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Before Tim Burton made the movie “The Nightmare Before Christmas” it was first written as a poem. What he didn’t know that his poem would end up to be one of the most beloved animated movies of all times. “Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas” is without a doubt his best animated creations, and it has all of Burton’s signature skill dark and mysterious characters as well as its environments and music. It success has been so great that it has been re-release in theaters in different occasions with an excellent response from the audience. It’s characters have become icons appearing in different media such as video games, clothing stores, and all kinds of accessories. Although the movie is about fifteen years old the thrill behind it hasn’t disappeared. Every time I watch it, I can’t help not to be overwhelmed by its originality and inventiveness.

For those of you who haven’t seen the movie it begins in a place named Halloween Town which population consist of ghost, goblins, witches, skeletons, vampires and my favorite the boogie man. They are all in charge of Halloween and their whole purpose is to make sure each year is more horrifying than before. They are very good at it but there is one character who feels and emptiness inside of his bones, Jack Skellington the pumpkin king and the most terrifying creature in town. He’s the MVP of Halloween Town: he’s the one who scares the most. None the least Jack thinks more of himself than just scary face but also he wants to try a new experience. Fortunately, he finds out about Christmas Town and all its joy. He decides and convince the town to do Christmas instead of Halloween. The town is delighted about Jack’s new decision and go forth with his creation but in their own style. Just when Jack think all is well it still turns out to be a nightmare after all and it’s up to Sally and Sandy Claws to save the night.

There’s only one word that I can say that will describe this movie: Brilliant. It’s perfect in everyway from the visual to the sound effects. Not to mention the music in the movie touches the audience heart while squeezing some laughs in the process. The characters are ingeniously designed , all of them have different personality like Sally. Sally is more of a nice, sweet, and lonely girl who tries to help understand Jack but he keeps ignoring her feels. The Boogie Man is nothing more but a gambling man who gambles on what he will do when he captures Sally and Sandy Claws. The voices of the characters are appropriate by each actor. They did an outstanding jobs impersonating their characters and the setting for the movie is superb. It has a dark atmosphere behind the story and influence the character .

The DVD is a two disc movie and just by looking at the cover its awesome to add to your home collection of movies. The DVD has a sleek look to it with a picture of Jack in the center of it. It makes you think theirs a doll of Jack on the outside of it. The video is digitally restored and brilliantly remastered with state of the art technology. The movie is more darker and more ghastly as the original. I wouldn’t recommend this movie to little kids because it may be too frightening for them to watch but more for kids around the third or forth grade. The Nightmare Before Christmas is without a doubt one of my favorite movies and it has the double advantage: you could see it in October or December and you will not feel out of place. It will bring out the child in you.

Review By Dee
FULL DVD DETAILS
Release Date: August 26, 2008 BUY DVD

In “Where in the World Is Osama Bin Laden?” Morgan’s girlfriend, Alexandra Jamieson, is pregnant. Morgan’s soon to be born child begins to steer up anxiety about all the dangerous of the world. Morgan decides he has to do something about it. Determine to make the world a safer place, he decides to find the most dangerous man on earth: Osama Bin Laden. Morgan heads off to train and is soon traveling the globe trying to locate the whereabouts of Osama.

Morgan uses the premise of trying to find Osama, to answer some of the questions with the conflict between America and the Middle East. The problem is the Morgan doesn’t cover any new ground here. Everything he discusses has been debated to death before. Moreover, Morgan’s wise guy character from “Super Size Me” is still very much in effect. The problem here is that it seems forced. Add to this the odd special effects that only help distract the viewer.

The only thing that could have save the movie was if Morgan had found Osama. I think he was tempted, at the end, to enter the tribe land in Pakistan. I rather he not had shown us the last scene and just say he couldn’t find Osama than what he actually did. It almost as though he quits. Overall, for those who know little about Osama and the conflict in the Middle East this film might actually be a good staring point, but beware of the odd special effects and Morgan’s anticlimactic finale.

Review by Milton Brayson
FULL DVD DETAILS
Release Date: August 26, 2008

Next Tuesday August 26, 2008, Paramount Home Entertainment will be releasing the independent film comedy “Son of Rambow” on DVD. The film was written and directed by Garth Jennings and was part of the 2007 Sundance Film Festival, receiving acceptable reviews by the critics. The surprise with this DVD release is that it will only available for sale in the United States at Best Buy. It is hard to understand why and independent film will only available for sale at only one store. If you live in Canada, you will be able to buy this title anywhere. This title will not be available on Blu-Ray in the US.

Film Review:
Where do they get these kids from? You’ve heard me say it a thousand times and I will continue to do so because I am in awe of the kinds of performances turned in by these children that I have had the privilege to witness. Here we have another example of a movie with such performances. I mean some of these kids perform as good if not better than many adult movie stars. It is really impressive. Will Poulter takes the lead as Lee Carter, a bully, bad influence, delinquent who can be your dedicated best friend. Yeah, interesting contrast. He is the primary cameraman as well as co-director and co-imagineer of the movie being made within this movie. He was convincing, genuine, and razor-tongued. His best friend turns out to be an unlikely candidate, Will Proudfoot played by Bill Milner. Where Lee is the realist, Will is the surrealist. Will is also a co-director and co-imagineer, and what an imagination. He is quite the artist and he complements Lee in just the right way. Bill’s performance is also strong as he plays this character who is tormented by the desire to express himself freely which contradicts his extreme religious upbringing which limits his connection to the world around him. For example, it is forbidden for him to watch TV. His chance encounter with Lee, and a bootleg copy of First Blood (Rambo), sets him off on a physical and imaginative energy high that drives him to get this movie done for real as well as be the lead character in it. Lee can’t help but be enchanted by Will’s determination and they become good friends indeed. Another noteworthy performance is that of Jules Sitruk as Didier Revol, an eccentric French exchange student who oozes popularity and fashion style (remember, this film is set in the 80s so you can imagine the fashion style). It is only natural that he would want to be part of this movie production, in front of the camera of course. Jules does a great job with this larger than life character who in turn contributes greatly to the comedy of this picture.

Although the movie isn’t super great, it is very enjoyable. It is a feel good movie that will make you laugh, reflect, and cheer. If nothing else, these kids will win your heart over, even the bully, Lee. In addition, the storyline is not as basic as you might think. There is a decent amount of twists that might alter your predictions. The cinematography might also seem simple, but it is turned into something magical when seen through the eyes of these kids. The school, the homes, the vast fields, the bodies of water, and even an abandoned nuclear power plant lend themselves for a child’s imagination to run free. Some parents might be a little turned off by the more controversial aspects of this film. These characters can’t be more than 13 or 14 years old at the most, and there is smoking, criminal activity, disrespect for adult figures, lying, and strong language. Be warned. Some of this was really not necessary but I still got to hand it to Writer/Director Garth Jennings (Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy) for tapping into the talent of these young professionals. It is definitely worth the watch but whether it should be theater or at home on DVD . . . it’s a toss up.

Film Review By Cine Marcos

SPECIAL FEATURES:
The SON OF RAMBOW DVD includes commentary by director Garth Jennings (The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy), producer Nick Goldsmith and cast members Bill Milner and Will Poulter, Garth’s short film “Aron”, which was the inspiration for SON OF RAMBOW and “Boys Will Be Boys: The Making of SON OF RAMBOW”. The DVD also includes the winning entry from the SON OF RAMBOW short film contest, which launched during the film’s theatrical run on SonOfRambow.com and challenged filmmakers to create their own short film. The competition was judged by Garth Jennings and Nick Goldsmith, who selected the winner.

FULL DVD DETAILS