Halloween Tree (1994) Review

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(More customer reviews)First let me warn you, this is a little too spooky for kids 7 and under. But it won both an Emmy Award, and an award from the Film Advisory Board. The film is based on a story by Ray Bradbury, and he narrates the movie. The movie is very different than the book, but than what movie isn't? The scary "Moundshroud" character keeps you guessing as to whether his intents are good or evil. He is wonderfully voiced by Leonard Nimoy, and if you have never heard him voice animated films, not only is he really good but you can't tell it is him!
In the story 4 kids,(3 boys and 1 girl) are preparing for Halloween night and find that their buddy Pippin is being taken away in an ambulance. No one seems to know whats wrong with him, and the kids seem lost without him as he is the one they all look up to. A mysterious character shows up by the name of Moundshroud, who tells them that his spirit has been taken by ghosts of Halloween past and they must come with him to capture Pippins spirit and return it to its body. But can they trust him, as it seems he has his own secret motive for capturing Pippin. Each of the kids is dressed as a classic Haloween character Moundshroud takes them across the world and through time itself to discover the origin of that classic Halloween costume character. For example the hunt for the mummys origin leads them to ancient Egypt and its dark secrets. The skeleton takes them to old Mexico for "Day of the Dead" celebrations. The Witch takes them back to the bards of England. They also learn what real friendship truly means, and must freely give a huge personal sacrifice if they want to save the soul of their friend.
This movie is bigger in story than it seems, and my wife has watched this tape about 6 times. The animation is good, very fluid, good character design. The movie will keep you guessing until the end. Suspenseful, imaginative, and educational without looking like it is trying to be.
UPDATE 2010: I wrote this review in 2003, and I cannot believe this movie is still not on DVD. It is for rare gems like this that so many of us have kept our VCR players. We still watch this at least once a year. Hang onto your VHS copy, who knows how long we will have to wait.

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The Sci-Fi Boys Review

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(More customer reviews)In memory of Forrest j Ackerman who died in early December 2008 of congestive heart failure. You will be missed, Uncle Forry.
This loving little documentary opens with an introduction by Peter Jackson one of the many famous film makers interviewed and perhaps the most passionate. It seems somehow appropriate to open with his closing remark which is a quote from a song by Fran Walsh written for RETURN OF THE KING:
"Dream of those that came before
They're calling from across the distant shore..."
This is how Jackson sees the Sci-Fi Boys, as calling to us from afar to come join them in their strange, mystical worlds filled with adventure and monsters and things of which we mundanes dare not dream. Above all THE SCI-FI BOYS is a love letter to these three guys who made it all possible through their own love of the genre; esteemed science fiction author Ray Bradbury, special effects genius Ray Harryhausen, and most of all to one Forest j Ackerman known affectionately for the past 6 decades as Uncle Forry to readers of "Famous Monsters of Filmland" which he edited.
There are genuinely touching moments when the stars pay tribute to The Boys, such as when special effects wizard Ray Harryhausen is to receive his Lifetime Achievement Award at the Oscars' ceremony and Tom Hanks introduces him by saying," Some people say CASABLANCA or CITIZEN KANE, I say JASON AND THE ARGONAUTS is the greatest film ever made." And who could disagree with him in their heart of hearts?
There are numerous segments in which people such as Spielberg, Lucas, make-up and special effects artists Rick Baker and Steve Johnson, Donald Glut, Dennis Muren (himself the winner of 8 Oscars in his capacity as Special Visual Efects Supervisor at Industrial Light and Magic), and others too numerous to mention sing the praises of Uncle Forry and relate how when they were only little tykes Forry's magazine not only first got them started in film making, but also encouraged them to keep going when things got rough.
My favorite segment is John Landis telling how back when he was a kid only the geeks used to make these little home movies with their friends and how nobody wanted to hang around with them. And as he's telling this story it turns into a cute, animated geeky-John Landis telling the story. It was very clever, a real highlight for me. Another highlight is a bit of animation from Willis O'Brien (who did the original KING KONG)that I'd never seen before involving a caveman and his domesticated dinosaur.
The down side to the film is that the producers tend to put the spotlight on themselves a bit too much. While looking at their childhood films is fun, it would have been more interesting if they could have including more films from other tween and teen film makers of the same vintage. Another negative is uncaptioned photos in the stills gallery. One was a picture of Forry in the first costume ever worn at the first World Con. I knew what it was but without advance knowledge the photo wouldn't have registered with readers at all. Many other pix have people in them whose identities you must surmise. Another negative is that the "tour" of the Ackermansion is far from extensive. I had the good fortune to visit Forry in the early 90s and thus know how impressive the colection really was. But the pluses here outweigh the minuses for any fan of the genre. There are clips and quotes from all sorts of interesting characters as I've already said, including Roger Corman and little "Stevie" King who sent Forry his first short story at the age of 12 or 13.


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