The Prince and Me II is Superfluous But Entertaining

This year, the world watched as Prince William and Kate Middleton tied the knot. Royal weddings have a way of capturing the public’s imagination. That’s certainly the case in The Prince and Me II: The Royal Wedding. In this 2006 sequel to the charming Julia Stiles rom-com The Prince and Me, Paige (now played by little-known Kam Heskin) is happily engaged to Prince Edvard (Luke Mably) of Denmark and studying at a Danish university while wedding preparations proceed. But complications are about to come her way…

The Prince and Me II is the first of three superfluous sequels to a cute stand-alone film. The premise is a fairly tired one. A scheming relative digs up an obscure law necessitating that the prince marries someone of royal blood. Edvard already is feeling the pinch because law also dictates that he must marry by his next birthday, which is coming up quickly. He knows who he wants to marry. But will the tug of duty lead him instead into the arms of his conniving cousin Kirsten (Clemency Burton-Hill)?

While Heskin is not as nuanced as Stiles, she does what she can as her decent stand-in, and she and Mably make a fairly convincing couple. I wouldn’t say the sparks are flying, but at least it’s plain they like each other. Catherine Cyran, who also directed the third and fourth movies, takes over the franchise here, and the movie has a definite made-for-TV quality about it. While none of the major characters are children, this definitely feels like more of a kids’ movie, with abundant slapstick and a very simple storyline.

Burton-Hill alternates between extreme sweetness and cattiness as the comely woman who used to be the prince’s closest friend. While her father is clearly only interested in power and money, it does seem as though Kirsten might have genuine feelings for her childhood chum, so I couldn’t help feeling a bit sorry for her, though her behavior become increasingly abhorrent as the story progresses. Still, I found her performance the most engaging in the movie. I also enjoyed Jonathan Firth as Soren, Edvard’s personal assistant and Paige’s devoted friend, and his down-to-earth kindness and clever ideas come to the rescue on more than one occasion. He’s played by a different actor this time around too, but the change is not as noticeable, at least without having seen the first one in several years.

The movie is quite pleasant to look at, with plenty of views of royal architecture and gardens and the recurring appearance of blue butterflies. I don’t know enough about Denmark to be able to say whether there was much accuracy in the portrayal; perhaps it would have been better to invent a country, as Meg Cabot did with The Princess Diaries. It does make aspects of the country look a bit silly, but the cinematography presents Denmark in a favorable light, though it was filmed in the Czech Republic.

The fact that Paige is still studying to be a doctor is an interesting point. The implication is that when she becomes queen, her duties will be extensive, but nobody seems to think that serving as both doctor and monarch will be too much to juggle. The movie is careful to balance the traditional fairy tale notion of a prince sweeping an ordinary girl off her feet with a more modern sensibility, allowing Paige to continue pursuing her long-held career goals. Paige never needs to choose between dreams, but if Edvard truly loves her, he might need to abdicate. But can he bear to relinquish his duty to his country if it comes to that?

The Prince and Me II is a rather silly movie with several over-the-top sequences involving a series of calamities. These are probably funniest for younger viewers, who might also take away a worthwhile message about the value of education and diligent study. While there’s a reason this went directly to video, it’s still a fairly fun and family-friendly modern-day fairy tale. For what it is, I’d say it works pretty well.

The Bakers and the Murtaughs Square Off in Cheaper By the Dozen 2

I recently watched the Steve Martin remake of Cheaper By the Dozen, and while I found it predictably corny and slapstick-heavy, I also thought it was a fun and occasionally touching movie. When I realized that there was a sequel, I quickly stuck that in the queue, and it, too, is a silly but rather heartwarming family comedy that made for enjoyable viewing.

Tom Baker (Martin) and his wife Kate (Bonnie Hunt) have an expansive family that includes a dozen children. This movie takes place a couple years after the first, so the kids look pretty much the same, and I found it pretty easy to keep them straight this time around. I’m sure that was partly because I had another movie in which to get used to them, but even if you haven’t seen the first movie, I think this one introduces everyone fairly well, and it works as a stand-alone. In fact, considering that one of the main gags – my least favorite part of both movies – is recycled from the first, you might almost enjoy it more without having seen the original.

In this sequel, directed by Adam Shankman, Tom is feeling a bit weepy because his daughter Lorraine (Hilary Duff) has just graduated from high school and is moving to New York, and his oldest daughter, a now married and very pregnant Nora (Piper Perabo), is moving to Texas in the fall. One advantage of having seen the first movie here is that we can see how much better her husband Bud (Jonathan Bennett) is for her than her dopey boyfriend in that movie. Bud is both kind and accomplished, and he understands Nora’s need to feel connected to her family. It doesn’t take much to get him to agree to join in the family vacation Tom proposes.

In years past, the Bakers made a habit of visiting Lake Winnetka, Wisconsin, and for nostalgia’s sake, this is where they return. Unfortunately, their cabin has fallen into a state of disrepair and is still occupied by a kleptomaniac rat. Meanwhile, Tom’s lifelong nemesis Jimmy Murtaugh (Eugene Levy) has an expansive, state-of-the-art summer home nearby, and it isn’t long before their old rivalry heats up and the rest of the two families get dragged down with them. The Murtaugh clan includes Jimmy’s much younger and more easy-going fourth wife Sarina (Carmen Electra) and eight children, all of whom seem to be extremely accomplished and disciplined.

Jimmy runs a tight ship and rubs it in that Tom’s crew is so chaotic, and before long, the Murtaughs and Bakers are locked into competition for a trophy that only the dads care about. The kids and wives get along fine, but the antagonism of the fathers toward each other puts a damper on everyone else’s fun. I’ve seen Martin and Levy together before in Bringing Down the House, and they have great comic chemistry whether they’re playing best buddies or squabbling neighbors. Tom swings between goofy and sentimental and militant and over-involved; some of the time I sympathized with him, and other times I wanted to throttle him. Even at his most irritating, though, I can’t help finding Martin pretty lovable. Levy’s Jimmy is dull and haughty, and it’s easy to see why he annoys Tom so much. I always enjoy Levy’s bland, deadpan comedic style, and it works well here. Meanwhile, Hunt and Electra work well together in less exaggerated roles.

