BEIJING, Sept. 1-- After a summer when weary action flicks and television remakes failed to fire up U.S. movie fans, Hollywood hopes to turn things around this autumn with films that put new faces and the Oscar race in the spotlight.

The summer season ends this weekend and box-office experts expect ticket sales to be down about 10 percent from last year's record US$3.9 billion as films like"Stealth,""The Island" and to a lesser extent"Bewitched" failed to be big hits.

One refrain heard around Hollywood was that this summer's films were just not good enough and that fans wanted originality rather than reruns.

The upcoming schedule features only two sequels officially designated as"part two"¢w thriller"Saw II" in October and family comedy"Cheaper by the Dozen 2" in December¢w although titles like November's"Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" certainly qualify as follow-ons.

"Lords of the Rings" director Peter Jackson's remake of a signature Hollywood film,"King Kong," opens in December and he promises a fresh take on the beauty and the beast classic.

As is typical of fall when teens head to school, the film industry goes light on the comic book action and kid comedy that fill the summer and focus more heavily on human dramas that appeal to older audiences.

October's"The Weather Man" starring Nicolas Cage fits in the drama niche with a tale about a father in a mid-life crisis.

"'The Weather Man' is like a mirror," director Gore Verbinski told reporters."You see yourself in it, and some people don't like to look at themselves.

In September, Gwyneth Paltrow reprises her role in the award-winning play"Proof" as a woman caring for her mentally ill father played by Anthony Hopkins.

Also in September, Nicolas Cage has"Lord of War" in which he plays an arms dealer with a moral conscience.

War-worried Tinseltown

War and Middle East politics seem to be weighing on Hollywood's mind with widely anticipated"Jarhead" hitting screens in early November, followed later that month by"Syriana" and in December Steven Spielberg's"Munich."

"Jarhead" is based on Anthony Swofford's book, and it details his days as a U.S. sniper in the 1991 Gulf War. Directed by Sam Mendes, it stars Jake Gyllenhaal and Jamie Foxx.

Stephen Gaghan who wrote drug dealing drama"Traffic," gives audiences"Syriana," which tells three disparate stories that revolve around oil and Arab politics. It stars George Clooney and Matt Damon.

For"Munich," Spielberg revisits the 1972 massacre of 11 Israeli athletes after they were taken hostage by Palestinians during the Munich Olympics. Like the other two war films, it is high on this year¡¦s award watchlist.

Oscar races, new faces

Art, not commerce, is the key driving force in the Oscar race, and George Clooney's October movie"Good Night and Good Luck," a black-and-white film about newsman Edward R. Murrow and Sen. Joe McCarthy's war on communism, figures prominently.

On September¡¦s watchlist are"The Constant Gardner" and"Capote" with Philip Seymour Hoffman as the American writer. Must-see October titles are Cameron Crowe's"Elizabethtown" and"Shopgirl."

The Oscar race picks up in November with former 007 Pierce Brosnan in"The Matador," Reese Witherspoon and Joaquin Phoenix in the Johnny Cash biopic"Walk the Line" and musical"Rent."

December features the widely anticipated"All the Kings Men" and a film based on Mel Brooks popular Broadway musical"The Producers."(Source: Shenzhen Daily/Agencies)