Scenes from The Wolverine, Now You See Me and Special ID (from top) Photos: CFP

Is October a romantic month?  Not judging by this fall's box-office lineup.

Roughly 20 movies have been scheduled for this month, but it's a spate of action, adventure, and horror flicks, with romance off the calendar.

The numbers of imported works and domestic movies are relatively even, though the Hollywood blockbusters come with bigger name directors and actors.

Go action!

Already on the theater screen is the Hollywood adventure action The Lone Ranger, directed by Gore Verbinski and starring Johnny Depp and Armie Hammer.

Telling the story of John Reid (Hammer), a masked Texas Ranger who fights for justice in the American Old West, The Lone Ranger is another cooperation between the director Verbinski, actor Depp and producer Jerry Bruckheimer following the mega-blockbuster Pirates of the Caribbean franchise. Depp, who wowed audiences as Keith Richards-alike Captain Jack, put on his makeup and manic attitudes again to play Tonto, the Lone Ranger's companion.

New to audiences in China, the story of the Lone Ranger, Tonto, and his horse Silver is familiar to most Americans: It first appeared in a radio show in the US in 1933 and then adapted to a TV show, broadcast from the late 1940s to the late 1950s, and quite a number of movie versions.

A very productive director, Verbinski churns out new works almost each year, varying from romantic comedy The Mexican (2001), to horror film The Ring (2002), and Oscar-winning animated film Rango (2011). But The Lone Ranger proved a dire flop at the US box office this summer. Maybe it'll prove more enticing to Hollywood blockbuster lovers and Johnny Depp fans in China.

A similar adventure story, this time Chinese, is told in Pay Back, which is set for screen on October 25.

After Zhang Jin (Louis Fan), a former hooligan, is released from prison, he wants to live a peaceful life but on that first day he is nearly killed by some unknown men. Searching for the killers, Zhang meets taxi driver Yang Yan (Francis Ng), and discovers three unknown vendettas against him. Pay Back tries to be a movie about crime and redemption, but ends up mostly a straightforward thriller/action film targeted at fans of Hong Kong crime cinema.

Another action blockbuster is The Wolverine (October 17), which has built big expectation among audience long before their screening.

Following the story of X-Men Origins: Wolverine, in The Wolverine, the title character, Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) is summoned by an old acquaintance to Japan and hence being engaged to a series of new struggles. This time he is not only struggling to protect his old friend's daughter but also fights against the demon inside himself.

It is the sixth time Jackman has played the role of the indestructible Wolverine in a film, but for director James Mangold, it is his first time directing a Wolverine story.

Set largely in Japan, this film is not just a simple superhero story, but contains elements of the warrior philosophy of bushido, as well as a few beautiful Japanese towns sceneries which might let the audience "see another side of Japanese life" as the director said in an interview with movieweb.com.

Horrors and thrillers

Just before Halloween, a spate of horror and thriller titles hits Chinese screens, such as Now You See Me, The Game of Hide and Seek, Nowhere to Run, and Baby Blues.

Although the only Hollywood movie in this set, Now You See Me isn't running up the white flag. In fact, the expectations are much greater than for the other films.

In Now You See Me, The Four Horsemen are a group of four popular magicians. But after a performance themed around bank robbery, they're suspected of a recent heist. And FBI agent Dylan Rhodes (Mark Ruffalo) is asked to investigate the theft together with the suspicious Interpol agent Alma Dray (Mélanie Laurent).

It is a new work from Clash of the Titans (2010) director Louis Leterrier, and another joint performance from Jesse Eisenberg and Woody Harrelson following their Zombieland (2009).

On the fringe

Among all the films scheduled this month, The Love Songs of Tiedan is one of the few non-mainstream works.

It is the second directorial work of post 1980s director Hao Jie after his Single Man (2010), a film about sex in the remote Chinese countryside.

Tackling similar topics, The Love Songs of Tiedan tells the story of country dweller Tiedan (Feng Si). As a child, Tiedan (Shi Weicheng) develops feelings for a beautiful woman Sister May (Ye Lan) in the neighborhood. As he grows up, the influence of Sister May still affects him and he falls in love with the first daughter of Sister May, who takes after her mother. The development of the story is coupled with the ups-and-downs of er-ren-tai, a local musical performance form. As er-ren-tai often deals with adult subjects like sex, the musical content resonates with the main plot.

After its screening at some overseas film festivals such as San Sebastian the film has finally comes to China's mainstream theaters.

The end of the month sees the arrival of a historical drama, The Fall of The Ming.

In 1642, the antepenultimate year of the Ming dynasty (1368-1644), a deadly plague stalks the land while nomadic raiders attack from outside. But the corruption in the imperial court is the greatest threat to the dynasty's survival.

It is a new work from director Wang Jing, whose latest work Feng Shui (2012) received attention both at home and abroad, and who has been put forward for Golden Globes in the US.

Although the film deals with history, its story of corruption and indifference at the top levels of society seems to have some resonance today. As the director told Beijing Youth Daily, the story of the film is not made up, nor one of China's usual melodramatic costume drama, but a tale that raises issues that echo in society even now.