April 28

''It used to be that the summer movie season didn't start until... what is it, Flag Day?'' says Quaid. Actually, that's Memorial Day, Dennis, but point taken. Hitting theaters a week before early bird ''The Mummy'' did last year, the action-heavy ''Frequency'' follows a cop (''The Thin Red Line'''s Caviezel) who discovers he's able to communicate with his dead firefighter father (Quaid), thanks to an astrological phenomenon and a ham radio; he then attempts to save Dad's life and find Mom's killer.

A tad confusing, no? ''It's certainly not confusing to me because I had a lot to do with designing it,'' says director Hoblit (''Primal Fear''). ''But you've got to be paying attention and picking up visual and auditory clues to follow the story. You can't really sit back and nod off.'' As a fireman, Quaid -- who emerged as Hoblit's first choice after the director saw him, ''oddly enough,'' in 1998's ''The Parent Trap'' remake -- definitely stayed active on the set.

''I don't think he was prepared for the amount of running around he had to do and 40 pounds of gear,'' says Hoblit. ''There were endless takes in extraordinarily hot weather -- we were in New York during a heat wave in August.'' Quaid insists, ''I never complained about the heat,'' though he does add, ''I have a newfound deep respect for what those guys go through.'' BUZZ FACTOR: 7

Go to the official website.

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