September
I’m Still Here
Joaquin Phoenix and Casey Affleck’s mock-doc about Phoenix’s feigned public meltdown will have to be pretty terrific to overcome the general ill will it fostered; reportedly, the material moves into dark Sacha Baron Cohen territory.
Opens September 10
Resident Evil: Afterlife
Paul W. S. Anderson and Milla Jovovich go for a fourth installment of the video-game adaptation, this time in 3D. Post-apocalyptic viruses and corporate malfeasance put Jovovich on the road to Los Angeles, which is overrun with the Undead. Milla. Kicking ass. In 3D. There’s the real story. With Ali Larter.
Opens September 10
Devil
“From the mind of M. Night Shyamalan” in the trailer for “Devil” reportedly evokes titters at some screenings, but this story of five people stuck in an office-tower elevator, one of whom may be Satan, was directed by John Erick Dowdle (director, co-writer, “Quarantine”) and Drew Dowdle (co-writer, Quarantine) and written by Brian Nelson (“30 Days Of Night,” “Hard Candy”). With Caroline Dhavernas, Chris Messina, Bokeem Woodbine, Matt Craven, Bojana Novakovic.
Opens September 17
Easy A
Emma Stone, a comic standout in “Zombieland,” gets her chance to carry a picture in a high-school-set adapation of “The Scarlet Letter” that follows a “good girl” creating a more racy reputation for herself.
Opens September 17
The Town
Ben Affleck writes-directs-stars in his second Boston-set crime story; he’s a bank robber who courts a woman he once held hostage. There’s more to Beantown than “Good Will Hunting.” With Jeremy Renner, Rebecca Hall, Jon Hamm.
Opens September 17
Buried
Put Ryan Reynolds in a box. Put him in a box and leave him there. That’s the limit of Rodrigo Cortés’ nail-biter, “Buried,” about a contractor in Iraq who’s kidnapped and confined to a box. With Stephen Tobolowsky, Samantha Mathis.
Opens September 24
Catfish
Adopted after its controversial Sundance debut, “Catfish” is either a documentary or a staged documentary, and reports of its thriller-like twists and turns about a search for an internet friend in the real world have been both cheered and booed. Credited producers include Andrew Jarecki and Brett Ratner.
Opens September 24
Enter the Void
Transcendence is subjective; results may vary. Gaspar Noé’s years-in-the-making hallucination of the afterlife in a seedy, neon-blooming Tokyo will fascinate some, appall others, as with his earlier “I Stand Alone” and “Irreversible.” Daffy and woozy, “Enter the Void,” is a kaleidoscopically, pyrotechnically urgent mix of life, death and visual and sonic invention. His instincts splice Godard and Dostoevsky: attempting fresh film grammar while dealing with fleshy, mortal dread.
Opens September 24
Jack Goes Boating
Philip Seymour Hoffman makes his directorial debut with this Sundance-premiered adaptation of a play by Bob Glaudini, about the aftermath of a blind date between two lonely, middle-aged urbanites. With Amy Ryan.
Opens September 24
Legends of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole
“From the studio that brought you ‘Happy Feet,'” the trailer crows, stretching a mite, without indicating whether this animated entry will bear the visual sophistication or bleak view of humanity of George Miller’s work. Oh! It’s directed by Zack Snyder (“300,” “Watchmen”). Put some bleak in the beak! The Aussie-heavy voice talent includes Helen Mirren, Geoffrey Rush, Hugo Weaving, Abbie Cornish, David Wenham, Richard Roxburgh, Miriam Margolyes and Sam Neill.
Opens September 24
Never Let Me Go
Mark Romanek’s second feature in a career of visually lush video work is an adapation of Kazuo Ishiguro’s dour novel, adapted by Alex Garland (“28 Days Later,” “Sunshine”). Working with material that calls for restraint and a slow burn, it will be intriguing to see how Romanek, hardly old enough to have developed an “autumnal” style, can apply a quietly expressive form rather than rely on his highly developed visual style. With Keira Knightley, Carey Mulligan, Andrew Garfield (the new Spider-Man), Charlotte Rampling, Sally Hawkins, Nathalie Richard.
Opens September 24
Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps
Gordon Gekko’s out of jail and after penning a confessional tale, wonders if he could get into the post-crash financial game with a younger crowd, like the fiancé (Shia LaBoeuf) of his daughter (Carey Mulligan). Let the father complex commence!
Opens September 24
You Again
“Mean Ladies?” Is the bloom off Betty White’s rose at the age of 88? She may have the spriest timing of a cast that includes Kristen Bell, Jamie Lee Curtis and Sigourney Weaver.
Opens September 24
October
A Film Unfinished
Yael Hersonski’s documentary examines how Nazi filmmakers had fictionalized the everyday in the Warsaw ghetto in 1942 to create anti-Jewish propaganda, with a reel of outtakes demonstrating the lack of authenticity and the fabrication of daily life.
