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Reviews
Nefertiti Resurrected (2003)
An interesting, if somewhat shaky, look at an ancient queen.
As an amateur Egyptology buff and a romantic given to the belief in miracles, I was fascinated when I first watched this documentary. How astonishing that the body of a woman dead for thousands of years could suddenly be discovered, with a confirmed identity! The evidence, upon first viewing, seems overwhelming. It seems that all the clues given in the documentary point to the mummy in question being Nefertiti, the lost queen.
For some, it's easy to leave it at that. However, on further viewings, it becomes clear that although the case presented is compelling, there is too much left uncertain and too many unfounded conclusions made to truly give this mummy a name. The historical information given, for example, is wobbly at best, rife with unfounded rumors about Akhenaten's rule and Nefertiti's life. Personal beliefs of the main Egyptologist involved, Dr. Joann Fletcher, are presented as fact, such as Nefertiti's origins and her role after the death of Akhenaten. Some suggestions made by Dr. Fletcher have been dismissed by the academic community as little more than conspiracy theories, which definitely gives this documentary an air of the desperate--more like a UFO documentary than a historical one.
Another blow to the documentary's integrity comes from later claims by the people involved in the documentary, such as Zahi Hawass, that the mummy is male or out of the age range necessary for it to be Nefertiti. While this sort of flip-flopping on an issue is very discouraging coming from authorities on the topic in question, it does seem to throw the documentary into an almost fanatical light. The conclusions drawn by Dr. Fletcher, on closer inspection, become more and more far-fetched by the minute, such as claims that the mummy's arm position must mean that it was the body of a pharaoh. She even states that she believes that Nefertiti ruled on as a pharaoh under an assumed name after the death of Akhenaten. While an interesting theory, there is little to no evidence presented to support it.
There are numerous other issues I could draw attention to in the documentary, such as the comparison of the facial reconstruction to the famous Nefertiti bust. The documentary states that the resemblance is 'striking', as though it's enough to make the whole thing fact; however, the reconstruction is only superficially similar to the bust, lending little to no credence to the claim that the mummy is Nefertiti. A point made by another reviewer comes to mind--that the reconstruction is very similar to the actress used to portray Nefertiti, and that it was likely that the reconstruction experts were shown or used photos of the actress during the reconstruction of the face.
As a whole, the documentary, while interesting, is fairly shabby, and not the sort of production one would expect from Discovery. There are even artistic details that point to it being low-budget in general, and definitely not as prime material from a normally high-grade network. The only real value that this documentary has is as an introduction to the topic--the life of Nefertiti and Egyptology in general. Those who enjoyed it should seek other, more reputable sources of information; Egyptian history is fascinating, but not a mere romantic tale as it is presented in this documentary.
All in all, it's a good watch for rainy days, but no one, not even the most uninformed, should take the word of this documentary as gospel.
Addams Family Reunion (1998)
Errr... No. Just no.
I found this terrible. Please, don't bother even LOOKING at the case. I shudder each time I think of it. Raul Julia would be turning in his grave.
Tim Curry. A name known throughout the world. He is a brilliant actor and I have found his other work to be particularly enjoyable- emphasis on OTHER. He seems so intent to replicate Raul Julia that he doesn't (replicate him). Gomez is terribly out of character and is rather more like a prim English butler in a Gomez suit than Gomez Addams. Was he so far in Raul Julia's shadow that he could not bring his own skills to the movie? Daryl Hannah at least I expected something worthwhile from. I've seen reviews that sang her praises and found myself utterly disappointed. She tries so hard to imitate the fey-like quality that Anjelica Huston brought to the character that I almost pity her because she overdoes it. Her features are distinctly different from that of Huston's and her overall looks are too perfect to really make Morticia come alive.
And where are the most classic parts of the couple's relationship? As shown in The Addams Family and Addams Family Values, Gomez and Morticia are unashamed by their blatant displays of affection- affection so overwhelming that at certain points it becomes almost corny in Addams Family Reunion. Not once do we see Gomez trailing kisses along Morticia's arm (a near trademark) and in the beginning of the movie where we are offered a tidbit of the two in bed together, which I suppose is meant to be teasing, I was surprised to find that the scene incorporated none of the sensuality that accompanied Gomez and Morticia in the previous two movies. NGAH. CANON HAS BEEN MURDERED.
Don't even look in this movie's direction.
Merlin's Apprentice (2006)
Don't bother watching.
Honestly, I was so disappointed in this, I nearly screamed. I am a huge fan of HE's 'Merlin,' and when I found how they completely butchered the characters and story lines, I wanted to tear my hair out.
Take the Lady of the Lake for example. In 'Merlin,' she was a graceful, blonde goddess who watched over her lake and the waters of Britain. No more. Now they've stuck her with a strange voice and black hair. Do they think she is Mab (from 'Merlin')? She is obviously not. She and Mab had the entire Ying/Yang effect, and now it's like she's been pulled over to the Dark Side. May the force be with you, Lady, and give you back your old hairstyle.
And the Lady being Jack's mother? It was a pointless, idiotic thing to do, especially since Merlin is her father. It was just a plot device that must somehow been meant to trigger a serious plot point... But it didn't. It was stupid and unnecessary. Why couldn't Jack have been Merlin's son with Nimue, huh? And I thought Merlin specifically stated at the end of 'Merlin,' after making Nimue and himself young again, that it was the end of magic, and that there was NO MORE. In this, we find both Jack and him doing magic in CAMELOT, which is a Christian community, and thinks of magic as BLASPHEMY.
Ugh. This wasn't worth watching. I demand my twenty dollars back.