Fall movies to consider

It happens every year, and it's about to happen now.

After a summer of mindless blockbusters and a so-so September, movies are about to get good again as the Oscar contenders arrive in theaters.

Why do they do this to us? Why do studios and independent distributors wait until the end of the year, then unleash all the quality films at once, all of them crammed into a few weeks and competing for our attention? Well, in theory, it's to keep them fresh in the minds of Academy Awards voters and writers like yours truly who compile top-10 lists in late December.