Alison Lohman

This is the time of year when, like a character from a bad sci-fi movie, I leap into the brains of a bunch of L.A. teenagers, eager to hear what they think about the nonstop onslaught of summer movies. I call them my Summer Movie Posse. We watch the trailers from a dozen or so upcoming films, then I take notes as the kids pick them apart, offering acerbic, insightful and sometimes surprising thoughts on what they liked and what they loathed.

Picture this: Inside the Kodak Theatre on the evening of March 23, 2003, Nicole Kidman, Meryl Streep, Julianne Moore and Renee Zellweger wait eagerly for Denzel Washington to open the envelope and reveal this year's best actress. "And the winner is ... Nia Vardalos!" OK, it is far-fetched.

A dark, creepy forest path with vicious spiders, bees and attacking, moss-covered oak trees leads to a mythical shoeless town where the bright and cheerful atmosphere feels oppressive. You've entered Tim Burton's "Wizard of Oz," a.k.a. "Big Fish." The quirky, goth-loving director has always been attracted to fairy tales and legends, the stranger and more iconic the better (witness everything from "Edward Scissorhands" to "The Nightmare Before Christmas" and "Sleepy Hollow").

Sam Mendes compares the experience of making a small film to that of driving a small car. "It's more maneuverable and more fun.

Aug. 1 Gigli Comedy Columbia With: Ben Affleck, Jennifer Lopez, Justin Bartha, Lainie Kazan. The idea: Gorgeous gangster tries to sort out a bungled kidnapping. Writer-director: Martin Brest. So? Fairly high curiosity factor. Dirty Pretty Things Thriller Miramax With: Audrey Tautou, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Sergi Lopez, Sophie Okonedo. The idea: A shocking discovery at the London hotel where they work propels a desperate man and woman into the city's underworld. Writer: Steve Knight.

HIGH ANTICIPATION About Schmidt. In this comedy-drama from the "Election" team of director Alexander Payne and co-writer Jim Taylor, Jack Nicholson is a retired widower who gains perspective driving a Winnebago across Nebraska. (New Line) (Fall) Adaptation.

American Wedding. The gang from "American Pie" and "American Pie 2" reconvene for the marriage of Jim and Michelle (Jason Biggs and Allyson Hannigan). Seann William Scott and Eugene Levy also return. Universal, Aug. 1 Anger Management. As taught to Adam Sandler by Jack Nicholson under the direction of Peter Segal. Columbia/Revolution, April 11 Anything Else. Jason Biggs, Stockard Channing, Danny DeVito, Jimmy Fallon and Christina Ricci star with Woody Allen in his latest comedy.

"Punch-Drunk Love" is called a "romantic comedy," but from writer-director Paul Thomas Anderson ("Magnolia" and "Boogie Nights"), expect something different. It's about an angry guy who cries inexplicably, buys cases of chocolate pudding to earn frequent flier miles, and busts glass when he blows his stack. His newfound love, played by Emily Watson, fuels a raging fire within him. Will he go mano a mano with the bad guy, played by Philip Seymour Hoffman?

I'm sorry Mama, I never meant to hurt you. I never meant to make you cry but tonight I'm cleaning out my closet. --Eminem As the young hero (Kieran Culkin) of "Igby Goes Down" is--how to put this delicately?--beating on his mother's (Susan Sarandon) corpse, he finally feels a moment of remorse: "Why is it the first time I feel remotely affectionate toward her is when she's dead?"