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There's nothing like the moment of anticipation before you've seen the half-baked, crucially compromised or mortally flawed film in question. Still, when given the choice between summer's poorly animated CGI beasts and fall's Oscar-pimping cat-tearing* among our sweatier over-actors and over-actresses, you don't know which season to worry about more.

Despite the Venice Film Festival's chilly response to The Fountain, I'm going to be waiting for it. The film festival audiences were right about The DaVinci Code, but they're not right about everything. I'm curious why The Black Dahlia (Brian De Palma's new film) didn't get booed, despite its rep as a chestnut-stuffed Joss Harnett-basted turkey. Is it because of a lingering tolerance in Italy for badly-written giallos?

Pan's Labryinth is a film to look forward to this fall -- Guillermo del Toro's odd sensibility blends the weirdest of Mexican horror with an intelligent use of graphics, and I still remember what a startling film Cronos was. It also looks more on the fantasy spectrum like In the Company of Wolves than The Brothers Grimm. Plus, James thought it was good.

Summer roller coaster rides aside, fall is the most exciting time for movie buffs. Movies get more serious; the running times increse, and you begin to see more biopics, more 'based on a novel by' credits and more reverent-looking movie trailers. Which middlebrow films will be slathered in awards, and which films will be ignored masterpieces? I know there's at least one out there that could be a life-changing event; here are three possibilities:

The Black Dahlia -- I'm cheating a bit here, because I've already seen this and consider it one of the year's best films. Based on James Ellroy's novel, it won't get nearly as much love as L.A. Confidential did, what with its strikingly literate script and dazzling cast, but Brian De Palma's lurid, obsessive vision goes into darker, snakier places than Curtis Hanson would ever dare dream of. Josh Hartnett and Aaron Eckhart co-star as ex-boxers turned cops who investigate the case of a murdered would-be starlet (Mia Kirshner). Scarlett Johansson plays the woman who comes between them.

Bug -- Reports from Cannes indicate that this new film by Oscar-winner William Friedkin marks a return to form (though for a few of us, he's never really been away). Lionsgate is choosing to market the film as a thriller, but it sounds quite a bit more complex than that. Based on a play by Tracy Letts, Ashley Judd stars as Agnes, a melancholy bartender who meets up with a creepy ex-soldier (Michael Shannon, who played the role on stage) in a deserted hotel room. Bugs that may or may not be real begin burrowing under their skin. Harry Connick Jr. co-stars as Agnes' volatile ex-husband.

Every year, the magazines arrive and (I'm assuming) the cheesy network TV entertainment shows start rolling out the mega-promo pieces for Upcoming Fall Movies. Inevitably, I read it all (and actually watch some of the cheesy TV) and get all hyped up on which movies will be good, and which will likely be mediocre. Then I tell everyone I know which movies will be awesome and mediocre, while they, in turn, listen to me, and I somehow neglect to see anything. More often than not, I wind up renting them a half year later when they pop up again in the queue. The three movies I am most likely (but not necessarily guaranteed) to watch in theaters this fall are:

Renaissance - Not only is this movie French (originally), but it takes place in Paris and one of the English-language voices is dubbed by (the incomparable) Daniel Craig! (To be fair, the English version is also voiced by Catherine McCormack, Jonathan Pryce, and Ian Holm, among others.) The plot sounds like a Paris version of 1984: a dark future where all human activity is monitored and recorded by shadowy corporate behemoths in order to sell a duped populace youth and beauty. The high quality of animation featured in the film has been discussed here before, but in case you missed it we're looking at some kind of hybrid between Sin City and Waking Life (or other Linklater movies involving animation and rotoscoping). I feel this could be a movie about absolutely nothing and the gorgeous imagery and composition alone would sustain me for however long.

Running With Scissors - This movie is the one I'm most likely to watch because I read the book in one laugh-filled sitting last year (right before Frey-gate tore a gaping hole in recovery-biography, though, technically, this whole genre got its start in the picaresque novels of 16/17th Century Spain. Yes, I am that good with background). Furthermore, it's star, Joseph Cross has one of the most earnest and engaging faces of any newcomer I've seen since, maybe, Brad Renfro (before the drugs and vandalism charges in my hometown). As if that weren't enough, it has the spectacular, yet often overlooked Annette Bening (who is high up in my list of all time great actresses to emulate) in an Anne Sexton-type eccentric poetess role. I'm so excited about this movie coming out, I've actually tried to endure an episode of Ryan Murphy's Nip/Tuck, but just couldn't bring myself to do it. Nevertheless, I hold out high expectations, and not just because of the foregoing, but also because Lemon Jelly's "The Staunton Lick" is used to soundtrack the trailer.

