Based on true stories

More than a dozen of the highest-profile films are based on either true stories or historical events. The fall and holiday season will also see the release of a couple of promising documentaries.

Many are likely to be Oscar contenders, including Spike Lee's World War II drama "Miracle at St. Anna" and Bryan Singer's "Valkyrie," which stars Tom Cruise and explores the war from another angle — the attempted assassination of Hitler.

Others, such as Oliver Stone's take on George W. Bush, are likely to be hotly debated. "W." will hit theaters just a couple of weeks before voters choose the next president.

There are still plenty of fictional characters coming to the multiplex, from James Bond to Beverly Hills chihuahuas.

GETTING REAL

The following is a look at movies set for release between now and the end of the year. Release dates are subject to change.

Miracle at St. Anna (Sept. 26) — Black American soldiers get stuck in a Tuscan village during World War II. Derek Luke stars in the film, directed by Spike Lee, who feuded with Clint Eastwood earlier this year over Eastwood's lack of black characters in "Flags of Our Fathers."

The Duchess (Oct. 3) — A biopic on 18th-century aristocrat Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire, whose love and politics were controversial. Yet another period drama for Keira Knightley. This one is based on Amanda Foreman's book "Georgiana: Duchess of Devonshire."

Flash of Genius (Oct. 3) — An inventor (Greg Kinnear) fights for credit for his windshield wiper invention, which was stolen by big carmakers. Too bad they didn't swipe designs for better gas mileage.

How to Lose Friends & Alienate People (Oct. 3) — A British journalist (Simon Pegg) tries to fit in in New York. Kirsten Dunst, Megan Fox, Jeff Bridges and Gillian Anderson are among the alienated. The movie is based on Toby Young's memoirs of his years as a contributing editor at Vanity Fair magazine.

The Express (Oct. 10) — Every fall needs its football movie, and this year we get a biopic on Ernie Davis (Rob Brown), the first black football player to win the Heisman trophy. Robert Gallagher's biography serves as the basis.

W. (Oct. 17) — Oliver Stone turns his conspiratorial and incisive biographical eye to the early life of our lame-duck president, with Josh Brolin starring as the malapropism-spewing Decider in Chief.

Changeling (Oct. 31) — A Los Angeles mother (Angelina Jolie) loses her boy to kidnapping and when he returns, she suspects it isn't him. This one is a surefire Oscar contender with white-hot Clint Eastwood in the director's chair. The story is based on the 1928 Wineville Chicken Murders, which exposed corruption in the LAPD.

The Soloist (Nov. 21) — Forget "2008." This will go down as "Robert Downey Jr. Year." The in-and-out-of-rehab megatalent caps off his latest comeback with this likely Oscar-flirting turn as journalist Steve Lopez (author of the book on which this is based) who tries to rehabilitate a homeless musician.

Milk (Nov. 26) — Sean Penn takes on the persona of the iconic Harvey Milk, California's first openly gay public offical and a victim of an assassin.

Defiance (Dec. 12) — Daniel Craig, Liev Schreiber and Jamie Bell play Jewish brothers who escape from Nazi Poland and join Russian forces. Nechama Tec's book on the story provided the inspiration.

Frost/Nixon (Dec. 25) — British talk show host David Frost (Michael Sheen) interviews Richard Nixon (Frank Langella, who won a Tony for his performance in a stage version of the story) in the wake of Watergate.

Hurricane Season (Dec. 25) —After Hurricane Katrina, a Louisiana high school basketball coach (Forest Whitaker) patches together a team with players from five schools.

Marley & Me (Dec. 25) — Based on the heart-melting John Grogan book, this sentimental comedy is about what a family learns from its misbehaving Laborador retriever. Owen Wilson plays Grogan, and Jennifer Aniston plays his wife.

Valkyrie (Dec. 26) — Set during World War II, a plot to assassinate Hitler unfolds. Tom Cruise stars in director Bryan Singer's first non-superhero movie in 10 years.

DOC'S OFFICE

Documentaries.

Man on Wire (Oct. 3) — A documentary on Philippe Petit's illegal 1974 tightrope walk between the Twin Towers. The one film that can truly call itself a dramatic highwire act. The film picked up two prizes at Sundance this year.

Religulous (Oct. 3) — Bill Maher analyzes religion around the world in this offbeat documentary. Expect it to be the opposite of a religious revival and extremely controversial.

FAM SLAMS

Movies kids and adults can enjoy together.

