A new alien-invasion action movie is coming to theaters next year.

The film Battle: Los Angeles is inspired by an actual UFO event that occurred on February 25, 1942.

Before director and starring information are shared, it’s important to review the event in history.

The Battle of Los Angeles, as it is now referred to in history, involved a large scale anti-aircraft artillery barrage against a target that subsequently remained unidentified.

The Battle of Los Angeles took place a couple of months after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941. In the early morning hours of February 25th when the air raid siren awoke residents, many were expecting to see Japanese fighter planes.

1942 Battle of Los Angeles

The Army’s 37th Coast Artillery Brigade initiated a blackout, then lit up the skies with massive spotlights to reveal something that had never been seen before. It is said that the object was giant and hovered over the city, witnessed by hundreds of people – military and civilians alike.

According to newspaper reports, the UFO looked like a “surreal, hanging, magic lantern.”

What struck some witnesses the most was the color of the object.

“It was a lovely pale orange and about the most beautiful thing you’ve ever seen. I could see it perfectly because it was very close. It was big!”

“I’ll never forget what a magnificent sight it was. Just marvelous. And what a gorgeous color!”

The photo, of course, is black and white, so we can’t see the color from it.

Regardless of what it looked like, the military did fire upon the object. Hundreds of rounds hit the object, but it remained undamaged as far as everyone could tell on the ground. However, six people on the ground weren’t as fortunate as the object. They were killed by shell fragments during this battle, which took place amid businesses and residences.

There was no Internet back then to spread the news. This was during the war. Project Sign didn’t begin until 1947 – five years later. Project Grudge didn’t begin until 1949. Project Blue Book started ten years later in 1952.

The movie, “Battle: Los Angeles” is described as “Black Hawk Down” meets “Independence Day” by many and is an “intense real-time” war movie. What is known so far about it, is that the movie focuses on a Marine staff Sargeant (Aaron Eckhart) whose platoon battles against an alien invasion in Los Angeles.

The 1942 event is referred to on the movie website, but don’t expect a documentary, it appears that the movie is only inspired by the 1942 incident.

The promotion of the movie is in full swing with a website, promotional movie posters, a Facebook page and You Tube clips.

The interesting thing about the promotion of the film, is that not much more about the actual film is being promoted at this time. Instead, on the website and on YouTube, historical UFO events are brought to the forefront in the form of short interviews about UFOs with MUFON, evidence of UFO incidents, and the like.

It feels like UFO and alien tutorials, to prepare us for what’s coming in 2011.

The promotion for the film is certainly different and intriguing.

Jonathan Liebsman directs the film. Michelle Rodriguez, Micheal Pena and Bridget Moynahan also star in the film.  Look for the film to hit theaters on March 11, 2011.

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See more of Cherlyn’s posts at http://paranormaloldpueblo.com

"Paranormal Activity" Movie Poster

Last night’s advance screening of “Paranormal Activity” at El Con Cinema was horrifically fun. The screening was in advance of tonight’s midnight showing at El Con.  The opportunity for me to attend the advance screening was made possible by txtMovieClub.

This film is unusual in many ways. The movie has released in stages via much hyped advance screenings  in 13 cities across the country. Tonight, midnight showings will take place in those same 13 towns. These limited releases are intended to create a buzz for cities to ”Demand It” in a national competition via the movie’s website. The winning town will enjoy the “major” film release. The film was first shown in 2007 at the Screamfest Horror Film Festival. That same year, DreamWorks Studios took an interest in the film. At the time, Steven Spielberg took a DVD copy of the movie home, but returned it to the Studios in a trash bag after experiencing some paranormal activity of his own. A bedroom door in his home became inexplicably locked from the inside, requiring the aid of a locksmith to unlock it.

The ending of the film last night was not the original ending offered in the 2007 film festival. Knowing both endings, I personally think I would have preferred the 2007 version. I am wondering whether the major film release could present yet another alternate ending, to prevent spoilers. Maybe, maybe not. I can tell you that last night’s ending was pretty scary, even if it wasn’t my preferred choice.

The film depicts a segment of the lives of a normal, but fictional, San Diego couple who are experiencing paranormal phenomena. The actors share their first names with their characters Micah (Micah Sloat) and Katie (Katie Featherston), who have been together for three years. The movie begins with Micah shooting footage of the tormented Katie. We learn in these opening shots that Micah purchased the camera to document the paranormal activity which has followed Katie since she was 8 years old. Everything the audience sees is the “footage” captured by Micah. Yes, it is reminiscent of “The Blair Witch Project” in this respect. However, “Paranormal Activity” is a much better film.

The film’s promotional poster promises nightmares – which I did not have. It also “guarantees” that the film will “leave an imprint on your psyche”…It did that for me for about 2 hours. It did have me on the edge of my seat the entire time. I was entirely impressed by the comedy incorporated into the film alongside the terrifying moments. The realistic interaction and frequent banter between Micah and Katie was highly entertaining. You may be left with questions about the decision making skills of Micah and Katie. However, that’s what horror flicks are all about. The film builds up to a climax, much like the manner in which the movie studio is releasing the film to the public. If you have been waiting for a non-gory film that surprises and scares, this is it.

Catch it tonight at El Con’s CineMark Theater. The replaying of Micah’s “footage” will commence promptly at 12:01 am. Get there early, though.

The film is Rated R for language with a run time of 1 hour and 36 minutes.