#leena miller

[chriscdcase95]

So I discovered “Tamara”, and have some thoughts...

So, I recently caught wind of this 2005 film, Tamara, which has been a bit of attention. Apparently this movie’s been getting some traction, but not a lot of love on here.

There’s very few posts on here about this movie, and as of this post, only two AO3 works based off it.

I don't see how this apparently went under the radar for so long, as it has the makings of similar cult classics such as Ginger Snaps, The Craft, Jennifer's Body and All Cheerleaders Die. So after checking it out, I figured I would give my thoughts, and spread the word.

Tamara Riley is a shy high school student, who lives with an abusive father, has a crush on her hot teacher, Bill Natolly, and looks for escapism through witchcraft. 

Tamara is also a target of bullying, especially when she writes an article exposing her school's jocks for using steroids. Besides Natolly, only one other person seems to treat Tamara with any decency, and that would be Chloe, a new student who tries to befriend Tamara, but never gets the chance. 

For the first third of the movie, this is the story of a girl, who cried a river and drowned the whole world. She looks so sad in photographs but...It gets worse from there.

For the first third, Tamara is a pretty sympathetic, likable, but flawed protagonist. As a villain, she is Jennifer Check lite (despite predating Jennifer by four years). Jenna Dewan really sells both sides of Tamara, with her performance as both being what carries this movie. 

Tamara has a crush on her teacher, despite him being married and trying to conceive a child with his wife. Tamara even attempts a love spell to bind their fates together.  

What's this ? A Villain Protagonist in a horror movie is problematic ? Stop the presses! 

Tamara's initial flaws are believable and part of what makes her sympathetic; she wasn't malicious, and it's pretty clear before her transformation, she's socially naïve and gullible. This leads to Tamara's demise. She's lured into a ‘date’, with who she thinks is Natolloy, only to be lured into a prank orchestrated by Shawn. 

Shawn is the movie’s secondary antagonist, and resident Hate Sink; a jock who was ousted from his team when he was exposed for taking performance enhancers, and refused to take a drug test. 

So Shawn get's his friends, and three newcomers to lure Tamara to a party, tricking her into stripping on camera, in a prank which I'm pretty sure qualifies as sexual assault (not helping is that Shawn is later revealed to be a serial rapist). 

When Tamara is accidentally killed in the ensuing struggle, Shawn threatens the rest of the party into secrecy while disposing of Tamara's body...and now they gotta pay with it for their lives. 

See, Tamara's ritual could only be completed when she spills her blood, but she ultimately backs out on it; but when she's killed, her blood spills completing the ritual without her knowledge and consent. From there, Tamara rises as a confident, sultry and vengeful revenant, out to take what she thinks is hers. 

What keeps Tamara tragic is, this movie is clear that what she's doing isn't really her her. Tamara's villainous personality is the result of magic she took in from her ritual, making her a near 180 of her mortal self. 

Towards the end, she has this “What have I done/become ?” moment where she realizes she's become a monster, only to snap back because the spell is just stronger than her. 

As a villain, I think Tamara was at her best when seeking revenge; she takes no one's bullshit, unapologetically vengeful, wicked, and has a sense of poetic justice.

Most of her villainy is brainwashing and enslaving others, tormenting her victims with hallucinations, and through some ironic  punishment. Tamara only directly kills two people, both of them being gnarly; she tells her abusive alcoholic dad to finish his bottle, and the guy is forced to eat it. 

The revenant revenge plot was where the movie was at its best, IMO. I honestly wish they kept it as a revenge story for the third act. Preferably with Shawn as the de-facto antagonist.

If one thing holds Tamara back, I think it's her obsession with Mr. Natolly; and the movie is pretty weak in the last third, focusing on a rescue mission for Natolly and his wife. You can make the argument Tamara is magically bound to her crush - her spell was to bind their fates together. But I still think it takes away from Tamara's agency. 

Tamara’s not like Jennifer Check, Ginger Fitzgerald or Nancy Downs - whose transformations highlight toxic qualities that are already there - it’s literally “Dark Magic rewrites her whole personality”.

As for the other characters, a few others stand out.

Mr. Bill Natolly and his wife Alison are pretty likable, and are the more sympathetic characters. They both mean well, and are genuinely excited about starting a family. 

Bill genuinely wanted to help Tamara, and she misreads his singles and tries to kiss him. Bill is understanding of Tamara and tries to explain things to her, before she walks out in embarrassment. 

Bill, through no fault of his own, is roped into this drama; he was bound to Tamara's "spell", and it was only cast when Tamara was murdered. Now that his life is bound to Revenant!Tamara, and the only way Tamara and her spell can be broken is if Bill makes a sacrifice of his own.

There's also the film's ostensible protagonist, Chloe Bowman.

