As the days become shorter, and the nights become cooler, there is one thing on the horizon that all of us are quickly becoming aware of - the arrival of a slew of exciting 2009 Fall Movies. What's always been great about this time of year is that it's not just about "horror films" or movies that are made to touch the holiday hearts that burgeon each year as turkey, Santa and New Year's Eve stretch into the new year and beyond.

The menu is varied, wide open and we hope - satisfying. While we couldn't list them all, please join us as we quickly chronicle what lies ahead in Screen Rant's 2009 Fall Movie Preview!

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SEPTEMBER - 2009

Whiteout poster

Whiteout

September 11th, 2009

The Scoop: Pretty little starlet Kate Beckinsale takes on this graphic novel turned killer-thriller. Beckinsale plays a U.S. Marshall investigating Antarctica's first homicide as the sun sets for six entire months. Will she find the killer in the cold dark before he finds her?

SR Says: The trailer paints this movie as more X-Files than detective story, which could confuse some on the premise. However, cold weather and hot Beckinsale = worth the ticket price?

See it? Maybe.

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The Informant! poster

The Informant!

September 18, 2009

The Scoop: Director Steven Soderbergh helms an all-star cast providing you "a mix of A Beautiful Mind and The Insider." Damon plays the exec of a agri-business giant who goes overboard working as a snitch for the Feds. It's bi-polar, whistle-blowing storytelling at it's best!

SR Says: It's going to be amazing to see what this cast can pull off under Soderbergh's direction with such an involved script.

See it? Yes.

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New Poster of Megan Fox in Jennifer's Body

Jennifer's Body

September 18, 2009

The Scoop: Megan Fox plays a possessed cheerleader, with a fetish for feasting on boys (and girls). Hot sexy teens, girl on girl kissing/rubbing and more social satire from Juno writer Diablo Cody.

SR Says: Depends on how you feel about Megan Fox looking both sexy and grotesque in one film.

See it? If you like teen horror flicks, or are a devotee of Cody.

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Pandorum "Voices In Your Head" Poster

Pandorum

September 25, 2009

The Scoop: Ben Foster and Dennis Quaid star as two astronauts who wake up on an abandoned future spacecraft and have no idea what's happened. As with all things in movies, time unveils the "truth" of what they face - a ship full of crazy space monsters.

SR Says: Dennis Quaid has had some woofers lately, but Ben Foster always offers something unique. MMA fans may recognize cast member Cung Le as the current Strikeforce Middleweight Champion, which guarantees at least two raucous fights in this thriller.

See it? Yes.

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The Surrogates new poster1

Surrogates

September 25th, 2009

The Scoop: In a future where people live life through robotic surrogates, Bruce Willis plays a cop who must venture back into the real world to investigate a string of crimes involving people dying while connected to their Surrogates.

SR Says: Jonathan Mostow is an underrated director, and seeing Bruce "alive" again, with great f/x and a bit of gravitas sounds like a great combination.

See it? Absolutely.

(Continue to page 2 for October's Movie Preview)

OCTOBER - 2009

A Serious Man poster

A Serious Man

October 2, 2009

The Scoop: The Coen Brothers provide another history-visiting romp to 1967. A professor's life is unraveling in his pursuit to become righteous.

SR Says: The Coens and comedy can be hit (Raising Arizona) or miss (The Ladykillers).

See it? Maybe, or just wait for the DVD.

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New Zombieland Poster 300px

Zombieland

October 2, 2009

The Scoop: Zombies have overrun the world. Two men survive - with lots and lots of guns. Eventually boys meet girls and more zombie killing ensues.

SR Says: This looks like an almost direct-port of the video game Left 4 Dead - with a sprinkle of Woody Harrelson, which might not be a bad thing, even with Jimmy Kimmel: Live director Ruben Fleischer at the helm.

See it? We're there.

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Law Abiding Citizen poster2

Law Abiding Citizen

October 16, 2009

The Scoop: The realm of vengeance has a new player in the form of a man (Gerard Butler) who takes the law into his own hands after a lawyer (Jamie Foxx) gets the scumbag who murdered his family set free on a plea bargain.

SR Says: This could be the movie that helps to redeem Gerald Butler's grimacing and brooding in Gamer.

See it? Sure.

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The Road Poster: Viggo Mortensen

The Road

November 25, 2009

The Scoop: "Soon to retire from acting" Viggo Mortensen, Charlize Theron, and a fleshed-out cast offer up a post-apocalyptic father-and-son journey across a scorched America with a pistol, some scavenged morsels and - each other. Based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Cormac McCarthy.

SR Says: Considering the political "weather" in America, this might be something that reminds people to value the people around you. If not, the action/epic angle could still generate buzz and box office money. Win-Win.

See it? Yes.

