FREEZE FRAMES

BIG TOP PEE-WEE - Our hero joins a circus and gets a new girlfriend. Endearingly silly, but nowhere near as original or amusing as ``Pee-wee's Big Adventure'' a couple of years ago. Randal Kleiser directed from a screenplay by George McGrath and Pee-wee himself, whose real name is Paul Reubens. (Rated PG) BOYFRIENDS AND GIRLFRIENDS - The story of two young women, the men they like, and the gently amusing complications that arise in these relationships. This is the sixth installment in the enchanting ``Comedies and Proverbs'' series of French filmmaker Eric Rohmer, and, while it's not as brilliant as ``Summer'' or ``Le Beau mariage,'' it has a charm that's as literate as it is beguiling. ``L'Ami de mon ami'' is the original title of this smart, savvy, and sophisticated romp. (Rated PG) CAMMINA CAMMINA - Ponderous epic about Italian peasants reenacting the Nativity story. Directed by Ermanno Olmi, in a momentary slump. (Not rated) A DAY ON THE GRAND CANAL WITH THE EMPEROR OF CHINA - A guided tour of an ancient Chinese scroll painting, written and narrated by artist David Hockney. Diverting and instructive. Philip Haas directed. (Not rated) HOME REMEDY - An unhappy young man decides to cut himself off from the world by refusing to leave his house, but his neighbor won't stop trying to make friends. The plot is alternately stupid, eccentric, and nasty. The performances are awful through it all. Maggie Greenwald directed. (Not rated) MR. NORTH - At the height of the roaring '20s, a bright young fellow moves to ritzy Newport, R.I., and tries to make his fortune as a tutor and book-reader for the rich but decadent society folks. The movie aims for roguish charm but falls flat in every department. The story is weak; the dialogue is silly; and rarely have so many stars, from Robert Mitchum to Tammy Grimes, given so many bad performances in one picture. Danny Huston was the director. (Rated PG) PASCALI'S ISLAND - The mood is mildly melancholy in this tale of two elegant phonies, a Turkish informer and an English con artist, whose paths cross on a Greek island just as World War I is about to erupt. Ben Kingsley and Charles Dance are perfect as the main characters, but the story doesn't quite catch fire, either dramatically or cinematically. James Dearden directed. (Rated PG-13) PHANTASM II - A supernatural villain called the Tall Man menaces a pair of good guys. The result is as yucky as the original ``Phantasm,'' and even more poorly written. Don Coscarelli directed from his own screenplay. (Rated R) SHAME - A bold young woman rides into a small Australian town on her motorcycle and gets tangled in a web of hatred and passion that seethes just below the surface of the place. The cleverly constructed plot is one part ``Rambo''-style heroics, one part feminist manifesto. Deborra-Lee Furness is stunning as the heroine. Steve Jodrell directed the Australian production, which promises to be a sure-fire hit. (Rated R) RATINGS: Films with ratings other than G may contain varying degrees of vulgar language, nudity, sex, and violence.