In the land of cinema seasons, it’s now Hollywood Fall, when box office temperatures cool and studio marketing campaigns catch their breath for the upcoming season of Hollywood Holidays.

That means a shift from mega-budget blockbusters to smaller dramas and comedies driven by stars, mixed with October horror films and a smattering of family movies.

The fall’s major release arrives in November with the first part of the last Harry Potter film, “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows — Part I,” which should leave Potter fans counting the days until July 15 when the finale arrives.

“Deathly Hallows” also is the first “Harry” in 3-D, at least in wide release. While 3-D movies populated this summer’s releases, they’re not as dominant in fall — unless you’re breathlessly awaiting the likes of “Saw 3-D” and “Jackass 3-D.”

Here’s a look at the fall’s major releases with the standard advisory that some movies may not arrive in Waco theaters on the dates listed.

SEPTEMBER

Sept. 17 — “Alpha and Omega” — Two wolves undertake a cross-country adventure in this animated film.

“Devil” — People trapped in a broken elevator discover one of them is the Devil. Literally.

“The Town” — Ben Affleck directs and stars as a former Boston bank robber caught between his old life and a former hostage who could turn him in.

“Easy A” — Teen Emma Stone flips a rumor about losing her virginity to her benefit.

Sept. 24 — “Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps” — Michael Douglas returns as greedy financier Gordon Gecko finishes his jail term, but it’s Shia LeBeouf who’s the hungry, driven capitalist here.

“The Virginity Hit ” — Four teenagers plan to lose their virginity. Never grows old, does it, filmmakers?

“You Again” — A family wedding brings a woman and her mother (Kristen Bell and Jamie Lee Curtis) face to face with their high school rivals.

“Legends of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’hoole” — Animated film directed by Zack Snyder (“300”) about a group of owls confronting an evil force.

OCTOBER

Oct. 1 — “The Social Network” — The rise of the college guys who invented Facebook, but told from their different perspectives.

“Let Me In” — A young kid befriends a young vampire, but this ain’t “Twilight.”

Oct. 8 — “Buried” — A man, a cell phone and a lighter, all buried in a coffin in Iraq.

“Secretariat” — Story of the 1973 Triple Crown winner.

“Stone” — Prisoner Edward Norton employs his wife (Milla Jovovich) in a cat-and-mouse game with parole officer Robert De Niro. 

“Life As We Know It” — Bickering singles Katherine Heigl and Josh Duhamel take in an orphaned infant.

“My Soul To Take” — Wes Craven-directed, 3-D horror film about seven people born on the same night a serial killer died, one of whom may be him reincarnated.

Oct.  15 — “Jackass 3-D” — More pranks and stupidity, but in 3-D!

“Conviction” — High school dropout Hilary Swank goes to law school to free a brother convicted — unjustly, she feels — of murder. Based on a true story. 

Oct. 22 — “Hereafter” — Three people brushed by death find their paths cross. Directed by Clint Eastwood.

Oct. 29 — “Saw 3-D” — You knew it was coming.

“The Company Men” — The economy forces Ben Affleck to downsize and he discovers what he had sacrificed to get ahead.

“Paranormal Activity 2” — Also inevitable, this time with a baby in a crib in the room.

“Red” — Former CIA agents Morgan Freeman, Bruce Willis, Helen Mirren and John Malkovich investigate a conspiracy within the agency after they find themselves framed on criminal charges.

NOVEMBER

Nov. 5 — “For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When The Rainbow Is Enuf” — Tyler Perry’s star-studded film adaptation of Ntozake Shange’s 1975 play examining the experiences of several black women. Featuring Thandie Newton, Whoopi Goldberg, Loretta Devine, Janet Jackson, Phylicia Rashad and Anika Noni Rose.

“Megamind” — Animated film in which a bored villain with superpowers (voice of Will Ferrell) creates a good superhero for a challenge that gets out of hand.

“127 Hours,” — A falling boulder traps mountaineer James Franco into a solitary fight for his life. Based on a true story.

“Due Date” — A non-Iron Man Robert Downey Jr. speeds cross-country to witness his child’s birth with actor Zach Galifianakis as his travel companion. The trip does not go smoothly. 

Nov. 12 — “Unstoppable” — Denzel Washington and Chris Pine (“Star Trek”) try to stop a train loaded with — naturally — lethal toxins.

“Morning Glory” — No-nonsense news anchor Harrison Ford gets paired with chipper morning show host Diane Keaton to boost ratings.

“Skyline” — Sci-fi thriller in which a mysterious, extra-terrestrial light draws people outside and makes them vanish.

Nov. 19 — “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows — Part I” — Wizard-in-training Harry Potter braces for a climactic confrontation with the evil Voldemort.

“The Next Three Days” — Russell Crowe works to break wife Elizabeth Banks out of prison after she’s convicted of murder, a charge she claims is false.

Nov. 24 — “Love and Other Drugs” — Free-spirited Anne Hathaway meets her match in Viagra salesman Jake Gyllenhaal.

“Tangled” — An animated Disney take-off of the fairy tale “Rapunzel,” that follows what happens when Rapunzel (voice of Mandy Moore) escapes her tower with a handsome bandit (Zachary Levi).

“Burlesque”— A lounge waitress (Christina Aguilera) aims at a performing role. Cher co-stars.

choover@wacotrib.com

757-5749