A new girl who stands up for Tamara, Chloe soon becomes a witness/unwitting participant to the prank, and Tamara’s subsequent murder. In fact, Chloe's attempts to help Tamara gets her mistaken for a perpetrator and is what escalates the fight. As a result, Chloe feels guilt for Tamara's death. 

Not helping is that Shawn intimidates the party, including Chloe's supposed boyfriend, into covering up the incident. Chloe’s is kind of a hit and miss. As a protagonist, she's pretty bland and is mostly just along for the ride. 

On the other hand, the pieces are there to make her a great character, and to have a dynamic with Tamara. It's just they aren't really utilized. In the original script, it would be revealed that Chloe is a closeted lesbian, and implicitly in love with Tamara. In the final film, Chloe is also the one who breaks through to Tamara. 

Near the end Tamara looks into Chloe's mind, learning that she genuinely cared for and tried to help her. It's this that allowed the real Tamara to resurface and break down over what she's done and become.

Like holy shit, that sounds like the climax for a tragic love story, doesn’t it ?

Unfortunately, outside of that, the movie doesn't do much with these two; they don't really bond before Tamara's death; no significant interactions following her resurrection, until the climax. 

Chloe feels like she's supposed to be the Needy Lesnicki or Sarah Bailey of this story. But unlike Jennifer's Body or The Craft, we don't get that same “Sapphic Enemies/Broken Friendship” that we get with Jennifer x Needy, or Sarah x Nancy.  

It feels like a case of They Wasted of a Perfectly Good Plot/Character.

Would I recommend this movie ? Sure, but it's really nothing spectacular. I think All Cheerleaders Die or Jennifer's Body are closer to what Tamara was trying to be or could have been, but it's not completely unsalvageable. 

And for what it's missing, that's what AO3 is for, amiright ?

[frootlooppoptarts]

Somebody got fucked, somebody got killed, and I'm going to PE.

[halaxia]

✩ ‧₊˚ ✩。 about me !

hi i’m leena!! here are some things about me :)

not what you were looking for?

➛ 18

➛ she/her

➛ i’m south asian

➛ my mbti is enfj

➛ main blog is @thusspokeleena :D

— likes !

╰┈➤ warm summer nights, quiet cafés, crochet, nature, fireworks, doing my makeup in the middle of the night, writing angst, flowers, art, cats, crisp autumn days, driving with the sunroof open, a good midday nap.

➛ animanga : attack on titan, jujutsu kaisen, bleach, death note, vinland saga, jjba, ohshc, demon slayer, csm, spy x family, hxh, ghibli, your name, suzume, life lessons with uramichi oniisan, bsd, tokyo ghoul, blood on the tracks, whatever else i’m missing lol.

➛ artists: frank ocean, mitski, lorde, sza, brent faiyaz, kendrick lamar, my chemical romance, beabadoobee, taylor swift, deftones, tyler, the creator, paramore, the weeknd, the nbhd, billie eilish, kali uchis, conan gray, harry styles, mac miller, omar apollo, radiohead, etc.

➛ kpop: shinee, bts, ateez, bigbang, 2ne1, newjeans, tvxq!, enhypen, stray kids, red velvet, svt, wave to earth, colde, zb1, aespa.

— what am i up to?

➛ watching: the fall of the house of usher

➛ reading: fire and blood by george r. r. martin

➛ listening to: misty by nct 127

➛ thinking about: finals :,)

[summerdutkowsky]

i was tagged by my friend @shiningnorthernlights (thank you! i live for these things!) to post ten characters from ten fandoms. we’ll see how i do because in my head i’m in way more than ten fandoms but narrowing them down should be interesting! 

All Cheerleaders Die: Leena Miller

Kollok: Skye Hawkins (and Embeth Pegg; i know that’s cheating but i truly love them equally)

Final Fantasy: Aerith Gainsborough (and Tifa Lockhart)

Resident Evil: Claire Redfield

Young and Restless: Mariah Copeland (and Tessa Porter)

Leverage: Parker

Schitt’s Creek: Alexis Rose

The Sex Lives of College Girls: Leighton Murray

Comics (general): Black Canary - Dinah Lance

Legend of Vox Machina (and Critical Role C1): Vex’ahlia 

[whatsonmedia]

Film Friday: 5 movie selections of the week!