Igor (Sept. 19) — An animated film about a hunchbacked lab assistant (John Cusack) who dreams of stepping out on his own to become a mad scientist.

Beverly Hills Chihuahua (Oct. 3) — Drew Barrymore lends her voice to a family-friendly tale of a small dog that gets lost in Mexico. It's something for those who miss the old Taco Bell commercials.

City of Ember (Oct. 10) — Tim Robbins and Bill Murray appear in this family adventure about a city of lights that's running out of power. Much like Murray's energy level the past few years.

High School Musical 3: Senior Year (Oct. 24) — Is this really only the third "HSM"? I could swear there were at least five already. Oh well, the tweens will watch Ashley Tisdale and crew do their showtune thing once again, only this time their parents have to pay for it.

Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa (Nov. 7) — This lighthearted kiddie flick takes on a sad undertone because it includes one of Bernie Mac's last performances before his death last month from pneumonia.

Nothing Like the Holidays (Nov. 21) — A Puerto Rican family in Chicago celebrates what they think could be their last Christmas together. John Leguizamo is there with jingle bells on.

Bolt (Nov. 21) — This animated comedy follows the exploits of Bolt, a German shepherd (John Travolta) who has lived his life on an action TV show. He scampers off set and thinks he's got super powers. Nobody tell Hiro from "Heroes" the same thing.

The Tale of Desperaux (Dec. 19) — It's an animated tale of mice and men... er, mice and a young girl. Emma Watson lends her voice to a princess who gets adventurously involved with mice living in her castle. Fans of Kate DiCamillo's book will want to check this out.

Bedtime Stories (Dec. 25) — Coming off the rollicking "Hairpsray," director Adam Shankman follows up with the story of an architect (Adam Sandler) who tells his child bedtime stories that come true. Wonder how long it takes for dad to tell one about finding a million dollars buried in the backyard?

HIP INDIES

You've heard about them on the festival circuit and online. Now you'll see if they have the goods.

Baghead (Sept. 12) — The indie crew that made "The Puffy Chair" reunites for a horror comedy about actors who gather in a cabin to write a screenplay and find themselves the victims of their own horror plot.

Ghost Town (Sept. 19) — An annoying man (Ricky Gervais) dies and comes back to life, discovering he can now contact ghosts. Like "The Sixth Sense," only funnier.

Towelhead (Sept. 26) — A Lebanese teen undergoes a sexual awakening after she's sent to live with her strict father during the first Gulf War. Aaron Eckhart, Toni Collette and Maria Bello fill out the impressive cast. Alan Ball, who created "Six Feet Under," adapts an Alicia Erian novel.

Blindness (Oct. 3) — In a town struck by blindness, a doctor's wife (Julianne Moore) is the only one who can still see. Awards maven Fernando Meirelles ("City of God," "The Constant Gardener") works from the novel by Nobel Prize-winner José Saramago.

Happy-Go-Lucky (Oct. 10) — A 30-year-old London schoolteacher gets through trouble with the help of her friends. British impresario Mike Leigh ("Vera Drake") is behind this choice piece of Oscar bait.

I Served the King of England (Oct. 10) — A servant works at a high-class, old-style hotel in this Czech film (based on the Bohumil Hrabal's novel), which has been served plenty of awards at international festivals.

Rocknrolla (Oct. 31) — Underground types and mobsters scramble to get their hands on loads of cash from a real estate scam. Gerard Butler stars. Director Guy Ritchie ("Snatch") tries to regain his indie rock star status.

STAR POWER

Worth watching for the filmmaker lead actors alone.

The Family That Preys (Sept. 12) — Oprah favorite Tyler Perry's comedy about two families — one upper-crust, the other middle class — tangled in scandal.

Burn After Reading (Sept. 12) — Brad Pitt and George Clooney flex their muscles in this Coen brothers rom about losers who run off with a CIA agent's memoirs. The wild trailer gives the movie a lot to live up to.

Righteous Kill (Sept. 12) — Robert De Niro and Al Pacino team in a mystery about aging buddy detectives who hunt for a serial killer. Anything that keeps De Niro from another awful comedy works for me.

Appaloosa (Oct. 3) — A young widow arrives in a small town terrorized by a rancher. Viggo Mortensen and Renée Zellweger star in this adaptation of a Robert Parker novel.

Body of Lies (Oct. 10) — Leonardo DiCaprio and Russell Crowe team for a drama (based on the David Ignatius novel) about a journalist hired by the CIA to track down a terrorist in Jordan.

