By Alyssa Moses
From 'Home Alone' to 'A Christmas Story,' watching Christmas movies has been a long-celebrated tradition for the season. Here are a few new releases to watch this holiday season.
'Alvin and the Chipmunks' (Comedy) opens Friday
The 1980s cartoon trio will get a new look this season in this CGI motion picture with a contemporary humor, according to the official Web site. In the film, songwriter Dave turns the Chipmunks into pop stars, while they turn his life into a mess.
Notable Cast: Jason Lee (Dave) and Justin Long (voice of Alvin)
Extras: The supplementary Web site, thechipmunks.com, provides information such as bios and old songs to download in order to help old fans of the chipmunks get reacquainted. 'I loved watching the chipmunks when I was kid,' said John Warr, a 24-year-old manufacturing engineer student from West Valley City. 'I''m definitely going to see it. It''s like the ''Transformers'' movie. You gotta watch these things from when you were a kid.'
Web site: www.alvinandthechipmunksmovie.com
'National Treasure: Book of Secrets' (Adventure) opens Dec. 21
Synopsis: The determined treasure hunter of the previous film seeks to uncover the truth behind the assassination of Abraham Lincoln, by deciphering the mystery within the 18 pages missing from assassin John Wilkes Booth''s diary, according to imdb.com.
Notable Cast: Nicholas Cage
Extras: Another star in the movie is the 'Mercedes C Class,' which is featured in 'some of the most massive pursuit sequences in the London''s History,' according to a Mercedes news release. Six Mercedes C Class cars were used, some to appear in the actual chase scene and some modified to accommodate rigging for cameras.
Web site: disney.go.com/disneypictures/nationaltreasure
'The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep' (Fantasy) coming Dec. 25
Synopsis: A young boy, Angus MacMorrow, takes home a mysterious object from the beach. The object turns out to be a magical egg, which hatches into a mythical 'water horse.' The young boy raises the creature, befriends it and protects the legend it represents, according to the official Web site.
Extras: The producer and the special effects team that worked on the 'Lord of the Rings' movies also worked on this film. 'I wanted to see this movie because it looked cute, but knowing the ''Lord of the Ring''s connection makes me want to see it even more and makes me expect more,' said Julia Woodbury, a 21-year-old English major from Parker, Colo.
Web site: www.sonypictures.com/movies/thewaterhorse/index.html