Yeah, I know that this direct-to-video sequel was put out to cash in even more so on the original, which itself grossed over $300 in U.S. box office receipts to become the most successful Disney film ever! However, after watching this a couple of years back and revisiting it today, I know that there was another, much better, reason: four years after THE LION KING, we were all missing the characters...and we were hungry for more. As much as us fans of the original did not want the possibility of having the franchise tainted by an inferior sequel, it seemed to be worth the risk.

And it was. In 1998, Disney got most of the principal voice-over actors back from the original---Matthew Broderick as Simba, Moira Kelly as Nala, Nathan Lane and Ernie Sabella as Timon & Pumbaa, respectively, and of course, Robert Guillaume as the hilarious Rafiki---and made THE LION KING II: SIMBA'S PRIDE, which follows our favorite Lion hero (and King) & family as they pick up from where they left off in the first film. Now Simba is the King and his young offspring is a lioness cub named Kiara; he's the worried dad in this one, always fearing for the safety of the young precocious girl, but they're nevertheless a happy family just the same. Of course, danger lurks in the shadows, as Zira (Suzanne Pleshette---yes, *that* Suzanne Pleshette), the villainous ex-mate of Scar, is training her young son Kovu to grow up to avenge Scar's death by killing Simba. However, Rafiki, the silly-acting but nevertheless wise monkey, finds out to his horrified amazement that Kiara and Kovu are destined for each other. Sure enough, Kiara and Kovu meet each other as cubs and take an immediate strong liking to each other. Can true love overcome true evil?

This film, by itself, is very well-written and acted, with excellent production values for the fact that it is a direct-to-video sequel. It has really no flaws of its own, just one obvious inconsistency between it and the first film: Scar's 'ex-mate' Zira (and, by extension, Kovu) simply did not exist in the original THE LION KING! She was obviously made up just to have a sequel. However, this is the only major thing to overlook, and if you can forgive this movie for it, then you should be able to easily enjoy yourself. As I said, this is a good animated movie, and I recommend it for any fan of the original. This sequel isn't quite as dark; however, I still would not recommend showing it to very young kids. Suzanne Pleshette does a surprisingly good job as the evil, scheming, vengeful Zira (basically a female versdion of old Scar himself). Neve Campbell does a solid job as the voice of the adult Kiara, and Jason Marsden does excellently as the conflicted Kovu, who wants to do good, but...he made a promise to his mother...didn't he?!

Listen, THE LION KING II: SIMBA'S PRIDE is not the masterpiece that THE LION KING is...however, it is much better than it perhaps should be. Fans of the original should definitely own it.

RECOMMENDED, AGES 8 & UP

Disney's THE LION KING (1994) is, as if anyone really needed to tell you, a true modern Disney classic. I first saw it when it was released in late 1994; in fact, I saw it during the first weekend! This was something I never did with any Disney film before or since, but I had seen the full five-minute trailer a few times during the two-month buildup to its release and it looked incredible. It didn't disappoint; in fact, it turned out to be one of the greatest films of 1994---and that was a *busy* year for great films! In fact, if it weren't such a busy year for great films (PULP FICTION, FORREST GUMP, THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION, IN THE NAME OF THE FATHER, etc.) then THE LION KING would have easily garnered a Best Picture nomination. Better than the great ALADDIN (1991), even better than BEAUTY AND THE BEAST (1992)---which *did* get nominated for Best Picture---this film was state-of-the art in every way: The incredibly vivid visuals, especially during the opening sequence and the awesome Wildebeest stampede, the DTS digital sound, the voice-over actors, even the script...it all came together in a whole new way, to create a film that was probably even more for adults than it was for kids---but one in which the kids enjoyed immensely as well. This animated masterpiece provided a great theater experience, even with all the kids there!

Well, it's just as great on VHS, especially considering our 51" widescreen TV and Surround Sound capabilities (*smile*). I imagine it must be even greater on DVD, but we will have to wait till later in the year to be able to get the Special Edition DVD, which I badly want! This is just one of those films that make you smile; it is so special in so many ways.