You can see a wide range of movies in your free time during the month of September. The What'sOn editorial team is back with a choice of movies you may see this Friday. 1. Three Thousand Years of Longing Tilda Swinton and Idris Elba star in George Miller's fantasy film Three Thousand Years of Longing, which is set in 2022. The screenplay was co-written by Miller and Augusta Gore and is an adaptation of A. S. Byatt's short tale "The Djinn in the Nightingale's Eye" from 1994. The storyline of the movie; on a vacation to Istanbul, a lonesome scholar meets a Djinn who grants her three desires in exchange for his release. On May 20, 2022, Three Thousand Years of Longing had its global premiere at the Cannes Film Festival. On August 26, 2022, it was shown in theaters in the United States. https://youtu.be/TWGvntl9itE 2. Orphan: First Kill The 2022 psychological horror movie Orphan: First Kill is a prequel to the 2009 movie Orphan. The film is directed by William Brent Bell and is based on a story by David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick and Alex Mace (who also wrote the story for the predecessor). It tells the tale of a disturbed woman named Leena Klammer who successfully escapes from an asylum for the insane in Estonia and enters America by assuming the identity of a wealthy family's missing daughter. Leena's new existence as "Esther," however, has an unanticipated twist that sets her against a mother who would stop at nothing to keep her family safe. It also features Julia Stiles, Rossif Sutherland, Hiro Kanagawa, and Matthew Finland. Isabelle Fuhrman reprises her character from the previous movie. https://youtu.be/_uX6of3vBu0 3. Beast Baltasar Kormákur's 2022 survival thriller Beast is based on a story by Jaime Primak Sullivan, with a screenplay by Ryan Engle. Idris Elba, Iyana Halley, Leah Sava Jeffries, and Sharlto Copley all appear in the movie. When a ferocious lion pursues Nate Daniels and his two teenage children in a South African game reserve, they have to fight for their lives. A large rogue lion hunts down a father and his two teenage kids to demonstrate that the Savanna only has one dominant predator. The American premiere of Beast took place on August 19, 2022, thanks to Universal Pictures. With a $37 million global box office haul, the movie has drawn mixed reviews from reviewers. https://youtu.be/oQMc7Sq36mI 4. Jalsa Jalsa is a 2022 Indian thriller movie in the Hindi language under the direction of Suresh Triveni. T-Series and Abundantia Entertainment are the producers. Shefali Shah and Vidya Balan both appear in the movie. On March 18, 2022, Amazon Prime Video hosted its debut. Conflict is depicted in the lives of a renowned journalist and her cook. A "genre-bending" and "genuine" movie that goes "beyond the usual norms of cinema," as the description goes. https://youtu.be/T8GaE3fi3OU 5. Cadaver Anoop Panicker and Abhilash Pillai's 2022 thriller Cadaver is set in the Tamil-speaking part of India. Amala Paul Productions was the production company for the movie. Amala Paul plays the lead in the movie; supporting cast members include Riythvika, Munishkanth, Thrigun, Harish Uthaman, and Athulya Ravi. The movie's plot is as follows: When a prisoner takes credit for a high-profile murder and threatens future killings, the police are baffled. Will this mystery be solved by police doctor Bhadra? https://youtu.be/foSlB_cTXrI Read the full article

[queerstuffonscreen]

All Cheerleaders Die (2013)

89 min.

Country: USA

Genre: Horror, Comedy

Language: English

When tragedy rocks Blackfoot High, rebellious outsider Maddy Killian shocks the student body by joining the cheerleading squad. This decision drives a rift between Maddy and her ex-girlfriend Leena Miller — a loner who claims to practice the dark arts. After a confrontation with the football team, Maddy and her new cheerleader friends are sent on a supernatural roller coaster ride which leaves a path of destruction none of them may be able to escape. Remake of their own 2001 feature film.

Watch on Tubi

[canonlgbtcharacteroftheday]

The canon LGBT+ character of today is:

Leena Miller from All Cheerleaders Die who is a lesbian

[horrorladies]

What the fuck is going on? — All Cheerleaders Die (2013)

[lunie-junk]

Feel bad for not posting again, so here’s a sketch of a rarepair I did to satisfy only myself and like one other person. I’ll post some commission / patreon stuff another time, I promise!!

[klauswalz]

[ethercvl]

did she cause this? one minute she’d been working with her stones and the next she was sitting in the middle of street with the stones around her. scooping the stones back into her satchel quickly she picked herself up off the pavement. the biggest question running through her mind was the whereabouts of maddy. did whatever she cause manage to bring her with? they were connected through her magic, she wasn’t sure what a major distance could have done to it. she had to find the female, but she didn’t even know where to begin to look. it wasn’t until she was off the street that she ran right smack into another. “shit.” she muttered under breath. “sorry.”

[fausuto27]

lesbian witch appreciation post

( Leena from All Cheerleaders Die)

and sorry for the lack of updates lately.  i’m trying to quit my lame ass laboratory (more like desk) job

[thoughtcatalog]

On the nights that I miss you most, I will let myself be where I am – fully.

