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Embrace of the Vampire, a review by addicted2dvd

Title: Embrace of the Vampire
Movie Count: 2
TV Ep Count: 1
Other Count: 0
Time Started: 3:40am
Plot:My Thoughts:
This one was a blind buy. I never even heard of the movie until recently. I bought it for 2 reasons. #1 it is a vampire movie... and I love vampire movies.. and #2 it has Alysa Milano in it... and I been a fan of hers for a while now. I liked her in both Charmed and Who's the Boss... but seldomly seen her in anything else. As a vampire movie this one leaves a lot to be desired. The vampire story is fair at best. But Alysa Milano was definitely hot in it... but this is after all a more... uhhhh adult oriented movie. Seemed like the whole purpose of the movie was to show nude women. Not that I mind of course. But I was hoping for a better horror movie then what I got.



(From My Month Long Horror/Halloween Marathon: 2008 on October 1st, 2008)

Na Cidade Vazia, a review by Danae Cassandra

Where We Are: Angola
wikipedia



Na Cidade Vazia (Hollow City)Overview:
One of the few films to have been made in Angola since it was torn apart by civil war, this eye-opening drama is set in Luanda, the capital of Angola, in the aftermath of the war. N'dala is a war orphan who escapes from his caretakers, hoping to find his way back to the village where he grew up. Wandering the streets of Luanda, he meets an array of characters, all the while pursued by a missionary nun across the bewildering and dangerous city.

My Thoughts:
This was a very poignant film.  N'dala hopes to return to his village to see his family again - to see them in the sky, where the Sister has told him they are, though he believes they are only in the sky over his own village.  N'dala is naive, trusting, and lonely and his interactions with the people he meets show some of the best, and some of the worst, parts of human nature.  Hollow City is a good, simple story, but it's also likely a metaphor for the situation in Angola after their civil war, with N'dala confused and frightened, seeking a return to a life that is destroyed.  The film is also a subtle critique of colonialism, and a stronger critique of westernized society over the traditional ways of life.  The old fisherman is the one who shows N'dala the best way of living, the way that reminds him most of the home he has lost, but just as he decides to grasp at this and perhaps make a home with the fisherman, he is caught up with the westernized hoodlums who have also shown him some kindness but seek to use him for their own ends with the result being only tragedy.  It's not a complete indictment of non-Angolans, as the nun is portrayed very positively.  Both she and the fisherman only want to help N'dala, but the point is that the fisherman's traditional way of life is the better for him because it is his culture, it is familiar and does not frighten or confuse him.  Wonderful no-budget film, but very sad, recommended for fans of foreign films and drama particularly.

Bechdel Test:  Fail

Overall: 3.5/5

(From Around the World in 86 Movies on April 5th, 2013)

Smallville: The Complete First Season, a review by addicted2dvd

Smallville: The Complete First Season (2001/United States) Between the boy Clark Kent thought he was and the man he is destined to become lie the compelling stories of Smallville, the popular action series that reimagines the Superman saga from its roots. All 21 Season One episodes are in this collector's set powered with spellbinding Extra Features. Watch. Wonder. Enjoy. A Legend grows up in Smallville. Episodes: 1. Pilot 2. Metamorphosis 3. Hothead 4. X-Ray 5. Cool 6. Hourglass 7. Craving 8. Jitters 9. Rogue 10. Shimmer 11. Hug 12. Leech 13. Kinetic 14. Zero 15. Nicodemus 16. Stray 17. Reaper 18. Drone 19. Crush 20. Obscura 21. Tempest

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Stars:
Tom Welling as Clark Kent
Kristin Kreuk as Lana Lang
Michael Rosenbaum as Lex Luthor
Eric Johnson as Whitney Fordman
Sam Jones III as Pete Ross
Allison Mack as Chloe Sullivan
Annette O'Toole as Martha Kent
John Schneider as Jonathan Kent
John Glover as Lionel Luthor

Extras:

• Scene Access
• Audio Commentary
• Feature Trailers
• Deleted Scenes
• Featurettes
• Production Notes
• Storyboard Comparisons
• DVD-ROM Content
• Closed Captioned
• Interactive Tour of Smallville

I just finished watching every episode of the first season. Yes it looks like I got hooked on another one of my old favorites again. I don't know if I will watch every episode I own or not at this point... but if I do it will take me a bit... as I own 9 seasons! But I do know I am ready to start season two. Especially with such a great cliffhanger that season one left off on. It has been a while since I watched these early episodes. It almost seemed weird seeing these characters so young again. But I guess that is to be expected when it comes to a series that lasted 10 seasons! Anyway... I really enjoyed every minute of re-watching the first season... and can't wait to pop in the first disc to season 2!




(From Addicted2dvd's Random TV Series Watched on August 18th, 2011)