Opens October 1
Howl
I have seen the best minds of my generation fall for James Franco’s multimedia career… Chameleonic Franco stars in a semi-experimental drama about the trials of Allen Ginsburg after the publication of his inflammatory 1956 poem, “Howl.” Written and directed by Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman (“The Celluloid Closet”). With Mary-Louise Parker, John Hamm.
Opens October 1
Let Me In
While an American remake of the superb Swedish “Let The Right One In” from the director of “Cloverfield” doesn’t sound like the surest recipe for success, early word on “Let Me In” is stellar, especially on Chloë Moretz’s (“Kick-Ass”) incarnation of the central creature and Kodi Smit-McPhee (“The Road”) as the boy who’s puppy-dog in love. It’s set in snowy Los Alamos, New Mexico, in the 1980s; Richard Jenkins is the father figure. With Elias Koteas and Cara Buono.
Opens October 1
The Social Network
Selected for opening night at the New York Film Festival (and first-reviewed by one of its programmers in Film Comment), “The Social Network” shoots to be a generation-defining statement. David Fincher directs Aaron Sorkin’s script about the founding of Facebook: if anyone can accelerate Sorkin’s intensely verbal storytelling for the screen, it’s likely Fincher. With Jesse Eisenberg, Rooney Mara (Fincher’s Lisbeth Salander in his “Girl With The Dragon Tattoo”), Andrew Garfield (the new Spider-Man), Justin Timberlake, Rashida Jones, Max Minghella.
Opens October 1
Waiting for “Superman”
“An Inconvenient Truth” director Davis Guggenheim takes a look at the American school system in “Waiting for ‘Superman.” Reports from its Sundance debut suggest its pessimism verges on the apocalyptic.
Opens October 1
You Will Meet A Tall Dark Stranger
Woody Allen’s fortieth feature takes advantage of British finance for this London-set romantic roundelay, featuring Naomi Watts, Josh Brolin, Antonio Banderas, Anthony Hopkins, Freida Pinto, Gemma Jones, Lucy Punch, Ewen Bremner, Pauline Collins, Anna Friel and Christian McKay.
Opens October 1
I Spit On Your Grave
A Louisiana-set remake of a film roundly reviled by the late Gene Siskel in its 1978 incarnation, but which some feminist scholars have taken up the cause of for its depiction of female revenge against men who have committed rape.
Opens October 8
It’s Kind of a Funny Story
Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck, writer-directors of the excellent “Half Nelson” and “Sugar,” turn their talents to a comedy about a teen (Keir Gilchrist) who checks himself into a mental-health clinic, falling for the lovely and getting lessons in life from Zach Galifianakis. With Viola Davis, Zoe Kravitz, Lauren Graham, Jim Gaffigan, Jeremy Davies.
Opens October 8
Secretariat
“Seabiscuit” set in the 1970s? Diane Lane and John Malkovich star in this entry in the dark-horse-sports-uplift genre about the steed that swept the 1973 Triple Crown. With Dylan Walsh, James Cromwell, Dylan Baker, Fred Dalton Thompson, and Scott Glenn. Directed by Randall Wallace, who wrote “Braveheart” and written by Mike Rich (“Finding Forrester”).
Opens October 8
Conviction
Tony Goldwyn (“The Last Kiss”) directs multiple-Oscar winner Hilary Swank in the true story of Betty Anne Waters, a working mother who puts herself through law school to get her brother’s (Sam Rockwell) murder conviction overturned. Screenwriter Pamela Gray also penned Goldwyn’s “A Walk on the Moon.” With a female-heavy supporting cast as well: Juliette Lewis, Minnie Driver, Ari Graynor, Clea Duvall, Melissa Leo, Karen Young, Peter Gallagher.
Opens October 15
Jackass 3D
Doubtless the stunts from Mr. Knoxville, Mr. O and Mr. Margera in this tenth-anniversary outing will loft “Jackass 3D” high atop John Waters’ top 10 for the year. The standard homoerotic transgression is reportedly leavened with little people, paintball, bull riding, rocket jet-skis and party favors blown out someone’s… well. If this entry tops “Jackass Number Two”‘s $73-million gross, it could well become the “Tit-anus” of 3D.
Opens October 15
Red
Comic thriller, drawn from graphic novel written by the inventive Warren Ellis, posits Bruce Willis, Morgan Freeman, John Malkovich and Helen Mirren as retired CIA assassins drawn out of retirement. Adult banter between Willis and Mary-Louise Parker highlight the complications. With Brian Cox, Ernest Borgnine.
Opens October 15
Winnebago Man
You don’t know who Jack Rebney is? Go to winnebagoman.com/about.html right now. Language definitely NSFW: the assemblage of Mr. Rebney’s 1970s bad-days-at-work is enthralling, inspiring and epic. Filmmaker Ben Steinbauer went in search of Rebney, and the poignant results also reveal an older man whose profane, blunt voice has not been tempered by time. And there’s even more period footage than the original, viral video offered. Jack Rebney is a fuckin’ gem.