(Source: thoughtcatalog.com)

[enewsedition]

Leena AI raises $8 million in funding led by Greycroft Leena AI has raised $8 million in Series A funding, led by US venture capital firm…

[summerdutkowsky]

Hey there beloved bestie! For the characters ask Leena Miller from All Cheerleaders Die 😉

LEENA MILLER MY BELOVED LESBIAN WICCAN!!!!

favorite thing about them: her loyalty and undying love and adoration for maddy. the depth with which she cares for her and without question will follow and help maddy with whatever plan she has and even starts to care about the rest of the squad

least favorite thing about them: hmmmm i can’t really think of one but if i had to choose something it would be that she didn’t really give maddy space in the beginning of the movie. like maddy was trying to follow through with her plan and leena just wouldn’t let up

favorite line: “somebody got fucked, somebody got killed, i’m going to PE” what an absolute iconic line 

brOTP: leena and hannah!!! oh my god that scene where she’s teaching hannah how to read the stones at The Party was absolutely precious

OTP: maddy/leena. the only correct ship from the movie, sorry i don’t make the rules! but if you have an hour or several i will tell you all the reasons they’re perfect and i love them

nOTP: i’ve seen people ship maddy/tracy/leena, “leena and her girls”, and i just.... don’t see it

random headcanon: 

unpopular opinion: leena and maddy are the superior ship, sorry not sorry. they have way more chemistry and a much sweeter history than maddy/tracy

song i associate with them: the song that plays when the girls do the hot slow mo walk into the school (i don’t know the name of it) and the song that leena’s actress wrote for the movie that plays during the end credits. ooooooh my god i’m gonna make playlists for leena and one for leena/maddy!!!

favorite picture of them: this one! i mean look at how confident she is walking into school now with her squad of badass immortal babes and her insanely hot immortal gf she brought back to life with the power of wicca and lesbian love

[simonsrosebud]

Is it bad that I want Dalton to meet Thea? Or really more have Kevin see the two of them side by side? (Maybe at a Court thing?)

OOOOOOO oh boy do i like this one.

kevin is at an event to announce the new court members for the next olympics.

he only graduated two months ago, signing to new york blackhawks.

dalton is teaching at university of delaware.  three and a half hours away.

the event is being held in chicago, and near half of the players in the NEL (national exy league) are in attendance.  the only saving grace is the fact that matt, jeremy, and jean are all there as well.  matt had signed to atlanta, georgia, while jean and jeremy both stayed to the west coast.

oh, and thea is there.

the event started an hour ago.  they still haven’t spoken.  he hasn’t spoken to her since they’d broken up two years ago.

kevin is startled by his PR rep, who taps his shoulder.  “i have someone i want you to talk to.”  she looks giddy.

he follows her.  it’s better than standing and socializing.  or visualizing dalton at the event with him.

wait.

“dalton!”  he drops his drink onto the nearest table and goes straight for his boyfriend.  he nearly tackles him.  they haven’t seen each other in three weeks.

“what-what are you doing here!”  he kisses him, and hugs him again.  “i missed you.”

dalton is laughing in kevin’s ear, and kissing the side of his head.  “it’s still summer, idiot. i don’t start until august.”  he squeezes him.  “you look so good.  leena sent me one of your pro-shots for the team, you look good in gold.”  he talks through kevin planting kisses on his lips, and they make their way back.

matt cheers when he sees dalton, but before they reach the group someone steps in their way.  

thea muldani.  “kevin, hello.”

kevin remembers a time when he’d do anything for her attention.  he can’t fathom why.  now all he wants is for her to divert it elsewhere.  “thea.”

“i see you’ve got someone new.”  it’s been two years.  “i would’ve known, of course, if you’d kept in touch like you claimed in your interview.”

this is childish.  dalton inserts himself into the conversation.  “dalton miller, pleasure.”  he reaches his hand out.  she looks a little off guard as she shakes it.  like she didn’t expect him to interfere.  figures.  she’d been the boss in their relationship.  god forbid someone else take her spot even after they’ve broken up.

“thea muldani.  and what do you do?”

“i’m a professor.  mathematics, to be vague.”

“teaching!”  she looks enthused.  “i imagine they don’t get paid much.  it’s a shame.”

“oh, i’m getting paid quite well, thank you.”  his hand finds its way back to the small of kevin’s back.  “besides.  i’m dating kevin day.”  and walks them away.

kevin slides a hand smoothly over his mouth to suppress his giddy smile.  there’s no way that just happened.  “i can’t believe you just said that.”  he laughs.

dalton takes a breath.  “me neither, to be honest.  i don’t like her.  she was talking down to you.”

and when kevin’s name gets announced he cooly takes his place on stage and winks at dalton.  when did he get this bold?

kevin doesn’t use social media, but he takes to twitter that night to post a dashing photo of himself and dalton, captioned best i ever had.