By Margaret A. McGurk
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Jim Carter (top), Anne Hathaway and Aidan McArdle star in Ella Enchanted, a modern-day-Cinderella story from a prize-winning novel by Gail Carson Levine.

Solange Knowles and Bow Wow star in Johnson Family Vacation 20th Century Fox

As months go, April used to be a quiet zone for movies. Not anymore.

Now, April is the pre-season for summer's onslaught of 800-pound gorillas, among them Troy (May 14), Shrek 2 (May 21), Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (June 3) and Spider-Man 2 (June 30).

As a run-up to blockbuster days, April offers a solid dose of special-effects action in Hellboy (Friday), a movie that comic-book fans have been eagerly awaiting. Also coming soon: an animated Disney comedy, Home on the Range (Friday); a sprawling historical war movie, The Alamo (April 9), and the sequel to Quentin Tarantino's hyperbolic martial-arts saga, Kill Bill, Vol. 2 (April 16). (Remember, opening dates are all subject to change.)

The 20-plus movies scheduled to open this month include a spate of comedies, a fistful of teen romance, a sprinkling of offbeat independent fare and a splash of thrillers.

Here is the lineup:

April 2

Hellboy - Ron Perlman stars as the human-demon offspring who must save the world from his nastier relatives. Mexican horror stylist Guillermo del Toro (Blade II) directs.

Walking Tall - The Rock, born Dwayne Johnson, follows up his comic-action turn in The Rundown with a remake of the 1973 butt-kicking classic that starred Joe Don Baker as an embattled sheriff out to clean up his town.

The Prince & Me - Julia Stiles falls for a cute guy who turns out to be an actual prince. You just know the clothes are going to be soooo gorgeous.

Home on the Range - Randy Quaid, Roseanne, Judi Dench and Cuba Gooding Jr. are among the many celebrity voices behind this animated tale of barnyard buddies trying to save themselves from being sold for fast-food.

April 7

Johnson Family Vacation - Cedric the Entertainer loads up the wife and kids for a road trip that sounds a lot like something Chevy Chase did back when all his movies started with "National Lampoon's."

April 9

Ella Enchanted - Anne Hathaway, who touched off a swarm of modern-day-fairy tales with The Princess Diaries, this time plays a modern-day-Cinderella from a prize-winning novel by Gail Carson Levine.

The Girl Next Door - In a male version of the modern-day fairy tale, a teenaged boy (Emile Hirsch) falls for the pretty new neighbor (Elisha Cuthbert), who happens to be a former porn star.

The Whole Ten Yards - Whole Nine Yards contract killers Bruce Willis and Amanda Peet re-unite with Matthew Perry for more life-threatening hijinks.

The Alamo - In 1836, Dennis Quaid, Billy Bob Thornton, Jason Patric and company take a stand against Gen. Santa Anna's army. This release was delayed from last year, officially for more post-production tinkering. Rumor has it that test audiences hated certain scenes reflecting the Mexican point of view.

April 16

Connie & Carla - Nia Vardalos (My Big Fat Greek Wedding) returns with a female version of Some Like It Hot. Specifically, two women pose as male drag queens to avoid the mob.

The Punisher - Another comic-book product, starring Thomas Jane (61*) as an embittered FBI agent who makes it his mission to hunt down villains.

Kill Bill, Vol. 2 - Based on Vol. 1, we can expect mass casualties as Uma Thurman continues her hunt for the double-crosser who killed her husband on their wedding day.

The United States of Leland - Kid-to-watch Ryan Gosling plays a model boy imprisoned for a senseless murder. Kevin Spacey plays his father; Don Cheadle is the writer who takes an interest in the case.

April 23

Clifford's Really Big Movie - There's this big red dog on TV, see, and little kids just love him to pieces, so it's time for him to have his own movie. The late John Ritter is the voice of Clifford.

Man on Fire - Denzel Washington is hired to protect a little girl (the shockingly skillful Dakota Fanning) in Mexico City, and ends up taking on a criminal empire.

13 Going On 30 - In this female version of Big, a young teen goes to sleep and wakes up in Jennifer Garner's body.

April 30

Dogville - Danish artist Lars von Trier directs Nicole Kidman as a woman on the run in this minimalist drama (the set is mostly chalk lines on an empty stage). The film has been a big hit at overseas film festivals.

Envy - Ben Stiller turns down a chance to join a hare-brained scheme with his friend Jack Black, who goes on to become wildly rich. Barry Levinson (Wag the Dog) directs.

Mean Girls - Lifelong globe-trotter Lindsay Lohan comes home and is shocked at how vicious her American counterparts can be. Written by Saturday Night Live head writer Tina Fey.

Godsend - Robert De Niro plays a creepy doctor who helps Greg Kinnear and Rebecca Romijn-Stamos replace their dead son. Things don't turn out as nicely as they hoped.

Laws of Attraction - In a modern-day fairy tale for grownups, Pierce Brosnan and Julianne Moore play New York divorce lawyers who fall in love.

E-mail mmcgurk@enquirer.com