But why is it so special? I mean, it's basically Hamlet for kids---and not even young kids, considering the adult themes of betrayal and murder---and tells a relatively simple story. Ah, but its Shakesperean thematic model is filled by a story that *is* original in its characters, in its setting and in its ability to awe us with its sense of wonder and purpose. One last thing: we can relate to its main character Simba (voiced as a cub by "Home Improvement" actor Jonathan Taylor Thomas, voiced as an adult by Matthew Broderick), who runs away from a past he can't face and harbors it as a guilty secret till he is able to face down his demons in adulthood. Come on, most of us can certainly relate to that in one way or another!

You know the story, but here it is again: Simba, after a restless but happy cub-hood, runs away from home when his majestic, all-powerful and seemingly invincible father, the Lion King Mufasa (majestically voiced by James Earl Jones---as if it could have been anyone else!), is betrayed and murdered by his brother, the evil and scheming Scar (creepily voiced by Jeremy Irons---as if it could have been anyone else!), who guilts the young Simba into leaving and never coming back. Of course, Scar then becomes King, much to the chagrin of Queen Sarabi (voiced by the illustrious Jamaican actress Madge Sinclair, in what would be unfortunately her final film role). Meanwhile, Simba goes off to the forests where he meets a couple of best pals---a wisecracking Meerkat named Timon (Nathan Lane, in a piece of inspired casting) and a big, flatulent Warthog named Pumbaa (Ernie Sabella, also inspired)---who teach Simba the value of "no worries" ("Hakuna Matata") and who shine in all of their scenes. Simba grows up with them into a life of no worries. Eventually, the young girlfriend he left behind, Nala (voiced as an adult by Moira Kelly), finds Simba and tries to convince him to come back to Pride Rock and fulfill his destiny. Simba has long been resigned to his present fate, and refuses to do so---until he is confronted by a wise baboon named Rafiki (Robert Guillaume, in yet *another* piece of inspired casting!), who shows Simba that his father truly lives on within himself. Simba returns to Pride Rock to reclaim the kingship, evil Uncle Scar doesn't want to go lightly, and in a truly climactic scene, Simba avenges his father's murder and takes his place in The Circle of Life, becoming a dad himself in the very last frame!

I know I didn't have to go through all that, but I wanted to; it's just a great film with great songs (the magnificent "Circle Of Life," the Oscar-winning "Can You Feel The Love Tonight," "I Just Can't Wait To Be King" and "Hakuna Matata"---all written by Elton John & Tim Rice), and it is still such a pleasure to watch it a whole decade after its original theatrical release. Don't let the G-rating fool you; with humor so hip and violence so intense (especially in the climactic fight scene), it's really not for young children. I still feel that it should have received the PG-rating. Still, no matter what the rating, THE LION KING is a must-have, for *any* film library.

MOST RECOMMENDED, AGES 8 & UP

My partner and I treated ourselves to an X-Box last Christmas, and, being Simpsons fans and seeing the cool-looking commercials for this game, bought THE SIMPSONS: HIT AND RUN as one of our first games. So far, this is still the only X-Box game I've played. I just went back to playing it after an absence of three months, and I couldn't put it down for SEVEN hours! I love the missions, plus the bonus races that win you extra vehicles for your use. I love running over things for coins, which you can collect and use to buy vehicles, wardrobe changes, etc! Of course, there is plenty of exploring of sights, sounds and other numerous gags within each level that adds to your experience. I love the alternating of characters you play. You start out as Homer in the first level, switch to Bart in the second and then to Lisa in the third. (That's where I'm up to as of this writing!) I love the irreverently funny tone of the game, just like the TV show. Let's face it, this game is *a lot* of fun!

The first missions are not easy, and they get more difficult as you go along. Right now, I'm stuck on the one where you have to knock 15 slabs of 'flatmeat' (roadkill) out of Cletus' pickup truck by repeatedly slamming into him. It may not sound hard, but you have to do all this within a two-minute period! The graphics on X-Box are extremely sharp, and it is an absolute joy to play. Eventually, I will get around to playing ENTER THE MATRIX, THE NEED FOR SPEED UNDERGROUND, PROJECT GOTHAM, STAR WARS: THE CLONE WARS and THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE RETURN OF THE KING which we also have. No question about it, THE SIMPSONS HIT AND RUN gives you a lot of gameplaying hours, and is even more fun than watching the TV show! [Warning: May Result in Calloused Thumbs!]

