Beat the summertime blues with movies

"I expect Spider-Man 2, Shrek 2 and Harry Potter &the Prisoner of Azkaban to be this summer's biggestblockbusters," said Danny Linton, who teaches Introduction to Filmat The University of Memphis. "But the movie I am looking forwardto is The Manchurian Candidate with Denzel Washington."

In The Manchurian Candidate, Washington finds himself ina remake of a 1962 John Frankenheimer film about a brainwashedsoldier who is wired to assassinate a powerful politician.

The battle of the sequels could be unpredictable. Past successdoesn't guarantee a thing. Think Charlie's Angels: FullThrottle. However, Spider-Man 2 may pull out a victorydue to its comic book fan base.

"The first Spider-Man movie was great, and I have beenreading the comics since I was little," said Seth McCoin, seniorsports and leisure major.

Anchorman with Will Farrell, Around the World in 80Days with Jackie Chan and Owen Wilson or The WhiteChicks with Shawn and Marlon Wayans could provide the laughslacking in this summer's action filled line-up.

Troy, with Brad Pitt as Achilles, and King Arthur, withClive Owen, will try to capture the same success as Russell Crowe'sGladiator. Troy may have the advantage due to Pitt, but helacks a solid blockbuster track record. Only three of his movieshave grossed more than $100 million in the United States.

I, Robot is Will Smith's chance to recapture the summerbox-office success he once enjoyed with movies like IndependenceDay and Men In Black. Smith finds himself in the year2035 as a techno-phobic cop who investigates a crime that may havebeen committed by a robot.

Big budgets don't always equal success, but that doesn't keepmovie studios from pouring in the cash. Van Helsing withHugh Jackman, Catwoman with Halle Berry and SkyCaptain and the World of Tomorrow with Jude Law are allhoping to avoid the same fate as last summer's big-budget failure,The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen.

In Collateral, Tom Cruise works with director MichaelMann in search of the box-office gold he missed with The LastSamurai. Playing the villain, Cruise takes a break from histypical hero roles.

"No one does hard-boiled testosterone movies like Michael Mann,"said Jaime Peters, publications writer for The U of M.

In The Terminal with Tom Hanks, a Balkan immigrantbecomes a resident of an airport terminal when a war breaks out andhis country is destroyed. This could be the ticket for people whoare looking for a movie with fewer bells and whistles and moresubstance.

"This summer is filled with the same big-budget extravaganzasthat are put out every year," said Amanda Jenkins, senior publicrelations major. "It would be funny if Alien vs. Predatorbeats them all."