Fall preview: Silver hair in focus on the silver screen

Someone needs to file an age-discrimination lawsuit in Hollywood -- to force the studios to hire a few more young actors.

The fall movie season has been geared more toward mature audiences for decades, but it's hard to remember a year with so many centerpiece movies featuring actors who are old enough to remember when popcorn was 20 cents, most theaters had a single screen and Stanley Kubrick was just getting started.

Among the prominent co-stars of films coming out in the next two months are Eli Wallach (94 years old) and Ernest Borgnine (93). Directors Clint Eastwood (80) and James L. Brooks (70) have promising films coming out. Jeff Bridges, Robert De Niro and Helen Mirren have good showings. Meanwhile, Karl Urban, 38, is by far the youngest of the principal cast members in "Red."

Below are 10 movies that appear to have strong mainstream appeal, along with a roundup of other anticipated films coming out between now and the end of the year.

We've included plot summaries, taglines, highlights from the trailers and the AARP factor -- a list of the main actors who are 55 or older. And don't feel too bad for the kids: "X-Men: First Class," "Spy Kids 4" and "Transformers 3" all come out next summer.

(Release dates can change and may vary from city to city)

"The Town"

Release date: Sept. 17

Tagline: "Welcome to the bank robbery capital of America."

AARP factor: Pete Postlethwaite (64); Chris Cooper (59)

Trailer highlight: Ben Affleck doing pull-ups while displaying abs straight out of a P90X workout infomercial.

Analysis: After a string of horrible action films and comedies, Affleck got his filmmaking credibility back with the 2007 indie "Gone Baby Gone." Now he seems ready to reclaim his reputation as an actor, directing himself in this dramatic thriller about bank robbers in Boston.

"Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps"

Release date: Sept. 24

AARP factor: Eli Wallach (94); Frank Langella (72); Michael Douglas (65); Susan Sarandon (63)

Trailer highlight: Douglas as Gordon Gekko, getting his brick-size 1980s mobile phone back upon his prison release.

Analysis: Oliver Stone and Douglas reunite to tell the next chapter of the Gordon Gekko story. The previews have been dominated by the romance between Gekko's daughter (Carey Mulligan) and a young protege (Shia LeBeouf), which we're guessing was a requirement by the studio to bring in some new fans.

"Secretariat"

Release date: Oct. 8

Tagline: "The impossible true story."

AARP factor: James Cromwell (70); Scott Glenn (69); Fred Dalton Thompson (68); John Malkovich (56)

Trailer highlight: Malkovich dressing like a cross between "Caddyshack" co-stars Rodney Dangerfield and Ted Knight.

Analysis: This is another Disney crowd-pleaser aimed squarely at Middle America. The plucky housewife (Diane Lane) who shows up all the big boys is basically a carbon copy of Sandra Bullock's "The Blind Side" character -- except with a horse instead of an offensive lineman. And you know what? That's perfectly fine. Not every drama that comes out after Oct. 1 has to be a British period piece or ultraviolent thriller.

"Red"

Release date: Oct. 15

Tagline: "He's got time to kill."

AARP factor: Ernest Borgnine (93); Morgan Freeman (73); Helen Mirren (65); Brian Cox (64); Richard Dreyfuss (62); John Malkovich (56); Bruce Willis (55)

Trailer highlight: Mirren firing several automatic weapons, and holding what appears to be a rocket launcher. (Hot!)

Analysis: Willis endures because he always acted his age. Based on a comic book about a group of retired CIA operatives, "Red" surrounds him with a group even older than he is and appears to have fun with the premise.

"Hereafter"

Release date: Oct. 22

AARP factor: Director Clint Eastwood (80)

Analysis: This looks intriguing, and could be one of Eastwood's more crowd-pleasing films in recent years. We like this film's chances, even though there have been no early trailers, movie posters or other traditional acknowledgments of the film's existence. The pseudo-supernatural plotline features Matt Damon as someone who talks to the dead and crosses paths with two others with death on their minds.

"Megamind"

Release date: Nov. 5

Tagline: "This November, the battle between good and evil will blow your mind."

AARP factor: None

Trailer highlight: Will Ferrell as the evil Megamind: "I'm shaking in my custom baby seal leather boots!"

Analysis: Disney's "Tangled" and DreamWorks' "Megamind" are the highest-profile 3-D animation offerings this season. We like what we've seen so far from "Megamind," which was made by the people behind the "Madagascar" franchise. The humor has an offbeat, slightly dark "Penguins of Madagascar" vibe, sending up the Superman and mad-scientist films.

"Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I"

Release date: Nov. 19

Tagline: "It all ends here."

AARP factor: Maggie Smith (75); John Hurt (70); Michael Gambon (69); Alan Rickman (64); Bill Nighy (60)

Trailer highlights: The "Braveheart"-like battle scenes.

