ROBERT W. BUTLER: After a summer of blockbusters, the movie critic looks to autumn with some...

It's the season of sunny contentment in Hollywood. Moviedom has been basking in the warm glow of mostly rave reviews and beaucoup ticket sales for "Iron Man," "Sex and the City," "WALL-E" and especially the record-smashing "Dark Knight," now poised to become the top movie earner ever (displacing "Titanic"). Heck, even the art scene has enjoyed long-running hits like "The Visitor" and "Young @ Heart" that moved in and refused to leave. If only this cinematic summer could go on endlessly. But no, after summer comes a time of falling leaves and shortened days, of creeping shadows and premonitions of mortality. In short, the fall movie season is upon us. Some of us question whether there actually is such a thing as the fall movie season. Summer is known for big popcorn pictures and the holidays for Oscar-bound fare. But autumn... [read full story]