40 fall flicks: From Gordon Gekko to Facebook, a sneak peek at the season's big new movies

Some of the year’s most buzzed-about movies are finally hitting theaters in the next two months, whether it’s Oliver Stone’s “Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps,” David Fincher’s “The Social Network” (left), or “Jackass 3D.” Also, if you’re a fan of Ben Affleck, James Franco or Zach Galifianakis, you’re in luck: They’re in at least two movies apiece. Here are the flicks we’re anticipating this fall.

"The Romantics"
When a group of 20-something college friends reunite for a wedding, feelings are rekindled between the groom (Josh Duhamel) and the maid of honor (Katie Holmes). (Sept. 10)

"I’m Still Here"
It’s still not clear if Casey Affleck’s documentary about Joaquin Phoenix’s transition from actor to hip-hop artist is fact, fiction or something in between. Whatever it is, it’s intriguing. (Sept. 10)

"Never Let Me Go"
Carey Mulligan, Andrew Garfield and Keira Knightley play boarding school students whose lives are uprooted by an upsetting secret. Adapted from the Kazuo Ishiguro novel. (Sept. 15)

"The Town"
In Ben Affleck’s second turn as a director, he plays a serial bank robber who develops feelings for a bank manager after a heist. Meanwhile, the FBI is after his crew. Also starring Jon Hamm and Rebecca Hall. (Sept. 17)

"Jack Goes Boating"
Philip Seymour Hoffman makes his directorial debut in this script-driven romance set in a New York City working-class community. A limo driver (Hoffman) and a funeral parlor employee (Amy Ryan) hit it off, but both must overcome their timid
attitudes toward relationships. (Sept. 17)

"Catfish"
When filmmakers Ariel Schulman and Henry Joost decide to follow Ariel’s brother on camera, a surprising story unfolds. The less you know, the more you’ll appreciate “Catfish,” a documentary that received rave reviews at the Sundance Film Festival. (Sept. 17)

"Easy A"
In this loose adaptation of “The Scarlet Letter,” an otherwise straight-laced high school student (Emma Stone) pretends to sleep with boys looking to boost their reputations in the bedroom. (Sept. 17)

"Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps"
In Oliver Stone’s long-awaited sequel to “Wall Street,” Michael Douglas returns as Gordon Gekko. Newly reformed after a prison stint, he takes his estranged daughter’s (Carey Mulligan) boyfriend (Shia LaBeouf), an up-and-coming Wall Street trader, under his wing. (Sept. 24)

"Howl"
James Franco takes on the iconic role of beat poet Allen Ginsberg. The film revolves around Ginsberg’s seminal work, “Howl,” and the obscenity trial that it spurred in 1957. (Sept. 24)

"Waiting for ‘Superman’"
David Guggenheim, the director of “An Inconvenient Truth,” turns his sights on the American school system. (Sept. 24)

"You Again"
Kristen Bell plays a woman who finds out her brother is marrying her old high school nemesis. To boot, their mothers were rivals, too.    (Sept. 24)

"You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger"
Woody Allen’s latest comedy centers on a wife and husband (Naomi Watts and Josh Brolin) who both have wandering eyes. The ensemble cast also includes Anthony Hopkins, Antonio Banderas and “Slumdog Millionaire’s” Freida Pinto. (Sept. 24)

"Legends of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole"
“300” director Zack Snyder trades in the swords and togas for 3-D animated owls in this adaptation of the family books series by Kathryn Lasky. (Sept. 24)   

"The Social Network"
David Fincher captures the social networking zeitgeist with this highly anticipated Facebook origins story. Jesse Eisenberg, right, stars as founder Mark Zuckerberg. With Justin Timberlake, left. (Oct. 1)

"Freakonomics"
A dream team of documentary filmmakers, including Alex Gibney, Eugene Jarecki and Morgan Spurlock, directs this anthology of short docs adapted from the best-selling book. (Oct. 1)

"Let Me In"
Matt Reeves (“Cloverfield”) directs this adaptation of the eponymous Swedish novel and film, about the friendship between a bullied boy and his mysterious neighbor, a young vampire girl. (Oct. 1)

