The K-Files - 05.30.07

If you follow the latest happenings in the world of Ufology, you've probably noticed a new set of super-clear UFO pictures making their rounds across the 'nets. One part alien drone and two parts garden sprinkler, whatever it is pictured in these photos is, if nothing else, an odd sight to behold.

But could it be the real deal? Are they the smoking gun images we've all been waiting for?

I'm going to say no. I've spent my fair share of time studying the pictures and, while I may not be an expert when it comes to digital photography, something just doesn't seem right to me...Full Article.

Review: Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End
Directed by Gore Verbinski
Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of action/adventure violence and some frightening images.

When making a pirate movie:

Do - Have some of the most extravagant and imaginative visual effect and stunt shots put to film.
Don't - Overdo it to the point that the stunts begin to dull the senses and numb the mind.

Do - Fill it with Hollywood's top money-making heartthrobs.
Don't - Give them meaningless scenes that do little but pad the runtime.

Do - Take us to beautiful desert locals, dingy port towns, and everywhere in between.
Don't - Pad the runtime even more with goofy surrealist scenes.

Do - Show more of the imaginative crew of the Flying Dutchman.
Don't - Add a mystical goddess storyline that turns into a laughably bad Attack of the 50 Foot Woman homage.

Do - Give the trilogy a satisfying conclusion.
Don't - Throw in a bunch of contrived references to characters and events from past films.

Do - See Pirates III if you enjoyed the previous 2, and don't mind the uber runtime.
Don't - See Pirates III if you haven't seen 28 Weeks Later yet.

Rating: 3 / 5

~Khyron, 2007

28 Weeks Later - Directed by Juan Carlos Fresnadillo
Rated R for strong violence and gore, language and some sexuality/nudity.

There are some movies that are so compact, well thought-out, and downright successful that the prospect of a sequel would only cheapen the original's image. 28 Days Later was just such a movie. Working just fine as a standalone entity, the story could have lived on without any additions. However, success seems to warrant a follow-up..so here we are with 28 Weeks Later.

28 weeks after the first outbreak of the rage infection from 28 Days, the US military has quarantined off the British Isles and allowed its infected inhabitants to starve to death. As citizens are allowed back into the country, refugee kids Tammy and Andy are reunited with their father. However, as to be expected, infection returns to turn the living into bloodthirsty rage-aholics.

Taking the Aliens approach to sequential filmmaking, 28 Weeks Later ups the violence, action, and overall scale of the story by showing the military approach to the problem. Although this theme was touched on in the 3rd act of Days, Weeks takes it to a new level by adding in a couple of likable soldiers who are forced to make some tough decisions.

Also, as with Aliens, there are some real-world parallels to be made and a few relevant topics regarding the US military and current foreign policy. But thankfully, these themes are never numbingly obviously, and quickly muted once the blood starts flowing.

That's not to say Weeks is just another summer bloodbath--as it does try to at least match the intelligence in plot and style of its predecessor--but its still not one for the squeamish. And while it may not be as dark and brooding as far as atmosphere, there are still plenty of harrowing and intense scenes. The opening sequence, for example, is guaranteed to get your heart pumping.

Where it all seems to fall apart is near the end, however. After hitting a climax about halfway in, the remainder of the movie feels to drag on--even with its comparatively short 99 minute run-time. As with 28 Days Later, it seemed the writers had a really strong vision for the main plot, but were at a loss at how to bring it to a close.

So is 28 Weeks Later better than the original? No. But it is certainly fit to bear the name. Definitely among the cream of the crop when it comes to zombie(-esque) movies.

Highs: A moving sniper scene in which soldiers try to use selective firing to pick off infected amongst crowds of fleeing citizens. The child actors didn't bring it down one bit.

Lows: An unkillable, ever-present infected that seemed to be able to pop up whenever it was a bad time. Plot falls apart towards the end.

Rating: 4 / 5

~Khyron, 20007

I'm not buying it. This whole vanishing bees, colony collapse disorder stuff? Nuh-uh.

