The Mummy's Shroud / John Gilling (1967). This was the third of four Mummy films released by Hammer Films during its decade+ long rebooting of the old Universal Pictures monsters of the 1930s and 1940s: Frankenstein, Dracula, etc.
After an archologist’s expedition gets lost in the Egyptian desert, they stumble on the tombs of a child Pharaoh and his servant who had saved the boy from a rebellion. Back in Cairo, the servant’s mummy and the Pharaoh’s burial shroud are in a museum. Guardians of the tomb animate the mummy to kill all those who actually entered the tomb.
A well-known plot for a Mummy Movie but this is engaging and pretty well acted, if not particularly tense. It is also a good thing that the final survivor of the mummy attacks knows ancient Egyptian.
The only actors I know-of in the cast are André Morell (Hammer’s “The Hound of the Baskervilles” & “Cash On Demand”) and Roger Delgado (the first Master in the classic “Doctor Who” series).
The Twelve Chairs / Mel Brooks (1970). The second of the films directed and co-written by Mel Brooks. It is different from the others, which are original creations, in that it is based on a 1928 Russian novel. “The Producers” came just before it and it was followed by “Blazing Saddles” so you can see how out-of-step it is.
It is a decade after the Russian Revolution and aristocratic families are still keeping a low profile. One of these, living a poor existence, is Vorobyaninov (Ron Moody) who learns that a fortune in jewelry was hidden in the upholstery of one of a dozen dining room chairs in their former residence. Along with a young street hustler, Ostap Bender (Frank Langella), the now obsessed ex-noble goes in search of the chairs now scattered all over Russia. Also in the mix is Father Fyodor (Dom DeLuise) who has also learned the news and is equally obsessed.
I normally don’t like comedies where the characters are hysterical most of the time, but Brooks leavens the wild antics of Moody and DeLuise (who are both very good at this style of comedy) with the calm cunning of Langella. A must see for Mel Brooks fans. BTW, I would love to have a kopek for every time someone says “chair(s).” I would be a rich comrade today.
Huo Yuan Jia (Fearless) / Ronnie Yu (2006). This is a bio-pic (sort of) of the life of Chinese martial artist Huo Yuanjia (1868-1910) whose life story as told is mostly made up of legends. Huo supposedly successfully challenged the fighters of colonizers from Europe and restored some national pride in the Chinese people. One of these stories (which may or may not have actually happened) is a center piece in the movie. Huo allegedly fought an Irish boxer who styled himself Hercules O'Brien, a mountain of a man about two heads taller than Huo (played by Jet Li) and twice as wide.
Huo is sown at first to be an arrogant youth who won championships early in life. He lived and spent money lavishly. At the same time he learned he was bankrupt, he killed a man in a fight over a misunderstanding. He leaves Hong Kong on a years long journey of self discovery. When he returns, he finds foreigners are now in charge.
Recommended mainly for fans (like yours truly) of martial arts movies.
Star Trek: Voyager“Gravity” Season 5, Episode 13 (February 3, 1999)
“Bliss” Season 5, Episode14 (February 10, 1999)
“Dark Frontier” Season 5, Episode 15 (February 17, 1999)
“The Disease” Season 5, Episode 16 (February 24, 1999)
“Course: Oblivion” Season 5, Episode 17 (March 3, 1999)
“The Fight” Season 5, Episode 18 (March 24, 1999)
“Think Tank” Season 5, Episode 19 (March 31, 1999)
“Dark Frontier” is a 90-minute, feature length episode
There is a finely characterized villain by Jason Alexander in “Think Tank”
Star Trek: Enterprise“Impulse” Season 3, Episode 5 (October 8, 2003)
“Exile” Season 3, Episode 6 (October 15, 2003)
“The Shipment” Season 3, Episode 7 (October 22, 2003)
“Twilight” Season 3, Episode 8 (November 5, 2003)
“North Star” Season 3, Episode 9 (November 12, 2003)
“Similitude” Season 3, Episode 10 (November 19, 2003)
“Carpenter Street” Season 3, Episode 11 (November 26, 2003)
“Chosen Realm” Season 3, Episode 12 (January 14, 2004)
SOKO Potsdam (Luna and Sophia).“Ein Bedrohtes Paradies (Paradise Lost)” Season 2, Episode 9 (Nov 18, 2019)
Secrets Of The Dead“The Sunken Basilica” Season 20, Episode 6 (October 11, 2023)
Climate change has lowered the waters of Lake Isnik, Turkey, so that off shore of the city of the same name, the foundation of an ancient basilica has been revealed. Since Iznik is the site of the Roman city Nicaea, this church may be where the Christian Councils ordered by the Emperor Constantine that unified Christianity were held. The documentary examines, in fascinating ways, how the answers to three questions were explored: 1) is this where the Nicene Creed was written (could be but probably not), 2) when was the basilica destroyed and submerged by earthquake (1065), and 3 ) when could another of that magnitude reoccur in the area (it’s due). It is the journey not the destination that is important here. Informative and as entertaining as any police procedural mystery.
