Stills from But Always Photo: CFP

Despite the cooling weather, autumn's movie market is still hot with competition. As the Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day holidays approach, about a dozen blockbusters from both China and overseas are looking to capitalize on people's leisure time.

Big names from home

Coming early on September 5 is the romantic feature But Always, staring Hong Kong actor Nicholas Tse and mainland actress Gao Yuanyuan. Regarded as a Chinese version of the French film Jeux d'enfants (2003) because of the similarities in their stories, But Always tells the love story of an ordinary couple over the course of 20 years.

While Zou Xian, the film's director, is still a new name for moviegoers in China, the producer of the film is famous director Zhang Yibai, whose name is sure to attract some attention. Additionally, ever since reality cooking show Chef Nic began airing on Zhejiang TV in July, Tse has once again become a major hot topic of discussion, something the film is sure to benefit from.

Another love story, One Step Away, set for September 19, combines romance with elements of a spy thriller by depicting the story of how an underground spy meets, falls in love and is later separated from a dance teacher during a time of war. 

This is the first feature film from director Zhao Baogang, who has previously had great success on TV portraying love stories set again the backdrop of different time periods. With the film gathering a number of stars from the mainland, Hong Kong and Taiwan, many are curious to see how this TV industry veteran's work translates to the big screen.

A year ago, actress Zhao Wei proved that she could direct as well with the 700 million yuan ($113.95 million) box office hit So Young. This year she makes a return to acting in Peter Chan's family-themed film Dearest.

Based on a true story, Dearest portrays the pain a couple goes through when their only son is kidnapped. After three years of searching and hoping, they finally discover some clues that lead them to their son, only to discover that he no longer recognizes them. 

Though scheduled towards the end of the month on September 26, the film's heavy weight director and stars have already earned it quite a lot of buzz. Yet, it's still hard to say if such serious and depressing subject matter will bring a large audience into theaters. 

Scheduled for September 30, comedy Xinhua Lufang has set its sights on ruling the one-week National Day holiday which starts on October 1. 

After working together in films like Lost in Thailand and No Man's Land, actors Huang Bo and Xu Zheng have become the big screen's newest golden duo. The comedy will see the two join up again as two buddies heading out on a road trip. With the addition of director Ning Hao's proven black humor, the film is set to be a very welcome event for moviegoers during the holiday.

Of course, the film is sure to face competition from The Golden Era, a highly anticipated film set for October 1. Directed by Ann Hui, The Golden Era is also the closing film of this year's Venice International Film Festival.

Stills from The Expendables 3 Photo: CFP

Competition from abroad 

"One is never too old for anything."

This sentence may well be a more than suitable fit for actor and director Sylvester Stallone. At the age of 68, Stallone has kept himself busy by working on his new flick The Expendables 3.

The third installation of the franchise sees Barney Ross (Stallone) being hunted down by former team member Conrad Stonebanks (Mel Gibson). Losing ground and in an almost hopeless situation, Ross recruits new members to counter attack. The Expendables 3 is set for September 1. 

Next up is Hollywood disaster film Into the Storm. Directed by Steven Quale, the assistant director for Titanic (1997) and Avatar (2009), the story takes place in a small town that gets hit by a series of storms in one day.  

Next to action flicks, disaster films are another important Hollywood go to genre. There have been a number of successes such as The Day after Tomorrow (2004) and 2012 (2009), which were well received by audiences and earned high box offices, but there have been more than a few bombs as well. As to which side Into the Storm falls on, moviegoers will be able to decide for themselves when the film hits theaters on September 12.

A conspiracy, passengers dying every 20 minutes on a plane and Liam Neeson, this is the combination that mystery-action film Non-Stop plans to bring to theaters on September 19. 

Also starring Julianne Moore, the film was directed by Spanish director Jaume Collet-Serra, who is known for suspense and horror works such as Orphan (2009) and Unknown (2011).

Having already debuted in North America back in February, the film is seen by many as this month's underdog. However, its current grade of 7.1 out of 10 on imdb.com shows that it might be a film worth checking out. 

Putting Hollywood behind us and turning to Asia, one film that is sure to capture audiences' attention is the South Korean film Cold Eyes.

While the rise of South Korean film has made romantic comedy a well known genre in China, Cold Eyes is an action/crime remake of Hong Kong film Eye in the Sky (2007). While at first glance the film seems to be an old-fashioned story involving detectives and criminals, the film, however, has won various awards and nominations after hitting screens in South Korea in 2013. 

The Deathday Party Photo: Courtesy of Yingxing Tianxia

More choices

If these films don't appeal to you, then perhaps something a bit scarier might float your boat?

For those looking for a scare, September 19's The Deathday Party may be able to scratch that itch. 

The directorial debut of scriptwriter Xie Hang, the film features a surprising number of stars, from Hong Kong actress Anita Yuen, Chinese American actor Archie Kao, to mainland actress Xiong Naijin. 

Looking to keep audiences curious, not much information about the plot has been released so far, but from fragments shown in some early trailers the movie features a mother searching for her lost memories about a party where the guests are forced to kill each other. 

Similar films this month include Double Exposure and Inside the Girls, both on September 12.  

 For those who want to put off the scares until Halloween, September 12 will also be a great day for something light and romantic as the films Zero Point Five Love, You Are My Sassy Girl and Young Friend Forever all come out on the same day.

Although summer vacation has now come to an end, this doesn't mean there are no longer any films aimed at children this month. For parents looking to spend an afternoon at the theater with their kids, Indian animal protection-themed animation Delhi Safari (September 5), soccer-themed Argentine animation Metegol (September 5), and Chinese works Tale of The Rally (September 6) and The Firefox of Bunnington Burrows (September 30) all stand ready to serve.