The kids are almost back in school. The hours in the day seem a little shorter and, thankfully, it’s not 100 degrees outside every single day.
The one thing that does remain constant is Hollywood’s attempt to get you off the couch and into the theaters.
Labor Day weekend is the unofficial start to the fall movie season. Even though the writer’s strike seemed to push back a few major releases, there are still plenty of movies to keep an eye on through the rest of the year.
Aug. 29
Babylon A.D.
Vin Diesel returns to his science fiction roots as a veteran turned mercenary on a mission to escort a woman out of Russia. The client happens to be carrying a synthetic virus capable of destroying the human race. Naturally, Diesel must fend off a cult determined to capture the woman and use the virus for evil.
Also opening: Disaster Movie, College, Traitor
Sept. 5
Bankok Dangerous
In this remake of the 1999 Thailand film with the same title, Nicolas Cage plays a hitman in Bangkok responsible for pulling off a series of jobs for a client. Along the way he befriends a local boy. In the original film, Cage’s hitman was a deaf-mute, but directors Oxide Pang Chun and Danny Pang couldn’t convince the actor to take on the role.
Sept. 12
Burn After Reading
Ethan and Joel Coen, the Oscar winning directors of “No Country for Old Men,” are back in the comedic arena with Brad Pitt. The actor stars as a gym employee who finds a disk that contains the memoirs of a CIA agent. He then tries to benefit from the discovery. The Coens’ previous films include “Raising Arizona,” “The Big Lebowski” and “O Brother, Where Art Thou?”
Tyler Perry’s The Family that Preys
The mind behind “Madea’s Family Reunion” and “Diary of a Mad Black Woman” directs his sixth major theatrical release. The film stars Kathy Bates and Alfre Woodard. The two act as women faced with a series of secrets and scandals that are threatening to tear their respective families apart. They embark on a road trip in hopes of finding a way to end the drama and rebuild their family connections.
Righteous Kill
Acting giants Robert DeNiro and Al Pacino finally take the screen together as two New York City detectives working to identify the possible connection between a recent murder and a case they believe they solved years ago. While on the case, they must learn if there is a new serial killer on the loose and whether they put the wrong person behind bars.
Also opening: The Women
Sept. 19
Ghost Town
British comedian Ricky Gervais, who wrote and starred in the British Broadcasting Corporation’s “The Office” and “Extras,” makes his leading man debut in the United States. Gervais stars as a socially inept man who dies for seven minutes and awakens to find he can see and communicate with ghosts - lots of ghosts. Greg Kinnear is a ghost who talks Gervais into throwing a wrench into the impending marriage of his former fiancé.
Also opening: My Best Friend’s Girl, Igor, Lakeview Terrace
Sept. 26
Eagle Eye
Current Hollywood goldenboy Shia LaBeouf leads another vehicle from the mind of uber-director Steven Spielberg. LaBeouf stars with Michelle Monaghan as two strangers who become unwitting members of a terrorist cell plotting a political assassination.
Also opening: Nights in Rodanthe, Miracle at St. Anna
Oct. 3
The Express
The real story of Ernie Davis, the first black Heisman Trophy winner, comes to the silver screen with relative newcomer Rob Brown as Davis. Brown plays the role of Syracuse University’s running back coached by Dennis Quaid. Quaid is no stranger to the feel good sports movie. He starred as Jimmy Morris in “The Rookie,” a story about a high school baseball coach who makes it to the big leagues 12 years after he injured his shoulder in the minor leagues.
Also opening: How To Lose Friends and Alienate People, Beverly Hills Chihuahua, Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist
Oct. 10
Body of Lies
Leonardo DiCaprio hits the screen as an ex-journalist working to locate an Al Qaeda leader for the CIA. He faces pressure from an agent played by Russell Crowe for whom failure is not an option. Ridley Scott, best known for the Oscar-winning movie “Gladiator” and “Alien,” directed the film.
Also opening: City of Ember, Quarantine
Oct. 17
Max Payne
This video game based movie stars Mark Wahlberg as a DEA agent trying to solve a series of murders in New York City. Mila Kunis (That 70’s Show) stars as an assassin.
W.
Controversial director Oliver Stone takes a look at the life of George W. Bush from slacking college student all the way to the presidency. Josh Brolin stars as the commander-in-chief and Elizabeth Banks stars as Laura Bush. Stone directed such films as “JFK,” “Born on the Fourth of July” and “World Trade Center.”
Also opening: Flash of Genius, The Secret Life of Bees
Oct. 24
High School Musical 3: Senior Year
Disney’s mega-franchise takes its first-ever bow on the big screen. Zac Efron, Vanessa Anne Hudgens and Ashley Tisdale all return for the third movie. As seniors in high school, Troy (Efron) and Gabriella (Hudgens) struggle with the idea of being separated from one another as college approaches. Along with the rest of the Wildcats, they stage a spring musical to address their experiences, hopes and fears about their future.
Saw V
Jigsaw, the killer that likes to teach lessons, returns to make fans squeal in what has become a Halloween tradition. Even though Jigsaw was killed in the third installment his legacy lives on. A forensics expert played by Costas Mandylor is on the hunt for the real killer in order to prevent being identified as the late Jigsaw’s newest assistant.
Also opening: Passengers, Pride and Glory, Crossing Over
Oct. 31
The Haunting of Molly Hartley
Haley Bennett stars as a teen that looks to put her troubled past behind her with a fresh start at a new school, where she befriends one of the most popular students, Chance Crawford of television’s “Gossip Girl.” But can her secrets stay buried as she learns more about the horrific truth that awaits her once she turns 18?
Also opening: Zack and Miri Make a Porno
Nov. 7
Quantam of Solace
The reinvention of British superspy James Bond continues in the sequel to “Casino Royale.” Daniel Craig returns as 007 and sets his sights on the organization behind Vesper Lynd’s betrayal in “Royale.” The mission puts him on a collision course with a businessman who Bond soon learns is brokering a deal to take total control of one of the world’s most precious resources.
Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa
The voices of Ben Stiller, Chris Rock and David Schwimmer return as your favorite animated animal friends in this sequel to the surprise 2005 hit. Alex the lion (voiced by Stiller) and his friends board a New York City bound plane only to find themselves touching down in the African plains. It’s an opportunity for the animals to encounter there own kind for the very first time and discover what home truly means to each of them.
Nov. 14
Australia
Set in northern Australia before World War II, an English aristocrat (Nicole Kidman) inherits a sprawling ranch and reluctantly pacts with a stock-man (Hugh Jackman) in order to protect her new property from a takeover plot. As the pair drives 2,000 head of cattle they experience the bombing of Darwin, Australia, by Japanese forces.
Also opening: Role Models, Soul Men
Nov. 21
Bolt
Bolt (voiced by John Travolta) is a celebrity dog and the star of a hit television show where his amazing feats and powers draw big ratings. But when a mail room mix-up finds him roaming the streets of New York City, the wonder dog will have to rely on his actual strengths in order to find his way back home. Miley Cyrus voices Bolt’s owner Penny.
Twilight
The other million-selling book series takes over for “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” that was bumped to a summer 2009 release. In the “Twilight” series, misfit teenager Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart) falls for her alluring and mysterious classmate, Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson). Edward belongs to a lineage of vampires, although he doesn’t fit the typical mold. As their passion reaches new heights, Edward must try to resist his natural urges and defend Bella from his family members who have come for her.
Watch for our winter movie guide later this year.
--rrenfrow@temple-telegram.com
