Must-See Fall Movies
An unforgettable summer of surprisingly Iron Men, record-breaking Dark Knights and 'Thunder'-ously raunchy comedies is over, but a fresh crop of fall flicks is just getting ripe for the picking. We have the scoop on 28 must-see flicks, including a Coen Bros. black comedy, an R-rated 'Porno' and a 'Solace'-seeking James Bond.
Universal / Sony / Weinstein Co. / WB
'Burn After Reading' | Sept. 12
The Coen Bros.' follow-up to the bleak, Oscar-winning 'No Country for Old Men' aims to be a hoot, with Brad Pitt as a pompadoured jackass trying to blackmail a loose-cannon CIA agent (John Malkovich). George Clooney and Tilda Swinton co-star as illicit lovers (and fellow jackasses) trying to get in on the action.
Focus Features
'Righteous Kill' | Sept. 12
Robert De Niro and Al Pacino have acted together only once before, as adversaries in 'Heat.' In this thriller, the Oscar winners are on the same side, as veteran cops trailing a serial killer. It's a familiar premise, but 'Inside Man' scribe Russell Gewirtz penned the script, and it's always fun to see these two actors puree the scenery.
Overture Films
'Tyler Perry's The Family That Preys' | Sept. 12
Tyler Perry's sixth feature is a tale of two upper-crust families rocked by scandal. The interracial cast is led by award-winning actresses Alfre Woodard and Kathy Bates as the gal pal matriarchs. Perry abandons his signature alter ego, Medea, in favor of a male character. Sounds like the African American impresario is diversifying.
Lionsgate
'Appaloosa' | Sept. 19
Ed Harris' second directorial effort is a Western starring Harris, Viggo Mortensen, Renee Zellweger and Jeremy Irons. With the pedigree here, we think it's high time the cowboy drama came back into fashion ... plus, we'll take Viggo on a horse any day.
Warner Bros.
'The Duchess' | Sept. 19
This renaissance romp tells the story of the Duchess of Devonshire (Keira Knightley, in yet another period piece), a woman desperate to avoid giving the Duke (Ralph Fiennes) a child. With someone as sexy as Knightley in the title role, expect a forbidden flirtation (Dominic Cooper will do) and plenty of bad-girl rebellion.
Paramount Vantage
'Lakeview Terrace' | Sept. 19
Samuel L. Jackson is a psycho LAPD officer who doesn't approve of his new interracial-couple neighbors, Patrick Wilson and Kerry Washington, and becomes increasingly evil as he terrorizes them. Auteur Neil LaBute redeems himself -- we presume -- after his last project, the shamefully bad 'Wicker Man' remake.
Sony
'Choke' | Sept. 26
Sam Rockwell is a guy who fake-chokes to scam Good Samaritans, trolls sex-addiction groups to pick up women, and works at a Colonial theme park -- all to support his aging mother. (OK, not the sex-addict part.) It's dark, twisted and a total riot; but would you expect anything less from 'Fight Club' author Chuck Palahniuk?
Fox Searchlight
'Eagle Eye' | Sept. 26
In 'Disturbia,' Shia LaBeouf liked to watch. In this high-paced thriller reteaming him and director D.J. Caruso, Shia and Michelle Monaghan are BEING watched -- by a mysterious antagonist who can reach them via any electronic device, anywhere. And you thought all you had to fear from cell phones was radiation.
Dreamworks
'Miracle at St. Anna' | Sept. 26
Clint Eastwood may not buy a ticket to Spike Lee's World War II drama, but most cinephiles are excited about this movie chronicling the history of the all-black 92nd Buffalo Soldier Division, who got trapped behind enemy lines. Oscar buzz is already mounting for what may turn out to be Lee's 'Saving Private Ryan.'
Touchstone Pictures
