Buzz off if you think the big fall whoop is "High School Musical 3." Or Jennifer Aniston and Owen Wilson trying to steal scenes from a dog in Marley and Me. Or Robert De Niro and Al Pacino slumming in another paycheck movie in Righteous Kill. My admittedly selective guide to what's up in film for the rest of 2008 is all about punch and provocation. Sequels get the shaft, including Saw V (enough already), but Quantum of Solace (November 7th) earns a pass because Daniel Craig is so damn good at letting us watch James Bond in the act of inventing himself. Box-office gold, not the Oscar kind, drives Max Payne (October 17th), with Mark Wahlberg bringing the video game to life as the vengeful ex-DEA shooter, but the smokin' trailer shows Max may go the extra mile into quality. I like that in a blockbuster. I also like that Titanic co-stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet, who could have blown their pretty noses for two hours and sold tickets, waited a decade to reteam in Revolutionary Road (December 26th), from Richard Yates' knotty novel of marriage. And I'm jazzed that Twilight (December 12th), from Stephenie Meyer's bestseller about a teen (Kristen Stewart) in love with a vampire (Robert Pattinson), hired Catherine Hardwicke, a director with real bite. These movies, and the ones that follow, take risks that make it worth taking a risk on them.

• Video: Fall Movie Preview 2008
• Fall Movie Preview 2008
• Early Oscar Handicapping
• Grading Summer 2008