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

Come on, people! What, is Eddie Murphy suddenly cinematic poison to you all? Is he not still the funny, charming comedic actor that *all* of you have laughed to in the past?? Is it suddenly uncool to like him...or to like a film based on a Disney ride??? (Can you say PIRATES OF THE CARRIBEAN, perhaps??) Am I missing something, because I just don't get your reactions on here at all!

Listen, it's true that Eddie Murphy has made some duds recently in his career, such as THE ADVENTURES OF PLUTO NASH and I SPY (both 2002)---unseen by me as of this writing, by the way---but he's also still making hits (and great films), too: witness SHREK (2001) and the still brand-new SHREK 2, and it is really questionable as to whether Mr. Murphy's star has really gone out. I mean, he also made BEST DEFENSE in 1983, and then went on to the mega-hit BEVERLY HILLS COP the very next year. Besides, some of our greatest and most respected actors such as Robert De Niro, Dustin Hoffman and Al Pacino have starred in bad movies---THE FAN (1996), ISHTAR (1987) and CRUISING (1981), respectively, so it's pretty unfair to act as if Murphy's the only one who's made some crappy choices. And it really doesn't matter what other films Eddie has done, anyway. We are discussing THE HAUNTED MANSION (2003) on these pages, so let's just take the film by itself as it is.

This is an extremely well-made film that is a feast for the senses. Everything---Art Direction, Set Design, Costumes, Makeup, Visual Effects, Sound Effects Editing included---was made painstakingly with great attention to detail. I'm baffled by one obviously ill-informed reviewer who commented on 'the cheap CGI effects'---what??? Just by watching the movie, I could tell that *nothing* about it was made on the cheap. And if that hadn't convinced me by itself, then the two documentaries ("The Making Of The Mansion" and "Anatomy Of A Scene - Ghost In The Graveyard") would have done the trick. As it is, these docs really made me appreciate even more all the great work that makeup artist extraordinaire Rick Baker (truly a legend in his craft), costumer Mona May and all the rest did. And if that weren't enough, the DVD gives us a superb interactive tour of the Gracie Mansion! I have just seen the DVD after getting it from Netflix. After watching it, I know that I want to buy it!

Eddie Murphy and British actress Marsha Thomason star as Jim & Sara Evers, of Evers & Evers Real Estate. In the opening scene, Jim is showing a couple a house (no, not the haunted one) of which they're not quite sure they want to buy. We're treated to another fine example of Murphy's comedic timing in this scene, where his wife calls about spending their anniversary night together and he's making it seem to the prospective couple as if he's speaking with another interested couple. In true pop psychology form, the couple in the room immediately make their move to purchase the house. Of course, this setup is just to establish the characters of Jim & Sara, and soon they're off to the Gracie Mansion (no, not the NYC Mayor's house) to which they've been invited (well actually, just Sara) by a spooky-sounding man who presents himself as the representative of the interested seller. Of course, the spooky man turns out to be the butler Ramsey (played to great spooky effect by the wonderful Terence Stamp). They also meet Master Gracie (Nathaniel Parker) whom, we learn, fell in love with a black girl named Elizabeth in the 19th century who committed sucicide (or so he thought) when they realized they could never marry due to the obvious societal pressures of their day. It's an effective back story that speaks to the issues of race, intolerance and true love. But the real treat is the house and its ghostly inhabitants.

Sure, this isn't a *great* film; however, there really wasn't anything I didn't like. Everybody was well-cast. I liked the Evers' children, Megan and Michael, played respectively by Aree Davis (if she looks familiar to you, that's because she's the sister of Dee Dee Davis, who stars on "The Bernie Mac Show" and Marc John Jefferies (yep, the People PC spokesman!). Both are smart and engaging. I also liked Wallace Shawn and Dina Waters as the helpful ghostly couple Ezra & Emma. Jennifer Tilly is great as Madame Leota, a ghostly disembodied head in a crystal ball! All in all, THE HAUNTED MANSION is a great way to take your mind off things and just have fun for 88 minutes. That's all it aims to be, and it delivers well.

