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Highlights of the fall film slate (release dates are subject to change):

ROLF KONOW/Universal Pictures (ENLARGE)
The real-life death of a starlet in the 1940s is at the heart of Brian De Palma's "The Black Dahlia," with Josh Hartnett.
Columbia Pictures (ENLARGE)
Sean Penn (right, with Jude Law) plays political boss Willie Stark in a new adaptation of Robert Penn Warren's classic "All the King's Men."
TRACY BENNETT/Dimension Films (ENLARGE)
Billy Bob Thornton helps Jon Heder (right) build his confidence but ends up as a rival for Jacinda Barrett's attention in "School for Scoundrels."
JONATHAN WENK/Paramount Pictures (ENLARGE)
Jacinda Barrett and Zach Braff navigate the rocky shoals of adulthood in "The Last Kiss."
Columbia Pictures (ENLARGE)
Vengeful goings-on continue in "The Grudge 2," with Amber Tamblyn fielding the curse.
Focus Features (ENLARGE)
A soccer player (Derek Luke) confronts apartheid in "Catch a Fire."
Universal Pictures (ENLARGE)
Robin Williams' talk-show prowess gets him elected president in "Man of the Year."
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SEPT. 15

"Army of Shadows": Jean-Pierre Melville directed this 1969 classic about the French Resistance during World War II.

"The Black Dahlia": Brian De Palma adapts James Ellroy's novel about a Hollywood starlet's 1947 murder. With Scarlett Johansson, Josh Hartnett and Hilary Swank.

"Everyone's Hero": The late Christopher Reeve is among the credited directors on this animated tale of a boy's cross-country trek.

"Gridiron Gang": Probation officers (Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and Xzibit) transform incarcerated teen felons into a football squad.

"Half Nelson": Ryan Gosling is an inner-city schoolteacher who's great with the kids but can't fight his own demons.

"Haven": Shady businessman Bill Paxton flees to the Caymans, where he runs into the equally corrupt Stephen Dillane and poor local boy Orlando Bloom, who's in love with Dillane's daughter.

"Keeping Mum": A new housekeeper tidies up the messy lives of a British vicar and his wife (Rowan Atkinson and Kristin Scott Thomas).

"The Last Kiss": A young architect (Zach Braff) cheats on his pregnant girlfriend in a comic drama about 30-somethings coping with adulthood.

"13 (Tzameti)": Deciding on a whim to follow some instructions left for someone else, a young man finds himself in a hidden, dangerous world where luck is everything.

SEPT. 22

"All the King's Men": Sean Penn is a flamboyant political boss in a new adaptation of Robert Penn Warren's novel. With Jude Law, Kate Winslet, Anthony Hopkins and James Gandolfini.

"Confetti": A mock documentary follows three couples involved in a magazine contest to create the glitziest wedding..

"Feast": Yet another variation on the "Night of the Living Dead" scenario, this time with the meals-to-be stuck inside a bar, battling hungry somethings in the mood for a snack.

"Flyboys": A group of American pilots pioneer aerial warfare during World War I. With James Franco.

"Jackass Number Two": Johnny Knoxville, Steve-O and their fellow pranksters carry out another round of crazy stunts and antics.

"Jet Li's Fearless": The action master plays real-life martial arts figure Huo Yuanjia, a legendary fighter in early-20th-century China.

VIVA PEDRO! Eight-film series of encore presentations opens with "All About My Mother": This Oscar winner shows how tragedy can unexpectedly bring two people together. And "Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown": Amid much comedy, women deal with their personal crises.

SEPT. 26

VIVA PEDRO! Eight-film series of encore presentations continues with "The Flower of My Secret": A woman near breakdown is the centerpiece of this examination of female empathy. And "Talk to Her": A male nurse falls for a young dancer in a coma.

SEPT. 29

"Boynton Beach Club": Susan Seidelman (remember "Desperately Seeking Susan?") directs Dyan Cannon, Sally Kellerman and Joseph Bologna in a romantic comedy set in an "active adult" community in Florida.

"The Guardian": A Coast Guard rescue swimmer (Kevin Costner) and his protégé (Ashton Kutcher) brave the icy waters of Alaska.

"Open Season": A pampered grizzly bear (voiced by Martin Lawrence) learns about life in the wild in this animated comedy.

"School for Scoundrels": A wimp (Jon Heder) ends up in an alpha-male showdown with the teacher (Billy Bob Thornton) of his confidence-building class.

"The Science of Sleep": The lines between waking and dream life blur for a young eccentric (Gael Garcia Bernal).

"The U.S. vs. John Lennon": The former Beatle's fierce anti-Vietnam stance makes him a person of interest to the feds in this documentary.