We don’t really get to know the individual Murtaughs too well, with two exceptions, and both are because of how they relate to the Bakers. Anne (Jaime King), the oldest of the Murtaughs and the apple of her father’s eye, is struggling to summon the courage to tell him she doesn’t want to go into the family business. Meanwhile, she’s caught the attention of Tom Welling’s Charlie, who is off on his own now but working in the city to stay close to his family despite being a country boy at heart. Charlie is a lot less angsty this time around, and I liked his storyline. The male standout among the Murtaugh kids is a young Taylor Lautner as Eliot, a sunny lad who steals the heart of tomboy Sarah (Alyson Stoner) in a sweet puppy love storyline that prompts some pretty abhorrent behavior from both dads, especially Tom. While I still love Mark (Forrest Landis), the four-eyed frog lover with my favorite storyline in the first movie, he takes a major backseat here, and Sarah becomes the most interesting of the Bakers to me this time around as she navigates the joys and humiliations of first love.

As before, slapstick abounds, and sometimes that means massive disaster. The Bakers are responsible for two incidents that cause thousands of dollars in damage, and I couldn’t bring myself to find either of those scenes nearly as funny as they were intended to be, though I did wonder whether an incident involving fireworks may have been inspired by a scene early in Peter Jackson’s version of Fellowship of the Ring. Aside from the rampant destruction in a few scenes, I didn’t mind the chaos much, and I thought this holiday at the lake seemed like a pretty idyllic vacation, warring patriarchs aside. The comedy is pretty predictable stuff, but it nonetheless kept my parents and me laughing. If you’re looking for a light-hearted, summery flick for the family, I’d say Cheaper By the Dozen 2 fits the bill.

A Kind and Steady Heart Conquers Doubt and Fear in Babe: Pig in the City

Earlier this month, Dick King-Smith died. I read dozens of books by this prolific author, but it all started with The Sheep Pig, the book that inspired George Miller’s acclaimed 1995 movie Babe. I adored that movie but never saw the sequel until this year. While it’s not quite the classic that the original is, Miller’s Babe: Pig in the City is a sweet follow-up.

Babe (E. G. Daily) is a champion sheep pig, but his glory is short-lived, as he accidentally does something that leaves his beloved boss, Arthur Hoggett (James Cromwell), incapacitated. The farmer doesn’t blame the pig, but Babe feels terrible, especially since, with Hoggett unable to work the farm, it is in danger of going into foreclosure. His boisterous wife Esme (Magda Szubanski) decides to accept an offer to make an appearance with Babe at a county fair, but a transportation kerfuffle leaves her stranded in the city with the pig. And then the trouble really begins…

The original Babe is such a quiet, simple story, beautifully executed, and much of its charm lies in Cromwell’s understated performance as the farmer of few words but deep thoughts. Though Hoggett’s injury drives the plot, Cromwell’s role in this movie is scarcely more than a cameo. Moreover, instead of the bucolic beauty of Hoggett Farm, we’ve got a chaotic city to contend with, and there are several scenes that go on much longer than necessary just for the sake of slapstick. But Babe is still the same lovable pig he was in the first film, and this movie is all about weathering mistakes and disappointments for the sake of a noble goal.

The love and respect that Babe has for Farmer Hoggett are never in question. At the same time, as he gets to know a ragtag crew of dogs, cats and simians hiding out in the hotel run by a kind-hearted animal lover (Mary Stein), the considerate nature that made him so popular with the sheep serves him yet again. Despite his determination to help his boss, he puts himself at risk for the sake of others, even those that are unkind to him. Meanwhile, Esme fights her own battle to reclaim her honor and her husband’s pig. While her role is once again largely comical – and a couple of her scenes are quite absurd – her determination to retrieve Babe at any cost to her dignity is admirable, especially considering the reluctance to look foolish that she displayed in the first movie.

While I prefer the farm setting, the look of the film is still lovely, and the Celtic-flavored score is stirring. The movie also boasts a magnificent Oscar-nominated theme song. Written by Randy Newman and performed by Peter Gabriel, it extols the virtues of courage and kindness and incorporates Babe’s iconic concluding line: “That’ll do, Pig. That’ll do.” If you’re looking for a pleasant family film, this movie will do.

Doc Brown Tackles Love While Marty Conquers the West in Back to the Future III

I’ve long loved the first two Back to the Future movies, but I never got around to the third until recently. I’d heard from some that it wasn’t quite up to snuff, but I found it an enjoyable romp.

Unlike the dizzying second installment, Back to the Future III is mostly rooted in one time: the Old West. Despite Doc Emmett Brown’s (Christopher Lloyd) explicit instructions to Marty (Michael J. Fox) to destroy the time machine and not attempt to retrieve him from 1885, when the loyal teen finds out that a grisly fate awaits his eccentric friend if he doesn’t intervene, he’s compelled to hop in the time machine yet again.

In some ways, the movie is very repetitive, but then so was the second. The fun is in seeing how essentially the exact same scene can be transplanted into another time. Naturally, Biff’s surly ancestor Mad Dog (Thomas F. Wilson) is at the heart of much of the trouble. I barely recognized Wilson under his accent and outlaw get-up, though his basic mannerisms are pretty similar. Other familiar faces pop up in distant past too. I’m most amused by Marty’s principal showing up as the sheriff.

Fox doubles as his great-great grandfather, fresh-off-the-boat Seamus, which makes Lea Thompson’s presence as Marty’s great-great grandmother even more eyebrow-raising. It’s weird to see Marty’s 100-years-older twin married to a dead ringer for Marty’s mother – and why does his paternal great-great grandmother look like his mother, anyway? But it’s more fun to keep recycling the same actors, and Thompson’s phony accent annoys me less than her voice in the other installments.

This movie really isn’t about Marty, though, aside from his finally learning how to back down from a pointless challenge. Mostly, it’s about Doc falling head over heels for brainy schoolteacher Clara (Mary Steenburgen). Lloyd isn’t your typical romantic lead, and certainly not in this role, but even though Doc had always considered himself too logical and scientifically-minded to get caught up in romance, once the bug bites him, he’s as smitten as a schoolboy, and he and Clara make quite the charming couple even though the character must be about twice her age.

It’s fun for us to see Doc in this unexpected situation. Not so fun for Marty, who’s got one great shot at getting the time machine running again. If he fails, he’s likely to be stuck in the 1800s forever, so this is not a great time for Doc to be distracted.

This third installment is entertaining, with fun nods at the previous movies – like Doc and Marty using each other’s catchphrases – and at the western genre. Marty particularly has fun appropriating the name Clint Eastwood.

I don’t know why it took me so long to get there, but Back to the Future III is a journey to the past that I’d gladly take again.

