Fall Movie Preview

Welcome to the fall movie season. Between now and New Year's, we're going to have plenty of potential blockbusters -- well, the new Harry Potter and Tron films, at least -- and lots of teen-sex comedies, the undead, aliens, computer-generated critters, for-your-Oscar-consideration dramas, and 3-D, though not all of that in the same movie. Here's a week-by-week rundown of films in wide release so you can plan accordingly or decide when to hit your nearest Redbox.

Sept. 10

Resident Evil: Afterlife: The always-photogenic Milla Jovovich returns for another round of zombie killin', this time in 3-D. And unlike such fiascos as Clash of the Titans or The Last Airbender, this one was shot with 3-D in mind, not retrofitted after the fact.

The Virginity Hit: It's an American Pie-style teen sex comedy for this generation, because American Pie is soooo 20th century. So this one is done in the style of a reality show.

Sept. 17

The Town: Ben Affleck stars in this Boston-based drama about a bank robber who falls for a teller (Rebecca Hall) who was a hostage during one of his robberies. Jon Hamm co-stars as the FBI agent trying to bring him to justice.

Easy A: Another teen sex comedy, though this time without the sex. Emma Stone stars as a strait-laced, high-school student who pretends to be promiscuous to help male friends enhance their reputations on campus. Her reputation makes her notorious, in both bad and good ways, just as her class is reading The Scarlet Letter.

Devil: After a string of misfires, M Night Shyamalan tries again, this time as writer/producer of a low-budget thriller about five people stuck in an elevator. As if that weren't bad enough, one of them may just be ... Satan! (insert Church-Lady smirk)

Alpha and Omega: Two wolves -- a confident female and a bumbling male -- go on a cross-country trek home after being relocated in this 3-D, computer-animated family film. The animation in the trailer looks terrible, but to be fair, the gags are even worse.

Sept. 24

Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps: Oliver Stone and Michael Douglas reunite for a sequel to the movie that defined corporate greed. But now that we've seen the real thing in such robust supply, can a fictional version compare?

You Again: Kristen Bell plays a woman aghast that her brother is engaged to her high-school nemesis. The robust supporting cast includes Betty White, Jamie Lee Curtis, Sigourney Weaver and Kristen Chenoweth.

Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'hoole: After violent films about zombies (Dawn of the Dead), Spartans (300), and vigilantes (The Watchmen), director Zack Snyder takes a more wholesome turn with this film with realistic, computer-animated owls in an epic adventure. It's based on an acclaimed series of chidren's books.

Oct. 1

The Social Network: If you've ever wondered about the action-packed origins of Facebook, here's your movie. Buckle in for a wild ride.

Let Me In: The original Swedish vampire film this is based on -- Let the Right One In, made way back in 2008 -- is a poignant, smart take on immortality. Whether the American remake can live (so to speak) up to that remains to be seen.

Case 39: The fact that this Renee Zellweger horror film has been sitting on a shelf since 2006 can't be a good sign.

Hatchet II: A cult horror film you probably haven't heard of, but should have, gets a sequel.

Oct. 8

Life as We Know It: Katherine Heigl and Josh Duhamel have to take care of the orphaned daughter of their mutual friends in this comedy-drama.

Secretariat: A horse runs really fast in this Disney biographical drama with Diane Lane as the owner.

Stone: Following the success of his film Junebug, we're all looking forward to local favorite Angus McLachlan's latest screenplay, with Edward Norton as a convict who has his wife (Milla Jovovich, in 2D this time) seduce his parole officer (Robert DeNiro).

Oct. 15

Conviction: Hilary Swank stars as a woman trying to overturn her brother's (Sam Rockwell) murder conviction.

Red: Bruce Willis plays the leader of a retired black ops team that has to reunite when they are targeted by an assassin.

Jackass 3-D: The reunion no one was clamoring for, with the added benefit of these goons coming toward the camera. Could this be the worst possible use of 3-D technology?

Oct. 22

Hereafter: As a director, Clint Eastwood usually does realistic dramas, so it will be interesting to see his take on a supernatural thriller in this film with a cast including Matt Damon.

Paranormal Activity 2: The 2007 no-budget hit gets a sequel with a reported $2.75 million budget. That's low by Hollywood standards, but it's 250 times the budget of the first film. Details are sketchy, but I doubt it's going to be 250 times more creepy.

Oct. 29

Saw 3-D: Let me start by apologizing to Jackass 3-D….

Monsters: This sci-fi thriller looks a bit like Cloverfield mixed with District 9. Six years after an encounter with aliens left Mexico a quarantined wasteland, a man has to make his way to safety.

