TWO "Persecuted" movies in 2014?!?

[onager]

How did I miss these masterpieces? Atheism Fail!1!

Not one, but TWO movies were released this year with the title "Persecuted." I'll follow the IMdB protocol and identify them as (I) and (II).

First, Persecuted (I). Starring James Remar, Dean Stockwell and Fred "Reverse Mortgage" Thompson as Remar's father, a priest (!!!).

With financing by Glenn Beck as a silent partner.

Plot Summary - Nationally acclaimed evangelist John Luther is the last obstacle in the way of sweeping religious reform in the States. When a U.S. Senator and Luther's own supporters abduct and frame him in the murder of an innocent teenage girl, an unprecedented era of persecution is unleashed. Out on personal recognizance, Luther escapes police surveillance in search of the truth. And suddenly a once-normal life is targeted by a team of ex-military operatives who wage a relentless campaign to eliminate the incriminating evidence. As evangelist turned fugitive, Luther vows to expose anyone involved with, or profiting from, the girl's murder. It's a mission that brings him face-to-face with the coming storm of persecution that will threaten the entire American Christian community.

Or IOW...an Evil Senator is trying to pass an Evil Liberal Bill making govt. more inclusive to Off-Brand Religions. But the hero of the movie is "persecuted" because the Evil Liberals won't let him set up a Xian theocracy. WT actual F?

First IMdB reviewer self-identifies as an Evangelical Xian AND a Tea Party Republican. And even that reviewer hated it.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1761005/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1

Persecuted (II) (2014) - NO IMdB reviews yet, and the Plot Summary was written by the director and screenwriter, Benjamin Bondar. Guess this one only played in church basements...or at meetings of 90-yr-old John Birch Society members.

Plot Summary - During the height of the Soviet Union expansion, fear of nuclear war lead both the KGB and the CIA to deploy spies for reconnaissance, espionage, and assassination. Apart from Cold War tensions, the Soviet Union was already fighting a war of its own, a war against Christianity; as it desperately tried to replace faith in God with faith in mankind. After a long career of following questionable orders and pursuing the Soviet Union's atheist agenda, KGB Chairman Shelepin searches for common ground with another zealous government agent from the opposite side, CIA agent Garver. However, while imprisoned by the Soviets for assassination and hoping for extradition; Garver discovers a Bible amongst the dead corpses in his cell and begins to transform into an even bigger enemy of the Soviet Union.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3112860/?ref_=fn_al_tt_2

[AlbertCat]

1. Oh brother!

"And suddenly a once-normal life is targeted by a team of ex-military operatives who wage a relentless campaign to eliminate the ...."

Like a "Nationally acclaimed evangelist " is a normal life! Besides, this is what they LIVE for anyway, isn't it?....poor put upon me?


The other one sounds hysterically National Lampoon circa 1972.


BTW... while having a hell of a cold, I watched "Seven Days in May". Veeeeeery interesting the parallels. The god-speak (from both sides), the tactics (take over the media)... but I love how the Senator from GA is one of the guys trying to save America and the Senator from CA is a sneak. The script is by Rod Serling so even tho' it's good, it has the '50s theatre jargon that nobody really talks in. But there is a great little speech by the President about how the problem is an attitude that America is so cowardly, it thinks it has to solve everything with violence and a bomb (gun).

Here it is on YouTube...in 4 parts (I think)

&list=PLeh7SrttpZzRUl-z6qthCLE7sOydKN-EW&spfreload=10

[onager]

2. One of my faves!

It was re-made - BADLY - as an HBO movie in 1994, "The Enemy Within." With Forest Whitaker playing Col. Casey and Sam Waterston. Two great actors, but they were hobbled by a bad script and a low budget.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0109730/?ref_=nv_sr_1

IMO, one of the worst remakes since the no-godawful 1996 TV movie version of "Vanishing Point." The writer/director was a right-winger, so it starred Jason "90210" Ghastly...er, Priestly as a Rush Limbaughian radio bloviator. (The part played by Cleavon Little in the original.)

And Viggo Mortenson as Kowalski. An interesting enigma in the original. In the remake, turned into that stock character of bad Lifetime movies, a guy just trying to get home to his pregnant wife.

Special Annoying Bonus - along with the right-wing propaganda, lots of woo-woo crap about Native American sweat lodges, animal spirits etc. etc. And Extra Special Bonus - the Evil U.S. gubmint is chasing Kowalski this time.

The only good parts were the vintage Dodge Challengers and Chargers used in the flick. Including a Hemi Charger driven by Steve Railsback as a demented country lawman. Railsback looked less demented when he played Charlie Manson.

Sorry I went off the rails with that rant, but I loved the original "VP." That remake severely annoyed me.

[AlbertCat]

3. Sorry I went off the rails with that rant, but I loved the original "VP."

That's ok.

But Jason Priestly has gotten my vote ever since he did "Die Mommie, Die!"

[edhopper]

8. While looking at the YouTube trailer

I also saw one for a movie called "Jinn"
Based around the Muslim or Middle East myth.

The trailer is silly, but the comments are hysterical.

[awoke_in_2003]

4. I would watch LMN

before I watched that drek.

[onager]

5. I watch a lot of Lifetime...

For an otherwise relatively normal old guy. And former Marine drill instructor.

I'd never watch one of their stupid rom-coms or tear-jerkers. But many of their "based on a true story" movies are very well done - stuff like the Jodi Arias movie; "Tall Hot Blonde" (that one has the Mother of All Twist Endings and is TRUE); the one about Scott Peterson; the Craigslist killer, etc. etc.

Just this week LMN ran a great 2-hour documentary: My Uncle Is The Green River Killer.

Ignore the usual exploitative title, this thing is just chilling. Features home video of Gary Ridgway at a traditional Thanksgiving celebration - laughing, joking, playing with his little nieces and nephews...

And that very same night, he took a detour on his way home and killed a woman.

Ridgway admits, on-camera, that he literally killed so many women he can't remember some of them.

He got away with that for a very long time. Partly because he seemed so normal. Including being active in his church, naturally. Ridgway's family will be scarred by his actions forever, and the show goes into that.

[Curmudgeoness]

6. And the word of this year is "persecuted".

I have heard more about how persecuted Christians are than I can believe. You would think that they are being executed in the USA like is happening in some other countries (oddly, not by atheists, but by Muslims for the most part). When I think of the privilege that they enjoy here, it amazes me how they can claim, with a straight face, that they are being persecuted.

[AtheistCrusader]

7. They have a lot of practice making up complete and utter bullshit.