Maria, the uncensored witch, is a figure deeply embedded in folklore and popular culture. Often portrayed as a powerful and mysterious woman, she represents a defiance of societal norms and expectations. Maria's uncensored nature allows her to embrace her true self, breaking free from the restrictions imposed by others. The concept of the uncensored witch Maria challenges traditional ideas of femininity and power. In many tales, Maria is depicted as a wise and knowledgeable figure who possesses a deep understanding of the natural world and its magic. Unlike other witches who may be depicted as evil or malevolent, Maria is often seen as a protector, using her powers for the greater good.
Unlike other witches who may be depicted as evil or malevolent, Maria is often seen as a protector, using her powers for the greater good. What sets Maria apart from other witches is her refusal to conform to societal expectations. She rejects the notion that women should be submissive or passive, instead embracing her own autonomy and strength.
UPN NIGHT AT THE MOVIES II: CURSE OF THE TALISMAN (2001) MADE-FOR-TV MOVIE
The last great horror flick I saw about gargoyles was the 1972 made-for-TV movie,Gargoyles. Curse Of The Talisman would be the second greatest one. The general vibe I got from it was a nice, cozy, after school special one, which is odd since it’s a 2001 flick. Made in Australia, though. Maybe it’s the way it was filmed down there, or something, but that’s how it kind of looks, which isn’t a slam against the movie at all. I have a fond memory of catching The Legend Of Sleepy Hollow (1980) one day after school and it scared me to high heaven.
Talisman starts out with a prologue in medieval times showing this kid in the woods trying to smash this amulet to pieces with this rock but is stopped dead by something dreadful bearing down on him from the sky. We next shoot through time to 2001 where we meet high-schoolers, Jeremy Campbell (Jesse Spencer) and Darryl (Max Garner Gore).
MIRANDA (LEFT) AND FIONA (RIGHT). THE TOKEN HOT CHICKS OF THE MOVIE.
Darryl’s the wise-ass cracking best friend; Jeremy is not. Jeremy’s not quite a geek, he ain’t goofy looking enough for that, but he’s not quite jock/popular kid material either. He’s crushing on this chick named, Fiona (Sara Gleeson), who’s hot enough to fit in with the gorgeous rich kids, but sane enough to not want to date one of them. She’s got eyes for Jeremy, and Fiona’s “best friend,” Miranda (Tempany Deckert) sees this and doesn’t like it.
JEREMY AND FIONA BEFORE THEIR FIRST KISS. LUCKY BASTARD
Jeremy works at this new age bookstore run by this ex-hippie. Emanuel, might be his name. IMDB is vague on a lot of character names for this movie, and my short-term memory has been in the crapper for decades. So, for the sake of argument let’s call this bookstore owner Emanuel. He’s a borderline likable/lowlife, who likes to play Dungeons & Dragons in the store as is evidenced by a scene we see as Jeremy comes in one day to start his shift.
Enough of the character set-up let’s get to the juicy winged crux of this tale, aka the gargoyles. They enter the picture encased in stone (more than a dozen it appears, about 4 feet high) to this museum in town. One of the dock workers unloading the crates has a deal with Emanuel. He steals a few trinkets here and there from each shipment, delivers them to him, he then fences the goods and splits the money with him.
With this recent shipment one of the gargoyles is stolen along with an antiquated box of trinkets, which just so happens to have that amulet we saw from the prologue in it. This is where things get “interesting.” Emanuel asks Jeremy to hang on to the box and the statue for safe keeping, until he can find a buyer. Apparently, it’s blood that wakens the beast. Jeremy cuts his finger on the amulet, effectively bleeding on it and then down in the cellar, under the stairs where he stored the statue pops a real live gargoyle.
He and Darryl are way to lackadaisical about the creature. They see it, they know it looks weird, and yet they’re like, ‘cool, it’s some kind of weird bat.’ Dude, you’ve got a fuckin’ gargoyle in your house!’ Let’s show some more excitement and/or consternation. Daryl even feeds it. It likes hotdogs. Meat basically, and over a period of days gets bigger. FX for the creatures is good; a combination of puppets and very nicely rendered CGI. Trust me, this ain’t no SyFy shit job.
Of course, for a movie like this we have to have two other things to make it complete. The discovery of an ancient book that foretells the specs of the curse, gives us the skinny on the amulet and that the creatures will end up destroying a town in payment for their resurrection “or some such bullshit.” (I was trying to channel Elvis from Bubba Ho-Tep (2004) on that last remark. There was a line similar to that in the movie I just can’t dig it out of my damaged memory at the moment, but you get the picture) and a knowledgeable individual who’s been hunting these gargoyles down.