"It’s Kind of a Funny Story"
A depressed Brooklyn teenager checks himself into a mental health clinic and makes some unlikely friends — one of them played by Zach Galifianakis. From Brooklyn directing team Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck. (Oct. 8)

"Stone"
A parole officer (Robert De Niro) becomes intimate with the wife (Milla Jovovich) of a convicted murderer (Edward Norton) whose case he’s reviewing. It’s not an ideal predicament for a married lawman on the verge of retirement. (Oct. 8)

"Life as We Know It"
A successful caterer (Katherine Heigl) becomes an unexpected mommy when she inherits a goddaughter and is forced to share duties with a man (Josh Duhamel) she despises. (Oct. 8)

"Jackass 3D"
Johnny Knoxville and the crew. In 3-D. Need we say more? (Oct. 15)

"Conviction"
A devoted sister (Hilary Swank) spends 18 years trying to prove the innocence of her older brother (Sam Rockwell), who has been sentenced to life for murder. Based on a true story. (Oct. 15)

"Carlos"
In the 1970s and ’80s, Carlos the Jackal orchestrated terror attacks throughout Europe and the Middle East. Director Olivier Assayas brings his infamous life to screen in this epic 5 ½ -hour biopic. (Oct. 15)

"Red"
An all-star cast including Bruce Willis, Helen Mirren, John Malkovich and Morgan Freeman is the major selling point for this graphic-novel adaptation, an action flick about a reunited special ops team. (Oct. 15)               
  
"Hereafter"
The tireless Clint Eastwood tackles mortality in his latest directorial project, which stars Matt Damon as a factory worker who can speak with the dead. His life intersects with the lives of other strangers who’ve had brushes with death. (Oct. 22)

"The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest"
Lisbeth Salandar (Noomi Rapace), the tech-savvy heroine of Stieg Larsson’s book trilogy, is back for the final installment of the film adaptation. Catch it in Swedish before David Fincher remakes the trilogy for American audiences. (Oct. 29)

"The Company Men"
When three men (Ben Affleck, Tommy Lee Jones, Chris Cooper) are laid off from the same company, their lives take unexpected turns. Not necessarily for the worse. (Oct. 22)

"Paranormal Activity 2"
The sequel to the wildly successful low-budget thriller has a new director, as well as a major studio behind it. Can lightning strike twice for the “Paranormal Activity” franchise? (Oct. 22)

"Saw 3D"
The super-scary Jigsaw franchise makes its return to the big-screen, this time in 3-D. (Oct. 29)

"Due Date"
In the latest comedy from Todd Phillips (“The Hangover,” “Old School”), Robert Downey Jr. and Zach Galifianakis pair up to play unlikely cross-country road trip buddies. (Nov. 5)

"Fair Game"
Doug Liman brings the story of exposed CIA agent Valerie Plame (Naomi Watts) to the big screen, with Sean Penn starring as Plame’s husband, Joe Wilson. (Nov. 5)

"Client 9: The Rise and Fall of Eliot Spitzer"
Alex Gibney, who has investigated corruption in documentaries such as “Taxi to the Dark Side” and “Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room,” now tracks the story of fallen Gov. Eliot Spitzer. (Nov. 5)

"Welcome to the Rileys"
James Gandolfini and Melissa Leo play a despondent couple coming to terms with the death of their child. His coping mechanism: informally adopting a stripper (Kristen Stewart). It’s not as sleazy as it sounds. (Nov. 5)

"127 Hours"
Danny Boyle directs James Franco in this outdoor thriller about the real-life climber who got pinned by a boulder in a Utah canyon — and escaped by amputating his own arm. Prepare for some serious teeth-gritting. (Nov. 5)

7 more to watch

A young boy joins the wrestling team to help reunite his broken family in “Legendary” (Sept. 10). … In “The Freebie,” a husband and wife allow each other a one-night stand (Sept. 17). … In “Buried,” Ryan Reynolds gets buried alive with only a cell phone and a lighter (Sept. 24). … Michael Imperioli wrote and directed “The Hungry Ghosts” (Oct. 1). … Aasif Mandvi wrote and stars in “Today’s Special” (Oct. 8). … A city girl (Gemma Arterton) returns to her English village roots in “Tamara Drewe” (Oct. 8). … Emily Blunt is an art forger on the run in “Wild Target” (Oct. 29).