Marty and Doc Navigate the Future and the Past in Back to the Future II

It has recently occurred to me that my movie viewing in my childhood was pretty mixed up. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, I was introduced to no fewer than five classic series with the second installment. Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back. Ghostbusters II. Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. And the one that got me thinking about it in the first place, Back to the Future II. I guess the second installments all made their way to video just as I was old enough to start immersing myself in movies – and my family was up with the times enough to have a VCR…

At least with Back to the Future II, if you’ve seen the second movie, you’ve sort of seen the first movie too. That’s because much of the first film is embedded in the second as ordinary 80s teen Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox) travels back in time with zany scientist Dr. Emmett Brown (Christopher Lloyd) in order to prevent perpetual antagonist Biff Tannen (Thomas F. Wilson) from acting on a tip from his future self that will lead to disaster for Marty, the Doc and the town in general. This segment of the movie is dizzying and confusing, since there are two versions of both Doc and Marty running around and the events from the first movie are being presented from a slightly different perspective. It sure is a lot of fun, though.

Before Marty and the Doc travel back to 1955, they head to 2015 with Marty’s girlfriend in tow, on a mission to prevent a future calamity involving Marty and Jennifer’s lily-livered son (also Fox). While this portion of the movie is independent of the first, several scenes closely mirror those in the first movie. In particular, Marty’s thrilling skateboard chase from the first movie becomes a hoverboard chase in the second, and instead of wowing everybody with his mad skills, Marty is something of a laughingstock. Same goes for his arcade game prowess. There’s nothing hip about him here, and he has to adjust quickly to this new time if he is to have any hope of making a better future for his family.

While the first Back to the Future movie lovingly spoofs both the 1950s and the 1980s, this movie adds another era into the mix, the as-yet-unknown future that now is only four years away. Something tells me that I won’t be able to zoom down the street on a hoverboard by then, but some of the other futuristic innovations don’t really seem too far off. One of the niftiest gadgets in the movie is Marty’s self-drying vest, though I’m not clear on whether that is something of the future or an exclusive invention of the doc’s.

In the first movie, Marty’s main objective is to get his parents to fall in love with each other. Here, we see him in three different time periods, but his ultimate objective is to prevent Biff from acting on the information contained in the almanac that Marty purchased in 2015 and the much older Biff stole, then promptly presented to the teenage Biff after taking the time machine for a joy ride. He has to get the almanac away from Biff, but he can’t stop him from getting it in the first place or the space-time continuum will be compromised. Of the three installments in the series, this is the one that most emphatically demonstrates the dangers of meddling with time travel. As Marty doubles back on his previous adventures, it becomes clear just how complicated maintaining the space-time continuum truly is.

Back to the Future II is basically divided into three segments. Of these, the future portion is the most fun and imaginative, though it contains the most annoying performances. Wilson ramps up the obnoxious factor to play Biff’s hot-headed grandson, and ornery old coot Biff is a bit grating too. We’ve got three different Fox characters all in close proximity to one another; Marty Jr. is even wimpier than George in the first movie, while the older Marty is just depressing. And Fox playing Marty’s daughter is just plain weird. Mostly, though, it’s Lea Thompson’s Lorraine who gets under my skin. I find her voice obnoxious whether she’s a teen, a middle-aged mom or a pushing-80 grandma, and her voice is so wobbly at this stage of her life that I would almost rather listen to the insufferable Olive Oyl from Popeye. Almost.

The alternate 1980s segment reminds me of It’s a Wonderful Life; instead of Pottersville, we’re getting a vision of what Marty’s town would look like if Biff ran the joint. It’s not a very nice place. Dark and oppressive except for the centerpiece of a shiny casino, Biff’s personal den of debauchery, it’s the most nightmarish set in the series, and the movie never allows us to see whether Marty has managed to make everything right again with his 1950s interference. No, for that we have to check out the third movie, and I can’t believe it took me until this year to do that. Rewatching Back to the Future II recently, I was struck by just how much sequel bait is scattered throughout the movie. I didn’t remember this at all, nor did I recall just how much of a cliffhanger the ending was. Clearly, we’re meant to see the last installment as essential to fully appreciating the second.

Director Robert Zemeckis and composer Alan Silvestri, whose stirring, adventurous score feels almost as epic as John Williams’ here, are a fantastic team in this movie, as well as the two that bookend it. All those actors playing multiple characters gets a bit silly, and you can’t scrutinize the time travel too carefully or the logic will start to crumble, but this sure is a fun movie. So what are you waiting for? As Biff would say, “Make like a tree and get outta here” – to the nearest video store so you can get zapped back to this quintessential 80s series.

The Karate Kid, Part III Concludes the Trilogy on a Repetitive Note

This Christmas was a little different for our family. That’s because, for the first time, my brother Benjamin was unable to make it home. We were still together on Christmas, after a fashion, because we spent an hour on the phone with him before opening our presents. But he was in Sasebo, Japan, and we were in Pennsylvania, and next year is likely to bring the same scenario, only by then he will have moved to Okinawa, best known to me as the home of Mr. Miyagi. So when I was flipping through the channels at my grandparents’ the other night and came upon the very beginning of The Karate Kid, Part III, that seemed like a perfect way to keep a little Benjamin in our Christmas travels.

I love the Karate Kid movies, mostly because of Pat Morita’s wonderful portrayal of the wise, funny Mr. Miyagi, who serves as such a valuable mentor to displaced, hot-headed Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio). In the first film, Miyagi teaches Daniel the value of patience and hard work as he slowly instructs him in the art of karate, which gives him a passion into which he can pour all of his energy, not to mention a way of standing up to bullies. The Karate Kid is a Rocky-like story of a plucky underdog triumphing through perseverance. The Karate Kid II, my favorite of the trilogy, is more focused on Miyagi himself, who must face an old feud as he returns home to care for his ailing father. In the process, he imparts valuable lessons about mercy and forgiveness.

The Karate Kid III is not as compelling as either of its predecessors. In many ways it feels like a rehash of the first movie, except that Daniel is not longer a fish out of water, so his amplified angst is harder to deal with. Daniel makes several stupid decisions in this movie, some of them with good intentions, some motivated by pride. He is often a frustrating character. Having moved in with Mr. Miyagi, he’s decided to pass on college, at least for a while, in order to help his housemate open a bonsai shop. This is a noble gesture, but he fails to consult Miyagi on every major decision along the way, leading to some tiresome consequences.

I also found myself a little frustrated with Miyagi at times because he is so adamant that Daniel not return to the tournament to defend his title. I understand his reasoning, and I certainly don’t think Daniel’s head needs to get any bigger, but when it’s clear that not entering the tournament is going to cause major problems, I would think he might relent a little. Eventually he does, but not before the bullies harassing Daniel have made a real mess of things, ransacking Miyagi’s shop and splintering his relationship with Daniel.

