Hello and a big BOO! from Hollywood! Except for the party scene, I'd say Halloween is all but dead in America. Halloween only worked back when everyday life was so secure, dull even, that raising a little noise and fake scares was a worthwhile change of pace. Now I give out candy to the few neighborhood tots the parents carefully escort to a few doors, and that's about it. The cute children are fun to see, though.

First Run Features have outdone themselves with a superlative docu rather inadequately called Fighter. It's sort of a Holocaust story, but not exactly, as it deals with two Czech men who had contrasting destinies through WW2 and the Communist era beyond. Verite Docus always hope to strike gold by finding lucid subjects who open themselves to the camera; Amir Bar-Lev has found two articulate old gentlemen who find the perfect chinks in each other's armor, and provoke a very deep and illuminating diary-like account of two very different men and their stories of survival. The best docu Savant's seen since Startup.Com.

Warners' The Incredible Mr. Limpet is a bizarre children's fantasy that combines the usual klunky kiddie elements with an emotionally weird tone. Loveable Don Knotts turns into a fish, but there's no moral taught or lesson learned - and he doesn't change back, leaving his human life and identity behind. Very surreal big-studio comedy, with excellent animation from some legendary talent.

Savant moves into November with the Fall flood of genre titles mostly behind him; once we catch up with notables like CASTLE OF BLOOD, there'll just be the SPIDERMAN and LORD OF THE RINGS kind of blockbusters that Savant usually doesn't review. But some might sneak through, and I hope the mix stays reasonably eclectic. Thanks for reading! Glenn Erickson