Analysis: David Yates returns for his

third of four "Harry Potter" films -- this one covers the final book, but was shot in two parts, which will appear in 2010 and 2011. It looks quite dark and possibly more violent than previous chapters, with Lord Voldemort's power growing. And based on the first half of the book, a happy ending in this movie is extremely unlikely. Will this be the "The Empire Strikes Back" of Harry Potter movies?

"The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader"

Release date: Dec. 10

Tagline: "Return to magic. Return to hope. Return to Narnia."

AARP factor: Liam Neeson (58)

Trailer highlight: Mr. "Release the Kraken" himself Neeson exclaiming, "You have returned for a reason. Your adventure begins now!"

Analysis: Disney is no longer the distributor, and 20th Century Fox seemed happy to take over. Which is a good thing, because Walden Media makes quality family films -- and "The Voyage of the Dawn Treader" is arguably the second-best of the Narnia books (and maybe the third-most filmable). The special effects look stronger than ever, and the human co-stars are growing nicely into their roles. The wonderful Tilda Swinton returns as the White Witch.

"Tron: Legacy"

Release date: Dec. 17

Tagline: "The game has changed."

AARP factor: Jeff Bridges (60); Bruce Boxleitner (60)

Trailer highlight: Light cycles: still looking extremely cool nearly 30 years later.

Analysis: There's a reason the follow-up to the groundbreaking "Tron" took 28 years to reach theaters. It's not an easy sequel to pull off, satisfying hard-core fans while bringing in enough mainstream moviegoers to satisfy its huge budget. But everything we've seen in the trailers and previews points to an exciting new "Tron" that updates the franchise while paying tribute to its roots.

"True Grit"

Release date: Dec. 25

AARP factor: Jeff Bridges (60)

Analysis: The Coen brothers made "No Country for Old Men" look like a modern-day Western, and we're expecting wonderful results when they try to create the real thing. Based on the 1968 Charles Portis novel (which was made into a 1969 John Wayne film), Bridges steps into the Rooster Cogburn role with relative newcomer Hailee Steinfeld as a 14-year-old girl trying to avenge her father's death. The deep cast includes Matt Damon, Josh Brolin and the underrated Barry Pepper in major roles.

Other movies in September:

Exploding zombie heads are best seen in 3-D, and "Resident Evil: Afterlife" (Sept. 10) promises to deliver. It's the fourth entry in the series ... Emma Stone updates "The Scarlet Letter" as a chaste high-schooler who pretends she lost her virginity in "Easy A" (Sept. 17) ... Directors Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman document a virtual romance involving the latter director's brother in "Catfish" (Sept. 17), which takes some unexpected turns ... Five strangers stuck together in an elevator may be rubbing shoulders with Satan in "Devil" (Sept. 17), based on an M. Night Shyamalan story ... "The Virginity Hit" (Sept. 17) is a comedy directed by the guys who wrote "The Last Exorcism" (which was actually kind of funny) ... More 3-D animated adventures await with the rich dog/poor dog comedy "Alpha and Omega" (Sept. 17) ... High-school rivals face off in "You Again" (Sept. 24), which features Betty White and Kristen Bell in a mostly female ensemble cast ... Ryan Reynolds is 6 feet underground with nothing but a lighter and cell phone in "Buried" (Sept. 24), a minimalist thriller ... "300" director Zack Snyder guides the 3-D "Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole" (Sept. 24).

Other movies in October:

Davis Guggenheim directs "Waiting for Superman" (Oct. 1), a Sundance Film Festival award-winning documentary that follows students who are being let down by public education ... "Let Me In" (Oct. 1) is a regional update of the brilliant Swedish preteen vampire movie "Let the Right One In." ... "Zodiac" director David Fincher takes on the origins of Facebook in "The Social Network" (Oct. 1) ... Opposites Katherine Heigl and Josh Duhamel become accidental co-parents of a young girl in "Life as We Know It" (Oct. 8) ... Edward Norton is a prisoner whose crazy wife seduces a parole officer (Robert De Niro) in "Stone" (Oct. 8) ... The makers of "Jackass 3-D" (Oct. 15) dream up a whole new dimension of self-inflicted pain ... Ben Affleck is a corporate climber who struggles with his identity after a layoff in "The Company Men" (Oct. 22) ... "Paranormal Activity" didn't leave much room for a sequel, so we're assuming "Paranormal Activity 2" (Oct. 22) terrorizes a new family ... Wes Craven writes and directs "My Soul to Take" (Oct. 29), about seven teens pursued by a reincarnated serial killer ... The sequel to "Saw VI" is called "Saw 3D" (Oct. 29). The math may seem off, but as long as the Jigsaw Killer returns (again), audiences won't care.

Other movies in November:

"The Hangover" director Todd Phillips makes "Due Date" (Nov. 5) with Robert Downey Jr. and Zach Galifianakis. It has a definite "Planes, Trains & Automobiles" vibe