Fall movie season highlights

Highlights of the fall film slate. Release dates are subject to change, and some films will play in limited release.

September

“Daltry Calhoun”: A teen musical prodigy suddenly re-enters the life of her estranged dad, a golf-club magnate (Johnny Knoxville).

“Dear Wendy”: A pacifist youth (Jamie Bell) is unaccountably smitten with a vintage handgun he finds. Bill Pullman co-stars.

“Going Shopping”: Director Henry Jaglom (“Eating”) has a go at consumer addiction in this domestic tale starring Victoria Foyt, Lee Grant and Rob Morrow.

“The Greatest Game Ever Played”: A young amateur (Shia LaBeouf) shocks the golfing world in an upset of the British champ in 1913. Actor Bill Paxton directs.

“Green Street Hooligans”: An expelled Harvard student (Elijah Wood) moves to London, where he’s caught up in the menacing madness of soccer.

“Into the Blue”: Divers hunting for treasure on a sunken ship find danger instead. With Jessica Alba and Paul Walker.

“Little Manhattan”: A Woody Allen-style romance centers on the joys and pangs of first love for two 11-year-olds. With Cynthia Nixon and Bradley Whitford.

“Mirrormask”: The Jim Henson Co. works its visual magic in a tale of a teenage girl whisked to a fantasy land controlled by a scheming queen.

“Oliver Twist”: Roman Polanski updates Dickens’ tale of an orphan’s misadventures among rascals and pickpockets. Ben Kingsley plays the sinister Fagin.

“One Bright Shining Moment”: The Forgotten Summer of George McGovern:” A documentary chronicling the Democrat’s failed 1972 presidential bid against Richard Nixon.

“The Outsiders: The Complete Novel”: Francis Ford Coppola expands his 1983 coming-of-age drama with an extra 22 minutes of footage.

“The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio”: A mother of 10 (Julianne Moore) helps pay the bills by entering 1950s musical jingle contests. Woody Harrelson co-stars.

“Separate Lies”: The lives of a married couple (Emily Watson and Tom Wilkinson) are turned upside-down by the arrival of another man (Rupert Everett).

“Serenity”: Joss Whedon resurrects his failed TV show “Firefly” with this sci-fi tale of a vagabond spaceship carrying two mysterious passengers.

“Sueno”: A Mexican singer (John Leguizamo) lands in a love triangle and a latino music competition in los angeles.

“The War Within”: Wrongly interrogated as a terrorism suspect, a Pakistani student seeks revenge and joins a terrorist cell in New York City.

October

“Domino”: Keira Knightley plays the bounty-hunting daughter of actor Laurence Harvey in an action thriller directed by Tony Scott.

“Doom”: The Rock leads a team of futuristic Marines against deadly creatures on Mars in this adaptation of the video game.

“Dreamer”: A fired equestrian trainer (Kurt Russell) and his daughter (Dakota Fanning) nurse an injured racehorse back to health.

“Elizabethtown”: Romance is in the air during a Southern patriarch’s funeral. Kirsten Dunst and Orlando Bloom star, Cameron Crowe directs.

“The Fog”: Vengeful ghosts from a shipwreck terrorize a town in this remake of the 1980 horror tale. With Tom Welling and Selma Blair.

“Good Night, and Good Luck”: George Clooney directs and co-stars in the story of newsman Edward R. Murrow (David Strathairn) as he battles the communist witch hunt.

“The Gospel”: An R&B star (Boris Kodjoe) tries to reconcile with his ailing father, the bishop of their hometown church. Nona Gaye co-stars.

“In Her Shoes”: Estranged sisters (Cameron Diaz and Toni Collette) reconnect with help from a mystery grandma (Shirley MacLaine). Curtis Hanson directs.

“Innocent Voices”: An 11-year-old boy in 1980s El Salvador balances childhood and adult issues as he faces automatic army conscription on his 12th birthday.

“Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang”: Robbery gone awry gives a thief (Robert Downey Jr.) a movie audition and a lesson in sleuthing with a detective (Val Kilmer).

