DVD Collectors Online

The Nightmare Before Christmas, a review by Danae Cassandra

The Nightmare Before Christmas

Year of Release:  1993
Directed By:  Henry Selick
Starring:  Danny Elfman, Chris Sarandon, Catherine O'Hara, William Hickey, Glenn Shadix, Ken Page
Rated:  PG

Overview:
Now digitally restored and remastered with state-of-the-art technology, The Nightmare Before ChristmasThe Nightmare Before ChristmasMy Thoughts:
I love this film.  I know there are two camps of folks - one that see this as a Christmas film, others that see it as a Halloween film.  I'm very definitely in the Halloween camp.  This is a stunning masterpiece of creepy gothic imagery and magnificent stop-motion animation.  Everything fits together perfectly.  Yes, it's loved by lots of Hot-Topic-worshiping wanna-be goths, but we'll forgive it that.  I gave it a 4.5 back in 2009, but I'm upgrading it this year.  I swear this film gets better every time I see it - a not-to-be-missed classic of the season.  

May I also say, in this election season, I love Halloweentown's two-faced mayor.

Bechdel Test:  Fail

Overall:  5/5

(From Danae's 2012 Horror on October 29th, 2012)

Saboteur, a review by Dragonfire

This riveting wartime thriller stars Robert Cummings as Barry Kane, a Los Angeles aircraft factory worker who witnesses a Nazi agent firebombing his plant. However, it is Barry who is accused of the fiery sabotage, and to clear his name he sets off on a desperate, action-packed cross-country chase that takes him from Boulder Dam to New York's Radio City Music Hall to the top of the Statue of Liberty. Hitchcock's first film with an all-American cast moves with breakneck speed towards its final heart-pounding confrontation and remains a suspense classic.

My Thoughts

Overall I did enjoy this one.  Some scenes move a bit slower, and the patriotism did get a bit heavy handed at times - like when Pat kept going on about it being the duty of every American to turn in Barry or how she couldn't believe the villain was messed up in sabotage.  She went on to say how she had trouble believing that any American would do something like that, yet she'd had no trouble deciding that Barry was guilty.  There is a decent amount of mystery and some suspense in the movie, though I don't think it is one of Hitchcock's most suspenseful movies.  The plot is interesting overall.  There are a few little bits of humor added in here and there, though the tone of the movie is serious overall.  Having the characters travel all across the country in an effort to figure out what is really going on is something that was done in other Hitchcock movies as well. 

Overall, I enjoyed the movie, though it isn't my favorite Hitchcock movie.   

(From Alfred Hitchcock Marathon on July 10th, 2009)

Tom's Random Reviews, a review by Tom

Title: South Park: Season Eleven
Year: 2007
Rating: NR
Length: 311 Min.
Video: Full Frame 1.33:1
Audio: English: Dolby Digital Stereo, Commentary: Dolby Digital Stereo

Plot:
All fourteen uncensored episodes from South Park's eleventh season are now available in this exclusive three-disc collector's set. Join the boys as they attempt to rescue Imaginationland from nuclear annihilation, discover the secret behind the Easter Bunny, and get head lice. For them, it's all part of growing up in South Park!

EPISODES:
1. With Apologies to Jesse Jackson
2. Cartman Sucks
3. Lice Capades
4. The Snuke
5. Fantastic Easter Special
6. D-Yikes
7. Night of the Living Homeless
8. Le Petit Tourette
9. More Crap
10. Imaginationland
11. Imaginationland Episode II
12. Imaginationland Episode III
13. Guitar Queer-O
14. The List

Extras:
Closed Captioned
Commentary
Trailers

Now in its eleventh season and South Park is still going strong.
The highlights for me in this season:
- Lice Capades: The story of lice Bruckheimer style when catastrophe strikes when an anti-lice shampoo is used against them
- Imaginationland: Great three-parter. A lot of fun appearances by other known cartoon characters
- Guitar Queer-O: A parody of the game Guitar Hero.
- The List: The girls made a list of what boy in their class is the cutest and who's the ugliest. The boys of course are trying to get their hand on it. How will they react, when they read it?

Rating:

(From Tom's Random Reviews on December 28th, 2008)