RECOMMENDED; AGES 6 & UP

For STAR TREK: INSURRECTION (1998), unfortunately famous for Data saying the ultimate cheesy one-liner, "Lock & Load" (*cringe*), Jonathan "Two-Takes" Frakes, back in the director's chair, makes the atmosphere decidedly lighter. That's a good thing; however, after all is said and done in this, the ninth installment in the legendary STAR TREK film saga (and the third one featuring the "Next Generation" cast of characters), there is really not much meat on the bone. In this episode, which begins jarringly with a sudden murderous rampage by a malfunctioning android Lt. Commander Data (Brent Spiner, in not one of his finer moments as an actor here), the crew of the Enterprise "E" have beamed down to Planet Ba'ku and rather quickly become familiar with the peaceful residents of this planet. This planet is nicknamed "Paradise," correctly so because it has magical regenerative powers which prevent its people from aging and dying. These people, numbering only 600, are peaceful and seem to have a kind of neo-religious quality to their personalities, as they live in total harmony with nature and openly reject any kind of technology. (This leads to what is probably the best scene in the entire movie, as the Enterprise is revealed to be camouflaged to blend in with the lush surroundings!)

Anyway, as Capt. Jean-Luc Picard (the always-wonderful Patrick Stewart) begins to get friendly with one of the eligible female Ba'ku residents, and Commander Will Riker (Frakes) and Counselor Deanna Troi (Marina Sirtis) get friendlier with each other (leading to a surprisingly sensual hot-tub scene), there is trouble brewing in Paradise: an incredibly ugly band of aliens known as the So'na, led by the especially monstrous Ru'afo (F. Murray Abraham), who intends to displace the peace-loving Ba'ku residents and take over the planet for themselves, so as to de-uglify themselves (I'm not making this up). Not only that, but they are given full authority to do so by a suspicious Federation admiral (Anthony Zerbe, in his final film role). Because this order clearly violates the Prime Directive (which forbids the interfering of any sovereign planetary civilization), this puts Capt. Picard & crew into a conundrum: do they follow orders like good little Starfleet soldiers or do they uphold the Prime Directive to protect these peacemongers? Put it to you this way: Based on the title alone, plus what you know about the Next Generation characters, what do you THINK they will do??? Duh...Lock & Load!!!

Jonathan Frakes had an obviously daunting task: following up the incredible STAR TREK: FIRST CONTACT (1996), one of the very best in the entire STAR TREK film saga. STAR TREK: INSURRECTION looks really nice (the visuals are, once again, truly amazing), but alas, there is not really much to care about here. F. Murray Abraham is one of the finest actors of our time, but he must have really needed the money in order to agree to fill a role in which he's not only unrecognizable, but also the recipient of the worst movie makeover in recent big-screen history. STAR TREK: INSURRECTION is certainly not the worst STAR TREK film ever made (that honor would unquestioningly go to the William Shatner-directed misfire STAR TREK V: THE FINAL FRONTIER), but it's definitely not among the best. See it if you're a fan.

MODERATELY RECOMMENDED; AGES 10 & UP

Of course this film's plot is preposterous, but LEGALLY BLONDE (2001) is so much fun that you just sit back and go with the flow. Reese Witherspoon completes her long-in-the-making climb up to superstardom with her infectious portrayal of pink-loving, Valley Girl-talking, beauty-minded, hopelessly optomistic, quintessential blonde Elle Woods. Before this role, Reese had co-starred in a string of successful films---PLEASANTVILLE (1998), CRUEL INTENTIONS and ELECTION (both 1999)---but with LEGALLY BLONDE, she has cemented her place in film history. As with Arnold Schwarzenegger The Terminator, Macauley Culkin the Home Alone Kid, Reese Witherspoon will forever be the Legally Blonde Chick. This is not a bad thing, because Reese is such a talented actress that I do not believe that she will succumb to being typecast. Plus, it sure didn't hurt that she received a whopping $15 million paycheck for LEGALLY BLONDE 2!