“The Legend of Zorro”: The masked swordsman (Antonio Banderas) and his wife (Catherine Zeta-Jones) are back in action in this swashbuckling sequel.

“Loggerheads”: Interlocking stories trace the melancholy history of a boy’s adoption. With Bonnie Hunt, Tess Harper and Kip Pardue.

“Nine Lives”: Crises of nine disparate women are examined. With Holly Hunter, Glenn Close, Sissy Spacek and Robin Wright Penn.

“North Country”: A single mother (Charlize Theron) leads a sexual-harassment crusade on behalf of female co-workers at a mining company.

“Paradise Now”: Palestinian best friends face crisis when they are tapped to carry out a suicide attack in Tel Aviv.

“Prime”: A thirty-something divorcee (Uma Thurman) takes up with a young painter. Meryl Streep co-stars.

“Protocols of Zion”: Documentary filmmaker Marc Levin examines a backlash of anti-Semitism that followed the Sept. 11 attacks.

“Saw II”: A cop (Donnie Wahlberg) discovers that a maniacal serial killer is back in business in the follow-up to last year’s horror hit.

“Shopgirl”: A Saks clerk (Claire Danes) is wooed by an older man (Steve Martin) and a younger suitor (Jason Schwartzman). Based on Martin’s novella.

“The Squid and The Whale”: Marriage and parenthood are on the rocks between two Brooklyn writers (Jeff Daniels and Laura Linney).

“Stay”: A psychiatrist races to prevent a patient from making good on a threat to commit suicide. With Ewan McGregor and Naomi Watts.

“Two for the Money”: Al Pacino, Rene Russo and Matthew McConaughey star in the tale of an ex-athlete who enters the high-rolling sports gambling world.

“Wallace &Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit”: Britain’s favorite cheese-lover and his loyal dog square off against a monster bunny in this clay-animated comedy.

“The Weather Man”: A local weather guy (Nicolas Cage) wins a national TV audition but faces storm clouds in his personal life. Michael Caine co-stars.

“Where the Truth Lies”: A reporter (Alison Lohman) probes the dark secrets behind the breakup of a musical-comedy duo (Kevin Bacon and Colin Firth). Atom Egoyan directs.

November

“Bee Season”: An overlooked daughter is thrown into the limelight when she becomes a spelling champ. With Richard Gere and Juliette Binoche.

“Breakfast on Pluto”: A cross-dressing Irish misfit (Cillian Murphy) hunts for the mother who abandoned him as a baby. Neil Jordan directs, Liam Neeson co-stars.

“Chicken Little”: The sky is really, really falling in an animated tale of the chick who cried wolf. Zach Braff heads the voice cast.

“Derailed”: Business execs having an affair (Jennifer Aniston and Clive Owen) square off against a blackmailer.

“Dying for Dolly”: A club DJ (Usher) falls for the daughter of the crime boss (Chazz Palminteri) whose life he saved.

“The Dying Gaul”: A writer (Peter Sarsgaard) lands in a bizarre triangle with a studio exec (Campbell Scott) and his wife (Patricia Clarkson).

“Ellie Parker”: A wannabe actress (Naomi Watts) gallops through auditions and disappointments in Hollywood. With Chevy Chase.

“The Family Stone”: A Manhattan career woman (Sarah Jessica Parker) gets a cold reception from his fiance’s family. With Diane Keaton, Luke Wilson.

“The Ice Harvest”: Yuletide turns dicey for an embezzler (John Cusack) stuck in Wichita on Christmas Eve. Billy Bob Thornton co-stars, Harold Ramis directs.

“I Love Your Work”: A movie star (Giovanni Ribisi) struggles with the frenzy of celebrity. Actor Adam Goldberg directs.

“Jarhead”: A third-generation Marine (Jake Gyllenhaal) joins a sniper platoon in the Gulf War. Jamie Foxx co-stars, Sam Mendes directs.

“Just Friends”: A music-business hotshot (Ryan Reynolds) is reunited with his old high school dream girl. With Anna Faris and Amy Smart.

“The Matador”: A hit man (Pierce Brosnan) and a traveling salesman (Greg Kinnear) pal around after meeting at a Mexican bar.

