The Current Occupant (2020)

After some time working on some articles for Titans Wire and diving into the drones plaguing the East Coast, I decided to put something on before transitioning into some possible true crime. My selection was from the Into the Dark series on Hulu: 2020s The Current Occupant.

Plot: Trapped in a mysterious psychiatric ward, a man with no memory comes to believe that he's the President of the United States and the subject of a diabolical political conspiracy. As the asylum's soul-crushing forces bear down on him, he fights to preserve his sanity and escape so that he can return to power.

From the Into the Dark series, this entry is not bad and had some good moments, but that wasn’t enough. The acting was solid and there were some pretty good technical elements. The initial premise seems interesting and is rather original, but the execution lacked the same originality and felt like it was put together specifically to pay homage to a few classics. If that was the intention, it did a decent job. However, as a standalone, this one was a bit too far-fetched and at times was too laughable. In the end, this one wasn’t terrible and comes off as a modern trip into the Twilight Zone. Would I watch it again? Probably not, but that doesn’t mean it’s bad. 

UFO History: November 30, 2020

Looking into UFO History for November 30, I found an interesting encounter that took place back in 2020. I got this information from the UFO Sightings Daily blog. 

This sighting took place on the small remote island village of Cali in Colombia, daylight. 

While this location is secluded and close to the jungle, a daylight photo of the craft was received. The eyewitness of this event not only caught a picture, they got a close up of the disk moving over a few huts. 

This is an interesting sighting because of the remoteness of the natives in the area. They would lack the technologies that many other sighting locations boast. While details such as size, visible propulsion, or sound are missing, there was a mention that the craft did land at some point. 

This sighting also creates an interesting question, how often are there sightings in remote areas that lack the technological advantages that most of the modern world have? These locations would be prime observational platforms for otherworldly beings that are here to potentially study humans. 

What do you think? Would the more secluded regions of the world be valid areas to focus research on? Let us know what you think in the comments.

Shirley [(2020)

The weather yesterday was miserable again.  Fortunately,  the sun came out first and I was more motivated. After packaging a couple trading cards,  I kicked back and decided on something rather tame and atmospheric, 2020's Shirley.

Plot: Renowned horror writer Shirley Jackson is on the precipice of writing her masterpiece when the arrival. 

This movie was a bit odd. A fictional biopic based on famed writer Shirley Jackson crafting one of her best selling novels. While it was an interesting premise, which featured some tremendous performances, decent atmosphere, and what could have been a truly entertaining film.  Unfortunately, the scripting is uneven and the mood while atmospheric jumps around all over the place.  In the end,  this could have been an even more interesting fictional biopic, it was just average.  Check it out if you want,  but be warned.  

The Postcard Killings (2020)

Time does seem to fly by.  It seems like yesterday, I was walking through Point Pleasant searching for the Mothman. Today,  I'm just hanging out and watching some movies.  The first one I caught this month is the 2020 thriller,  The Postcard Killings.

Plot: A New York City detective investigates the death of his daughter, who was murdered on her honeymoon in London, and discovers the existence of a serial killer.

As a huge fan of procedural crime movies and shows,  this one seemed like a nice change of pace from what I have been watching.  Unfortunately,  there was something missing.  I'm not in any way saying this is a bad movie,  in fact, it has some great scenery, a solid cast with decent performances, and an interesting storyline.  However,  the movie never truly achieved anything to make it stand out.  It was actually quite pedestrian and bland; never capitalizing on its full potential to become something extremely memorable. So, in the end, this will help you pass some time, but it is nothing special and should be viewed as a middle of the road crime thriller.

Spree (2020)

I really do love this time of the year,  it gives me a perfect excuse to immerse myself into all things spooky, strange, and horror related. Like last night,  I got to go out to watch the silent classics Nosferatu and the Cabinet of Dr. Caligari with a live band playing an incredible soundscape. The Invincible Czars were amazing! Today, I've watched a couple things,  including this movie Spree from 2020.

Plot: Desperate for an online following, a rideshare driver has figured out a deadly plan to go viral and he will stop at nothing to get his five minutes of fame.

When I selected this one this morning,  I had no idea on what to expect and was actually pleasantly surprised by what I found.  Unfortunately,  I already know that this will be a movie that will be very polarizing, and the audience will either love it or hate it. It's it a good film,  technically not really.  The dialog is so-so, the performances are uneven,  and the end sort of spirals. But,  there is something here within the idea of the storyline that adds a realistic view of the viral streaming community and the many different parts of society that want to join those ranks. Personally, I love social media (@ringmasters_realm on Instagram) and could understand everything that was taking place within the movie.  But, that might put me in a minority. In the end, this wasn't great, but it was a fun way to spend some time watching something outside the typical cookie-cutter horror that has become common. Not for everybody, but will appeal to a social media generation.

Block Island Sound (2020)

Yesterday, I spent most of the day focused on the toy store by searching out some new items and listing a few things. While that was productive, it also allowed time for some down moments. In that time, I was able to catch a few flicks. One of those was the 2020 Sci-Fi entry Block Island Sound.

Plot: A fisherman's family encounter horrors and dark truths when an ominous force off the coast of Block Island begins killing wildlife.

This was a movie that I had skipped over many times until yesterday and now I wonder why. This one was a lot more than the short synopsis suggested offering a lot of tense moments and elements of implied horror and good performances that demonstrate how less can be more in a film if it is done right. A slow burn Sci-Fi  mystery, this one features solid scripting, outstanding visuals, and textured and heavy atmosphere that with help from a solid soundscape create a dark and bleak tension throughout. This one definitely is not for everyone, especially those driven by adrenaline and bloodstained scenes. This is one where the slow pacing works exceptionally well and drives an interesting storyline to the finish. If you like slow-burn Sci-Fi  and horror, this is for you. Check it out.