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Blood From the Mummy's Tomb, a review by Danae Cassandra

Blood From the Mummy's Tomb
Year of Release: 1971
Directed By: Seth Holt
Starring: Andrew Kier, Valerie Leon, James Villiers, Hugh Burden, George Coulouris
Genre: Horror

Overview:
A British expedition team in Egypt discovers the ancient sealed tomb of the evil Queen Tera. But when one of the archeologists steals a mysterious ring from the corpse's severed hand, he unleashes a relentless curse upon his beautiful daughter. Is the voluptuous young woman now a reincarnation of the diabolical sorceress or has the curse of the mummy returned to reveal its horrific revenge?

One of Hammer's most notorious productions, BLOOD FROM THE MUMMY'S TOMB was plagued by the sudden deaths of director Seth Holt and the wife of original star Peter Cushing, leading to rumors of a real-life curse. Andrew Keir (QUATERMASS AND THE PIT) and the luscious Valerie Leon star in this supernatural shocker based on Bram Stoker's classic novel JEWEL OF THE SEVEN STARS.

My Thoughts:
This is an atmospheric, romantic, Gothic horror style tale that Hammer Films was so well known for.  We have all the elements we need - possession, a powerful magical being whose good or evil is questionable, a beautiful woman with ample cleavage, the concerned boyfriend, the worried father who knows more than he lets on, and the dastardly manipulator who thinks he can control things (and of course, he can't).  The ending is left open.  All of the performances are quite good, though Valerie Leon's Margaret/Tera and James Villiers's Corbeck stand out the most.  While I liked Andrew Keir's portrayal of her father, I can't help but wonder what Peter Cushing (one of my favorite actors) would have done with the role.  If the choices in design (clothes, cars, sets, etc) don't always match in era, it only adds to the otherworldly feel of the film.  I enjoyed it a lot and would recommended for fans of Hammer's style of horror. 

Bechdel Test:  Pass

Overall:  3.5/5

(From Month Long Horror/Halloween Marathon on October 1st, 2014)

Rise of the Guardians, a review by Danae Cassandra

Rise of the Guardians
Year of Release: 2012
Directed By: Peter Ramsey
Starring: Chris Pine, Alec Baldwin, Jude Law, Isla Fisher, Hugh Jackman
Genre: Fantasy, Adventure, Animation

Overview:
DreamWorks' newest animated adventure is a fun-filled and magical story about the legendary guardians - Jack Frost, the Easter Bunny, Santa Claus, the Tooth Fairy and Sandman - together for the first time! When the evil Pitch threatens to take over the world, it's up to our beloved heroes to protect the hopes and dreams of children everywhere. Filled with non-stop action and laughs, it's a dazzling family film that's being hailed as "an instant classic. You will believe."

My Thoughts:
I thought this was really pretty good. The animation is absolutely gorgeous, and some of the details are simply beautiful. The frosting effects Jack does are so well done, as are Sandy's dreams. I enjoyed all of the characters, from Russian Santa, to badass Aussie Easter Bunny, to sweet little Sandy. Jack's a bit more predictable character archetype (lonely, brooding teen), but he makes a good protagonist for a kids film. Pitch makes a very suave villain, especially with Jude Law's voice behind him.

The plot is pretty predictable though ... but that can be said of almost every movie out there aimed at the younger audience. But that doesn't ruin the enjoyment or charm of the movie. This may likely make it into rotation for holiday films, provided room can be found. Just a really fun film.

Bechdel Test: Fail
Mako Mori Test: Fail

Overall: 3.5/5

(From Christmas 2016 on December 21st, 2016)

Tom's TV Pilots marathon, a review by Tom

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Gilmore Girls: Season One (2000/United States) IMDb | Wikipedia (Germany) Length: 874 min. Video: Full Frame 1.33:1 Audio: English: Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo, Spanish: Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo, German: Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo Subtitles: English, German, Other, Portuguese, Spanish, Polish, Romanian

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Gilmore Girls
Season 1.01 Pilot
Writer: Amy Sherman-Palladino (Created By), Amy Sherman-Palladino (Writer)
Director: Leslie Linka Glatter
Cast: Lauren Graham (Lorelai Gilmore), Alexis Bledel (Rory Gilmore), Melissa McCarthy (Sookie St. James), Keiko Agena (Lane Kim), Yanic Truesdale (Michel Gerard), Scott Patterson (Luke Danes), Kelly Bishop (Emily Gilmore), Edward Herrmann (Richard Gilmore), Liz Torres (Miss Patty), Jared Padalecki (Dean Forester), Alex Borstein (Drella), Emily Kuroda (Mrs. Kim), Jill Brennan (Mrs. Traister), Cesar Lopapa (Salvador), Marcy Goldman (Woman), Barna Moricz (Joey), Nikki Slater (Girl #1), Heather Shrake (Girl #2), Amy Correa (Girl #3), Jacqueline Smith (Girl #4)

This was a total blind buy. I bought the complete series. Luckily, I enjoyed the first episode. I am already through half the first season and still enjoying it.

Rating:


(From Tom's TV Pilots marathon on August 21st, 2013)