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FRIDAY

"Devil"
This high-concept thriller focuses on five people trapped in an elevator — one of them Satan disguised as a human. Sounds cool. One hitch though: M. Night Shyamalan is a producer.

"Easy A"
Emma Stone is a high schooler who can’t kill a rumor about her virginity — or lack thereof.

"The Virginity Hit"
Four friends decide to help each other lose their virginity — and film the experience with a video camera. One hitch though: Will Ferrell is a producer.

"The Town"
Ben Affleck robs a Boston bank, takes a hostage and promptly falls in love with her.

"I’m Still Here"
If this Joaquin Phoenix documentary about him trying to become a rapper is real, he deserves a lifetime achievement Oscar — tomorrow.

"Jack Goes Boating"
Philip Seymour Hoffman directs himself in this film about a reclusive limo driver forced from his shell by friends who set him up with a funeral-parlor worker (the awesome Amy Ryan).

SEPT. 24

"You Again"
A young woman (Kristen Bell) discovers her older brother is about to marry her former high-school arch nemesis (Odette Yustman). Next.

"Catfish"
Sundance Film Festival audiences went wild for this documentary in which filmmakers Ariel Schulman and Henry Joost begin to film the life of Schulman’s brother Nev — with reportedly hilarious, shocking and frightening results. What is the movie actually about? No one has a clue.

"Trash Humpers"
Think “Jackass” for seniors. When a group of sociopathic geezers tire of “Matlock” reruns, they embark on a rampage of vandalism, crime and — better close your eyes or you’ll go blind — humping trash bins.

"Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps"
Hedge fund con artist Gordon Gekko (Michael Douglas) is finally getting out of jail — only prison hasn’t changed him. He still thinks greed is good. Shia LaBeouf also stars as the obligatory pupil/idealist.

"Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole"
The animated adaptation of the popular book series about a band of owls on a mission to save their feathered brethren.

OCT. 1

"The Social Network"
The story of that little website you may have heard about called Facebook.

"Case 39"
A social worker (Renee Zellweger) enlists the help of a police detective (Ian McShane) to protect a 10-year-old girl from her abusive, potentially dangerous parents.

"Buried"
You wake up in blackness. You can’t move. You can barely breathe. Then you figure it out — you’ve been buried alive. Ryan Reynolds stars.

"Let Me In"
Yet another film featuring teen vampires who avoid puberty but not the drama.

OCT. 8

"Life as We Know It"
Katherine Heigl and Josh Duhamel co-star as an incompatible couple — you mean, Katie is actually hard to get along with? — forced to tolerate each other after fate forces them to raise their goddaughter together. You see where this is going, right? They’re gonna fall hopelessly and completely in love. Cue Robin Thicke and gag reflex.

“My Soul to Take”
Director Wes Craven (“Scream”) is back in the horror game with this thriller about a teenager who is one of seven young people targeted by a serial killer stalking their small town.

“It’s Kind of a Funny Story”
A depressed 16-year-old, driven nuts by his parents and sister (and what 16-year-old wouldn’t be?) checks himself into an adult psychiatric ward. Good news though: Zach Galifianakis is a resident.

"Secretariat"
The luminous Diane Lane stars in this fact-based story of Penny Chenery, a housewife and mother who in 1973 took over her father’s horse stables and, with the help of a trainer (John Malkovich), produced the first Triple Crown winner in 25 years.

OCT. 15

“Jackass 3D”
This ... is why 3D was invented.

“Red”
Bruce Willis, Morgan Freeman, John Malkovich and Helen Mirren are a team of way cool ex-CIA agents targeted and framed for murder by their former bosses.

“You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger”
Writer-director Woody Allen returns to England for this story about two married couples (Anthony Hopkins and Gemma Jones, Josh Brolin and Naomi Watts) struggling with boredom, infidelity and lust. Waitaminute. Anthony Hopkins is doing the wild ... No. Stop. Too much information.

OCT. 22

“Hereafter”
Director Clint Eastwood goes supernatural on us with this story of a blue-collar American (Matt Damon), a French journalist (Bryce Dallas Howard) and a London school boy (some unknown kid) who are touched by death in different ways.

“Paranormal Activity 2”
When we last saw our hero, he was dead. Still, all the paper earned by the original demanded a sequel. Only no one knows what it’s about. Our prediction? Three words: “Blair Witch 2.”

“Stone”
A convicted arsonist (Edward Norton) eligible for early release hatches an elaborate scheme to convince a parole officer (Robert De Niro in probably another unmemorable role) that he has genuinely reformed. And we want to see this because ...

OCT. 29

“Saw 3D”
Isn’t this, like, the 18th one? At this point, is there even a plot?

“Conviction”
After her brother (Sam Rockwell) is arrested for murder and sentenced to life in prison, an uneducated woman (Hilary Swank) with two children puts herself through high school, college and law school — the only thing she doesn’t do is walk five miles in the snow — in order to overturn the conviction and prove his innocence. And you know she will.

"Monsters"
Alien life forms collected by NASA begin to threaten America. And therein lies the problem: Why can’t once, just once, aliens be good? Why do they always want to kill us? Just asking.

NOV. 5

“127 Hours”
In his first film since the Oscar-winning “Slumdog Millionaire,” director Danny Boyle recounts the harrowing true story of mountain climber Aron Ralston (James Franco), who had to resort to extreme measures after a boulder fell on his arm and trapped him in a canyon.

“Due Date”
It’s “The Hitcher” lite as Robert Downey Jr. is an expectant father who must get a ride with an obnoxious aspiring actor (Zach Galifianakis) in order to get home in time for the birth of his baby.

“The Company Men”
Three white-collar professionals (Ben Affleck, Chris Cooper and Tommy Lee Jones) must reinvent their lives after downsizing leaves them unemployed.

NOV. 12

“Morning Glory”
Harrison Ford is a famous anchorman hired to revive the sagging ratings of a morning news show. Diane Keaton is the co-anchor who tries to convince her egotistical partner to share the spotlight with her. And more.

“Skyline”
Once again, E.T.s with a mad-on for Earth descend to open up a can on us hapless humans. Doesn’t the galaxy know the score by now? We’re undefeated, baby. “Independence Day.” Both “War of the Worlds.” “Mars Attacks!” “Signs.” “Plan 9 From Outer Space.” They. Are. Going. Down.

“Unstoppable”
“Terror Train” meets “Under Siege 2” in this so-called thriller about an unmanned, runaway freight train loaded with — that’s right — toxic chemicals (because they’re a lot more dangerous than a freight full of Depends) from destroying a city. Denzel Washington, Chris Pine and Rosario Dawson are among the rail employees asking us to suspend our disbelief.

NOV. 19

"Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows — Part 1"
Supposedly, this film marks the beginning of The End for the franchise.

NOV. 24

"Burlesque"
Christina Aguilera, what were you thinking? This kind of movie ended Elizabeth Berkley’s career. Well, at least you have singing to fall back on. Aguilera plays a kid from the sticks (of course) who seeks her fortune in Los Angeles and winds up working as a cocktail waitress at a burlesque club.

DEC. 17

"Tron: Legacy"
Jeff Bridges — who somehow they’ve made look like he did in 1982 — reprises his role as the computer programmer sucked into the mainframe where he fights for his life, this time alongside his virtual son.

Contact Tim Rickard at tim.rickard@news-record.com

Contact Mike Kernels at mike.kernels@news-record.com