With an epic-sized budget and featuring some serious eye candy, “Troy” hits theaters with a lot of expectations to live up to, not the least of which is whether or not today’s audience will relate to the story. That issue - the relevance of Homer’s “The Iliad” in today’s world - is addressed pretty much immediately. Boiled down to its basics, “Troy” is a love story immersed in a world of burly men battling to restore their King’s wounded pride while capturing more land for their country to rule, set in a time when the world was run by men who worshiped mythic Gods such as Apollo and Zeus. That’s an easy enough story for contemporary moviegoers to get into. So fear not, if you can’t recall which Greek God is which, you won’t feel lost in the world of “Troy.”

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Shakespeare’s famous play is updated to the hip modern suburb of Verona still retaining its original dialogue. The gun-toting members of the families wage a vicious war on the streets as the star-crossed lovers, their tragic destiny. Written by Alexander Lum {aj_lum@postoffice.utas.edu.au}

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Arthur (aka Wart) is a young boy who aspires to be a knight’s squire. On a hunting trip he falls in on Merlin, a powerful but amnesiac wizard who has plans for Wart beyond mere squiredom. He starts by trying to give Wart an education (whatever that is), believing that once one has an education, one can go anywhere. Needless to say, it doesn’t quite work out that way. Written by Tim Pickett {quetzal@yoyo.cc.monash.edu.au}

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A barbarian trained in the arts of war joins with thieves in a quest to solve the riddle of steel and find the sorcerer responsible for the genocide of his people in this faithful adaptation of Robert E. Howard’s sword and sorcery adventures. This film briefly sparked a wave of fantasy films including the sequel, Conan the Destroyer, in the early 80s. Written by Keith Loh {loh@sfu.ca}

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Robert Duvall and Michael Caine are terrific in the family-friendly comedy/drama, “Secondhand Lions.” These two venerable actors with over 11 decades of work between them are fresh and fun to watch as two crotchety old men who, on first glance, seem to live by the old adage, “Shoot first, ask questions later.”

“Secondhand Lions” follows the story of Hub (Duvall) and Garth McCaan (Caine), elderly brothers spending their retirement years in solitude on a farm in Texas. The only significant intrusions on their peace are the traveling salesmen who show up uninvited and leave hastily when shotgun rounds answer their requests for money.

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Semi-sequel to ‘John Carpenter’s Vampires‘ . In Mexico, another vampire slayer, Derek Bliss (Jon Bon Jovi), is hired by a shady priest and aided by a group of fellow slayers in finding a large nest of ’suckers’ and their powerful leader, a vampire princess (Arly Jover). She is seeking a legendary black crucifix — the same crucifix used unsuccessfully in the first movie to perform a ritual which will enable vampires to walk in sunlight and be invulnerable. Written by Anonymous

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Tirante the knight is as committed to fighting the Turks in Constantinople as he is to relieving Carmesina, the heiress to the Byzantine Empire, of her virginity.

When an accident obliterates the British royal family and most of its branches, a desperate geneological search discovers the next king: Ralph, a sleazy American lounge singer. Can Ralph measure up to the job, even with the help of loyal aristocrat Willingham? Written by Reid Gagle

Just hearing the word ‘sequel’ makes me cringe. Too many times the fond memories of a good movie have been ruined by a lame, cash-in-while-the-getting-is-good sequel. The bad sequel list goes on ad nauseam, populated with misguided, unnecessary and annoying attempts to recapture the spirit – and the box office dollars – of a successful movie. And no matter how you try to forget them, bad sequels leave a rotten taste in your mouth that taints the enjoyment of the original film. But the powers behind “Shrek” got it right. They pulled off the near impossible and created a sequel that’s better than the original. Even the computer generated animation, which was pretty darn good in the first film, has been vastly improved. This “Shrek” looks gorgeous, feels fresh, and touches your heart on a grander scale than the first movie.

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For 400 years, Japan has been home to a secret criminal organization dedicated to its own supremacy in the underworld. Ruled by an ancient, arcane code of honor, the deadly Yakuza have been among the most feared members of society. Even today, they are immediately recognizable by the stunningly ornate tattoos that cover their bodies, telling the terrifying story of their stature and career in a dark order that knows no mercy. Now the Yakuza are coming to Los Angeles. But in America, they’re going to meet their match. Two cops are on their trail. One’s an American raised in Japan. He’s got the mind and spirit of a samurai, and the body of a human fighting machine. The other’s a Japanese-American raised in California’s San Fernando Valley. He’s into malls, pizza and MTV. But he can disarm five gunmen with his bare feet. One’s a warrior. One’s a wise-ass. But together they’ve got what it takes to remove some tattoos from Little Tokyo. “Showdown in Little Tokyo” stars action favorite Dolph Lundgren as Chris Kenner, a man fighting for his adopted heritage and his family’s honor; and Brandon Lee, in his first American film role, as Johnny Murata, a guy whose idea of a good time includes knowing where–and how–to get his kicks. Opposites in attitude, once they get on the streets, they’re a perfect odd couple. And what they have in common is their enemy–the Yakuza who are bringing a lethal new drug trade to Los Angeles, coupled with a macabre taste for violence and cruelty. Written by anonymous