After a summer of sequels and 3D adventures, fall is finally here and moviegoers will be treated to… more sequels and 3D adventures.
Continuing franchises include “Sherlock Holmes,” “Mission: Impossible” and yet another “Alvin and the Chipmunks” nightmare, and everybody and their dog is experimenting with 3D technology, including directing greats like Martin Scorsese (“Hugo”) and Steven Spielberg (“The Adventures of Tintin”).
Fortunately, the fall season also means an assortment of prestige films and festival darlings, all hoping to cash in on Oscar gold. The following season preview highlights each promising entry with a handy asterisk.
That isn’t to say you won’t also enjoy entries like “Piranha 3DD” or “Paranormal Activity 3.” Remember, they make these sequels because you asked for them with your wallet.
Release dates all subject to change.
New this week:
Apollo 18
Turns out, something freaky happened during the last moon mission. A found footage thriller in the style of “Paranormal Activity.”
The Debt
Helen Mirren plays a retired Mossad agent who discovers new secrets in a decades-old case. Tom Wilkinson and Sam Worthington co-star.
Shark Night 3D
Fresh-water sharks terrorize lakehouse vacationers in this thriller. I hope Samuel L. Jackson appears for a big, heroic speech…
Sept. 9
*Contagion
A deadly virus sweeps the world in this feel-good film by director Steven Soderbergh. All-star cast includes Kate Winslet, Matt Damon and Laurence Fishburne.
Warrior
Two brothers (Tom Hardy and Joel Edgerton) compete against each other in a mixed martial arts championship.
Sept. 16
*Drive
Ryan Gosling stars as a stunt driver caught up in a heist-gone-wrong in this Cannes Film Festival standout.
I Don’t Know How She Does It
I don’t know how Sarah Jessica Parker keeps making terrible romantic comedies.
Straw Dogs
Remake of the 1971 Sam Peckinpah thriller about a couple who move into a small town and face combative locals.
Sept. 23
Abduction
That werewolf guy from “Twilight” runs around acting like he can have a career outside of teen romances.
Dolphin Tale
Potentially heartwarming story about a kid who befriends a tail-less dolphin. Morgan Freeman and Ashley Judd lead the adult/human cast.
Killer Elite
Jason Statham vs. Clive Owen in an action-adventure co-starring Robert De Niro. One of these things is not like the other.
*Moneyball
Based on the true story of Oakland A’s general manager Billy Beane (Brad Pitt) and his attempt to build a winning baseball team despite limited finances. Awards-bait in the form of director Bennett Miller (“Capote”), screenwriter Aaron Sorkin (“The Social Network”) and co-star Philip Seymour Hoffman.
Sept. 30
*50/50
A comedy about cancer with Joseph Gordon-Levitt as the young patient and Seth Rogen as his supportive friend.
Dream House
Daniel Craig moves his family into a home with a horrific secret. Naomi Watts and Rachel Weisz co-star.
What’s Your Number?
Anna Faris reaches out to her recent ex-boyfriends in the hopes that she’s already met her soul mate.
OCTOBER
Oct. 7
*The Ides of March
Ryan Gosling plays an idealistic campaign staffer to George Clooney’s presidential candidate who discovers some juicy gossip that could sway the entire election. Clooney co-writes and directs.
Real Steel
Hugh Jackman and robot boxing. And you thought Hollywood had run out of fresh ideas.
Wanderlust
Paul Rudd and Jennifer Aniston play a big city couple who land in a hippie commune.
Oct. 14
The Big Year
Steve Martin, Jack Black and Owen Wilson compete to identify the rarest birds around the country. Competitive bird-watching finally gets its big screen due.
Footloose
It’s a remake, and it looks completely awful.
The Thing
There’s something in Antarctica. Some! Thing!
Oct. 21
Paranormal Activity 3
Prequel to the popular low-budget series will finally explain that the ghoul from the previous installments really is a ghost Pteradactyl.
The Three Musketeers
Fun fact: Alexandre Dumas always envisioned his swashbuckling adventure as a 3D blockbuster.
Oct. 28
Anonymous
A period drama that begs the question: Was William Shakespeare a fraud?
In Time
Justin Timberlake and Amanda Seyfried live in a future where people stop aging at 25 and must work to buy themselves more years.
*The Rum Diary
Johnny Depp stars in this eccentric drama about a journalist working at a lousy newspaper in the Caribbean. Based on the Hunter S. Thompson novel.
Limited release October:
*Margin Call
A thriller set during the early, crucial hours of the recent financial meltdown. The ensemble cast includes Zachary Quinto and Kevin Spacey.
*Martha Marcy May Marlene
Elizabeth Olson (younger sister of the famous “Full House” twins) plays a woman readjusting to family life after escaping a cult.
Red State
Kevin Smith’s low budget horror movie about teenagers who encounter some insane religious fundamentalists is being personally distributed across the country by the director.
