With throwaway action movies bridging the gap between the thrill of summer and the prestige of fall, here is the opportunity to examine what the latter season has to offer. The five films previewed are the most promising and enticing, which says a lot when they’re competing with the likes of the seventh ‘Harry Potter,’ the new film by ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ director Danny Boyle, a Robert De Niro/Edward Norton prison drama and an Italy-set thriller starring Johnny Depp and Angelina Jolie.

These may not be the five Oscar nominees, but they’re good enough to end the year on a high note.

‘The Social Network’ (Set to release: 10/1)

Pegged as the early front-runner for Best Picture by Entertainment Weekly, ‘The Social Network’ should not have a hard time shaking the nickname ‘The Facebook Movie.’ Directed by David Fincher (‘Fight Club,’ ‘Zodiac’), the film stars the highly talented Jesse Eisenberg as Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, whose record-shattering entrepreneurial effort introduced him to the dark side of the American Dream. Boasting the best trailer and tagline, ‘You don’t get to 500 million friends without making a few enemies,’ Fincher’s depiction of greed, loneliness and the shifting social landscape might be his best work yet.

‘Due Date’ (11/5)

The plot of ‘Due Date’ is very similar to that of ‘Planes, Trains and Automobiles’ (1981), the classic comedy starring Steve Martin and John Candy as a pair of mismatched travel companions. If ‘Due Date’ is anywhere near as good as the comedy it’s frequently compared to, director Todd Phillips (‘Old School,’ ‘The Hangover’) will have another jewel to his name. Robert Downey Jr. stars as an expectant father, whose trip to see his child’s birth is complicated by the antics of an aspiring actor, played by Zach Galifianakis. Which, of course, can only mean this movie has the potential to become a classic.

‘Black Swan’ (12/1)

A psychological thriller set in the world of New York City ballet, ‘Black Swan’ stars Natalie Portman as a shy but ambitious ballerina, whose understudy, a deviously sexual Mila Kunis, could ruin everything she’s worked for. A brutal, surrealistic drama, ‘Black Swan’ perfectly suits the strengths of visionary director Darren Aronofsky (‘Requiem for a Dream,’ ‘The Wrestler’). Portman’s daring performance is rumored to be Oscar-worthy. The picture is drawing across-the-board raves. Variety praised it for its style, fearlessness and excess, calling it ‘one of the strongest Venice openers in recent memory.’ Viewers will soon be joining in on the long standing ovation started at the film’s Venice Film Festival premiere.

‘The Fighter’ (12/10)

Perpetually embattled director David O. Russell (‘Three Kings’) is crazy. He tried to fight George Clooney on the set of ‘Three Kings,’ cussed out Lily Tomlin on the set of ‘I Heart Huckabees’ (2004), and recently got James Caan to leave the set of his next film after a fight over a cookie. Despite the controversies, Russell is a genius behind the camera. The world will likely come to recognize this when his latest film, which centers on boxer Micky Ward (Mark Wahlberg) and his brother Dickie Ward (Christian Bale), blows up later this year. Wahlberg and Bale are both garnering early raves for their performances, while Russell could finally receive the recognition his talent warrants.

‘True Grit’ (12/25)

The Coen brothers are currently working on a level most major filmmakers will never come close to reaching, riding high on the successes of ‘No Country for Old Men’ (2007), ‘Burn After Reading’ (2008) and ‘A Serious Man’ (2009). ‘True Grit’ is based on Charles Portis’ 1968 novel of the same name, and the Coens are aiming for a stricter adaptation than the 1969 version that starred John Wayne (which won him his only Oscar). The Coens’ ‘True Grit’ stars Academy Award-winner Jeff Bridges as Reuben J. ‘Rooster’ Cogburn, a U.S. Marshall hired by a 14-year-old girl intent on avenging her father’s death. Matt Damon and Josh Brolin costar in what appears to be fall’s finest offering.

smlittma@syr.edu

Published on September 15, 2010 at 12:00 pm