The Blessed Ones (2016)

Last night I made it through a couple of movies, but unfortunately, neither did anything more than help me pass time. The first one of those was the 2016 flick The Blessed Ones (AKA Polaris and The Divine Ones).

Plot/ The Blessed Ones shadows a tightly knit cult hiding in a remote desert enclave as they prepare for the impending apocalypse. Two dissenters try to escape through the vast desert wasteland as the cult embarks on a mass suicide pact.

When I read the synopsis of this one at Family Video, I was drawn in. Disturbed cults and serial killers are always great subjects to watch or write about. This low budget indie flick was an interesting film with a storyline that I thought explored many of the darker facets that exist within a cult. The problem is that the budget in no way helped bring what could have been an extremely entertaining and possibly surreal movie to life. Yes, there are some positive moments with solid cinematography and interesting concepts, but overall, the film felt disjointed, the scripting and performances uneven, and the pace felt predictable and forced, unfortunately, these flaws also left the film somewhat unmemorable and left me wanting more. In the end, while I loved the concept, it never really reached its potential. Yes, it has a few moments, but not enough to make it worth watching. Stay away.

Happy Birthday Edgar - Mortal Fears and Open Wounds

Today is the anniversary of the birth of Edgar Allan Poe, and if you are familiar with this blog or me as a person, you would already understand the meaning. In honor of Poe, I decided to write a pastiche of Spirits of the Dead, to commemorate this important day. Poe has always been one of the major influences in my life, and without him, I probably would not write, and without writing, I would definitely be insane.

I

Through darkened days and unknown specters
Mysteries shadow truths inside spiraling emotions-
Empty thoughts, and even stranger dreams, give way
For my mind, realities fade.

II

Stillness overwhelms the vile depths,
   Reverie smothers the calm-but still

The forgotten rise and roam the abyss
   Their hunger stronger than their will
Dreams overthrow the tyrants-solitude unbound
Calmness swallows thy heart: judgments unwound.

III

The gate, sacred seals, horses rise-
And the dead walk with souls despised
Foretold by scripture and desires once lost,
Mortal fears and open wounds survive the crossed-
Blessed implements stained by blood, opened doors,
For the path to salvation rose upon unseen shores
The chasm burns and the pure follow
Forsaken by seraphim set adrift in the shallows.

IV

Words are but verses that shall be composed,
Verses are but visions that must be transposed,
Revelations feed doubts; emptiness breeds fright
Choices wither- and reservations survive, at least for a night.

V

The truths- and the tainted flesh-cannot hide-
The souls of the damned drowned by pride,
Ancient riddles difficult to perceive,
An unfamiliar destiny left for me to conceive-
How this grew-an opportunity or prediction left for naught,
Or worse, a loathsome plague-the white horse forgot.

Rumors of Wars (2014)

With the continued rise of lawlessness coming from Washington DC, and the lack of desire coming from the opposition party, it reinforces the idea that all politicians are bought and paid for by the same backers. Regardless of party, their agenda of oppression and tyranny is the same, and we must wake up and spread the word about these lying bastards. That is the only way to stop this globalist agenda. One movie I recently watched discussed a similar them, 2014s, Rumors of Wars.

Plot/ A student keeps a journal while a one world government takes over the world. Years later, a soldier finds her journal and questions everything he believes.

While this movie was a touch more religious than I expected there were many points brought out that should open some eyes. I am not going to speak on the biblical aspects of the film, which will likely turn some viewers off. However, the detailed storyline that talks about NDAA, illegal NSA spying, and the rise of the military industrial complex as purveyors of the RFID chips and their role as managers of the FEMA Camps make this one of the more informative post apocalyptic films to come out in some time. Sure, the acting is uneven, the effects all over, and the scripting is geared toward a detailed Christian message of faith, but those aspects in no way detract from the powerful true message on governmental and globalist tyranny. In the end, many of the items outlined in this film could become a reality if the world does not wake up to the globalist tyranny being pushed upon the world by the elite. No matter what religion you believe in, the reality is the globalist technocrats and their Agenda 21 cronies are out to destroy the world, and this movie does provide a glimpse into that possible future. Give it a shot.

