DAILY CALL SHEET: SEPTEMBER 29, 2023

Sorry About the Demon (2022) Heartbroken nebbish Will is so pathetic that even the demon lurking in his new home doesn't want to possess him, so it tries to use the household ghosts to drive him out instead. However, unable to find anywhere else to go, Will decides everyone is just going to have to learn how to live together. Purposely silly and good natured, this makes for a lighthearted time killer.

TIL: As with most movies, this one has demons that can possess anyone at the drop of a hat. In the Church's understanding of possession, though, demons are more like spiritual "groomers", conditioning and manipulating their intended victims over time in order to wear down their will and entrap their souls.

There's been more than a few demon-possession flicks this year, but only one I've seen that tries to stick to what the Church actually teaches on the subject. For Aleteia this week, I take a look at Nefarious.

DAILY CALL SHEET: SEPTEMBER 17, 2023

Dr. Jekyll’s Dungeon of Death (1979) Continuing the family tradition of questionable medical practice, a mad doctor injects people with his great grandad's secret formula, compelling them to beat each other to death in his basement. Pretty sure this isn't the sequel Robert Louis Stevenson would have written, but since the film crew consists almost entirely of one guy and there's only a couple of sets, I suppose this is the sequel we get.

TIL: Early on, Robert Louis Stevenson was adamantly anti-religion and often disparaged belief of God, and yet in his later days he penned prayers for household worship meetings, a book of which was published by his wife following his death. "Strange as it may seem to you," he wrote to his strict Calvinist father, "everything has been, in one way or the other, bringing me nearer to what I think you would like me to be. 'Tis a strange world, indeed, but there is a manifest God for those who care to look for him."

Turns out that walking in the footsteps of Jesus and the prophets isn't just a metaphor. This week for  Aleteia I take a look at the new documentary Route 60: The Biblical Highway.

DAILY CALL SHEET: SEPTEMBER 12, 2023

 

Creature of the Walking Dead (1965) Some idiot brings his mad scientist grandpa back to life but discovers the old coot needs human blood to keep going. At least I think that's what happens. This is another one of those Jerry Warren specials wherein new unrelated footage is inserted into a re-edited re-scripted badly dubbed Mexican film, so what's actually going on is anybody's guess.

TIL: Riffing on the 4th Commandment, the Catechism notes that grown children have a responsibility toward their elderly family members. "As much as they can, they must give them material and moral support in old age and in times of illness, loneliness, or distress." Note, however, that there's nothing in there about trying to raise them from the dead to prey on the living.

Still Voices - Jack the Giant Slayer (2013) "Two heads are better than one only if they contain different opinions." - Kenneth Kaye

DAILY CALL SHEET: SEPTEMBER 9, 2023

Man Beast (1956) After an expedition to the Himalayan Mountains to locate Yetis goes missing, a woman puts together a second group to rescue them. However, unbeknownst to our intrepid heroes, the Yetis have placed a spy in their midst. The purpose? To prevent the humans from interfering with the Yetis' ultimate goal, which is the acquisition of that most important of resources... dames. The pulpy plot is actually creepy and fun, but the unrelenting padding to stretch out the running time is nigh unbearable.

TIL: Oddly enough, in the Himalayan region, the number of Catholics has increased so much since 1970 that they now compose around 20% of the population. As is often the case, the surge came not as a direct result of preaching, but through the building of schools and hospitals, and though the Corporal Works of Mercy.

The Long Dark Night Gallery of the Soul #003: For your consideration... some paper bags. Yeah, yeah, I know, try to contain your excitement. The reason for showing you bags was the process fascinated me. The idea of the exercise was not to pre-sketch the overall image, but to just work on finishing small sections of ink washes, slowly letting the bigger picture emerge in its own time as each section was completed.  Art and life are like that sometimes. While it's happening you may not always be able to see how the little section you're working on contributes to something bigger, but as God has assured us, your contribution matters. Have faith and do the work. "Your big picture will never be a masterpiece if you ignore the tiny brushstrokes." - Andy Andrews

DAILY CALL SHEET: SEPTEMBER 3, 2023

Amsterdamned (1988) A maniacal scuba diver stalks the canals of Amsterdam. I don't know, can you stalk underwater? Lurks, maybe? Dog-paddles dastardly? Whatever, this is a surprisingly decent Giallo-adjacent thriller with slasher elements and an unexpected,  but well done James Bond style boat chase scene plopped right in the middle of it. If it sounds all over the place, it is, but it's never less than entertaining.

TIL: There is no officially designated saint for scuba divers, but lots of folks unofficially claim St. Brendan the Navigator for the position based mainly on the start of a prayer honoring him which goes, "God of sea and land, you endowed your servant Brendan with a bold and adventurous spirit, to occupy himself for your business on the great waters, and revealed to him your wonders in the deep." Works for me.

One Sheet Words of Wisdom: Anthropophagous (1980) "You can only come to the morning through the shadows." - J. R. R. Tolkien