There’s a lot of negative emotion in this movie, and for not a lot of grand purpose. The driving force behind the plot is John Reese (Martin Kove), the explosive dojo leader who trained Daniel’s opponent in the first tournament. Daniel’s victory and John’s subsequent meltdown ruined him, and now he’s out for blood. With a little help from his buddy Terry (Thomas Ian Griffith), he’s going to get it. Terry, introducing himself to Daniel with a sob story about John’s death, wriggles his way into the teen’s confidences, eventually convincing him to let him serve as his trainer for the tournament. It’s a subversive game, and by the time Daniel realizes what’s going on, he’s in too deep to easily extract himself. Griffith makes an interesting villain, much cleverer than the brutish John, who is nonetheless more entertaining to watch. At this point, the man who seemed so threatening in the first movie just comes across as pathetic, and his over-the-top outbursts pose little genuine threat.

Karate Kid III is the campiest of the trilogy and the least charming. It’s a movie that doesn’t have a lot of reason to exist, except that trilogies seemed to be the big thing in the '80s (and we know this is the 1980s because Daniel feels the need to remind us of this fact in every installment). Because Mr. Miyagi is so consistently wonderful, it’s still a thoroughly watchable film, but from Daniel’s love interest, a considerate potter named Jessica (Robyn Lively), to the challenges facing him, it all just feels like old territory with more angst. If you’ve seen the first two films, by all means check out the third, but don’t expect the conclusion of the trilogy to quite measure up to its beginning and middle.

David Benedictus Grants Pooh Fans a Return to the Hundred Acre Wood

"Pooh, promise you won't forget about me, ever. Not even when I'm a hundred." So entreats Christopher Robin in the final chapter of The House at Pooh Corner. Eighty years have now passed since A. A. Milne penned that stirring plea, and David Benedictus has taken it upon himself to see that this promise is honored, at least after a fashion. For us, Christopher Robin is closing in on a century, but for the residents of the Hundred Acre Wood, he's only been gone a few months. Time has little meaning in the Wood, its chief measure being changes to the lad Pooh and his friends love so dearly. For both dragons and Pooh Bears live forever, but not so little boys. He may be doing it slowly, but Christopher Robin is growing up. This reality sets a wistful tone for Return to the Hundred Acre Wood, but in the joy of reunion, the sense of melancholy seeps through only occasionally.

The book hints strongly that Christopher Robin is keenly aware of the change in his circumstances, while Pooh and Piglet have vague suspicions. While they savor Christopher Robin's return, they sense a greater degree of maturity, and neither can quite forget his long absence, as the rest seem to do fairly quickly, or be entirely assured that he won't leave again. The book takes place over one golden summer in which Christopher Robin appears to make a conscious effort to cram in as much fun as possible, knowing that another nine months or so of boarding school awaits and unsure of what sort of person he will have become by the time of his next extended visit.

I came by knowledge of this book from an unlikely source: Saturday Night Live. Seth Meyers mentioned the book's release during the Weekend Update segment, announcing that there would be a new character, which set him up for the distasteful punchline that this was a replacement for Eeyore, who had decided to do away with himself. Eeyore is just as gloomy as ever in this book, his sense of sarcasm as sharp as the thistles he craves, but of all the characters, he seems to benefit most from the arrival of spunky Lottie, an otter. Perhaps a fresh pair of eyes is just what is needed to draw Eeyore more deeply into the affairs of the rest of the forest. The others are so tired of being shot down that they hesitate to make friendly overtures to him anymore, but Lottie has the right mix of optimism and stubbornness to lift Eeyore out of the doldrums now and again.

The book has ten chapters, and while certain scenes focus on only one or two characters, most are ensemble efforts, effectively drawing in not only the major players, who also include Rabbit, Tigger, Owl, Kanga and Roo, but oodles of Rabbit's Friends and Relations. Consequently, there are many busy scenes in which characters essentially talk over top of one another, their personality quirks allowing for some very funny dialogue. I don't think there was a single chapter that failed to make me laugh out loud. Benedictus has a wonderful feel for these fluff-filled friends, and he imitates Milne's style so effectively that it's easy to almost forget Milne didn't write it himself.

Meanwhile, Mark Burgess does an admirable job with the full-color illustrations. The mimicry isn't quite as precise in this department; I don't think I would ever mistake these paintings for Ernest Shepard originals. It's mostly in the faces that a slight difference is apparent. But they are very well done nonetheless, enhancing the book on nearly every page, with one massive two-page spread toward the end of the book and a new map of the Wood on the inside of the cover. Because the book is meant to be set less than a year after The House at Pooh Corner, there's an old-fashioned sense to story and illustrations alike, with a gramophone and Latin lessons some of the more noteworthy antiquities. The book also has a distinctly English feel to it, especially during the chapter in which Christopher Robin teaches all of his friends how to play cricket. Moreover, a chapter about the formation of a Hundred Acre Wood Academy reminded me of Harry Potter with its talk of headmasters and prefects.

Benedictus gives each of the main characters moments in the spotlight. Hyperactive Roo often rambles, while Kanga has a tendency to let her maternal instincts extend beyond her own son; she especially has a knack for reining in Tigger. Rabbit remains a fussbudget, which leads to his extensive woodland census project, a source of amusement to me since it reminds me so much of Hurley's similarly poorly-received attempts at the same on LOST. Meanwhile, in one chapter reminiscent of his attempts to cure Tigger of his bouncing, he hatches a rather mean-spirited plan to dissuade Owl from writing his uncle's biography, as the exercise makes the bird excessively cross. Never one to squelch creative impulses, I found that chapter somewhat sad but was pleased to see acknowledgment from some of the others that Rabbit's idea might not have been too kind. Owl's pomposity is on full display whenever possible, facilitating some of the book's funniest moments, and though Christopher Robin usually humors him, there are times when even his patience is tested by Owl's self-importance.

Though Christopher Robin is the impetus for the adventures in this book, Piglet remains Pooh's most constant companion, which is scarcely avoidable now that they share a home. Piglet is as jittery as ever, both excitable and timid. While the book is pretty episodic, a longer story arc, wrapped up in the predominant theme of change, or lack thereof, is Piglet's concern that Lottie's arrival will diminish him. In chapter four, Piglet is secretly disappointed when he does something heroic but Pooh overlooks it in favor of Lottie's contributions; in the eighth chapter, he receives dramatic reinforcement of Pooh's respect for him.