Horsemen (2009)

With the last movie that I watched being Sharknado, I decided I had to find something a touch more serious to watch. This was a bit of a challenge, as I spent most of my Friday night at the best high school football game I have seen in Fayette County in a long time. On top of that, my daughters’ band rocked halftime! After knocking out my Steelers 101 piece and relaxing, I decided upon the 2009 mystery Horsemen.

Plot/ Aidan Breslin is a bitter detective emotionally distanced from his two young sons following the untimely death of his devoted wife. While investigating a series of murders of rare violence, he discovers a terrifying link between a chain of murders and the Biblical prophecies concerning the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse: War, Famine, Pestilence, and Death.

When I saw this, the premise sounded interesting and for the most part, it was somewhat interesting. However, while there were some interesting moments, it was predictable and rather cliché. The storyline never developed as much as it could and the characterization lacked depth, something that could have added a lot to the flick. The editing was disjointed and much of acting felt stale. There were some visuals that were good, and the Book of Revelations sub-text is always enjoyable, but there was really nothing in here that made it standout. In the end, it is not the worse flick in the genre, but it is really not worth watching.  

The Dark Side of the Moon (1990)

Last night I decided to take a break from the blog. I was honestly burnt out from debating people on twitter about the status of our Constitution and the actions that are taking place to infringe on out rights. Of course, it could have also been due to the headache that was caused by the whiteout condition I faced as I headed to the video store. That snowstorm sucked. Today, I decided jump back into the swing of things with a 1990 cult classic, The Dark Side of the Moon.

Plot/ It is the year 2022. A mysterious systems failure causes the crew of a spaceship to be stranded on the dark side of the moon, while rapidly running out of fuel and oxygen. They are surprised to discover a NASA space shuttle floating in space, and board it in the hope of salvaging some supplies. One by one, the crew is possessed and killed,

It is funny, I do not remember hearing about or seeing this flick when it came out in 1990. It is a shame, for I would have probably enjoyed it even more if I would have caught it then. Do not get me wrong, I enjoyed it. While some of the plot seemed a bit cliché, there was a lot to like about the interesting and weaving storyline. Technically, it was a solid film with decent acting, excellent cinematography and a dark dreary atmosphere that fit the premise perfectly. Sure, they may have bit off more than they could chew with demonic possessions, Satan, space shuttles and the Bermuda Triangle, but that is what a good “B Movie” does. Yes, there were some characterization issues, some moments feel outdated and some of the plot was incoherent, but to me it worked. In the end, this movie is entertaining and often goes overlooked. If you enjoy Sci-Fi / Horror flicks, give this vintage B Movie a shot.

11-11-11:The Prophecy (2011)

In looking at the blog this week, it seems like a strange religious theme started to permeate the pages. Incredibly, there was not plan to this and there was no rhyme or reason for it to take place, especially considering the movies were selected at random. The next film that came in was the Darren Lynn Bousman religious thriller 11-11-11: The Prophecy.

Plot/ After the death of his wife and child, an author travels to Barcelona to see his estranged brother and dying father, where he learns that his life is plagued by events that occur on 11-11-11.

I think I may be in the minority on this one, but I enjoyed it. The character driven tension with the religious overtones seem to create an interesting feel. Yes, it was not really the apocalyptic flick that some of the advertisements portrayed, and yes, the ending left a lot to be desired, but it was somewhat effective. The acting was ok, the scripting decent, and pace solid. There were some flaws as the effects seemed forced and the ending truly was not needed. In the end, as a religious thriller, it is watchable and somewhat enjoyable, but as a straight apocalyptic horror, it does not hit the spot. If you like dark religious themes, check it out, if not…