It's the exception to the rule when a movie based on a dragon is good in any aspect of the word. That's why when "Eragon" came out last year, being stabbed by a +5 sword of wounding sounded like a much more enjoyable event than seeing this latest dragon epic.

Then we read this review by Mike Russell. Not only did we want to see it, but a pack of orcs on wolfback couldn't keep us away. The review panned the movie, but belittled it in just the right way to make it sound tantalizing. Russell rips into the movie for being just a convoluted mash-up of "Star Wars" and "Lord of the Rings."

"An opening narration ('Lord of the Rings') tells us that a great sect of supernatural warriors has been wiped out by an evil king ('Star Wars'). Just before she's captured, a fleeing princess ('Star Wars') accidentally leaves a supernatural artifact ('Lord of the Rings') in the care of a blond farmboy, Eragon, who lives with his uncle ('Star Wars') in a bucolic countryside estate ('Lord of the Rings').

"The artifact reveals powers long thought extinct ('Lord of the Rings') -- in this case, a baby dragon who hatches out of a bright-blue lozenge my stepdaughter described as 'a giant Mike & Ike.' The evil king and his evil-wizard sidekick ('Star Wars,' 'Lord of the Rings') send screeching warriors to hunt the farmboy ('Lord of the Rings'), killing the boy's uncle ('Star Wars') and sending him on a quest with an elderly warrior-mentor ('Star Wars,' 'Lord of the Rings').

"Aided by the geezer and a rogue sidekick, the farmboy tries to rescue the princess, find a hidden resistance and master long-forgotten magic ('Star Wars'). The climax features a battle with ogre-like warriors trying to take a fortress city ('Lord of the Rings') intercut with an aerial dogfight in a canyon full of towers ('Star Wars').

"Throw in a few young-wizard nods to 'Harry Potter' and you're good to go. The Tolkien/Lucas shout-outs get so numbingly blatant after a while, you start pining for something more original -- like 'Krull.'"

Not only is he right on the money, the movie is set up for a sequel or a possible trilogy ("Star Wars", "Lord of the Rings"). This movie is magically deliciously dumb.

The self-proclaimed "Biggest Toy Book Ever" arrived last week folded innocently inside our newspaper. It now sits in our living room with weathered white lines and tattered edges from being constantly opened and closed like some old world map.

Our son routinely consults it to figure out all the things that are missing from his room. "Yes, I do see a void in the shape of a Magnetix iCoaster (a large marble roller coaster structure that includes an iPod plug-in) in the corner over there. What on Earth could fit into that?"

While being submitted to yet another tour of the toy book, I noticed a glaring error in the Star Wars section. Here's the Star Wars Galactic Heroes: The Battle of Hoth playset:


Even from this very small image, one can see that the ice planet of Hoth either has a densely populated desert area or they completely messed up the name for a playset that takes place in a completely different movie made 22 years later set on a completely different planet.

Or maybe it really is Hoth and the beige motif is a direct effect of global warming! We all know how wampas love their Aqua Net.

As a side note, I really like how every toy in the catalog has a checkbox next to it that is "pre-checked."

Trick-or-Treaters 2007: 53
Trick-or-Treaters 2006: 61

Down a bit this year. We blame the daylight savings time switch and the DEQ air pollution warning. Kids not wanting to trick-or-treat in the smoggy darkness? What kind of wimps are we raising?

Most Popular Boy's Costume: Race Car Driver
Most Popular Girl's Costume: A Princess

Almost every girl at Logan's pre-school dressed as a princess. One princess also wore a Spiderman mask.

Pumpkins Carved: 4

As always, ZombiePumpkins.com rocks for stencils. We always get compliments on our pumpkins. I just hope people don't find out how easy they are to do.

Houses Logan Trick-Or-Treated 2007: 18
Houses Logan Trick-Or-Treated 2006: 4

This is the year my son realized that people are giving out FREE CANDY!!! CANDY!!! He literally sprinted to every NEXT HOUSE!!!

My Favorite Candy: Snickers Jack-O-Lantern

It actually tastes better than the candy bar style. They either add extra sugar or the jack-o-lantern form is the optimal shape to provide tasty sweetness.

Best Horror Movie Seen This October: "Headless Horseman"

Not only did it answer the inevitable question of what Richard Moll (Bull from "Night Court") was doing these days, the headless horseman rode a motorcycle. In true made-for-Sci-Fi-Channel fashion, it was absolutely horror-ible.

Following Day's Candy Hangover (out of 10): 3.5

I'll have to work on this during the next couple days. Those Snickers Jack-O-Lanterns aren't going to eat themselves.