Pooh himself is as obsessed with honey as ever, a preoccupation that leads to more than one adventure this time around, and though he is kind, he sometimes fails to notice the needs of others. At other times, however, he is surprisingly attentive, as when he worries that he may be offending the bees by taking their honey all the time without asking, and he also concocts a clever plan or two over the course of the summer. Most of all, Pooh is reflective. For a Bear of Little Brain, he certainly does a lot of thinking, and scattered throughout the book are five Hums of his composition.

Even better than the Hums themselves are the ruminations on the poetic process. There's this, from the first chapter: "...a hum is all very well as far as it goes, and very well indeed when it goes for seven verses, but it isn't a Real Hum until it's been tried out on somebody." Then, at the end of the eighth chapter, comes the admission that made me laugh more than any other single moment in the book, partly because I can relate so well. After reciting a Hum containing a rather dubious simile, Pooh confesses, "But it wasn't really like a fish, only I couldn't think of anything else and then I ran out of time, and sometimes it's best to have something not quite right in a hum so that everybody can say: 'Humph! I could have done it better myself.'"

To this bit of self-deprecation, Christopher Robin responds, "I couldn't have," and while I'm a little bemused by the decision to publish an authorized sequel to the Pooh novels after all these years and hundreds of unofficial books, I find this conversation particularly fitting for the book itself. Just as Pooh seeks to honor Piglet with his humble hum, Benedictus pays homage to the world Milne created, and I think he does a better job of it than even he might be quick to admit. All of the characters feel incredibly authentic, and they weave in and out of simple adventures with clever twists and perfect comic timing, with just a hint of somberness more likely to be noticed by adults than children.

"Are you really going to write us new adventures?" Christopher Robin inquires of the author in the introduction. "Because we rather liked the old ones." Thankfully, if you rather liked the old ones too, then I expect you will find these new ones a rare treat indeed.

2008's Group of Films Is Dark But Ultimately Uplifting

After watching so many movies in 2007, I lost a bit of momentum in 2008, but I've still seen more than 20 of last year's movies and was pretty impressed with most of what I saw. I was disappointed at having to wait until 2009 for the sixth Harry Potter installment, but the return to Narnia and further Pixar and Indiana Jones adventures helped make up for it.

Prince Caspian - One of my most-anticipated moves of the year, this second Chronicle of Narnia transports the Pevensie children to a point more than a thousand years removed from the moment of their departure from Narnia. Their kingdom is in ruins, and few remain who believe the old stories. One of the skeptics is Trumpkin, the dwarf who serves as their guide in this semi-familiar landscape. While I have issues with some of the changes made to plot and character - particular Peter and Caspian - and wish Aslan had been more central, Peter Dinklage's performance as Trumpkin is magnificent, and the cinematography is spectacular.

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull - Indy rides again! Despite being forever traumatized by Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, I was looking forward to the chance to see Harrison Ford don the fedora on the big screen, and it sure was fun to whoop and holler along with the opening night crowd as he wriggled out of all sorts of life-threatening situations, scarcely any less spry than he was in the '80s. While it would have been neat if Sean Connery had agreed to reprise his role as Indy's dad, Shia LeBoeuf made a great sidekick. On a shelf in my room, I still have a couple of commemorative Dr Pepper cans with scenes from the movie staring out at me, and they always make me smile. If Harrison wanted to come back for one more, I wouldn't complain.

Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day - I've been a fan of Frances McDormand since Almost Famous, and Amy Adams has won me over immediately in every film role I've seen her in since Catch Me If You Can, so when I saw that the two were starring together in a period dramedy about a frumpy English nanny who finds herself in the employ of an elegant American actress, I was immediately intrigued. Throw in the adorable Lee Pace from Pushing Daisies and a glowing recommendation from a friend who tends to be ruthless in his film criticism, and it all adds up to a movie for which I had huge expectations. Happily, this utterly charming film fulfilled them all. Definitely one of the best of the year.

Penelope - This fun, visually appealing modern-day fairy tale boasts a terrific cast that includes Christina Ricci, James McAvoy, Reese Witherspoon and Peter Dinklage. Some of it is a bit over-the-top, but on the whole, this tale of a girl with the snout of a pig hits the right notes, particularly as a family film. Its message about the importance of education and independence is a good one, and even the characters who start out antagonistic end up sympathetic.

Secret Life of Bees - Dakota Fanning, on the verge of no longer being a child actress, portrays a young teen desperate to get away from her borderline abusive father and learn something about the mother she accidentally killed years before. With her is a feisty black housekeeper played by Jennifer Hudson. Before long, they come to stay at a home run by three black sisters, from whom the runaway learns a lot about life, love, prejudice and what home ought to feel like. A sweet romance and a powerful performance by Sophie Okonedo and the anchoring serenity of Queen Latifah help make this coming-of-age story a great movie.

Swing Vote - The election was on everybody's mind in 2008, so this was a very timely movie. Kevin Costner stars as a hapless guy who is more or less being raised by his precocious pre-teen daughter, played by Madeline Carroll. I was excited to see her, as she previously played Annie, Ben Linus's childhood best friend on LOST, and I found her pretty likable, albeit a tad self-righteous, in this role. The movie is far-fetched, as it revolves around the idea that due to a voting glitch, the next President of the United States will be determined by this everyman, but it's an interesting concept. While the two candidates and their advisors do their best to win him over, he eventually comes to appreciate what an important task he has. Fun performances, especially by Kelsey Grammer and Stanley Tucci, make this thought-provoking family film even more likable.

Kit Kittredge: An American Girl - Speaking of Tucci, he has a supporting role in this movie as well, along with several other big names, including Joan Cusack and the always-hilarious Wallace Shawn. Abigail Breslin plays the intrepid would-be reporter who seeks a great story to sell to the newspaper. This Depression-era story feels very timely, with enough excitement and plenty of colorful characters to keep children engaged. This was the first American Girl movie to make it to the big screen, and it feels like the sort of wholesome flick that belongs on The Wonderful World of Disney. A winner all around.

Doubt - This quietly unsettling movie is anchored by three powerful performances, with a fourth that packs an incredible whallop despite the actress's short time on screen. Amy Adams is the naive young nun who thinks she may have seen something fishy; Philip Seymour Hoffman is the forward-thinking priest who stands accused. Both are compelling, but most riveting of all is Meryl Streep as the school's formidable principal, a sister who has long suspected the priest of wrongdoing and is determined to bring him down. By the end of the movie, there's still no clear statement of exactly what happened, and viewers are left to contemplate for themselves which person's testimony is the most gripping.