When word first broke that bees were jumping ship outta here, I was thrilled. Not in a long time had I heard such great news. After years of suffering at the barbs of these winged terrors--getting pumped full of venom in the torrent of a death-swarm--hope was finally in sight. My epic struggle was nearly over...

...yeah right. Only a couple weeks into May, I've already faced down more of the buggers than I care to say. So your bees are vanishing, huh? I think I might know where they went: my place.

As you may be wondering by now, yes...there is a story to backup this tirade. But I must warn you, what follows is a tale of unspeakable horror. Although no blood was shed (not human, anyway), no poison transferred, and there is a happy ending to it, this story may not be appropriate for those with a bee or wasp phobia. Think you're man enough to handle it? Read on, friend.

Full Article.

Night of the Un-Banned

Wow...Is George Noory really that hard up for guests?

In a demonstration of power and forgiveness, the weeknight Coast to Coast AM host resurrected not one, but two controversial or otherwise previously booted guests. In a move that would make even the most accomplished necromancer jealous, George welcomed Nancy 'Zeta Talk' Lieder and David 'Closed Lips' Booth back to the show.

But was this change of heart a show of Noory's thoughtfulness and personal introspection? Or was it perhaps a sign of desperation by the recently beleaguered host? Well, one thing is for sure, it was damn fine entertainment.

First to make her return was Nancy Lieder, whose last appearance was back on August 9th, 2005. Coast to Coast AM has a wide variety of guest archetypes. There are, among others, the serious 'real' scientists, the new-agers, the eyewitnesses, and of course the crazies. Lieder has always been in that later category in my book. With guests like Lieder, you can't help but just laugh at the absurdity of their actions. Though I must admit that I was nervous Nancy may have toned herself down to get back on the air. Thankfully, this was not the case.

If you're not familiar with the infamous Zeta Talk, let me spin it for you real quick. Basically, Miss Lieder claims to be in psychic contact with alien beings from the Zeta Reticuli star system. Using her as a medium through which to communicate, the Zetas can transmit messages to Nancy in real time...making for hilarious radio moments.

It was in the years leading up to her last Coast to Coast appearance that Lieder, via the Zetas, began prophesizing the cataclysmic return of Planet X. As this large, wandering body would make its way into our solar system, Lieder warned that the Earth would succumb to a violent pole shift that would subsequently wipe out most of humanity. But unlike other such prognosticators, Nancy's predictions were very much in the short-term. During her August 9th appearance, she claimed that it would all hit the fan that following May. But, this time quite like prognosticators before her, the time period came and went without some life-changing catastrophe.

Being generally non-confrontational, George opted to just let the whole Zeta talk story die out as opposed to bringing Nancy back on to try and make an excuse for her (or I guess the Zeta's...) mistake. During this past Thursday's appearance, George was similarly non-confrontational--only briefly mentioning the reason Lieder hadn't been on the show for nearly two years. But honestly, I didn't care one bit that George didn't turn the heat up any. Whatever reason Nancy could have made up to explain why Planet X didn't kill us all would have been useless, and would have served only to have taken away time from some serious Zeta talkin'.

*Here's the Zetas on that*

She doesn't know it, but we're making this foolish Earth-woman sound like a retard on nationally syndicated radio. Please, callers, don't try to talk any sense into her. We've all got a big bet going back here in Zetaville for how long we can keep this up.

*End of Zeta talk*

To bring the episode to a close, George brought on David Booth for the final two hours. His was a story that I knew a little something about. In March of 2004, he and Wayne Green appeared on Coast to Coast to discuss a super-secret meeting the pair had with Sister Lucia of Fatima miracle fame. However, after neither guest would agree to elaborate on what Sister Lucia revealed to them, George put the kibosh on them.