Opens October 15
Hereafter
80-year-old Clint Eastwood directs a trilogy of stories by Peter Morgan (“Frost/Nixon,” “The Queen”) about characters from around the world, including the U.S., France and England, who are destined to meet after life-threatening circumstances. With Matt Damon, Bryce Dallas Howard, Jay Mohr, Richard Kind, Marthe Keller.
Opens October 22
Paranormal Activity Sequel
From Tod Williams, the director of “The Door in the Floor” and “The Adventures of Sebastian Cole,” further tortures for actress Katie Featherston.
Opens October 22
Saw 3D
The seventh and last installment, they say, as Jigsaw revisits the survivors of his past pranks. With Tobin Bell, Cary Elwes.
Opens October 29
November
Due Date
Todd Phillips, director of “Road Trip” and “The Hangover,” inserts Robert Downey Jr. and Zach Galifianakis in a car and sends them on their merry way, crossing the continent in a marriage of comic moods. With Juliette Lewis, Michelle Monaghan, Danny McBride, Jamie Foxx, Alan Arkin, Matt Walsh and the RZA.
Opens November 5
Fair Game
Doug Liman, director of “Go” and the first “Bourne” movie, is also the son of Arthur Liman, a leading member of the legal team that investigated the Iran-Contra scandals. In his first foray into politics, Liman casts Naomi Watts as Valerie Plame, the undercover CIA agent whose identity was disclosed by “Scooter” Libby and Sean Penn as Richard Wilson, whom the White House allegedly hoped to embarrass after his New York Times article alleged that there were no weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. Let there be speeches! With Jason Neal, Bruce McGill, Sam Shepard, Noah Emmerich. Adapted by playwright Jez Butterworth and his brother John-Henry Butterworth.
Opens November 5
127 Hours
Danny Boyle and Simon Beaufoy (“The Full Monty”) adapt Aron Ralson’s “Between a Rock and Hard Place,” the story of a mountain climber (James Franco) who’s trapped in an isolated Utah canyon when a boulder crashes onto his arm. Will he survive? What will he discover? Boyle’s set himself a world of visual challenges I hope he lives up to. With Amber Tamblyn, Kate Mara, Clémence Poésy, Kate Burton, Lizzy Caplan.
Opens November 5
Morning Glory
Harrison Ford, Rachel McAdams and Diane Keaton star in what looks to be a revisiting of James L. Brooks’ “Broadcast News,” twenty-three years later. Are the machinations of a morning TV news show of interest any more? Still, the screenplay is by “The Devil Wears Prada”‘s Aline Brosh McKenna and Roger Michell directs. Michell’s work alternates the serious and comic, and includes “Venus,” “Enduring Love,” “Changing Lanes,” and “Notting Hill.”)
Opens November 12
Unstoppable
The ever-painterly Tony Scott directs Denzel Washington for the fifth time in a “Speed”-meets-“Runaway Train” thriller about an engineer and a conductor trying to stop a train loaded with toxic chemicals from detonating a small town. The trailer manages to make the movie look both ridiculous and ravishing. Count me in. With Chris Pine.
Opens November 12
The Next Three Days
Paul “Crash” Haggis remakes French thriller “Pour elle,” with Russell Crowe as a man who resorts to action when his wife is charged with murder. With Olivia Wilde, Liam Neeson, Elizabeth Banks, Brian Dennehy and the RZA.
Opens November 19
Burlesque
Behind the curtain: writer-director Steven Antin’s “Burlesque” stars Christina Aguilera, Cher, Kristen Bell, Alan Cumming and Stanley Tucci in a musical set in a seedy burlesque palace. Which kind of glorious will it be? Gloriously camp? Gloriously bad? Gloriously burlesque? With that cast, it’s gotta be gloriously something.
Opens November 24
Love and Other Drugs
Chicago-born filmmaker Edward Zwick directs Anne Hathaway and Jake Gyllenhaal in a romantic drama based on Jamie Reidy’s book “Hard Sell: The Evolution of a Viagra Salesman.” Can Zwick successfully combine the actors’ charm with the heart-tugging complications of the story? Expect much weeping. With an intriguing cast that includes Judy Greer, Hank Azaria, Oliver Platt, Gabriel Macht, George Segal, Jill Clayburgh and David Morse.
Opens November 24
Black Swan
Darren Aronofsky directs a thriller about two competitive women (Natalie Portman, Mila Kunis) in New York City ballet—”Single White Ballerina”?—filled with double-dealing and sexual machinations. The trailer is splendidly bizarre: welcome back the expressionistic, perhaps even lurid, side of Mr. Aronofsky’s imagination. With Vincent Cassel and Barbara Hershey.
Opens November 30
—Ray Pride
