Bats – Fliegende Teufel (1999)

Bats – Fliegende Teufel: Directed by Louis Morneau. With Lou Diamond Phillips, Dina Meyer, Bob Gunton, Leon. Genetically mutated bats escape and it’s up to a bat expert and the local sheriff to stop them.

“Godu0026#39;s Not Dead 2 follows an ensemble cast (some old, some new), all flung into the sticky tendrils of a flimsy courtroom drama surrounding a history teacher and her answer to a contentious classroom question. Because Ms. Wesley (Hart) had the temerity, the gall, nay the malicious, impudent daring to draw parallels to Martin Luther King Jr. and Jesus Christ, the public school, teachers union, local government, and the ACLU are all out for blood. Will Ms. Wesley be able to continue professing her faith? Will she lose her job? Will Reverend Dave (White) finally be able to start his car? And did Tituba really see Goodie Proctor with the devil?u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eOkay letu0026#39;s dissect this bloated corpse of a movie by first highlighting the good parts. Director Harold Cronk has sure learned a lot since 2014 though some of the elevated crane shots and glossy establishing scenes may have something to do with a bigger budget. His ability to manipulate his audience to well up in a flurry of sanctimonious pride and self-adulation is not to be underestimated. Thankfully, Godu0026#39;s Not Dead 2 doesnu0026#39;t outright vilify atheists and doubters like itu0026#39;s prequel; in-fact one of our heroes, scrappy attorney Tom Endler (Metcalfe) is an agnostic who doesnu0026#39;t become a convert by the end credits. Also as far as acting goes, returning cast member Paul Kwo is given much more to do than be a walking Asian stereotype. He exhibits a sincerity we never saw before and one canu0026#39;t help but think if the movie were about him, itu0026#39;d be a hundred times better. Then thereu0026#39;s Melissa Joan Hart who truth be told is a much better central figure than Shane Harper, whou0026#39;s pious college freshman was more weaselly than anything.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eYet what the movie gets wrong, it gets very wrong; starting with itu0026#39;s representation of a legal system gone rogue. While confusing and conflating basic legal concepts like u0026quot;precedentu0026quot; and u0026quot;discoveryu0026quot; and u0026quot;defendantu0026quot;, the film nevertheless aims its sights on drumming up accusations of religious persecution while playing to the very tired culture war clichés weu0026#39;ve gotten sick of twenty years ago. Much like the filmu0026#39;s predecessor, Godu0026#39;s Not Dead 2 isnu0026#39;t based on any specific case of religious persecution. Itu0026#39;s more cobbled together out of a few lower court cases taken out of context and those dubious Facebook posts your angry Uncle from Omaha wishes were true but arenu0026#39;t. In a side story, returning character, actual producer and Keystone Kops impersonator David A.R. White has to turn in three years worth of notes on his sermons to the government because of…reasons. While doing so he confronts a grotesque bureaucratic flunky who warns him in an exchange so over-the-top youu0026#39;d swear the movie was hinting at a vast Atheistic conspiracy.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eIn response to the film being called an example of u0026quot;fake persecutionu0026quot; by an Atheist blogger, White stated, u0026quot;Itu0026#39;s an interesting thing, because, if it wasnu0026#39;t real, why do they get so offended by it…I donu0026#39;t think it would annoy people if it wasnu0026#39;t true.u0026quot; Of course if we followed that logic every teething toddler at a Dennys would be considered a sage. Religious persecution is a big deal worldwide as explicitly stated when Reverend Jude (Onyango) warns Martin of his plan to preach the gospel in Communist China. Despite Christianity being the largest religious doctrine in the world, Christians are harassed, discriminated against and oppressed in many places all over the world. And yes it does sometimes happen in the good u0026#39;ol US of A though despite some limitations you can still express your religion at home, school, work, church, billboards, park benches, television, radio, magazines and newspapers. Why cheapen a very real problem with a false conceit? Especially one even committed Atheists and the ACLU would side with the plaintiff.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThankfully the main takeaway in Godu0026#39;s Not Dead 2 is something most people can get behind; we shouldnu0026#39;t stifle religion nor any exchange of ideas or perspectives, even in something as revered (or in this case vilified) as the hallowed halls of a public school. That message is certainly a cut above Godu0026#39;s Not Deadu0026#39;s (2014) all Atheists are whining children who never got what they wanted for Christmas. With a door wide open for yet another sequel to this drivel, I honestly would rather hear the rabble in Inherit the Wind (1960) sing u0026quot;Give Me That Old Time Religionu0026quot; in a loop for two hours.”