WALL-E - Pixar just keeps cranking out amazing movies, so it's become pretty much guaranteed that each new year will bring a fantastic new computer-animated film, probably during the summer. I'd been looking forward to this one in particular for quite some time, as my brother had shown me a preview the previous year. Given my love of Short Circuit, I immediately took to the little roving robot with the enormous eyes. I wasn't entirely sure what to expect when I went into this one opening night, as the robot of the title was practically the only character I'd seen mentioned. Would there be any humans? How many other robots would we meet? By the time people did show up, I was startled. The second portion of the film is more action-oriented, providing most of the plot momentum for the movie. But the beginning is absolutely gorgeous and devastating at the same time, a slice of near-silent film in which one stoic little piece of machinery collects bits of beauty in a discarded world. It's a darn shame this didn't score a Best Picture nomination.

In Bruges - It's fairly uncommon for me to list R-rated movies among my favorites - and this one earns its rating more than most - but I couldn't help being amused and profoundly moved by this movie about a pair of hit-men taking a very strange holiday together in Belgium. Brendan Gleeson is the gleeful mentor, Colin Farrell the brooding apprentice, Ralph Fiennes the harsh boss who doesn't turn up until late in the movie. There are scenes of explosive violence, and scarcely a sentence goes by without profanity, yet I think the movie's screenplay nomination was well-deserved, and it has stuck with me more than most of the movies I've seen in the past year.

Interestingly, most of my favorite movies of 2008 had a dark element, but most also left me feeling very positive about the resilience of the human spirit. In times of adversity, that's a very encouraging message to find in the theater.

Lars and the Real Girl Leads a Stellar Pack in 2007

The year 2007 was a very significant one for me in terms of pop culture, though not so much because of movies. It was in 2007 that I finally was able to start watching LOST in prime time, and even more notably, it was in 2007 that the final installment of the Harry Potter series - which I can honestly say was the most highly anticipated book of my life - hit bookshelves. Nonetheless, 2007 also marked the year-long return of my friend Dan, an aspiring screenwriter, and he saw to it that I would be more prepared for the Oscars in 2008 than I ever had been before. It was also the year my friend Beth send me a trial subscription to Netflix and got me hooked. Consequently, I have, to date, seen more than 40 movies that were released in 2007. It was a good year for movies. These were my ten favorites.

Music and Lyrics - This one came out on Valentine's Day, and my friend Libbie and I had planned to see it opening day, then head home in time for a joint viewing of LOST, which turned out to be one of the most romantic episodes in the show's history. But a blizzard kept us from doing either, so on the 15th we headed out to see whether this Hugh Grant / Drew Barrymore flick would be as endearing as the commercials suggested. We ended up liking it even better than we'd hoped. It was sweet, funny and romantic. It inspired the aspiring songwriter within me. And Libbie and I still randomly burst into Pop! Goes My Heart sometimes; that cheesy mock-'80s video that starts the film is worth the rental price all by itself.

Bridge to Terabithia - I'd been looking forward to this one for a while, as the book had been a favorite ever since I first read it at the age of ten or so. My cousin and I were so inspired by it that we spent several family get-togethers plotting a theatrical adaptation of it, a project that eventually fell apart when we realized we couldn't really do it justice with only two actors. Thankfully, Walden Media had plenty of actors at its disposal, and all performed admirably. I was a little worried about how faithful this would be to the book, since the previews made it look more like a fantasy epic, but ultimately I was very impressed with the results.

Spider-Man 3 - I saw three "part three" movies in the month of May, all on opening night, as I'd decided that it was my duty as a movie reviewer to see as many blockbusters as I could, as early as possible. Pirates of the Caribbean was fun but convoluted, while Shrek the Third was mostly disappointing, but I found I really liked Spider-Man 3. I think it helped that I was pretty much unfamiliar with the comics; I understand Sam Raimi played fast and loose with canon here. In any case, I got caught up in the humor and adrenaline of the movie, and the enthusiastic audience helped make it one of my most enjoyable opening-night experiences.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix - The fifth movie was, of course, just an appetizer before the long-awaited meal of the seventh book. Nonetheless, I was excited about it, in part because it was the first film in the franchise I actually managed to see in the theater. While I wish the running time hadn't been quite so slim, I loved the creative use of montages and newspaper headlines to convey a lot of information at once, often in a humorous manner. And the introduction of Luna, possibly my favorite female character in the series, was fantastic.

Hot Fuzz - When I saw a preview for this one, I suspected it would be my kind of movie, at least mostly; I'm not big on violence, but it looked like this murder mystery would keep most of the mayhem off-screen. It was my brother, who'd never heard of the movie before, who wound up seeing it first; he liked it so much he bought it as soon as it came out on DVD, and I watched it with him and spent half the movie doubled over with laughter. Simon Pegg is hilarious as the uptight cop sent to Nowheresville, England because the rest of the London force is getting tired of him one-upping them. But it was Nick Frost who really won me over as his dim-witted, gold-hearted deputy. Definitely a winning team.

Enchanted - The return of the Disney movie musical! This felt like a throwback to the likes of Mary Poppins and Pete's Dragon, not to mention the fully animated princess tales it so joyfully spoofs. Amy Adams is radiant as the naive, sugary-sweet princess yanked from her animated world into the mean streets of New York. The movie really hinges on her performance, as well as the wonderful songs that simultaneously honor and parody Disney classics like Be Our Guest and Whistle While You Work.

Ratatouille - Somehow, I never managed to catch this one in theaters, which surprised me given my great love for Pixar. But my brother Nathan received it for Christmas, so I ended up ringing in the New Year with a rat named Remy. This is a more adult-oriented film than most Pixar flicks; with all the references to fine cuisine and French culture, I wouldn't be surprised if some kids tuned out before the movie was over. Nonetheless, the animation is beautiful, the story is inspiring, and the expertly written and delivered dialogue of Anton Ego is as delicious as the dish he so lovingly describes.

No Country for Old Men - If you'd given me a primer on this movie before it came out and asked me whether I thought I would like it, I'm sure my answer would have been no. I don't know how it is that I failed to have any idea what it was about before I saw it, but when my dad and brother whisked me off to watch it with them, I only knew it had gotten Oscar buzz. I soon discovered why. Yes, it's horribly violent. One of the most violent movies I've ever seen. Yet it's also extremely funny, and brimming with humanity, in large part due to the reflective sheriff so perfectly portrayed by Tommy Lee Jones. I was rooting for this one to get the Best Picture Oscar and was most gratified when it succeeded.

