David Lynch’s recent passing has had me thinking about an online production in the spirit of his series Twin Peaks.
Balladeer’s Blog’s love of quality horror ARGs (Alternate Reality Games) has been well established. In the past I’ve examined productions like Local 58, Claridryl and Jack Torrance (NOT the character from The Shining.)
This time around I’m taking a look at what I call Poland’s answer to Twin Peaks – MAGICZNY SWIAT ANI or MAGICAL WORLD OF ANIA. Like Local 58, this ARG is still going, so if you’re interested in pitting your wits against the producer’s, the various mysteries remain unresolved as of this writing.
NOTE: BE SURE TO USE THE CLOSED CAPTIONING FOR TRANSLATION FROM THE POLISH LANGUAGE.
The eerie storyline revolves around the disappearance of a beautiful young Polish woman named Ania Slowinska and the dark, seemingly supernatural forces behind it. As the tale unfolds it becomes apparent other women have fallen victim to the same forces, with one having had all her teeth removed after being murdered.
Among the many suspects and supporting characters in the drama are Ania’s mother Kristina, who seems to be morbidly enjoying the attention her daughter’s disappearance has brought her. Others include Ania’s birth-father – whom she never knew – plus her step-father, an infatuated stalker, a jealous female friend and a faith healer with a very strange band of disciples.
WARNING: If you don’t like off-kilter horror don’t click “continue reading.” Continue reading
20,000 LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA (1916) – The famous first cinematic adaptation of the Jules Verne classic. Having loved the version of this pioneering 1916 film that was available during the 1990s and earlier I had put off watching the restored and upgraded version released in 2010. 
Personally, I would have preferred that Universal had just produced a shorter 20,000 Leagues film that was all Leagues and nothing but Leagues, then release The Mysterious Island later as a sequel. In 1916 audience expectations were not yet such that movies had to run the 86 to 105 minutes boasted by surviving copies of 20,000 Leagues. 
Have I mentioned lately that anti-Trumpers are the most ignorant, uninformed and emotionally unstable people I have ever seen? They still haven’t learned to curb their brain-dead enthusiasm for reading “nazi salutes” and the like into waves from people associated with him. 
At any rate, this blog post shows just a few of the photos online which featured Democrats Hillary Clinton, Kamala Harris, Barack Obama, Elizabeth Warren and many, many more of their ilk making that same arm gesture when waving to crowds. 
Democrats, you are in no way fit to compare yourselves to heroic people who were often killed or tortured by REAL nazis, often being herded to their deaths with the laughter of their killers being the last thing they ever heard. NO Democrat today would have the courage to take any actual risk by opposing the world’s REAL forces of oppression in 2025.
THE BEST OF BROADWAY (1954-1955) – Balladeer’s Blog’s latest look at a Forgotten Television item deals with The Best of Broadway. The color program aired on CBS once per month and its failure to last more than one season may be explained by the fact that the other three weeks the program that aired in its time slot was … Pabst Blue Ribbon Bouts. 
THE ROYAL FAMILY (September 15th, 1954) – From the Edna Ferber and George S. Kaufman comedy The Royal Family of Broadway. Paul Nickell directed this depiction of a Barrymore-esque thespian dynasty and the chaos that results when the family matriarch is outraged to learn that her daughter and granddaughter are considering leaving their stage careers behind for marriage. 
MESSAGES FROM MARS BY THE AID OF THE TELESCOPE PLANT (1892) – Written by Robert D Braine. I shortened the title for the blog post headline. The main character of this novel is a sailor named Nordhausen. After leaving Madagascar our hero winds up shipwrecked on an uncharted island. 
The natives take him through a cave entrance to their hidden village which is a blend of the primitive and the futuristic. For the “sacrilege” of damaging one of the telescope plants Nordhausen is to be executed. The means? A device formed from several of the lens-like leaves which magnify the sunlight into a makeshift heat-ray, like holding a magnifying glass over a piece of paper to catch it on fire. 
Not even having the career criminal installed in his place in 2020 unleashing his attack dogs in the DOJ on him stopped him. Not even the heinous heads of the CIA stopped him. Not even multiple assassination attempts stopped him. (Though let’s face it, America’s cesspool of a political establishment may yet try more impeachments and assassination attempts against him.) 
But most importantly, the man himself prevailed. By refusing to give in to forces that would have stopped lesser figures, Trump inspired America’s voters to remember the many successes from his first term and take note of the failures, graft and lies of the white-collar criminals who opposed him. From BOTH parties. 
NBA LEVEL SCORE – Both teams made the Century Club in this game between the NEW COLLEGE OF FLORIDA MIGHTY BANYANS and the visiting WARNER UNIVERSITY ROYALS. By Halftime the Mighty Banyans were on top 66-41. The Royals rallied after the break but fell short as NCF won 124-117. Charlie Yoder led the victors with a Double Double of FORTY-FOUR points and 10 rebounds. 
CENTURY CLUB – Teams scoring 100 or more points in Regulation: The HUNTINGTON UNIVERSITY FORESTERS won 109-60 at the GOSHEN COLLEGE MAPLE LEAFS ## The BUSHNELL UNIVERSITY BEACONS beat the EVERGREEN COLLEGE GEODUCKS 100-92 ## The LSU-ALEXANDRIA GENERALS won 104-72 at the TEXAS COLLEGE STEERS ## And the DALTON STATE ROADRUNNERS downed the BREWTON-PARKER COLLEGE BARONS 115-87. 
DEFENSIVE EPIC – This game pitted the traveling CAL MARITIME ACADEMY KEELHAULERS against the SIMPSON UNIVERSITY REDHAWKS. The Keelhaulers held a 36-27 advantage at the Half then maintained enough distance from the Redhawks for a 64-59 triumph. Thirteen points from Jamal Frenchwood led this team effort. 
Balladeer's Blog 