NOVEMBER
Nov. 4
Puss in Boots
The “Shrek” spinoff focuses on the adventures of the swashbuckling feline before he meets the grumpy ogre.
Tower Heist
Ben Stiller, Eddie Murphy and friends play hardworking poor guys who aim to take revenge on a Ponzi scheming tycoon.
A Very Harold and Kumar 3D Christmas
Harold, Kumar and Neil Patrick Harris get in the holiday spirit with more debauchery and drug use.
Nov. 11
Immortals
The new Superman (Henry Cavill) goes all “300” on Mickey Rourke and some Greek titans.
Jack and Jill
Adam Sandler in drag… I almost can’t believe it took this long for Sandler to stoop to this level.
*J. Edgar
Clint Eastwood directs this biopic starring Leonardo DiCaprio as FBI honcho J. Edgar Hoover.
Nov. 18
Happy Feet Two
The dancing penguins return in this follow-up to the Oscar-winning animated hit.
*Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy
Gary Oldman and Colin Firth headline this espionage thriller set during the Cold War.
Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn (Part 1)
Hang in there, folks. We’re almost done with this junk.
Nov. 23
Arthur Christmas
This animated feature answers the age-old question: How does Santa Claus deliver all those presents in one night?
Hugo
Director extraordinaire Martin Scorsese enters the 3D craze with this family adventure about an orphan investigating an invention left by his late-father.
*The Muppets
Humans Jason Segel and Amy Adams join Kermit, Miss Piggy and Gonzo in an all-new adventure. Muppet enthusiast Segel co-wrote the screenplay.
Piranha 3DD
Bloody follow-up to last year’s cheesy gorefest about prehistoric piranha chewing on everything and everyone in sight.
Limited Release November:
*Melancholia
The world is about to end and Kirsten Dunst is getting married in this festival favorite from director Lars von Trier.
*The Artist
A new black-and-white, silent film about a struggling actor finding work at the end of the silent film era.
A Dangerous Method
Sigmund Freud, Carl Jung and how a girl played by Keira Knightley led to the birth of psychoanalysis. Viggo Mortensen and Michael Fassbender square off in this film directed by David Cronenberg (“A History of Violence”).
*The Descendants
George Clooney plays a man trying to reconnect with his daughters after his wife is sidelined with a serious accident. Directed by Alexander Payne (“Sideways”).
DECEMBER
Dec. 9
New Year’s Eve
An all-star cast including Hilary Swank and Robert De Niro gear up for a memorable start to the new year in this romantic comedy modeled after that atrocious “Valentine’s Day” movie.
The Sitter
Never let Jonah Hill babysit your kids.
Dec. 16
Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chip-wrecked
The chipmunks go on vacation. Just remember that you love your kids, despite their horrible taste in entertainment choices.
Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows
Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law return to face the villainous Professor Moriarty. The original Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Noomi Rapace, joins the cast.
Dec. 23
*The Adventures of Tintin
Steven Spielberg’s motion-capture, 3D animated experiment about a young reporter and his loyal dog. Based on the mega-popular European comic series.
The Darkest Hour
Aliens just won’t leave Planet Earth alone. This invasion flick is set in Russia, making it absolutely, completely different than (insert lousy alien invasion movie here).
*The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
David Fincher (“The Social Network”) takes a stab at the popular Swedish book series about hacker Lisbeth Salander (Rooney Mara) and journalist Mikael Blomkvist (Daniel Craig).
Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol
Tom Cruise jumps off tall buildings and beats up bad guys in the fourth installment of the action franchise, this one directed by Brad Bird, known for his animation efforts (“The Incredibles”).
We Bought a Zoo
Matt Damon buys a zoo, and for once, the animals don’t talk. Cameron Crowe (“Almost Famous”) directs.
Dec. 30
*War Horse
The second Steven Spielberg film of December, this one about a young man searching for his horse on the battlefields of World War I. Based on the acclaimed novel.
Limited Release December:
*We Need to Talk About Kevin
Tilda Swinton and John C. Reilly play parents dealing with the murderous actions of their teenage son.
Young Adult
“Juno” collaborators Jason Reitman and Diablo Cody reteam for this comedy about a divorced writer (Charlize Theron) returning home to small-town Minnesota. Lady, don’t bother going to a Twins game. They’re terrible this year.
*Carnage
Jodie Foster, John C. Reilly, Kate Winslet and Christoph Waltz play parents who meet for a kindly discussion after their kids have a fight on the playground. Expect verbal fireworks from this crowd. Directed by Roman Polanski, adapted from the stage play, “God of Carnage.”
The Iron Lady
Meryl Streep guns for another Oscar playing Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.
*Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close
A boy searches for a lock that can be opened by the key left by his father, who died in the 9/11 terror attacks. Tom Hanks and Sandra Bullock star, directed by Stephen Daldry (“The Reader”).