The Heat Is on for Autumn Films by Movie Reviewers on Creators.com

Recently

Tyler Labine: From TV BFF to 'Tucker & Dale' Tyler Labine has blood on his hands. His Calgary hotel room is stained with the ignominy of a brutal two-week bacchanal out in the woods. The voices of the dead screech in his brain. He and his associate, Alan Tudyk, try to cope with all they've …Read more. 'Killer' Cast, Not Much Flash Robert De Niro. Jason Statham. These are two iconic names that, alone, have carried some of the best tough-guy blockbusters. Toss in the second-tier talent of Clive Owen, and you've got an unstoppable action triumvirate. It's a pity, then, that …Read more. 'Drive' Crashes and Burns 2011 will go down in the Hollywood history books as the year of Ryan Gosling. The man with the Photoshop-perfect abs and cool sheen — but who also has proved himself to be a fine thespian and occasional musician — has utterly dominated …Read more. Fed Up With 3-D Three-dimensional cheerleaders have really scraped the bottom of the barrel with this one — and I do mean bottom. The fourth installment of the "Spy Kids" series, starring Jessica Alba and Jeremy Piven, took a note from the amusement-…Read more.

The Heat Is on for Autumn Films

Kids are heading back to school (already!). Giant robots are giving way to think pieces (well, not entirely, as you'll see later in this column). Fall is just around the corner, and that means an array of films vying for more-refined eyes (mostly) and a thinner but satiating slice of the box-office pie. Here is a slew we're looking forward to as temperatures cool outside.

Sept. 2: "Shark Night 3D" — Not to be outdone by their pint-size, razor-teethed pals the piranhas, sharks are going three-dimensional in late summer. Guaranteed to be a b-movie delight. Starring Sara Paxton.

Sept. 9: "Contagion" — An all-star cast (Kate Winslet, Matt Damon) must battle with a pandemic that threatens to wipe out mankind. Talk about Angry Birds! Directed by Steven Soderbergh, who's always up for a stylistic challenge, this should be one deadly awesome flick.

Sept. 16: "Drive" — It Guy Ryan Gosling becomes a Hit Guy in this high-octane stuns-and-crime story. It's rumored to have begun as a tongue-in-cheek heist, but it morphed into a grittier drama once Gosling took over the driver's seat from Hugh Jackman.

Sept. 20: "Pearl Jam Twenty" — Whoa-o, whoa-o, they're still alive! The godfathers of grunge get the documentary treatment by "Almost Famous" writer/director Cameron Crowe, featuring classic and new interviews with the band, as well as revealing archival footage of fellow rock misfits Kurt Cobain and Layne Staley.

Sept. 30: "50/50" — Cancer isn't funny. But sometimes those coping with it need a reason to smile. Seth Rogen and Joseph Gordon-Levitt give it a shot in this buzzworthy dramedy.

Oct.

7: "Real Steel" — Don't fret if you're down about Hugh Jackson dropping out of "Drive." He was too busy fighting Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Robots! This man-versus-machine movie looks so ridiculous, it's got to be amazing.

Oct. 14: "The Big Year" — For this writer, the plot is the least important of details about "The Big Year." It's led by Jack Black, Owen Wilson and Steve Martin. However, their characters are described as avid bird-watchers, so getting overly excited about this one might be a bit cuckoo.

Oct. 21: "The Three Musketeers" — After sitting out the most-recent installment of "Pirates of the Caribbean," Orlando Bloom is back to his swashbuckling habits. The Alexandre Dumas work has been done to death, but this 3-D version might be sharp enough for modern audiences.

Oct. 28: "In Time" — They say time is money. In this futuristic piece, that's not just a metaphor. The roster is impeccable, boasting everyone from Justin Timberlake to small-screen hottie Matt Bomer, and the plot, in which immortality can be purchased, sounds heavy but entertaining. One to watch out for amid all those obligatory Halloween slashers.

Nov. 4: "A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas" — This is probably going to bring new meaning to "lighting up the tree." Our favorite multicultural stoners wreak havoc on the wholesome holiday, with a little help from frienemy Neil Patrick Harris.

Nov. 9: "J. Edgar" — Expect another Oscar nomination for Leonardo DiCaprio as he walks a mile in the shoes (possibly high heels?) of FBI head J. Edgar Hoover. Directed by Clint Eastwood and written by Academy Award-winner Dustin Lance Black ("Milk"), this biopic is being touted as a surefire awards-season biggie.

To find out more about Melissa Bobbitt and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.