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Toronto – Why a dateline for a fall film preview, you may wonder. Why indeed?

Because the recently concluded Toronto International Film Festival proved true the rumor that began in May at the Cannes Film Festival: that this season’s films would be some of the best in years.

Even with a summer short on breakthroughs and long on sequels, those murmurs of coming pleasures persisted. They tracked right through Labor Day’s Telluride Film Festival, where a few fall and holiday openers proved their mettle – among them “Into the Wild.”

Toronto’s red-carpet denizens had reason to strut. Their onscreen work outshone the gems and duds they wore.

This held true for George Clooney (“Michael Clayton”) and buddy Brad Pitt (“The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford”).

It was just as true for Tommy Lee Jones (terrific in “In the Valley of Elah,” great in “No Country for Old Men”) as it was for Viggo Mortensen (whose “Eastern Promises” took the audience prize).

The artist trumped the celeb. And truth be told, most of them want it that way.

Sitting next to co-star Tilda Swinton and director Tony Gilroy at the “Michael Clayton” news conference, Clooney hit a line drive in response to a question about who he was dating.

“When have I ever answered that sort of question?” he said. “Nice job.”

Frank Langella, whose “Starting Out in the Evening” opens during the holidays, and Geoffrey Rush of “Elizabeth: The Golden Age” were particularly tart on the subject of celebrity.

What follows is one critic’s perspective on some of the season’s intriguing (and, yes, fun) films. And it doesn’t even touch on every movie of promise and possibility set to open before Thanksgiving.

Clearly, on a certain Sunday night in late February, they’ll demand a golden reckoning.

Meanwhile, it’s fine to consume cinema. If movies were wine, the

coming months promise a season of uncommon vintage.

Savor. Enjoy. Drink them in.

“Across the Universe”

Director: Julie Taymor

Stars: Evan Rachel Wood and Jim Sturgess

Why see it: Thirty-three Beatles songs give this tale of love and ideals set in the 1960s a blissed-out, culturally rich libretto. Jude (Sturgess), Lucy (Wood), Prudence and other musical characters take vibrant form in this magical, mysterious and exuberant tour.

Could it be a contender? Thanks to Taymor’s vivid imagination, “Across the Universe” should give “Hairspray” serious competition come the Golden Globes. But as fine as the arrangements are, the tunes won’t be eligible for Oscar noms. Opens Friday.

“Into the Wild”

Director: Sean Penn

Stars: Emile Hirsch, William Hurt, Marcia Gay Harden, Catherine Keener, Vince Vaughn

Why see it: Penn, he’s a brooder. But his moodiness serves well his adaptation of Jon Krakauer’s book about 22-year-old Christopher McCandless’ ecstatic, tragic trek into the Alaskan wilderness. At the recent Telluride Film Festival, the San Juans were alive with the sound of buzz.

Could it be a contender? Hirsch captures what was raw and heady, selfish and generous about McCandless’ sojourn. Penn’s adaptation and his direction will likely get nominations. Opens Oct. 5.

“Michael Clayton”

Director: Tony Gilroy

Stars: George Clooney, Tilda Swinton, Tom Wilkerson

Why see it: There was a chance Gilroy – screenwriter of the “Bourne” flicks – would stumble his first time behind the lens. Instead, he’s made an awesome leap. Gilroy and Clooney (the law-firm fixer of the title) have made a movie every bit as tough-minded as the best political thrillers of the 1970s. Only with a narrative drive purring like a well-engineered performance vehicle, it’s better.

Could it be a contender? It should own a secure place in what is sure to be the most competitive best-picture race in years. Wilkerson is mesmerizing as a lawyer who goes off meds and locates his conscience. Swinton is perfectly dismaying: Think Lady MacBeth as corporate counsel. Opens Oct. 12.

“Lust, Caution”

Director: Ang Lee

Stars: Tony Leung, Tang Wei, Joan Chen, Wang Lee Hom

Why see it: The title of Lee’s adaptation of Eileen Chang’s short story about seduction and sedition in Japanese-occupied Shanghai could be “Bait, Switch.” The eros is acrobatic and brutal. And caution is thrown to the wind. Rated NC-17, this political thriller makes a fascinating follow- up to Lee’s “Brokeback Mountain.” It is as sexually vigorous as “Brokeback” was restrained – and just as culturally telling for it.

Could it be a contender? The Venice film fest bestowed its Golden Lion on this tale of desire and duty. But it’s more likely to find fulfillment in the best foreign language category. Opens Oct. 12.

“The Things We Lost in the Fire”

Director: Susanne Bier

Stars: Halle Berry, Benicio Del Toro, David Duchovny

Why see it: Last year’s best films came in languages other than English or were made by foreign-born directors. Bier’s “After the Wedding” was one of them. Now the Danish filmmaker makes her English-language debut with a story about a widow (Berry) who seeks out her husband’s best friend, a recovering (then not) heroin addict played by Del Toro.

Could it be a contender? If you are going to rely on the close-up, then you have a powerful ally in Del Toro. In the tight frame, even with terse dialogue, his face speaks pain and poetry about psychic wounds, hungering narcissism and intermittent struggle – all traits of the addict. Opens Oct. 26.

“Rendition”

Director: Gavin Hood

Stars: Reese Witherspoon, Jake Gyllenhaal, Peter Sarsgaard, Meryl Streep, Omar Metwalley

Why see it: Two years ago, “Tsotsi” director Gavin Hood sat in a Denver restaurant struggling with news that the nation South Africans looked to when writing their constitution was carrying out black- ops abductions of suspected terrorists. Now, the Oscar winner brings his storytelling chops and political anguish to that very tale. Witherspoon displays gumption as the pregnant wife of an Egyptian-born U.S. resident taken from American soil and sent to Egypt where he can be interrogated more vigorously.