The Geek Choice: The Prestige -- C'mon, we're recombining the director-actor(s) team which brought us the fantastic Batman Begins. Christopher Nolan, Christian Bale, and the ever talented Michael Caine partner up once again to bring us a crazy film in which old school magicians battle each other for trade secrets. Add in Hugh Jackman (a fantastic addition to any geek movie), Scarlett Johansson and David Bowie, and you've got one serious geek epic waiting to happen.

The Penguin Choice: Happy Feet -- I'll openly admit to having a thing for penguins. They are undeniably cute, and I can't resist their antics; be they live action, documentary, or animated. This particular variety are CGI, and they're going to be dancing. Yes, dancing penguins. As an added bonus, this movie also features Hugh Jackman, who is in literally every movie this fall, if you look close enough. It'll also have the vocal talents of Robin Williams, Hugo Weaving, and Elijah Wood. Apparently, Middle Earth turns out good penguin voices. Now if someone would just bring me a movie version of Mr. Popper's Penguins...

The Re-Release Choice: Tim Burton's Nightmare Before Christmas: 3-D -- Wow, look at that -- two animated movies out of three choices. I wouldn't have seen that coming, but there it is. Nightmare is a wonderfully fun flick, and bringing it back to theaters with some revamped 3-D action promises a lot of fun. Sure, it's a cheap ploy for more money, but I'm game.

For more of Cinematical's Fall Preview, see: Erik's Picks, Scott's Picks, Jette's Picks, Matt's Picks, Ryan's Picks and Christopher's Picks.

Because I consistently adhere to my low expectation of upcoming releases, regardless of what season we're in or how much buzz/hype surrounds a film, I can't honestly say that I'm looking forward to any of this season's heavy hitters. Sure, there are new films from Scorsese, Eastwood, Almodovar, Aronofsky, Soderbergh and even my all-time favorite, Gilliam. However, I just can't begin to anticipate any of them, for fear they will disappoint me (which is more than likely, unfortunately). The one thing I can still depend on, though, is acting, and only when I can get a glimpse of the performances in whatever trailers are currently available. I will say that I have high hopes this fall for Matt Damon, Will Smith, Forrest Whitaker, Kate Winslet and Nicole Kidman, but I've compiled a short list of three movies and their respective actors that I look forward to watching the most:

• Catch a Fire (Derek Luke) - I can always enjoy Tim Robbins, and while checking out the trailer for Philip Noyce's new film I couldn't believe the actor's seemingly perfect grasp of the South African accent -- despite being a great actor, he's not always the best with dialects. Sharing the film with Robbins, though, is the under-appreciated Derek Luke, who after gaining great acclaim for Antwone Fisher nearly disappeared into forgettable films like Biker Boyz and Friday Night Lights. In Catch a Fire, which is set in 1980s South Africa, Luke plays the real-life Patrick Chamusso, an anti-apartheid hero who went from being apolitical to leaving his family and joining up with the African National Congress. Regardless of how good the movie is, I expect to be blown away by Luke's handling of the role.

Regardless of how you want to classify the next few months (Fall? Autumn? That time when the kids finally go back to school?), this year's Best Picture (candidates/winners) will most likely debut in theaters between now and Christmas. For those of you looking for some sort of intelligence boost after a summer full of dumb, dumber and dumbest, fear not -- Hollywood is sending a slew of wonderful-looking flicks our way.

In order to celebrate this joyous time of year, we here at Cinematical have decided to share with you the films we're most looking forward to. What films do our writers want to see make a big splash in theaters this fall? Stay tuned all this week to find out. In the meantime, how about I kick things off with ...

The Departed -- Director Martin Scorsese teams up once again with Leonardo DiCaprio (his newest muse) in this remake of the Hong Kong film Infernal Affairs. Add to that a cast that includes Jack Nicholson, Matt Damon, Mark Wahlberg, Martin Sheen, Alec Baldwin and, well, I'm totally sold. Pic tells of the battle between Massachusetts police and an Irish-American gang. When each plants a mole on the other's turf, things become hairy and worlds are sure to collide. Seeing as I'm a Scorsese nut, The Departed marks my most anticipated film of the fall. This cops and robbers tale hits theaters on October 6 and currently has a trailer online for you to watch.