Juno - I didn't see this until my birthday, which is nearly halfway through February; it was one of the last notches on my Oscar readiness belt. Easily the most uplifting of the five Best Picture nominees, this tale of a plucky teen negotiating unexpected pregnancy resulting from a single fling with her endearingly awkward best friend won me over quickly. I loved the clever dialogue, the compassionate relationships, the quirky soundtrack. A cheerful gem of a film.

Lars and the Real Girl - I've listed the rest of my top 10 in the order in which I saw them, but I'm stepping out of order for this one, which I never would have seen if Dan hadn't dragged Libbie and me to the theater with him. I'd read a blurb in Entertainment Weekly, but it left me with the impression that this was some sort of raunchy futuristic comedy, and I wasn't exactly reeled in. So imagine my surprise when I found myself unable to stop smiling practically from the moment the movie started! This gentle, Capra-esque film about a socially inept, emotionally damaged young man who learns to interact with the world with some help from a life-size doll and an understanding community is one of the funniest, most tender films I've ever watched. While it's hard to begrudge Diablo Cody's win with Juno, I really would have loved to see this one take home top honors for its unique, life-affirming screenplay.

A good year for movies, to be sure. I recommend them all. But most of all, I recommend Lars and the Real Girl, which didn't get nearly enough attention. For me, it was the sweetest movie surprise of the year.

Dog Comedy is the Best of the Look Who's Talking Trilogy

I've seen all three Look Who's Talking movies, and I enjoyed this film more than its predecessors. All three are okay but not exactly great cinema. In this third installment, young Mikey and Julie are old enough to talk. Mikey is played by the young man from Phenomenon and Seventh Heaven, and while I don't recognize the actress playing Julie, I am relieved that she is old enough to talk here because Roseanne struck me like nails on a chalkboard in the second movie.

Kirstie Alley and John Travolta are still the parents, and this film introduces the new characters of Rocks and Daphne, played by Danny DeVito and Diane Keaton. At the beginning of the movie, Dad receives a very nice position with an airline while Mom loses her job of nine years due to cutbacks. Her new job working as an elf in a Santa display at the mall is less than ideal, but her kids are thrilled that she gets to work so closely with the big guy. Mikey in particular is impressed, and he is convinced that Santa is going to bring him the gift of his dreams: a dog. That is, until he wanders into the dressing room after hours and discovers that Santa is a fake.

Now faced with the disillusionment of his son which can't even be shaken by an entertaining lip-synching performance of The Chipmunk Song, Dad thinks it's time to take the dreaded step and get a dog. Behind his wife's back, he takes Mikey to the kennel and snatches a mutt right out of the jaws of the extermination chamber. But as if Mom isn't going to be mad enough already, Dad's attractive British boss shows up with her Radcliffe-trained poodle, accompanied by a steady stream of accessories. Now the family has two dogs and, increasingly, no dad as he continues to be called away for flights all around the world. As Christmas approaches, it becomes more and more clear that this boss has less than honorable intentions as she keeps him on the job, and the family begins to wonder whether Dad is ever coming back.

Meanwhile, Rocks is a holy terror, tearing up the household at every opportunity. Though initially met with great disdain by Daphne, the two eventually bond in a Lady and the Tramp-esque late-night adventure. But the frazzled mother has had enough of Rocks' antics, and it looks like he's headed straight back for the pound. Is the family doomed to an unhappy Christmas without dog or Dad, or is there just enough holiday magic to bring this family together?

I guess I'm just a sucker for dog movies, and that's probably why this is my favorite of the three films. I also appreciate the faithfulness of John Travolta's character to his wife and family. The kids are also now old enough to speak for themselves, and they do a fine job of it. This film still has a fair share of crude humor which I could certainly do without, but it you can ignore those parts then this is a decent movie to check out. It's not great, but it's not bad, either. If you liked the first two films, you'll like this one, and if you're like me, you'll agree that as far as this series is concerned, the third time's a charm.

The Scariest Thing About Critters 3 is That it Was Ever Made

A few weeks ago, my little brother and I were searching for a movie in order to remove from our immediate memories a few lingering nightmare-inducing remnants of a rather unsettling movie. Why, then, in order to wash out the taste of serial murder, did we allow our channel-surfing to lead us to a film involving a species of aliens with very large teeth who decide to mutilate the unsuspecting residents of an apartment complex? Because it was bad. Very bad. Bad enough that we erupted into sudden bursts of riotous laughter induced by the cheesy cinematography or the gag-me-with-a-spoon dialogue. Bad enough that it now ranks with The Swans on my hierarchy of bad movies. Doesn't sound convincing enough for you? Read my review of The Swans. It's that bad.

Okay, okay. So I think I've made my opinion regarding the quality of this movie rather clear. But what's really scary is that it is the third -- and, might I add, not the final -- film in a series. If Critters 3 is in any way indicative of the quality of its predecessors and successors, I can't believe the captains of this ill-fated ship didn't bail out early on. Speaking of ships, Critters 3 harbors a familiar face. Leonardo DiCaprio, whose role in Titanic briefly made him one of the most recognizable names in Hollywood, stars as a troubled pre-teen who hates his step-father. That is, until about half an hour into the movie, when his step-father is torn to shreds by the hairy new tenants of the apartment complex he owns. Then, little Leo's character is overwhelmed with guilt, but he doesn't have much time to think about it since he's too busy trying to avoid becoming fodder for the insatiable critters.

Throw into the mix another troubled pre-teen, this one a girl desperate for her absentee father's attention, and her brother, a tiny tot with a magic object given to him by an eccentric man he met in the woods. "When it glows green," he tells the boy, "that's the time to watch out for yourself." Then there's the elderly gentleman who believes in the stories that aliens landed nearby several years ago and the portly, spaced-out woman who narrowly escapes a brush with the "nasty things," which she alternately describes as beavers and porcupines.

I'll admit that I did throw the covers over my eyes whenever those malevolent tumbleweeds sunk their cast-iron choppers into some poor victim's flesh, but as I averted my eyes I giggled. The attacks had all the authenticity of that of the killer rabbit in Monty Python and the Holy Grail, but this time, they weren't meant to be funny. They were. And the descriptions of the assailants were equally amusing -- particularly the manner in which they were delivered. The acting in this movie is most abhorrent. It ought to be shown to a beginner's drama class as an example of what not to do.

And then there's the whole link to the other movies through the "expert" critter catcher, who is sort of a mix between Gomer Pyle and Steve Urkel. Through a series of bizarre and baffling flashbacks, apparently actual clips from previous movies, we learn near the beginning of the film that this freaky-looking fella who rises out of the ground to scare little children was abducted by aliens. At the end of the movie, while the credits are rolling, we watch the unexpected footage which freezes at the most inopportune moments and reveals that the aliens who have ordered him to annihilate the critters have now informed him that he cannot finish the job. It's illegal to destroy the last member of a species.

