Entertainment

An effective reworking of a children's classic is no mean feat. In the case of "The Adventures of Pinocchio," the story of the wooden puppet with the telltale nose has for so long been associated with the classic 1940 Disney version that subsequent tellings (including a 1976 TV movie with Sandy Duncan as the title character) simply couldn't measure up. Now filmmaker Steve Barron ("Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles") has boldly attempted to revisit the mischievous marionette in this brash, boisterous and admittedly much darker interpretation filmed in Czechoslovakia with an international cast. While Barron is to be commended for adhering much closer to Carlo Collodi's original text, with an eye for rich visual detail, and Jim Henson's Creature Shop has come up with a truly wondrous animatronic creation, the dizzying array of accents and acting techniques never forms a cohesive whole.

"Kingpin" stars Randy Quaid, Vanessa Angel and Woody Harrelson.

(Scene from film)

Mark Arm, left, appears with Bloodloss members Martin Bland, Guy Maddison and Renestair EJ.

(Photo of Will Smith)

If I had three wishes this summer, they would be: No more dreadful children's movies, no more dreadful children's movies, no more dreadful children's movies. If Shaquille O'Neal, who stars as a genie in the dreadful children's movie, "Kazaam," had three wishes, they would probably be: I wish I hadn't made this shrill clunker, I wish David Robinson would stop stealing all my thunder on the Dream Team and I wish the profoundly obnoxious child who co-stars with me in "Kazaam" would suck himself into a bottle and disappear.

Wondering what the hottest restaurant in the United States is right now? It's Betelnut, a casual restaurant modeled on the beer houses, or pejui wu, that proliferate in Asia. Located on Union Street in San Francisco, Betelnut is "jammed, just jammed," says Bill Higgins, one of the owners. No wonder. At bamboo tables under slowly revolving fans, diners sample sun-dried anchovies - wok-tossed with tiny fiery bird chilies - or spicy egg noodles with braised beef, while watching cooks from Thailand, several provinces of China, Korea and Vietnam send vegetables flying over dancing flames. The place is pure theater; the food is delicious and the prices are reasonable. But why should a San Francisco restaurant matter to those in the rest of the country? In a mobile, information-based society, knowing where to dine out has become a national obsession. More Americans eat out each week than participate in any other single form of entertainment. A visit to Betelnut and interviews with restaurant experts pointed to some clear dining trends: Ethnic energy is fueling the American culinary scene.

God Lives Underwater plays the Northern Corner on Saturday.

Heather Matarazzo stars in "Welcom to the Dollhouse."

Michael Keaton deals with the complexities in his life by having himself cloned in the movie "Multiplicity."

Michael J. Fox is the ghostly movie "Frighteners."

Based on the ads, "Fled" looks like it's merely a rip-off of the Sidney Poitier-Tony Curtis drama "The Defiant Ones," but that's not quite fair. "Fled" also rips off "Lethal Weapon" and "The Fugitive." Laurence Fishburne and Stephen Baldwin (the blond one) play convicts chained together and on the lam - but unlike "The Defiant Ones," racism isn't a factor, nor are they joined for long. Soon enough, they're unlinked and engaging in a standard two-guys-who-hate/need-each-other crime drama.

Don't cry for Quasimodo, at least not for the wrong reasons. While the relatively soft opening of Disney's "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" may be the season's biggest surprise, "Hunchback" can still be counted on to ring enough cash register bells to end up as one of the top five summer movies. "Eraser," the film that bested "Hunchback" at the box office its first weekend, however, probably will be erased from most multiplex screens before the end of August, and with a budget of at least $80 million, can expect to make its profit in video and international markets.

There's something comforting about the familiarity of chain restaurants. Whether an Applebee's Neighborhood Bar & Grill is in Spokane or Fort Worth, Texas, you can presumably expect the same menu, the same standard of service and a similar atmosphere. (At last count, there are currently 820 Applebee's in eight countries, making it the fastest-growing casual dining chain in the world.) One way this chain has distinguished itself is to cleverly customize the decor at each location, giving it a neighborhood feel. For instance, at the Valley store, the entryway is crammed with memorabilia from the three area high schools, including a West Valley band uniform hanging from the wall.

"Chariots of Fire" won Best Picture in 1981.

The movie "Stalingrad" emphasizes the horrors of war.

Whoopi Goldberg stars as a basketball coach in "Eddie."

The annual Cherry Festival at Green Bluff runs Saturday and Sunday, with music, crafts and, of course, plenty of cherries to u-pick or that are already picked. The festival unofficially opens the harvest season in the area northeast of Spokane. Maps to the farms are available (just look for signs at participating farms) at Green Bluff. To get there, take the Newport Highway north and follow the signs.

Another benefit concert for 4,000 Holes, a Spokane record store that has been a victim of a spree of vandalism, will be staged at The Met, July 19 at 7 p.m. Bands include Shoveljerk, Quitters Inc., Big Comb, High Lonesome, Mama's Dogma, the Deadbeats and Boycott (not necessarily in that order).