Crossing Over (Oct. 24) — Illegal immigrants living in Los Angeles struggle to gain legal status. Harrison Ford, hopefully as spry as he was in the last "Indiana Jones," stars in the drama, directed by Wayne Kramer ("The Cooler").

Pride and Glory (Oct. 24) — A cop (Edward Norton) learns his brother-in-law (Colin Farrell) is involved in corruption.

Australia (Nov. 26) — Aussies Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman drive cattle across northern Australia as Japanese forces commence bombing before World War II. This is Baz Luhrmann's first film since "Moulin Rouge" (2001).

Four Christmases (Nov. 26) — A couple (Reese Witherspoon and Vince Vaughn) attempt to visit all four of their divorced parents on Christmas. Is this a comedy or a horror film?

The Day the Earth Stood Still (Dec. 12) — A remake of the groundbreaking 1951 sci-fi film in which aliens visit the planet. Keanu Reeves, whom some always figured was an alien, plays one in the movie.

The Reader (Dec. 12) — A man discovers that a woman he's been obsessed with for years is a war criminal. Kate Winslet goes for yet another Oscar nomination. The story comes from Bernhard Schlink's best-selling novel.

Seven Pounds (Dec. 12) — A despondent man (Will Smith) decides to atone for past mistakes by helping seven strangers. Only seven? That's a slow day for Smith, who usually saves the world in his movies. Smith reunites with "The Pursuit of Happyness" director Gabriele Muccino.

Yes Man (Dec. 19) — Yes! Rebounding from the dreary drama "The Number 23," Jim Carrey is back in the sort of comedy, based on Danny Wallace's book, that made him famous. He plays a guy who can't say no.

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (Dec. 25) — Based on the F. Scott Fitzgerald short story, a man (Brad Pitt) is born in his 80s and ages in reverse. Seems like light fare for director David Fincher ("Fight Club," "Zodiac").

Shanghai (Dec. 25) — An American visits Shanghai after his friend dies in the early 1940s. John Cusack and Gong Li try to shanghai awards votes.

Revolutionary Road (Dec. 26) — Based on a Richard Yates novel, a couple (Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet) tries to make peace with one another and themselves as they raise their kids. It's directed by Oscar winner Sam Mendes ("American Beauty"), who recently stopped by Tucson to make a comedy.

CHILLERS

Hold onto your armrests.

Lakeview Terrace (Sept. 19) — An intrusive LAPD cop (Samuel L. Jackson) harasses an interracial couple who move in next door. Guess who's not coming to dinner?

Tell No One (Sept. 19) — A French film about a pediatrician who receives an e-mail from his wife, whom he was sure died eight years ago. British actress Kristin Scott Thomas takes the Chunnel to join the cast.

Eagle Eye (Sept. 26) — Strangers (Shia LaBeouf, Michelle Monaghan) become unwitting accomplishes to an assassination plot and work together to save themselves. Too bad LaBeouf can't call on his pals the Transformers or Indiana Jones for help.

Quarantine (Oct. 10) — A TV reporter (Jennifer Carpenter) and her cameraman are stuck inside an apartment building under quarantine for a mysterious disease, which hopefully is frenzied thriller fever. Based on the Spanish film "[Rec]."

Saw V (Oct. 24) — You know the drill by now, right? Blood, screaming, tricky timed torture puzzles. Check back next year for more of the same.

The Road (Nov. 26) — After the apocalypse, a man (Viggo Mortensen) tries to venture with his son to safety. Like last year's best-picture Oscar winner, "No Country for Old Men," this is adapted from a Cormac McCarthy novel. Mortensen, coming off a best-actor Oscar nomination for "Eastern Promises," aims to take another hike to the awards ceremony.

FEMME APPEAL

Movies geared toward women.

The Women (Sept. 12) — Aimed at the "Sex and the City" crowd, this remake of a 1939 comedy rounds up Meg Ryan, Annette Bening, Debra Messing and Carrie Fisher for a tale of society gossip at a resort.

Hounddog (Sept. 19) — Dakota Fanning plays a troubled girl living in rural Alabama in the 1950s who swoons to the music of Elvis. There's clearly more to the story, because the film drew an R rating for "a disturbing sexual assault of a young girl, and brief sexuality."

The Secret Life of Bees (Oct. 17) — Fanning is at that age where she comes of age in every movie. In this drama, based on the Sue Monk Kidd novel, she plays a runaway who takes up with beekeepers (Queen Latifah, Alicia Keys and Sophie Okonedo).