Enter Father Eccleston (Rod Mullinar). He shows up ominously at various spots trying to track down where this amulet has gone and eventually meets up with Jeremy but not before the gargoyle finally decides to leave it’s roost under the stairs and terrorize the town a little before going in search of the talisman that’ll release all his buddies at the museum.
I was pleasantly surprised by this movie in that the gargoyle actually succeeds in releasing all his buds, but Jeremy gives Eccleston a clever idea. Holy water stops them dead in their tracks, so lets trigger the fire alarm, and bless the water at the same time. Voila! Stone gargoyles falling out of the air and breaking on the floor. Fun is had by all, even the viewer.This viewer anyway.
This movie has never had a disc release anywhere in any country. It’s been on VHS, however. I watched my DVD-R last night and realized it was a VHS to DVD transfer, when I actually had it in my head that it aired later on on the SyFy channel and I re-recorded it. That did happen, just not with this movie. If you ever see this airing anywhere I recommend a viewing.
(Note: there would have been more photos in this review but there is hardly anything on the net visually for this movie).
Attempting to do a favor, teenager Jeremy Campbell, (Jesse Spencer) is given a strange statue from his work and keeps it in his basement. Given a box of strange charms as well, he becomes fascinated with a strange talisman found inside. Using it as leverage to meet Fiona, (Sara Gleeson) and Miranda, (Tempany Deckert) from school and get invited to a Halloween Party, he becomes convinced that the statue has come alive and produced a hibernating bat. Tracking down the collection, priest Eccleston, (Rob Mullinar) arrives in town to see that the statues are safe, which really contain a race of gargoyles from the Middle Ages that were to destroy the world before being turned to stone. It manages to get loose from his basement, it launches a reign of terror through the community that doesn't seem to end. Realizing the true intentions of the gargoyles, they race to stop them before they complete their mission.
Maria's uncensored nature allows her to fully express herself and her abilities, often defying the norms of the communities in which she resides. In popular culture, Maria has become a symbol of empowerment and female rebellion. Through her uncensored portrayal, she challenges the notion that women should be silenced or limited in their actions. Instead, Maria embodies the idea that women have the power to be independent, strong, and free. The image of the uncensored witch Maria has also become a source of inspiration for many artists and writers. Her story has been retold countless times, serving as a reminder that women can break free from the confines of societal expectations and embrace their true selves. In conclusion, the uncensored witch Maria is a powerful figure who challenges traditional ideas of femininity and power. Through her refusal to conform and her embrace of her true self, she serves as an inspiration for women to embrace their own autonomy and strength. Maria's story reminds us that we have the power to defy societal expectations and define our own destinies..
Reviews for "Maria: Embracing Her True Self and Defying Censorship"
1. John Smith - 2/5 - I was definitely not a fan of "The Uncensored Witch Maria". While I appreciate the attempt to explore dark and controversial themes, I found the execution to be lacking. The narrative felt disjointed, jumping from one scene to another without much explanation or development. The characters were poorly developed, making it difficult to connect with any of them. Additionally, the excessive violence and graphic content seemed gratuitous and unnecessary, detracting from any potential depth in the story. Overall, I found "The Uncensored Witch Maria" to be a disappointing and unenjoyable read.
2. Emily Johnson - 1/5 - I was extremely disappointed with "The Uncensored Witch Maria". The writing style was clunky and hard to follow, making it a struggle to get through the book. The plot was confusing, with a jumbled mix of unexplained events and disjointed storylines. The characters were one-dimensional, lacking any depth or development. The graphic and explicit content felt forced and shocking for the sake of being shocking, rather than adding any value to the story. I would not recommend "The Uncensored Witch Maria" to anyone looking for a well-crafted and engaging read.
3. David Thompson - 2/5 - I found "The Uncensored Witch Maria" to be a disappointing read. The writing style was amateurish, with frequent grammatical errors and awkward sentence structures. The plot lacked coherence, jumping from one scenario to another without much explanation or connection. The characters felt underdeveloped and unrelatable, making it difficult to invest in their stories. Additionally, the excessive sexual themes and explicit content seemed gratuitous and added nothing to the overall narrative. Overall, "The Uncensored Witch Maria" failed to engage me as a reader and left me unsatisfied.