Nov. 5

Megamind: If you enjoyed Despicable Me -- and judging the box office, many people did -- here's another CGI comedy about a supervillain. Will Ferrell provides the voice of a megalomaniac trying to best the swaggering superhero Metroman (Brad Pitt).

Due Date: Robert Downey Jr. and Wilkesboro's own Zach Galifianakis star in this updated version of Planes, Trains and Automobiles, about a handsome father-to-be on a road trip with a goofy guy. Guess who plays which role.

127 Hours: Danny Boyle directs and James Franco stars in drama based on the true story of a mountain climber trapped with his arm caught under a boulder. If you remember what happened, you can start cringing now.

Fair Game: Another real-life story, this one about the outing of CIA operative Valerie Plame (played by Naomi Watts).

For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow is Enuf: Director Tyler Perry does his first adaptation of another writer's play.

Nov. 12

Unstoppable: Runaway train! And it's full of deadly gas! And it's heading toward a city! Can Denzel Washington, Rosario Dawson and Chris Pine save the day?

Morning Glory: Bickering news anchors (Diane Keaton and Harrison Ford) must contend with a young new producer (Rachel McAdams) trying to save their ratings-challenged morning news show.

Skyline: Several years after mankind sent messages into space trying to contact extraterrestrial life, they reply… in what looks to be a very bad way.

Nov. 19

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1: An unruly boy drops out of boarding school and gets in trouble.

The Next Three Days: A man (Russell Crowe) tries to break his wife (Elizabeth Banks) out of prison.

Nov. 24

Burlesque: It's Showgirls for the burlesque set, with Christina Aguilera and Cher.

Love and Other Drugs: Jake Gyllenhaal stars in this romantic comedy about a Viagra salesman eager to try his merchandise out with Anne Hathaway.

Faster: Dwayne Johnson sets aside his tooth fairy wings and gets back to what he does best, kicking butt. Billy Bob Thornton co-stars.

Tangled: I guess Rapunzel would have been too confusing a title. Mandy Moore provides the voice of the long-haired beauty in this computer-animated musical, with Zachary Levi as the voice of a charming rogue who finds her tower.

Dec. 3

Black Swan: Director Darren Aronofsky tells a surreal tale of behind-the-scenes rivalries during a production of Swan Lake, with Natalie Portman and Mila Kunis.

The Tourist: The year's 49th film about an average person getting mixed up in espionage, this one at least has stars Johnny Depp and Angelina Jolie, so it's guaranteed to look nice if nothing else.

Dec. 10

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader: More magical adventures in the land of Narnia, though without Disney behind the marketing this time around.

The Fighter: Mark Wahlberg stars in this biopic as boxer "Irish" Micky Ward, with Christian Bale as his brother and trainer.

Dec. 17

Tron Legacy: The groundbreaking 1982 sci-fi cult classic gets a 21st-century update in this long-awaited film, with Jeff Bridges reprising his role as the inventor of a video-game universe who disappeared into cyberspace. Now, decades later, his son goes in to find him. The special effects look amazing, particularly a photo-realistic CGI villain who looks like Bridges circa 1982.

Yogi Bear: The humans and Jellystone Park are real, but the bears are computer-animated, in this 3-D comedy about the notorious "pic-a-nic" basket thief (voice of Dan Aykroyd) and his diminutive cohort (Justin Timberlake, who, judging the trailer, has really captured the voice of the original cartoon character Boo-Boo).

How Do You Know: Reese Witherspoon is caught in a romantic triangle with Paul Rudd and Owen Wilson. That's the movie's plot, not a new TMZ report, by the way.

Dec. 22

Little Fockers: Ben Stiller, Teri Polo and Robert De Niro return for the latest in the Meet the Parents franchise. Expect more embarrassing faux pas, more slapstick, and more disapproving growls from De Niro.

Gulliver's Travels: The classic satire becomes a wacky Jack Black comedy, and English teachers around the country brace for the worst. But let's face it, Jonathan Swift could be pretty crude to begin with.

Somewhere: Stephen Dorff plays an irresponsible actor who has to change his life after a visit from his 11-year-old daughter (Dakota Fanning).

Dec. 25

True Grit: The Coen brothers tap Jeff Bridges for the John Wayne role in this remake, but it's based more on the original book than on Wayne's film. Hailee Steinfeld plays Mattie, a young girl who recruits Rooster Cogburn (Bridges) to avenge her father's death. Though there was a national casting call -- including in Winston-Salem -- for a newcomer to play Mattie, Steinfeld has been in seven previous film and TV roles.

Dec. 29

The Debt: Helen Mirren plays a Mossad agent haunted by her pursuit of a Nazi war criminal.

Dec. 31

Blue Valentine: Squeaking in just in time for Oscar season, this drama has Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams as a troubled couple.