A Guide to the Fall's Hottest Movies

By Jeff Giles

Summer is over, and the Fun in the Sun aisle at your local department store has been replaced with rows of binders, pencils, and sad-faced children. Yes, film fans, fall is here, and it's time to take a look at what you can expect to find at a theater near you between now and when your post-Thanksgiving tryptophan coma finally fades. The studios have lined up a diverse crowd of contenders -- you've got your typical awards contenders (Lions for Lambs, The Golden Age), broad comedies (Good Luck Chuck, The Heartbreak Kid), senses-shattering action flicks (Shoot 'Em Up, Hitman), bloodcurdling thrillers (30 Days of Night, The Mist), kid-friendly fare (Bee Movie, Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium) and a few movies that seem to promise a little of everything (American Gangster, Beowulf). In other words, you'd better start padding that Friday movie fund, because you'll have plenty of reasons to brave the megaplex over the next few months. Read on!