With the slew of summer movies quickly evaporating in the August heat, we prepare to happily burrow into the serious cinematic trenches of fall. This autumn looks to be a winner for films about conflicts in Afghanistan and mobsters, but there are a few sidelong journeys in the mix. We present a sampling of whats to come in the next few months. Some carry a mantle of prestige. Others, well … well just have to wait and see.

Shoot Em Up Monica Bellucci gives birth during a shootout. A gunman, played by Clive Owen, delivers the baby and then must protect Bellucci and the newborn from a mob of criminals led by Paul Giamatti. It looks wild and weird and quite possibly wonderful. (Sept. 7)

Eastern Promises Filmmaker David Cronenberg has a history of creepy films. His early forays, including Videodrome and Scanners, remain classics of the horror genre, while History of Violence raised the bar even higher. His new work, starring Viggo Mortensen, Naomi Watts and Armin Mueller-Stahl, concerns a murdered prostitute, a hospital midwife and a mysterious mob boss. (Sept. 14)

The Brave One Jodie Foster has really carved a niche for herself playing women who are terrorized and fight back. In this new thriller, she plays a tough girl radio host who survives a brutal attack, then seeks revenge. Directed by Neil Jordan (The Crying Game),  the film also stars Terrence Howard and Naveen Andrews. (Sept. 14)

Good Luck Chuck Chuck Logan (Dane Cook) carries a curse: If a woman sleeps with him, the next man she meets is her true love. But when Chuck falls in love with Jessica Alba, he has to keep her from falling for that next proverbial guy. Laughs ensue. (Sept. 21)

Into the Wild Sean Penn directs this cinematic adaptation of the late Christopher McCandlesss life story. McCandless, youll recall, was the subject of the documentary Grizzly Man. Starring Emile Hirsch, one of our finest young actors, as McCandless, who left a conventional life for one amid the Alaskan wilderness. (Sept. 21)

The Kingdom Peter Berg directs this story of FBI agents sent to investigate an off-limits Middle Eastern kingdom suspected of terrorist actions. Starring Jamie Foxx, Chris Cooper and Jennifer Garner. (Sept. 28)

American Gangster Breathlessly awaiting this latest creation from Ridley Scott, starring Denzel Washington as a 70s Harlem drug lord who joins forces with a detective (Russell Crowe) to take down entire syndicates. With Cuba Gooding Jr. (redeeming himself for Daddy Day Camp) and Josh Brolin. November cant come soon enough! (Nov. 2)

Elizabeth: The Golden Age Shekhar Kapur and Cate Blanchett return to the court of Englands Virgin Queen for the second in a reported trilogy. The first movie, 1998s Elizabeth, received a slew of Oscar nominations, and this could do the same. With Geoffrey Rush and Clive Owen as Sir Walter Raleigh. (Oct. 12)

We Own the Night A nightclub owner (Joaquin Phoenix) and his police officer brother (Mark Wahlberg) undergo a near-fatal incident that causes them to unite against a pack of mobsters. Should be Mob-a-riffic! Directed by James Gray. (Oct. 19)