In this first installment, Elle Woods is a bubblelicious Delta Nu sorority queen and soon-to-be-graduating senior at UCLA looking forward to having her blueblood boyfriend Warner Huntington III (Matthew Davis) propose to her at the beginning. But instead he dumps her for being "too blonde" for him and his high political aspirations. He's going to Harvard Law School; she decides to study hard for the LSATs so that she can follow him to Harvard, show him that she *is* serious, and hopefully win him back. But, alas, once she makes it she learns that he's quickly moved on to another snooty blueblood Vivian Kensington (a well-cast Selma Blair). Of course, she eventually finds a mate of her own, the tall, dark and sensitive Emmett Richmond (Luke Wilson) and with his help, finds her place at Harvard Law, finds herself as an improbably brilliant legal mind, and ends up realizing that Warner's not the guy for her after all. The End. :)

Of course, it's not all quite as simple as that. Along the way, she makes good friends with her hairdresser Paulette (Jennifer Coolidge) who has self-esteem (read: men) issues. She even improbably bonds and makes friends with her ex's girlfriend Vivian, who apparently has a sense of humor lurking underneath her b*tch exterior. And the real kicker is that she is asked to work on a criminal case being fought by Professor Callahan (Victor Garber), and ends up winning it for him! (Again, in an improbable but most entertaining way.)

Obviously, LEGALLY BLONDE is a chick-flick fantasy and should not be taken as anything else. The reason why it's good is the same reason why *any* good comedy works: it's funny! The screenplay by Karen McCullah Lutz is smart and aware, apparently adapted from Amanda Brown's novel of the same name (didn't know that till recently). The director, a previously unknown Aussie director named Robert Luketic (who now has scored a second hit with 2004's WIN A DATE WITH TAD HAMILTON!), keeps the pace upbeat. Of course, it helps that he has a good character to work with. Elle Woods is a cross between Cher from CLUELESS (1995) and Pollyanna from the 1960 film of the same name; she has such a glowing positiveness that is so infectious it rubs off on everybody. Even when she's crying over her lost boyfriend, she doesn't stay down for long. Even when she delivers a great comeback put-down line to her main female tormentor, she delivers it with such sunniness that she manages to stay on the high road. Everybody, including her detractors, comes out better for having known her. After watching this film, I feel that way, too.

RECOMMENDED, AGES 12 & UP
MOST RECOMMENDED FOR REESE WITHERSPOON FANS---YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE!

The irrepressible and undefeatable Elle Woods (the glorious Reese Witherspoon) is back in all her hot-pinkness in this quickly put-together 2003 sequel to the original LEGALLY BLONDE (2001). That movie was a fun fantasy romp with Elle in the halls of Harvard Law School, showing up her snooty ex-boyfriend who had dumped her for being "too blonde." Kinetically directed by first-time feature director from Down Under, Robert Luketic (now enjoying his second big hit in a row with this year's WIN A DATE WITH TAD HAMILTON!), LEGALLY BLONDE created a new kind of comic hero improbably triumphing through adversity.

LEGALLY BLOND 2: RED, WHITE & BLONDE carries this character and the story to the next level, as Elle pursues the whereabouts of the mother of her Chihuaha, Bruiser. Finding that Bruiser's Mom is a test subject for cosmetics, an outraged Elle decides to get her law firm involved. They present no interest to the subject, and when pressed on the subject, ignobly fire her. As in the first film where she loses her boyfriend early on, she breaks down into tears; after all, she's scheduled to be married to her Law School beau Emmett Richmond (Luke Wilson) before long, and she can't be out of a job when that happens! Ah, but as in the first film, she doesn't stay downtrodden for long: she'll take her case to Washington, where she already has a friend in Rep. Victoria Rudd (Sally Field). She joins her staff (leading to a seemingly-interminable number of scenes in which Elle gets mistaken for an intern), and proceeds to turn her office upside-down. Of course, it's required that she have an enemy right away, and she finds one quickly in Grace Rossiter (Regina King) who is incredibly put-off by Elle's sunny demeanor and "snap-box" ideas. Elle finds that battling against animal testing is not as simple as it should be, as she tries to make "Bruiser's Law" a reality in the face of Congressional deal-making and back-stabbing. Her one believer is her fiance Emmett, who just *knows* that Elle Can Do Anything. Inspired by his supportiveness, Elle slowly begins to make friends in her office and on Capitol Hill, improbably bonding with frigid Congresswoman Libby Hauser (veteran character actress Dana Ivey) over their shared Delta Nu background. Her biggest ally turns out to be her own apartment building doorman, Sid Post (the always-welcome Bob Newhart). However, even with her new-found political friendships, including a hilarious scene in which she bonds with conservative Texas Congressman Stanford Marks (Bruce McGill) over the newly-found gayness of their dogs (you read that right), Elle realizes that not all her political friends are what they seem to be.

