains and Automobiles meets The Hangover? It's hard to imagine a comedy confab more white-hot than Downey Jr., Galifianakis and Phillips.

Megamind Nov. 5

The people: Directed by Tom McGrath (Madagascar); starring the voices of Will Ferrell, Tina Fey, Brad Pitt and Jonah Hill.

The plot: The uber-evil Megamind (Ferrell) has been defeated time and again by the dashing high-flying Metro Man (Pitt) and his reporter-girlfriend (Tina Fey). But what happens when the super-villain actually manages to vanquish his enemy? He realizes that without good, it's no fun being evil.

The prediction: Despicable Me's success underscored the point that audiences love to root for lovable bad guys. And DreamWorks' How to Train Your Dragon showed the animation studio is capable of more than 3D pop-culture snark. They had better -- since comparisons to not just Despicable Me but Pixar's The Incredibles are inevitable.

Morning Glory Nov. 12

The people: Directed by Roger Michell (Notting Hill); starring Harrison Ford, Rachel McAdams and Diane Keaton.

The plot: The ambitious producer of a struggling morning talk show (McAdams) recruits a broadcasting dinosaur (Ford), who automatically clashes with the program's current anchor (Keaton).

The prediction: Broadcast News, it won't be. But the trailer at least hints that Ford has re-discovered his once-nimble sense of humour opposite the reliably-wonky Keaton. And, like water's wet, McAdams is, of course, radiant.

Unstoppable Nov. 12

The people: Directed by Tony Scott; starring Denzel Washington, Chris Pine and Rosario Dawson.

The plot: An engineer (Washington) and a conductor (Pine) scramble to stop a runaway train loaded with toxic chemicals.

The prediction: Few action maestros can pound a pulse quite like Scott when he constrains himself from over-directing (see Domino). Pine chose this as his first post-Star Trek project and would seem smartly paired with the incomparable Washington.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part One Nov. 19

The people: Directed by David Yates; starring Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Helena Bonham Carter, Robbie Coltrane, Tom Felton, Ralph Fiennes, Michael Gambon, John Hurt and Miranda Richardson.

The plot: The first of a two-part adaptation of the seventh and last book -- with the second instalment out next summer -- this sequel finds Harry and dark lord Voldemort on a collision course. Does the key to Harry destroying his arch-nemesis lie in the legend of the Deathly Hallows?

The prediction: This deep into the saga, a Harry Potter film is unlikely to attract new fans; not that it matters. Potter films consistently gross $800 million-$1 billion apiece worldwide. And there's no reason to believe Deathly Hallows won't as well.