Two new movie projects explore Area 51, UFOs

By Steve Hammons

Nevada's not-so-secret test range for advanced U.S. aircraft and extraterrestrial-engineered UFOs is the focus of two current movie projects.

Oren Peli, who created the current independent film sensation Paranormal Activity, is now working on Area 51, using a somewhat similar style.

Meanwhile, the rights to a project tentatively titled S4: The Incredible True Story of Bob Lazar were recently obtained by Curmudgeon Films.

Lazar is the individual who came forward in 1989 and claimed to have been a scientist at Area 51 where he worked on and viewed extraterrestrial craft.

Will today's audiences be interested in the subject of Area 51 – a topic that has been the subject of so many TV programs, films and books?

PROFIT POTENTIAL

Peli's Paranormal Activity was reportedly made on a budget of about $15,000. It has already grossed approximately $65 million during a limited distribution in college towns and smaller venues in about 950 theaters. Last weekend, it was being shown on 2,000 screens.

According to some reports, the movie has, so far, achieved a return on investment of 434,000 percent, making it the most profitable film on record.

Peli got a bump up in his resources for Area 51, reportedly obtaining funding for a $5 million budget for the story of three teens with a video camera who try to sneak onto the secret base to see what they can see.

It may not turn out well for the three teens – but the results might be excellent for Peli and his associates.

Over at Curmudgeon Films, obtaining the rights to S4: The Incredible True Story of Bob Lazar from New Line Cinema might turn out to be a good investment too.

A screenplay is being written by Kenneth Yakkel. He is reportedly incorporating the true life accounts of Lazar, who in 1989 spoke with Las Vegas TV news reporter George Knapp about Area 51 and the alien spacecraft Lazar claimed to have seen in secret hangars there.

Lazar told Knapp, of KLAS, Channel 8 (a CBS affiliate), that while working at a location called S-4, he saw extraterrestrial craft that were being examined and "back-engineered" by U.S. personnel.

He also claimed that he was briefed about the background and history of the extraterrestrials and their activities on Earth

AUDIENCE INTEREST

A steady stream of movies on related topics have been released in recent months. Area 51 and S4: The Incredible True Story of Bob Lazar seem to fit in nicely with other excellent works that have been thrilling and enlightening viewers lately.

The recent remake of The Day the Earth Stood Still presented several new angles for audiences to think about, including the destruction of Earth's natural resources, ecosystem and environment.

Race to Witch Mountain took young and old movie fans on an action-packed adventure that included two extraterrestrials who appeared as human kids and needed to enter a secret Nevada military facility.

During the summer, the light-hearted Aliens in the Attic entertained us with a story of a vacationing family dealing with friendly and not-so-friendly aliens. The kids in the movie had to take charge due to alien mind control that affected the grownups.

The troubling film District 9 opened in theatres last August and presented an even different scenario of aliens landing on Earth. We saw the dark side of humans – how we treat each other and how we might treat beings who are different from us.

In November, the animated Planet 51 is scheduled to open in theatres. This fun film is a twist on the usual scenario of aliens visiting Earth. This time, humans are the aliens flying the UFO and landing on someone else's planet.

This same theme of humans invading another planet will be explored in James Cameron's Avatar, due in theatres this December. This technically-advanced movie promises to be a visual thrill with a story that is deep and meaningful.

Also in November, The Fourth Kind will deal with accounts of abductions of humans by extraterrestrials or some kind of unusual beings. This somewhat frightening topic will be looked at in the story of a psychotherapist who discovers that her clients have possibly experienced alien abduction.

Undoubtedly, audiences will also be ready and waiting to line up, buy their tickets and popcorn, and enjoy upcoming movies such as Area 51 and S4: The Incredible True Story of Bob Lazar.

Police sergeant sees ETs at crop circle? No UFO reported

By Steve Hammons

An off-duty police sergeant in the UK is reported to have seen possible extraterrestrials or unusal beings on the ground near a crop circle last July 6.

According to published reports, the unidentified Wiltshire officer was driving that morning near a crop circle that had appeared a few days earlier near Silbury Hill.

Then, he spotted three human-like figures in what appeared to be white coveralls.

Crop circle researcher Andrew Russell is working with the officer in researching the incident. Russell is quoted as saying, “At first he thought they were forensic officers as they were dressed in white coveralls.”

“He stopped his car and approached the field. The figures were all over six feet and had blond hair. They seemed to be inspecting the crop,” Russell said.

As the officer stopped his car and got out, ''He shouted to the figures who, at first, ignored him, not glancing at him. When he tried to enter the field they looked up and began running,” Russell stated.

STRANGENESS STARTS

According to Russell, the officer said, “They ran faster than any man I have ever seen … I looked away for a second and when I looked back they were gone.”

The officer also reportedly noticed a crackling electrical type of noise, similar to static electricity, as he approached the crop circle.

''I then got scared,” the officer is reported to have told Russell. “The noise was still around but I got an uneasy feeling and headed for the car. For the rest of the day I had a pounding headache …''

Another crop circle researcher, Colin Andrews, is also looking into this case, according to UK news reports. Andrews is reported to have said he is ''convinced'' by the officer's report.

Andrews has reported on his Web site colinandrews.net that the three beings “were wearing one piece white suites, with hoods that had been dropped onto the back of their heads.”

He also noted that the officer was about 400 yards away when he first yelled toward the individuals.

He also wrote on his blog site that “the officer is planning to use a police sketch artist from another police authority to produce images from the experience.”

So far, there has been no mention of a UFO or unknown craft in this case.

A Wiltshire Police spokesperson is quoted in news reports as saying, "The police officer was apparently off duty when this happened so we have no comment to make because it is a personal not a police matter."

SITE HAS HISTORY

This apparently is not the first time unusual phenomena has occurred at this site.

According to researcher Andrews, “This is the same location where on the 23 May 1994, four researchers (including one nuclear scientist) visiting a crop design in this field, witnessed intense military presence moments before they each experienced 45 minutes missing time and within a short while a further period of missing time.”

“Each had red marks appear on their necks and had severe nose bleeds hours later,” he reports on colinandrews.net.

“This is also the site of a secret military surveillance during the same week as the 1990 Operation Blackbird. It was over these fields that the army filmed a large unidentified white orb,” Andrews’ Web site notes.

Andrews also pointed out that there have been “a number of very similar reports of entities in this exact field and those next door.”

He states that a previous incident involved “a very close encounter with a 8-9 feet tall being, north of Silbury Hill.”

A witness “was visited by three government officers who produced a book of sketches of different ET beings and ask the witness which one he had seen. At least two agencies were allegedly involved which should help verify this case.”