Could it be a contender? Who can say no to Meryl Streep’s addiction to scene- stealing performances? It doesn’t matter if she’s a devil in Prada or – as is the case here – a CIA honcho doing the Great Satan’s bidding by end-running due process. Opens Oct. 19.

“Reservation Road”

Director: Terry George

Stars: Joaquin Phoenix, Mark Ruffalo, Jennifer Connelly, Mira Sorvino

Why see it: Each year, there seems to come an indie ensemble drama that explores furies and passions on a very intimate scale. Remember “We Don’t Live Here Any More,” “In the Bedroom,” and last year’s “Little Children”? Well, with a cast stocked by performers who have done some of their best work in the hothouse confines of American domestic dramas, “Reservation Road” looks to be this year’s rough gem.

Could it be a contender? George directed “Hotel Rwanda.” Opens Oct. 19.

“Dan in Real Life”

Director: Peter Hedges

Stars: Steve Carell, Juliette Binoche, Dane Cook, Dianne Wiest, John Mahoney, Emily Blunt

Why see it: Director-co-writer Hedges cooked up the fraught but charming Thanksgiving flick “Pieces of April.” He revisits the bittersweet and savory aspects of family dynamics when a widower and advice columnist (Carell) falls for his brother’s girlfriend (Binoche) during his parents’ annual gathering.

Could it be a contender? In a softer year, comedies and musicals might dream of gold. This year is anything but soft. That, of course, is not the same as saying we won’t love them just as much and attend them even more. And with two superior actors inhabiting the roles of girlfriend and mom, there are acting possibilities. Opens Oct. 26.

“The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford”

Director: Andrew Dominik

Stars: Brad Pitt, Casey Affleck, Sam Rockwell, Sam Shepard, Mary-Louise Parker

Why see it: Frank and Jesse James are at the height of their legendary status and coming to the end of their run when Robert Ford begs to join the gang. This is no shoot- ’em-up, but an utterly vivid and grim character study of the psychopathology of celebrity love, American- and gunslinging-style.

Could it be a contender? For his doleful portrayal of Jesse, Pitt was victorious in Venice. But Affleck is the true surprise, delivering an idiosyncratic performance that defines stalker over-identification long before the idea ever took root. Opens in October or November.

“The Kite Runner”

Director: Marc Forster

Stars: Shaun Toub, Khalid Abdalla

Why see it: You loved Khaled Hosseini’s book. You must have, because the tale of fathers and sons, betrayals and redemptions in pre- and post- Taliban Afghanistan has been a best seller for more than two years. We love the director of “Finding Neverland,” “Stranger Than Fiction,” and, yes, “Monsters Ball.”

Could it be a contender? Forster’s powerfully versatile. But there’s always remained a tender through-line in his work: He understands loss. Here he finds plenty to work with. If Forster and screenwriter David Benioff pull this off, there are awards opportunities in adaptation and directing. Opens Nov. 2.

“American Gangster”

Director: Ridley Scott

Stars: Denzel Washington, Russell Crowe, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Cuba Gooding Jr., Josh Brolin, Ted Levine, the list goes on.

Why see it: Maybe you didn’t understand – Washington. Crowe. The former plays a disciplined driver who became the driving force in Harlem’s 1970s heroin trade. The latter is a honorable but personally unrestrained cop.

Could it be a contender? Do you really need to ask? Opens Nov. 2.

“Bee Movie”

Directors: Steve Hickner, Simon J. Smith

Stars: Voices of Jerry Seinfeld, Renée Zellweger, Chris Rock

Why see it: Barry B. Benson discovers that humans are exploiting his kind for their honey. You say, “So, sue us.” In this animated film from DreamWorks, that’s just what he does. But, to make matters more stinging, he also befriends a human.

Could it be a contender? Critics gushed (understandably) over Pixar’s “Ratatouille.” But now that meal has grown cold and the hilarious trailers for the Seinfeld- penned (with some help) flick have us, ahem, buzzing. Opens Opens Nov. 2.

“Beowulf”

Director: Robert Zemeckis

Stars: Voices of Ray Winstone, Angelina Jolie, Anthony Hopkins, Robin Wright Penn

Why see it: The oldest written poem in English meets the latest computer-generated graphics code in this retelling of Beowulf’s showdown with Grendel, his mom and a dragon.

Could it be a contender? Zemeckis has taken to the tech that brought us his “Polar Express.” It could vie for the animation prize. Opens Nov. 16.

“Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium”

Director: Zack Helm

Stars: Dustin Hoffman, Natalie Portman, Jason Bateman

Why see it: Zack Helm, the writer of “Stranger Than Fiction,” is at the helm of his story about a toy store owner finding an heir for his zany shop.

Could it be a contender? We’re still fuming that “Stranger Than Fiction” was slighted in last year’s Oscar race. But there’s hope in Hoffman, who has been doing great supporting turns. Opens Nov. 16.

“No Country for Old Men”

Directors: Joel and Ethan Coen

Stars: Tommy Lee Jones, Javier Bardem, Josh Brolin, Kelly McDonald

Why see it: This neo-Western tale set about a lawman (Jones), a freakish killer (Bardem) and a guy playing finders-keepers with a case of cash (Brolin) is as spare, cruel and stunning as the Cormac McCarthy novel that birthed it. It also has some painful, muted laughs.

Could it be a contender? Put bloodily, simply: absolutely – in nearly every category. Does that clarify matters? Opens Nov. 16.

Film critic Lisa Kennedy can be reached at 303-954-1567 or at lkennedy@denverpost.com.

Also worth catching

Here are some other films to consider this fall:

October