TOPIC 1

Skin: Summer movie season is on and poppin'. That Star Trek sneak preview we caught last week was fire. Made me wish I'd paid more attention to the franchise the past 20 years or so. I hadn't thought about anything Trekkie since Mr. Roarke got his revenge in Star Trek 2 – The Wrath of Fine Corinthian Leather.

Ben: I agree, the new one is nothing short of greatness, but it doesn't make me wish I was a Trekkie. I'm fairly confident that all of those old Trek movies added up to a single C-3PO sparkplug fart. Star Wars is clearly the sci-fi king. But at the very least, this new Star Trek joint is an unbelievable 99-yard Tony Dorsett TD run in a losing effort.

Skin: With Trek, Terminator, Da Vinci Code and Transformers all checking in, all is well in the summer flick universe. I just hope Megan Fox is utilized in a way that transforms Transformers into NC-17 fare.

Ben: Dude, get that Da Vinci Code trash out of this conversation. The other three flicks in this discussion are all super-thriller special-effects blockbusting thrill rides through hell's back door. Just because Tom Hanks rocks a Selma Blair hairdo and runs red lights in an electric car for the Pope doesn't mean it gets to be in the heavyweight class.

TOPIC 2

Ben: There's a slew of kick-ass summer comedies on deck, but I'm most excited about this one. Sleestacks, Cha-Ka, dinosaurs ... I can't imagine a more ideal playground for Ferrell and McBride. All other summer comedies should get their punters loose.

Skin: I loves me some Ferrell and McBride, but this is a remake of a pretty underwhelming TV show. That raises more red flags than China. Let's not forget Will Ferrell thought Bewitched was a good idea. Had he gotten Chris Kattan to play Cha-Ka, at least it could also be used as a sequel to A Night at the Roxbury.

Ben: Ferrell will swing and miss on that ass, that's for sure. But when he connects, he makes Roy Hobbs look like a fungo coach. He's the Rob Deer of comedies in that way. Classics such as 'Anchorman, ' Old School and Stepbrothers make it easy to overlook the strikeouts. By the way, what did your shrink ever say to do about your strange romantic attraction to Chris Kattan?

Skin: He was thrilled. I'm the "subject" of an academic paper he's presenting on people who like pansexual comedians. I hear Emo Phillips is on a panel, but it's unrelated to anything we're talking about here.

TOPIC 3

Skin: So there's a lot of hype about the new Tarantino flick, Inglourious Basterds. But do we really need a WWII movie complete with ironic casting, inane dialogue from tough guys about the price of hamburgers and ridiculously unbelievable violence topped with a smattering of kung-fu? I hear Brad Pitt stars as Uma Thurman and Gabe Kaplan is Mussolini.

Ben: I'd probably like Tarantino's movies more if I hadn't ever seen him or heard him or seen him. I find his unique style of being human to be a marginal whipping. He's the type of guy who will pull a hamstring trying to be cool. Cool is as cool does, Skin. That's what Forrest Gump's mama told me. Don't try to connect the dots, he's not my son.

Skin: Not a big mayo fan, but I love turkey sandwiches with some marginal whip. The antithesis of Tarantino's cool is Michael Mann's effortless swagger, and he's serving up some sho-shot gold in the form of Public Enemies with Johnny Depp and Christian Bale. I'm not sure which dude is playing Flava Flav, but I'm confident either could pull it off.

Ben: I'm not sure what those words mean, but I do like mayonnaise. I tried to watch the trailer for Inglourious Basterds, but Brad Pitt's terrible, inconsistent fake accent ruined it for me within seconds. BTW, the slumping Mike Myers is in this film. I have no idea if he's supposed to be funny or serious, but I find him to be unbelievable either way. I found a second incredibly indulgent online clip that features Tarantino more than the actors. That'd be like the Cowboys pitching Wade Phillips as their main marketing jewel for the coming season. It's a bad sign.

Hear the guys on The Ben and Skin Show weekdays from 3 to 7 p.m. on 105.3 "The Fan." E-mail them at skin@benandskin.com.