Digging through my Ghost Files archives from way back in 2004, I found this snippet of the booting:

The psychic David Booth, for example, claimed to have met Lucia before her death in February, 2005. As a guest on Coast to Coast AM, he and Wayne Green refused to elaborate on the meeting (if indeed it actually took place). The only thing they revealed was that a ‘new star’ would begin to shine, or some such thing. Because of their unforthcoming attitude, George Noory quickly put a stop to the interview.

But, as quickly became apparent during his return last week, it seemed Booth just wasn't ready for the whole Coast to Coast experience in 2004. In a great scene of 4th wall smashing, Noory and Booth discussed some of the background shenanigans that go on before and after guest is interviewed. Some pretty telling stuff, but nothing that really explained why Booth was so tight lipped.

What followed in the interview is best described as unintentionally funny (George seems to be having quite a few such interviews lately). After admitting that both he and his wife tried some powerful hallucinogens, Booth would go on to name drop such Coast-favs as David Icke and even Richard Hoagland. Which is funny considering Hoags was on for a couple minutes at the start of the show. Booth either 1) honestly doesn't listen to the show; or 2) is pretty dense. Either way, it was definitely a 'so bad, it's good' kind of interview.

Keep 'em coming, George. If you're going to go the absurd route, go all out. Now I'm just waiting to see if Tom 'Bigfoot-in-mouth' Biscardi will weasel his way back on the air...

~Khyron, 2007

George Does PETA

I didn't quite know what to expect as I tuned into Coast to Coast AM Monday night. According to the website, George Noory would be welcoming actress Pamela Anderson and author Dan Mathews on the show to discuss their involvement with the PETA organization. Oh jeez. I was getting visions of lady's man Noory dressed up in his t-shirt and leather jacket best with way too much Old Spice putting the moves on a militant and uninterested Pam Anderson.

Unfortunately, the reality of the interview wasn't much less uncomfortable than what I had imagined.

As I sat there listening to George discuss the finer points anal electrocution and the fun of getting arrested while protesting naked, I could bring myself to say only one thing: "This is a new low, George." The whole first hour of the program felt like one long, confusing joke that never could find a punch line. Its surrealism was matched only by the embarrassment I felt listening to it.

Ok, maybe I'm being too hard on George Noory, but I stand by my opinion that Monday night's show was a new low for our weekday host. Coast to Coast AM has always been a platform for esoteric or otherwise non-mainstream individuals and organizations. Even those as unpopular as PETA have been welcomed in the past, especially if they have a book to promote. So my problem wasn't so much with the guests, but more how George handled the interview. More and more it seems, I find myself cringing at many of Noory's questions and comments that can only be described as awkward.

To a point, George's lack of elegance has worked for him in the past. Unintentional hilarity has sprouted from more than a few Noory responses--so much so, I'd go as far as to say that his image as somewhat of a kind oaf has become his trademark of late. It’s a trademark that was far too blaring as I cringed through Monday’s interview.

Again, I don’t want to come off as a Noory basher. I listen to his show just about every night of the week, so I think it’d be hard to make a case that I don’t enjoy his hosting, but sometimes I can’t help but feel turned off to the direction he’s taking Coast to Coast. On the one hand, it was under Noory’s watch that Alex Jones and the 9/11 truth movement was brought to my attention. Also, I can’t deny that George has indeed broken a few national news stories well before his mainstream counterparts. But then, on the other hand, he becomes his own worst enemy when it comes to getting respect for Coast to Coast topics.

As a host, George Noory walks a fine line between hard-hitting newsman and goofy showman. I won’t begrudge him the right to play both roles the way he sees fit, but I think he stepped too far over to one side to the detriment of the other.

At the end of the PETA interview, another thing crossed my mind. Although George was able to pull it off with at least a comedy aspect, the only thing that could have made it any worse was if Art Bell was hosting. I would have loved to have seen Art's reaction to the interview if he was listening. If even Art would have done such an interview himself is in question, but I can only imagine how incredibly dry it would have been. And maybe therein lies George Noory's true strength.

I laughed, I cringed, I nearly cried...a low point or not, it was definitely one that I won't soon forget.

~Khyron, 2007