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I was never fond of the Lassie television series, but the boy-and-his-dog story at the center of the Eric Knight novel is timeless and often moving. Adapted for the screen in 1943, Lassie Come Home , starring Roddy McDowell and Elizabeth Taylor, is an excellent film and holds up well sixty years later. British director Charles Sturridge has returned to the source material and delivers a well-crafted and beautifully photographed film about a poor English family who sells their beloved Lassie to the Duke of Rudling, who takes the dog to Scotland under the care of a cruel and abusive kennel keeper. Lassie escapes and makes the 500 mile journey home to the boy she loves. This is Lassie, after all, and the filmmakers turn up the cute factor as often as they can. But the schmaltz is not overdone, and the result is a pleasing, touching family film that is, incidentally, one of the best-reviewed films out there right now. (The Rotten Tomatoes web site rates it 92% fresh). Peter O'Toole h

The latest trailer for the twenty-first James Bond film, Casino Royale , has been posted at AOL Movies web site. Judging from this trailer, it is true that this new Bond, played by Daniel Craig, will be a much "harder" Bond when compared to the cavalier Moore or Brosnan. And, as much as I enjoyed watching Brosnan's four outings, I never bought in to him being Bond. He was still Remington Steele to me. So, November 17th will tell about Daniel Craig, but for now, enjoy the trailer. Roll em

The Illusionist is at times a mesmerizing retelling of the Romeo and Juliet story about a magician separated by class from the woman he loves. The fact that the young duchess is engaged to the Emperor's son only serves to complicate matters for the love-struck conjurer. In a controlled and understated performance, Edward Norton is convincing as Eisenheim the Illusionist, who must cross swords - and match wits - with Crown Prince Leopold in order to be with the woman he loves. Leopold's jealousy prompts him to order the chief of police (Paul Giamatti in a wonderfully annoying performance) to shut down Eisenheim's theater. High production values and solid performances compensate for a script that is not without flaws. But the film looks great, the illusions are imaginative, and in the end my friend Mike and I were glad we shelled out our ten bucks.

I remember watching the Jerry Lewis MDA Labor Day Telethon as a child, back in the 1970s when stars like Sammy Davis, Jr., Andy Williams, Frank Sinatra, Bob Hope and the like entertained America in order to raise money for a good cause. For me, there was something magical about the telethon in those days. I enjoyed seeing the big stars, the musical numbers and Broadway show performances. It was nice spending several hours this year enjoying the telethon. I don't want to get into the controversy about Lewis saying he "pities" the kids, as if pity is a dirty word. Whatever his motivation - and I personally believe it to be pure - he has raised a lot of money to help a lot of kids. There are not many people - celebrity or otherwise - who have done so much good for so many for so long. At 80, Lewis is looking better than he has in the past few years, having lost a lot of weight. He raised $61 million this year to fight muscular dystrophy. They may love him in France for his

Little Miss Sunshine is a warm, quirky, funny film about a family of losers who have only one another. When the chips are down (and in Little Miss Sunshine , the chips for this oddball family are nothing but) they somehow manage, each in his or her own way, to rise above their own personal and professional crises to meet the deep needs within one another. I left the theater feeling that this was one of the sweetest movies I have seen in some time. The troubled adults in the movie, dealing with professional failures, suicide attempts and broken hearts, rally around a young girl who chases after her dreams as a contestant in the Little Miss Sunshine pageant. Olive is so outclassed in this almost grotesque pageant with little girls parading around like adults that the film seems close to becoming farce. Or heartbreaking. But the deft touch delivered by the two first-time feature film directors perfectly blends comedy and melodrama without descending into the melodramatic. As sweet as thi