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Where The Wild Things Are Poster

Where the Wild Things Are

October 16th, 2009

The Scoop: It was a book that was read to most of us as kids: A young, angry boy, sent to bed without dinner finds his way (via his own imagination) into a world with creatures galore.

SR Says: The visuals for this Spike Jonze movie have been stoking the imagination-fires of millions and we're eager to see what this offers in the silver screen.

See it? Yes, please.

(Continue to page 3 for November & December movies)

NOVEMBER - 2009

A Christmas Carol poster2

A Christmas Carol (3D)

November 6th, 2009

The Scoop: Jim Carrey and Robert Zemeckis team up for a motion-capture animated retelling of Charles Dickens' classic tale. Carrey plays Ebenezer Scrooge and all three ghosts, past present and future. It promises to be spooky, funny fun for the whole family (say that 3x fast).

SR Says: Carrey is more miss than hit these days, but Zemeckis + ghosts + good CGI + a classic story = promising.

See it? Only question is do we shell-out for the 3D version.

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Roland Emmerich 2012 Poster

2012

November 13th, 2009

The Scoop: Roland Emmerich directs yet another global disaster film, based on the details provided in the Mayan calendar which hails 2012 as the "end of all time." Somewhere in there is the usual Emmerich "Man vs. World" story with John Cusack.

SR Says: We thought 10,000 B.C. was the end of all our interest in Roland Emmerich's work... but man those CGI destruction sequences look epic...

See it? Reluctantly in theaters, DVD for sure.

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First Official Poster for New Moon

New Moon

Nov 20, 2009

The Scoop: The second offering of the Twilight Saga arrives. Though the cast looks different, the same vampire-ridden, not-so-bloody high school hi-jinx continue.

SR Says: Is it even possible for this movie to not be huge?

See it? Only if you like Twilight.

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2nd official poster for James McTeigue's Ninja Assassin

Ninja Assassin

November 25, 2009

The Scoop: Two ninjas - one (Korean Pop Star "Rain") defects from his orphanage - where all ninjas are grown - only to be hunted by his ninja brethren!

SR Says: V for Vendetta director John McTeigue will offer some killer visuals on a straight-forward kick-ass-kicking action ride just in time for Thanksgiving.

See it? Ninjas kicking ass? For sure.

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DECEMBER - 2009

The Princess and The Frog poster

Princess and the Frog

December 11, 2009

The Scoop: Voice talents galore collide in this tale of a young princess that lives in New Orleans during the the Jazz Age. When a charming frog prince asks for her restorative kiss, the princess ends up getting an amphibian experience of her own.

SR Says: Terrence Howard, Oprah, John Goodman and Aladdin/Little Mermaid Director Ron Clements provide another offering that could be a classic.

See it? A 2D hand-animated movie... Could be kind of retro, in a nice way.

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The Lovely Bones novel poster

Lovely Bones

December 11, 2009

The Scoop: Mark Wahlberg, Rachel Weisz and Stanley Tucci jump aboard this Peter Jackson-helmed project focusing on the post-death life of a young girl as she watches down on her family - and her murderer - from "the in-between." Adapted from the bestselling Alice Sebold novel.

SR Says: Potential vengeance and Peter Jackson sell this project for us outright. It's an interesting departure film for Jackson with some gorgeous visuals. The screenplay writing staff include the entire team that inked The Lord of the Rings trilogy.

See it? Yes.

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Avatar poster - Zoe Saldana

Avatar (3D)

December 18, 2009

The Scoop: James Cameron, aliens, ground-breaking technology, 14 years in the making, and massive hype is what awaits us on this visit to an alien world via beings called "AVATARs," which we "drive" through the alien world of Pandora.

SR Says: A must-see, if only to know if it lives up to a gargantuan amount of hype, but also to see what is supposed to be an evolutionary step in feature film technology.

See it? Don't miss it.

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Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus poster

The Imaginarium Of Doctor Parnassus

December 25, 2009 (November 11th in France, evidently)

The Scoop: Time Bandits Director Terry Gilliam teams up with an all-star cast to provide you the adventures of a traveling theater company that falls into a bad deal with the devil (Tom Waits). Johnny Depp, Jude Law and Colin Farrell fill-in for a gone-too-soon Heath Ledger.

SR Says: It's a weird premise but the star power combined with Ledger's final bow could draw a crowd.

See it? Sure, why not.

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Sherlock Holmes poster - Holmes

Sherlock Holmes

December 25, 2009

The Scoop: In this resurrection of a classic character, Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law play Holmes and Watson, trying to solve the supernatural mysteries of the villainous Lord Blackwood (Mark Strong) before all London falls into peril.

SR Says: It's hard to jump off the Robert Downey Jr. train at this point. Add on director Guy Ritchie and a revisit to a classic character and you have at least a staff-worth of ticket buys.

See it? We'll be in the theater seated right next to Santa.

Did we miss one? Got a diamond in the rough that we've left out? Discuss below here at Screen Rant!