DUDE FLICKS

Guys behind the wheel from James Bond to Max Payne.

Choke (Sept. 26) — A con man (Sam Rockwell) who's addicted to sex looks for ways to pay his ailing mom's medical expenses. It's the first adaptation of a Chuck Palahniuk novel since "Fight Club."

The Lucky Ones (Sept. 26) — Soldiers (Rachel McAdams, Tim Robbins and Tony Peña) return home from war, make a cross-country voyage and struggle to re-adapt to civilian life. Director Neil Burger, maestro of the thrilling "The Illusionist," attempts to pull off another trick.

Max Payne (Oct. 17) — In a rare video game adaptation starring a former Oscar nominee, Mark Wahlberg plays an agent who seeks to avenge the death of his family.

Sex Drive (Oct. 17) — A high school kid (Josh Zuckerman) drives across the country with friends to meet a girl he met online. Seems like a re-do of "The Sure Thing."

Another Gay Sequel: Gays Gone Wild (Oct. 24) — Friends compete to see who can have the most sex during Spring Break in this raunchy comedy, which can only be an improvement over its awful predecessor, "Another Gay Movie."

Soul Men (Nov. 7) — Before he died, Bernie Mac did more than just voice work for family films. He starred with Samuel L. Jackson in a musical comedy about soul singers who haven't spoken to one another in years and reunite after a former bandmate passes away.

Quantum of Solace (Nov. 14) — Daniel Craig stars in this obtusely titled Bond flick, which picks up where "Casino Royale" left off and has 007 taking on an eco-terrorist who has taken over a company's water supply. Art film maker Marc Forster ("Finding Neverland," "The Kite Runner") directs.

Transporter 3 (Nov. 26) — If you need an item to be transported in a highly dangerous, do-not-repeat-this-at-home manner, Jason Statham is your man. But don't be surprised if you can't get ahold of him because he's always busy making these "Transporter" flicks. Or movies very much like those, such as "Crank" and "Death Race."

Punisher: War Zone (Dec. 5) — The last two "Punisher" films, adaptations of the well-regarded comic book series, have been punishments. So they're starting over once again, with Ray Stevenson as the gun-toting vigilante who faces down nemesis Jigsaw (Dominic West).

The Spirit (Dec. 25) — A young cop reinvents himself as a superhero in this "Sin City"-lookalike. Gabriel Macht plays the titular hero, and Scarlett Johansson and Samuel L. Jackson have supporting roles. This is comic book icon Frank Miller's first solo directorial effort.

DATE NIGHT

Romances, steamy or otherwise.

My Best Friend's Girl (Sept. 19) — A man takes his friend's ex on a date, at his request, to get her to come back to her friend. Kate Hudson, Jason Biggs and Dane Cook do the love triangle tango.

Nights in Rodanthe (Sept. 26) — A doctor (Richard Gere) who is visiting his estranged son finds romance with a married woman (Diane Lane). For Gere, it's payback for "Unfaithful," in which Lane cheated on him.

Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist (Oct. 3) — Unlikely lovebirds (Michael Cera, Kat Dennings) agree to be a couple for five minutes, which turns into much more. Based on the novel by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan.

The Brothers Bloom (Oct. 24) — Adrien Brody and Mark Ruffalo play con artist brothers who attempt to charm cash out of an heiress. Rian Johnson, who made the hipster hit "Brick," steps into the big time.

Zack and Miri Make a Porno (Oct. 31) — Writer/director Kevin Smith directs a comedy about lifelong platonic friends (Seth Rogen and Elizabeth Banks) who make a sex film together. It was rated NC-17 but earned an R on appeal.

Twilight (Nov. 21) — Kristen Stewart plays a teen girl who falls in love with a vampire in this adaptation of the best-selling novel by Phoenix resident Stephenie Meyer. Betcha her uptight parents have some silly rule about not dating undead creatures of the night.

POSSIBLE OSCAR CONTENDERS

Best Actor

Sean Penn as gay political icon Harvey Milk in "Milk."

Frank Langella as Richard Nixon in "Frost/Nixon."

Robert Downey Jr., as a journalist in "The Soloist."

Best Actress

Keira Knightley as Georgiana, the 18th century Duchess of Devonshire in "The Duchess."

Angelina Jolie as a mother whose child is kidnapped in "Changeling."

Kate Winslet as a beleaguered married mother in the 1950s in "Revolutionary Road."