VIVA PEDRO! Series of encore presentations continues with "Law of Desire": A lurid tale of lust and violence. And "Matador": Sex, death and bullfighting.

OCT. 3

VIVA PEDRO! Series of encore presentations continues with "Bad Education": An actor under investigation enters a dreamy, surreal world. And "Live Flesh": A fate-filled, often outrageous tragicomedy.

OCT. 6

"Alex Rider: Operation Stormbreaker": A teen (Alex Pettyfer) is recruited as a superspy by British intelligence after the death of his undercover uncle.

"The Departed": Martin Scorsese directs Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon and Jack Nicholson in a tale of cops and mobsters who plant moles in the enemies' midst.

"Employee of the Month": Two slackers at a Costco vie for the titular honor (no pun intended) when they learn the prize is a date with the store hottie, played by Jessica Simpson.

"49 Up": Michael Apted gives us the next installment in his amazing documentary series that began with a group of 7-year-olds ("7 Up") and has continued with the director's every-seven-years visits.

"Jesus Camp": A documentary follows children at a summer camp where born-again Christians seek to shape the leaders of tomorrow.

"Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles": Three-time Oscar nominee Yimou Zhang directs this story of one man's journey through the heartland of China.

"The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning": The formative years of deranged killer Leatherface are chronicled in this horror prequel. Jordana Brewster stars.

OCT. 13

"The Grudge 2": The ghostly infection of rage lives on in a sequel to the horror hit. Amber Tamblyn stars.

"A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints": The mean-streets youth of a writer (Robert Downey Jr.) plays out in flashbacks during a visit home to Queens.

"Infamous": Author Truman Capote (Toby Jones) sets off on a dark path as he creates the true-crime novel "In Cold Blood." With Sandra Bullock and Daniel Craig.

"Man of the Year": Robin Williams is a political talk-show firebrand who winds up elected president. Barry Levinson directs.

"The Marine": An Iraq war veteran (wrestler John Cena) takes on the thugs who kidnapped his wife (Kelly Carlson).

"The Queen": Helen Mirren is Queen Elizabeth II as she deals with the aftermath of Princess Diana's death. Stephen Frears directs.

"Renaissance": A cop pursues a kidnapped scientist in this animated sci-fi tale set in Paris in 2054. Daniel Craig and Romola Garai lead the voice cast.

"Shortbus": New Yorkers gather for highbrow talk and hard-core sex in a comedic romp directed by John Cameron Mitchell ("Hedwig and the Angry Inch").

OCT. 20

"Flags of Our Fathers": Clint Eastwood directs a war saga about soldiers immortalized raising the U.S. flag at Iwo Jima. With Ryan Phillippe, Paul Walker and Barry Pepper.

"Flicka": A new adaptation of the family novel "My Friend Flicka" stars Alison Lohman as a teen training a wild mustang as a riding horse.

"Heading South": In the 1970s, some wealthy women of a certain age head to Haiti for no-strings sex with young locals during "Baby Doc" Duvalier's bloody reign. With Charlotte Rampling.

"The Last King of Scotland": A Scottish doctor (James McAvoy) working in Uganda is chosen by dictator Idi Amin (Forest Whitaker) as his personal physician.

"Little Children": Married couples and their kids find kinship, melodrama and danger on their small-town streets. With Kate Winslet and Jennifer Connelly.

"Marie Antoinette": Kirsten Dunst is the 18th-century teen queen whose reign of excess preceded the French Revolution. Sofia Coppola directs.

"The Nightmare Before Christmas 3-D": Tim Burton's stop-motion animated Halloween tale returns in a three-dimensional format.

"The Prestige": Rival magicians (Hugh Jackman and Christian Bale) wage a lifelong battle. With Michael Caine and Scarlett Johansson. Christopher Nolan directs.

"Running With Scissors": A youth (Joseph Cross) copes with a lunatic upbringing amid his deranged parents' divorce. Annette Bening and Alec Baldwin co-star.

OCT. 27

"American Hardcore": The lives and influence of American punk rockers from 1980 to '86 are explored in this documentary.

"Babel": Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett lead an ensemble drama about families around the globe loosely connected by tragic events.

"Catch a Fire": An apolitical soccer player (Derek Luke) is moved to violent rebellion against South Africa's apartheid government. With Tim Robbins.

"Conversations With God": The movie is based on Neale Donald Walsch's spiritually themed series of seven books that he describes as a dialogue with God.

"Copying Beethoven": A music student (Diane Kruger) lands a dream gig as copyist for Beethoven (Ed Harris).

"Deliver Us From Evil": A documentary traces the shocking career of pedophile Roman Catholic priest Oliver O'Grady.

"Saw III": The mind games and body parts fly again as the serial killer (Tobin Bell) enlists a new apprentice.