“The New World”: Cultures collide in director Terrence Malick’s drama of colonial days starring Colin Farrell as John Smith and Q’orianka Kilcher as Pocahantas.

“New York Doll”: After alcoholism and a broken marriage, bassist Arthur Kane is reunited with his old band – ’70s punk pioneers the New York Dolls.

“Pride &Prejudice”: Keira Knightley stars in Jane Austen’s classic of love and class warfare in 18th century Britain. With Donald Sutherland and Brenda Blethyn.

“Pulse”: Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s 2001 Japanese horror tale, about ghostly apparitions terrorizing Tokyo, gets a belated U.S. release.

“Sarah Silverman”: Jesus Is Magic”: AIDS, Sept. 11 and the Holocaust are grist for the standup comic in this adaptation of her stage show.

“Syriana”: George Clooney’s an ex-CIA guy and Matt Damon’s an oil exec in this political thriller with a “Traffic”-like ensemble cast.

“Tristram Shandy: A Cock And Bull Story”: Filmmaker Michael Winterbottom adapts Laurence Sterne’s classic comic novel. Steve Coogan stars.

“The White Countess”: Ralph Fiennes stars in a tale of decadence and redemption in 1930s Shanghai. From director James Ivory and his late producing partner Ismail Merchant.

“Wolf Creek”: Three stranded backpackers encounter terror at the hands of a local on a trip in the Australian Outback.

“Yours, Mine and Ours”: Single parents (Dennis Quaid and Rene Russo) with 18 children between them plan to marry in this remake of the Henry Fonda-Lucille Ball comedy.

“Zathura”: Two young brothers discover a game that transports them into an interstellar adventure. Actor Jon Favreau directs.

December

“Be Here to Love Me: A Film About Townes Van Zandt”: This documentary portrait of the late singer-songwriter features Willie Nelson, Lyle Lovett and Steve Earle.

“Brokeback Mountain”: Cowboy lovers (Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal) maintain their secret bond through marriage and fatherhood.

“Casanova”: The legendary womanizer (Heath Ledger) chases the one woman (Sienna Miller) who has rejected him. Lasse Hallstrom directs.

“Freedomland”: Samuel L. Jackson and Julianne Moore star in a crime thriller centering on a carjacking and a missing child.

“Fun With Dick and Jane”: A couple (Jim Carrey and Tea Leoni) turns to thievery after hard times strike in this remake of the 1970s romp.

“Hard Candy”: A thirty-something fashion photographer gets more than he bargained for when he hooks up with a teenage woman on the Internet.

“Hidden”: A couple (Juliette Binoche and Daniel Auteuil) are harassed by a video stalker sending disturbing tapes of their domestic life.

“The Kid &I”: A washed-up actor (Tom Arnold) learns his comeback project isn’t what it seemed. Arnold Schwarzenegger makes a cameo appearance.

“The Libertine”: Johnny Depp lives out the wanton life of the scandalous 17th century Earl of Rochester. With John Malkovich and Samantha Morton.

“Match Point”: Woody Allen spins a drama of an Irish tennis pro (Jonathan Rhys-Meyers) whose cozy life is jeopardized by a fling with an actress (Scarlett Johansson).

“Mrs. Henderson Presents”: A society dame (Judi Dench) starts a nude revue in prewar London. With Bob Hoskins.

“Munich”: Steven Spielberg directs a thriller about agents pursuing Palestinians suspected of plotting the deaths of 11 Israeli athletes at the 1972 Olympics.

“The Producers”: Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick reprise their stage roles in the new movie version of Mel Brooks’ musical comedy of theater con men.

“The Ringer”: A slimeball (Johnny Knoxville) finds unlikely allies when he masquerades among mentally disabled to compete in the Special Olympics.

“Rumor Has It”: An obituary writer (Jennifer Aniston) learns her family may have inspired the film and book “The Graduate.” Kevin Costner co-stars, Rob Reiner directs.

“Transamerica”: A transsexual woman and a teen runaway take a cross-country road trip. With Felicity Huffman.

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