Freeze Frames. A weekly update of film releases.

THE BRIDE -- ``Pygmalion'' meets ``The Bride of Frankenstein'' as crafty Dr. F. tries to mold his latest creature into a kind of woman that 19th-century Europe hasn't seen before: a brave, brainy beauty who's the full equal of any man! In a refreshing twist on horror-movie clich'es, the ``monsters'' are more decent and resourceful than their ``normal'' counterparts; and director Franc Roddam deftly treads the tightrope between melodrama and absurdism. Be prepared to swallow a large dose of o verripe dialogue and happily hammy acting, though. (Rated PG-13) PEE-WEE'S BIG ADVENTURE -- The most avant-garde Hollywood movie in ages. To say the plot is a trifle would be to magnify it beyond reason: Pee-wee looks for his lost bike, and that's about it. But he has the most entertaining case of arrested development since Jerry Lewis. And the visual style of director Tim Burton is as immaculately fresh as our hero's ubiquitous suit. At half its length, it would be a wacko masterpiece. As it stands, it's an overextended but genuine original. (Rated PG)

SUMMER RENTAL -- Likable but very thin farce about a nice family having a rotten vacation. Directed by Carl Reiner and featuring the busy, busy, busy John Candy. (Rated PG) -- 30 --