Let's face it: The LEGALLY BLONDE series is never going to win any Academy Awards for anything. But, somehow they provide an effective escape and are fun movies to watch. I like the occasional subtle references in LEGALLY BLONDE 2, the best one being the one in which Elle is first shown walking up the U.S. Capitol steps from overhead, a bright pink dot in a sea of black & white; this is very reminiscient of the Ascot scene in MY FAIR LADY (1964), in which Audrey Hepburn comes out in her brightly-colored outfit in the midst of all the gray-colored Ascot suits. Reese Witherspoon may be a fair lady herself, however, LEGALLY BLONDE 2; RED, WHITE & BLONDE becomes too ludicrous for its own good. You know Elle is going to eventually triumph sooner or later, and while some scenes are highly watchable, as a whole this film doesn't retain the same level of charm as the first. It didn't help that a different director, Charles Herman-Wurmfeld, took the helm of this project; Robert Luketic seemed to have a better grasp of comedic editing in the first film. But for mindless entertainment, one could definitely do worse.

MODERATELY RECOMMENDED FOR REESE WITHERSPOON FANS; AGES 12 & UP

STAR TREK: NEMESIS (2002) may have flopped miserably at the box office (I believe that it is the only STAR TREK film not to have recouped its entire investment from theater receipts) and with critics (most gave it a pithy two-star rating or below), but I really wonder what most people were expecting. After two consecutive TREK films directed by "Number One" Jonathan Frakes, Stuart Baird takes the helm for this one, the 10th installment of the celebrated space saga. Baird, who had previously made EXECUTIVE DECISION (1996) and U.S. MARSHALLS (1998), is the first Briton to ever direct a STAR TREK film. That's neither here nor there; just a fun fact. The film he directs here is dark, much closer in tone to STAR TREK: FIRST CONTACT (1996) than the lighter STAR TREK: INSURRECTION (1998). That's not to say that this film is as good as the incredibly amazing FIRST CONTACT; however, it's not any worse than INSURRECTION. In fact, I like it better than INSURRECTION. I really do not believe that this entry deserved all the bad press it received and all the bad reviews it still receives. However, I think that I can understand the reasons for the negativity: I intuit that, NEMESIS did not advance the story forward in the way that most TREK fans had wanted or expected.

I liked the beginning of the film, which has the entire crew celebrating the long-awaited marriage of Commander Will Riker (Frakes) and Counselor Deanna Troi (a now curiously straight-haired Marina Sirtis---I liked it better they way it used to be). I also liked the surprising cameo by Admiral Kathryn Janeway (Kate Mulgrew from the beloved "Star Trek Voyager" series). I also liked the suspenseful setup with the Shinzon character; he seems evil, but seems to warmly treat the Captain, but he must have ulterior motives somewhere...I really did not know where the film was going to go till after the midway point, and that's a good thing. I do agree that the end result of NEMESIS is fairly disappointing, part of the reason being the death of a beloved character; however, most of the film contains a good mix of drama, action and even a little but humor (although not anything on the scale of the one-liner-laden INSURRECTION). I think the reason for the negative overreaction is that this will be the final TREK FILM featuring the "Next Generation" cast. I don't know what's to come after, but hopefully it will be as special as the STAR TREK franchise is as a whole...and hopefully, it will revive the now-sagging series.

Bottom line: Don't let the critics dissuade you; see this exciting film. In fact, you should add it to your STAR TREK collection. I have!

RECOMMENDED

Nothing gets in the way of a boy and his car---NOTHING, not even his girlfriend. Not even his best friend from childhood. NOTHING. Especially if it's Arnie Cunningham and his Christine, a 1958 red-and-white Plymouth Fury who earns her name and then some over the course of this book. This is Stephen King's 1983 classic Horror novel CHRISTINE.

