A Killer Summer 

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TALKING POINTS: The Bourne Identity was a potent force at the 2002 summer box office, and with another top-notch cast (including Joan Allen) and plenty of Bond-like intrigue, this one should also do very well.

CATWOMAN
PLOT: A mousy woman (Halle Berry) struck down in the prime of life ends up acquiring nine of them when she reemerges as the superheroine Catwoman.

TALKING POINTS: Obviously, those long-ago reports of a Catwoman picture starring Michelle Pfeiffer (who was sensational in the role in Batman Returns) never left the rumor stage... Berry took the role after Ashley Judd turned it down, presumably to continue making dum-dum thrillers like Twisted... Sharon Stone co-stars as the villain of the piece, stirring unfortunate memories of Faye Dunaway's hammy evildoer in Supergirl.

JULY 30

GARDEN STATE
PLOT: A man (Zach Braff) suffering from lifelong depression returns to his hometown for his mother's funeral; there, he makes a connection with someone else (Natalie Portman) coping with medical ills.

TALKING POINTS: This generated plenty of positive buzz at Sundance... Braff (who also directed and wrote the film) is best known for his starring role on TV's Scrubs.

HAROLD AND KUMAR GO TO WHITE CASTLE
PLOT: A quick run for White Castle hamburgers turns into a marathon road trip for two teenagers (John Cho and Kal Penn).

TALKING POINTS: Director Danny Leiner previously enriched our cinematic heritage with Dude, Where's My Car?... Anthony Anderson (Kangaroo Jack, My Baby's Daddy) pops up in a small role, making this his seventh film appearance in the past two years (that's not even including last year's short-lived TV series All About the Andersons).

THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE
PLOT: An army major and Desert Storm vet (Denzel Washington) becomes aroused by the odd behavior of his former comrade (Liev Schreiber).

TALKING POINTS: John Frankenheimer's 1962 classic was clearly a picture that didn't cry out for an update, and seeing how badly director Jonathan Demme botched the Charade remake (The Truth About Charlie) adds to our anxiety... Still, Washington is always compelling, and the casting of Meryl Streep in Angela Lansbury's old role of the creepy mom is inspired.

THUNDERBIRDS
PLOT: Former astronaut Jeff Tracy (Bill Paxton) and his five sons, who together comprise the members of the top-secret outfit International Rescue, find their island sanctuary under attack by a criminal mastermind known as The Hood (Ben Kingsley).

TALKING POINTS: This is based on that quirky 60s TV series that starred a bunch of cheesy-looking puppets... The director is Jonathan Frakes, the Star Trek: The Next Generation actor who landed a second career behind the camera (this is his fourth feature film credit).

THE VILLAGE
PLOT: The members of an isolated community accept the fact that the surrounding forest harbors an evil force, but one man (Joaquin Phoenix) decides to risk his life to uncover its dark secrets.

TALKING POINTS: Writer-director M. Night Shyamalan already has two summer blockbusters under his belt: The Sixth Sense and Signs... The cast also includes William Hurt, Sigourney Weaver and Adrien Brody.

AUGUST 6

COLLATERAL
PLOT: A cab driver (Jamie Foxx) is startled to learn that his latest fare is a trained assassin (Tom Cruise).

TALKING POINTS: Cruise's films almost always gross at least $100 million, but given the less-than-flamboyant plotline and an August release date (late for a Cruise summer flick), this one might have its work cut out for it... The director is Michael Mann, the Heat helmer who had a rare misstep with Ali.

SHALL WE DANCE?
PLOT: A burned-out businessman (Richard Gere) falls for a dance instructor (Jennifer Lopez) and hires her to teach him ballroom moves.

TALKING POINTS: This is the inevitable Hollywood remake of a wonderful Japanese import that performed nicely at US art houses back in 1997, and may God have mercy on their souls if they tarnish the original's reputation in any way... Susan Sarandon co-stars as Gere's wife.

AUGUST 11

THE PRINCESS DIARIES 2: ROYAL ENGAGEMENT
PLOT: Immediately after beginning her duties as princess of Genovia, Mia (Anne Hathaway) learns that she's to be named Queen -- and that the Queen must have a mate.

TALKING POINTS: Julie Andrews returns as Hathaway's prim and proper grandmother... This sequel might have the name recognition, but A Cinderella Story might steal some of this movie's target audience by virtue of its earlier release date.

AUGUST 13

ALIEN VS. PREDATOR
PLOT: Two monsters from outer space face off against each other; as the tagline reads, "Whoever Wins... We Lose."

TALKING POINTS: The Friday the 13th and Nightmare On Elm Street franchises were played out financially (creatively, they had been played out for decades) until the mad slashers were brought together in last summer's modest hit Freddy vs. Jason; expect this pairing (based on the comic book series) to yield similar results.