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Die Augen der Mumie Ma, a review by Danae Cassandra

Die Augen der Mumie Ma (The Eyes of the Mummy)
Year of Release: 1918
Directed By: Ernst Lubitsch
Starring: Emil Jannings, Pola Negri, Harry Liedtke
Genre: Horror Thriller, Melodrama

Overview:
Albert Wendland, a young painter studying in Egypt, overhears Prince Hohenfels' plans to visit the mysterious tomb of Queen Ma.  Albert is intrigued when he hears a local legend: anyone who enters the crypt meets with disaster.  Ignoring the warning, Wendland journeys to the forbidden burial chamber and finds not a mummy but a beautiful woman, Mara, who is held prisoner by the evil Radu.  Albert rescues Mara and takes her to his European home where they are soon married.  Provided with beautiful clothes, she becomes acquainted with the ways of polite society.  Meanwhile, Radu has sworn revenge upon Mara.  The tragic curse of the mummy hangs over her head!

The Eyes of the Mummy was produced by prolific German UFA studio and boasts a who's who of movie legends.  The film was directed by a young Ernst Lubitsch, who would gain worldwide acclaim for films such as The Love Parade and Heaven Can Wait.  Emil Jannings, star of such classics as The Last Laugh and The Blue Angel, stars as Radu.  Polish femme fatale Pola Negri stars as the doomed Mara.  Negri made many films in Germany with Lubitsch before immigrating to Hollywood where her love affairs garnered more attention than her acting.

My Thoughts
This wasn't really a horror movie, despite being listed as one and having Mummy in the title.  It's really a melodrama/thriller.  Looking at it from that perspective, it's not a bad movie.  Emil Jannings is suitably sinister and threatening. Pola Negri does a commendable job as Ma, the beautiful girl who lives in fear of him, and Harry Liedtke is at least believable as her devoted husband.  While not up to the quality of his later works, Lubitsch's direction here is beginning to show his talent.  

Yes, this is a silent film, and the viewer should expect it to be one.  The acting is over-the-top by modern standards, the makeup heavy, the plot extremely simple.  Take the film as what it is, consider the year it was made in, and it's not that bad a movie, though.  

My only complaint is with my DVD copy of the film.  I'm accustomed to poor video quality, so the fact that this isn't remastered in any way didn't really bother me - yes, there were scratches and dings in the video, but they didn't take away any enjoyment for me.  What was noticeable is that the music soundtrack wasn't synced properly, so that the music would change either just before or just after the scene did, instead of properly with the change of scene.  I'm sure this is because of the cheapness of the Alpha Video release I have.

Bechdel Test: Pass
(for silent films, I will count any interaction between two women that isn't obviously about a man - here between Ma and her tutor)

Overall: 2.5/5

(From Danae's 2013 Horror Marathon on October 9th, 2013)

Ghost Town, a review by addicted2dvd

Title: Ghost Town
Year: 2008
Director: David Koepp
Rating: PG-13
Length: 102 Min.
Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 1.85:1
Audio: English: Dolby Digital: 5.1, Commentary: Dolby Digital: Dolby Surround, French: Dolby Digital: 5.1, Spanish: Dolby Digital: 5.1
Subtitles: English, French, Spanish

Stars:Plot:Extras:
Scene Access
Audio Commentary
Bonus Trailers
Featurettes
Closed Captioned

My Thoughts:
This one I was looking forward to checking out since it was given to me. I pretty much like anything that has to do with the supernatural. But this one started out a bit slow for me and I worried I wasn't going to be able to get into it. What with the main character being so unlikeable. But as the character grew a bit... the movie itself grew a bit on me. By about two-thirds of the way in I was pretty hooked. Though there is definitely many more romantic comedies I would prefer over this one. But I can see myself watching this one again every now and then.



(From 14 Days of Romance Marathon on February 13th, 2011)

Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Marathon, a review by addicted2dvd

1. Madame Ex (9/18/94)
Lex Luthor is ended...but the malady lingers on. His vengeful ex-wife uses psychology, plastic surgery and Kryptonite! - in a devious plat to vanquish Lois Lane and Clark Kent.

My Thoughts:
A Good start to the new season... but it could have been better. It was only mildly entertaining. I did like that Denise Crosby had a minor roll in this episode. I have always liked her... since I seen her in the first season of Star Trek: The Next Generation.


2. Wall of Sound (9/25/94)
A crook develops a sonic weapon that stuns citizens into slumberland. He even has a special frequency for Superman. Will Superman triumph, or is it time to say good night to the Man of Steel.

My Thoughts:
This is pretty much an average episode. There is really nothing here that is all that special. It is a good idea for a story... but I don't know... just feels like it could have been better.



3. The Source (10/2/94)
A timid technogeek blows the whistle on corporate corruption. Lois gets the story, then gets a bad case of the guilts when she can't protect the whistleblower from corporate goons.

My Thoughts:
This one is a good episode. They had a lot going on in it... especially considering it is a normal length episode. I enjoyed it quite a bit.



4. The Prankster (10/9/94)
'Tis better to give than to receive. Lois accepts a series of booby-trapped gifts. The sender: an evil genius who spent five years in prisone, compliments of Lois' investigative reporting.

My Thoughts:
This one is a very good episode. I enjoyed every minute of it. Not only is it a good story it has a lot of laughs as well. This one has Bronson Pinchot guest starring as The Prankster... and I thought he did a great job with it.




(From Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Marathon on July 21st, 2009)