Having seen the feature film, made later the same year and starring Keith Gordon as the nerdy, much-picked-upon Arnie Cunningham, I can say that this book certainly places the terrifying screen images I remember into a whole new context---indeed, into a whole new dimension. You see, in the film, the car itself was just plain evil---as illustrated by the song "Bad To The Bone" by George Thorogood and the Delaware Destroyers being played at both the beginning and the ending. In the book, it's a lot less simple than that: It's not just that Arnie becomes obsessed with Christine, who influences him to become evil; the focus is more on Christine's evil previous owner, Roland D. LeBay. Over time, Arnie gradually metamorphoses into LeBay, who's described as being "always angry" and refers to his enemies as "sh*tters." (In the movie, Arnie comes up with that word himself.) There are subplots involving the delving into LeBay's past, as well as dealing with Arnie's parents. In the movie, Roland D. LeBay still sells Arnie the car, but he is no more consequential than that. Interestingly enough, in the book, it is Arnie's father who is the sympathetic parent, with the mother being a harridan; in the movie, it is the other way around.

Typically for a Stephen King book versus the movie, the body count is higher in the book. Will Darnell, the fat, coarse body-shop owner (and Arnie's boss) meets an especially prolonged end in the written version. [SPOILER ALERT: The only majorly disappointing thing to me about the book was Arnie's rather anti-climactic end. In the movie, he is killed while in Christine; in the book, he is killed in a car accident along with his mother on the snowbound Pennsylvania Turnpike.]

I liked the unique narrative structure of CHRISTINE. The book is divided into three sections: The first is narrated in the first person by Arnie's best friend Dennis Guilder, the mid-section changes to a God's-eye third-person point of view, and the final section goes back to Dennis' first-person narration. It's a very interesting technique, perhaps odd, but I think it works for this novel. Of course, there are plenty of King witticisms that us fans have come to love about his writing---CHRISTINE is chock-full of them! It's because of this that I forced myself to read slower---and believe me, I had to read a lot slower than usual, because CHRISTINE is a real page-turner! I really didn't want to miss the sarcastic observations, ironic musings and other King witticisms than have become a trademark. I definitely recommend reading CHRISTINE; it is quite enjoyable, no matter if you saw the film version first or not.

RECOMMENDED; AGES 16 & UP
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED FOR STEPHEN KING FANS

In 1987, Larry Cohen finally made the long-awaited third (and final) installment of his unique (and cult fave) IT'S ALIVE! series. Coming after an interminable-seeming nine-year wait following IT LIVES AGAIN (1978), Cohen decides to place his second sequel way into the future, when murderous mutant babies are a much more frequent occurrence, though still a maligned and misunderstood oddity. He also called upon his old friend Michael Moriarty---star of his Q (1982) and THE STUFF (1985)---to star as a new mutant-baby dad, Stephen Jarvis. Thankfully, Moriarty was amenable to doing this favor, as his priceless Method acting is the only thing that saves this installment from being an otherwise blah picture.

That's not to say that the awkwardly-titled IT'S ALIVE III: ISLAND OF THE ALIVE would otherwise have been total garbage; however, it's safe to say that without Michael Moriarty in the lead, this movie would have been, well, awkward. Instead of using rubber models for the babies, director Cohen decides to use claymation to achieve a more "realistic" effect. It's interesting for a moment, but it doesn't really work. After an impassioned courtroom plea by Mr. Jarvis (one of Moriarty's best scenes in his career, actually), it is decided that murderous little Baby Jarvis be sent to live with his "own kind"---banished to this island, to where mutant tykes have apparently been sent for quite some time now. Of course, since "out of sight, out of mind" would have been precisely the wrong tack for this movie to take (given that the whole point is to see these babies, and to see them kill), we are given a fairly implusible excuse for the main characters to journey to this island, where...well, you can pretty much figure the rest out from there!

Although at the end, this movie *does* answer a burning "what if?" question in our minds (namely, what would these mutants look like if allowed to grow into mutant-adulthood?), the result looks suspiciously like Larry Cohen had run out of whatever little bit of money he had! If for nothing else, watch IT'S ALIVE III for the Michael Moriarty performance alone. His scene with a hooker is also priceless, and is also one of his career-best. Other than that, this film is

SO-SO
MODERATELY RECOMMENDED FOR FANS OF THIS SERIES ONLY