And so we are prepped for Critters 4. Will the anticipation never end? Will I spend my nights nervously nibbling my nails into stubs as I consider the prospects of a world inhabited by an infant critter? Will I ever learn not to be lured in by TBS' late-night B-rated movie? And where did that tumbleweed in the corner come from? I don't recall seeing it there befo....arghhhhhh!!!!!

Disney's Sequel Factory Does it Again!

I've been wanting to see Scamp's Adventure ever since it came out. Not that I was expecting a cinematic masterpiece, but I am very fond of the original and wanted to know what they would do with a sequel. Very few sequels actually live up to the originals, and this was not one of the exceptions to the rule. But it was good nonetheless, capturing the feel of the first one pretty well.

At the end of Lady and the Tramp, we see the happy family at Christmas with four puppies, one of whom has inherited all the traits of his father. That young upstart is the subject of this film. He's tired of being bossed and babied. "I wanna be wild and free!" he complains to his father, and to anyone else who will listen.

After being kicked out of the house for his shenanigans, forced to spend the day in the doghouse, he sees a gang of junkyard dogs fleeing from a dogcatcher who looks and sounds suspiciously like Don Knotts. I was most surprised to discover that it wasn't him, but his Knotts-like antics were some of the funniest moments in the film.

Breaking free of his chain, Scamp runs off to join the pack, not realizing that there's more to being a street dog than just goofing off all day. A tough little lady pup named Angel tries to convince him that he's not street dog material, but he won't be deterred. Upon his arrival at the junkyard, Scamp is greeted by Buster, the pack's leader, who tells him that he must pass a few tests in order to become part of the pack.

Meanwhile, Scamp's family searches frantically for him. Scamp is amazed to learn that his father was once the king of the junkyard, but he can't reveal that Tramp is his father or the old hatred which Buster harnesses will be unleashed on him. Angel confides to Scamp that she's been shuffled from family to family and wishes desperately for a home of her own. She is bewildered that Scamp is so ready to give up what she so greatly desires.

Scamp's secret can't stay a secret forever, and when Buster finds out he demands that Scamp prove his loyalty to the pack by stealing the picnic lunch which Jim, Darling, and Scamp's folks are sharing. Scamp will do anything to be part of the pack, but in the ensuing scenes he learns the true meaning of family and discovers that maybe Angel was right; maybe he's really not supposed to be a junkyard dog.

Scamp's Adventure is a cute movie which picks up where the first left off. I thought that they did a very good job matching the voices of Jock and Trusty, and a decent job on Lady. The others weren't all that similar. And what is it with these cartoons that have adults playing kids? Kinda like Stuart Little. Oh, well. There was also plenty of music in this movie, but none was particularly memorable. The end credits had a redone version of Bella Notte, and the rest of the movie was peppered with songs to fit the particular occasion. None were exactly Oscar material. Still, I enjoyed this movie and would certainly recommend renting it, especially if you're a fan of the first film. You'll be glad for the excuse to visit this charming canine family again.

You Can Spot it as a Sequel from a Mile Off

I was on Spring Break last week, and during the middle of the week my friend and I decided to take a trek to the mall and its adjoining dollar theater. I'm a sucker for anything Disney and she loves dalmatians, so it was pretty easy to agree on 102 Dalmatians. I was quite impressed with the live-action remake of the animated Disney classic, and I wondered how this one would hold up. Disney did, after all, give us The Rescuers Down Under, Simba's Pride, and Toy Story 2. But when it comes to live-action, most of their recent attempts at sequels have been rather weak (as opposed to sequels to early movies, such as The Absent-Minded Professor, The Shaggy Dog, and The Love Bug). I went expecting a decent but not outstanding movie, and that's what I got.

The movie begins in the prison wherein Cruella DeVil (Glenn Close) is housed. After undergoing an experimental treatment, she seems to be cured of her despicable nature. When she returns home after her release from prison, Cruella (or "Ella" as she now prefers to be called) insists upon having all of her furs locked away because she now cannot bear the thought of harming an animal. She is now ready to re-enter society as a productive citizen.

Her parole officer, Chloe (Alice Evans), is not convinced, and she is very suspicious when Cruella takes over the Second Chance dog shelter, about to be shut down due to lack of funding. While keeping tabs on Cruella and another client who works with the dogs, she meets Kevin (Ioan Gruffudd), who happens to be quite a dapper gent, in my opinion. He has four "dogs" -- one is actually a parrot named Waddlesworth (Eric Idle) who insists he is a rottweiler. A romance begins to blossom between the two of them, and the dog shelter flourishes. It seems that the biggest worry at the moment is helping Oddball -- daughter of Chloe's dog, Dipstick, who appeared as a pup in the first film -- deal with the fact that she has no spots.

But disaster strikes when the resounding chimes of Big Ben cause Cruella to revert back to her old cruel self. Determined once more to get her dalmatian coat despite the judge's stipulation that a repeat offense would lead to the transferral of her entire fortune to the dog shelter, Cruella drags her butler Alonso into the task of kidnapping the puppies. She also employs a French furrier, Le Pelt, to aid her in the creation of her wonder garment. And how does she get away with it? Why, Kevin, of course. The perfect motive: he wanted her money for the shelter. Kevin is framed and thrown in jail, and Cruella prepares to steal Dipstick's pups, which will provide the hood of her coat.

The rest of the movie is, obviously, a race against time to try to keep Cruella from doing her dire deed. This is Oddball's chance to shine, and she proves that the greatness of a dalmatian is not determined by the number of her spots.

There are a couple of twists and turns in this movie, but it's not as entertaining or endearing as the original. Alonso the Butler, who I pitied from my first sight of him in the original, has his moment in the sun in this movie, and I was glad to see that. But the focus in this film is first on Cruella, then on Chloe and Kevin, who weren't even in the original. Their prolonged courtship does strike me as more realistic than Roger and Anita's instant marriage, but I thought there was too much focus on the humans. The dogs have a much lesser role in this film, and I think that's a shame.

Also, there are a couple of little things I don't quite get. How could Cruella not have heard Big Ben all that time? What police department allows a guy to take his pets into prison with him? And how could Kevin just get off scot-free after escaping? Granted, I wanted him to, but I don't think it would work that way.

Still, it's a good movie, and well worth seeing at the dollar theater or renting. I wouldn't go out of my way to buy it, but I'd say it'd be entertaining for at least a couple viewings.