France became the first country to launch its online UFO database, which documents more than 1,600 sightings that were registered with CNES agency since 1954. It crashed hours after its unveiling on Thursday, due to heavy traffic. Those that were able to upload it said that it was extremely well organized. If I’m able to gain access to the site this weekend, I’ll post my thoughts about it.
Here’s the link to the website: www.cnes-geipan.fr
The main body of this film began in Red River, Tennessee in 1918. After a land dispute with a local woman, whom many feared to be a witch, John Bell and his family began experiencing terrifying visitations from an unknown entity. This entity first appeared as a menacing wolf, who prowled the Bells’ property. Then it began to attack John’s teenage daughter, Betsy, with a savage vengeance.
An American Haunting would have been a great story had it not been for the entity/poltergeist/ghost. The problem was, I wasn’t sure which it was supposed to be. Poltergeists are known to center on teenage girls who have experienced some kind of trauma. This one knocked physically attacked people and objects, recited Bible verse, showed its victims their past and futures, etc. The entity was too much of a mixed bag.
What really made this film a third-rate feature was the present-day “bookends” the director decided to tack on. The movie began with the girl crashing through the snow, obviously running from something terrifying. Her ordeal turns out to be a nightmare, similar to the ones Betsy experienced. The second one came at the end of what I call the real movie. While it mirrored Betsy’s painful secret, it offered nothing else. These scenes didn’t belong and should have been cut.
My pans aside, I enjoyed the acting very much. Sissy Spacek and Donald Sutherland gave a splendid performance, as did the rest of the cast. I loved the cinematography, especially when the entity was making its rounds. While I give this movie a very lukewarm recommendation, I am curious to read Brent Monahan’s book on the subject.
On the night of June 6, 1884, John W. Ellis, three of his herdsmen and a number of cowboys were engaged in a roundup about 35 miles northwest of Dundy County, Nebraska when they were startled by a loud noise over their heads. They looked up in time to see a blazing object hurtling toward the Earth and watched it disappear behind a bank. Alf Williamson, one of the herdsmen, was treated for burns after he tried to approach the craft, which had gouged the dirt as it had ground itself to a stop.
Three years later, The Nebraska State Journal reported what the rancher and his team had found.
One piece that looked like the blade of a propeller screw, of a metal of an appearance like brass, about 16 inches wide, three inches thick and three-and-a-half feet long, was picked up by a spade. It would not weigh more than five pounds, but appeared as strong and compact as any known metal. A fragment of a wheel with a milled rim, apparently having had a diameter of seven or eight feet, was also picked up. It seemed to be of the same material and had the same remarkable lightness.
Dundy County residents refused to talk about the UFO crash back then and even now. Whatever evidence was left of the crash has mysteriously vanished. The only evidence available are the newspaper clippings that document this occurrence. These publications started a worldwide fascination with UFOs.
This fascination has seen its highs and lows over the past two centuries. I grew up hearing about the Roswell Incident, watching scores of Sci-Fi movies as well as reading popular novels by the likes of Robert Heinlein. Thanks to the Internet, the UFO fascination has risen to an unprecedented height. We’re almost three months into the year, and I’ve read about two dozen news articles about sightings that have occurred all over the world. How long this pique will last is anyone’s guess, but it has produced some fantastic stories and captivating video, real or not.
This is a superb mini-documentary about two extraordinary Russian women, who possessed telekinetic ability. Nina Kulagina had the ability to move small objects such as compass needles, cigarettes, and matches by moving her hands over them. Her supernatural talents piqued the curiosity of scientists, the KGB and noted skeptics. She received harsh criticism when she refused to demonstrate her abilities outside her home or in hotel rooms. The preparation time also bothered the skeptics, who considered her a skilled magician.
Watching the documentary, which included the black and white footage of Nina’s demonstration as well a re-enacted one, I am left undecided about the validity of her abilities and spooked by the possibility at the same time. I can’t imagine anyone with the ability to stop a heart with the brush of a hand.
