ONE OF MY FAVORITE QUESTIONS TO ask someone who I know is in a relationship, is how they met. I have enjoyed all the stories I have heard throughout the years from couples, whether the meeting was random or calculated. In one of my previous reviews, I wrote about the circumstances that led me to a wonderful relationship. We had met while waiting in line for a scary amusement park attraction. There is nothing like experiencing heart palpitations to jump start a relationship, lol. I have a relative who fell in love with a student in her fifth-grade elementary classroom. She had diaries filled with her conversations with the boy, her quest to sit next to him during assemblies and school bus rides, even following him after school. All her efforts paid off because they did become a couple and when they reached adulthood they married. It is funny, I know two other couples who also only dated each other while growing up. One must admire their conviction and determination, knowing that person is the right one and sticking with it. There few are the minority, because most of the stories I have heard involved chance or just being in the right place at the right time.      ONE OF THE MORE UNUSUAL STORIES I heard about involved towing a car. A friend of mine parked in a parking lot next to a bar, to run in and simply use the place’s bathroom. When she came out, her car was gone. It took her a minute to comprehend what exactly happened, but then she ran back into the bar to tell the bartender, who was cleaning his station before the evening’s rush of customers. He explained the lot was not theirs and a warning sign was posted on the side of their building, listing a towing company that was dreaded by everyone in the city. She was visibly upset. The bartender asked another bartender to take over and he offered to drive her to the towing company, assuring her that her car would be there. They had to drive only four miles, but it felt like it was hours to her before they reached the towing company. He dropped her off and waited until she walked into the front office. After filling out paperwork and paying a hefty fine she got her car back. She was so grateful and appreciative for what the bartender did, that she drove back to the bar, parking in a legal spot, and told the bartender she wanted to take him out for lunch that weekend to thank him. She had no other motive. However, after they met and ate lunch, they agreed to go out again and as they say, the rest was history. I enjoy hearing about these prologues to couples’ relationships. That is part of the reason I enjoyed this prequel to a story I first heard about over forty years ago.      AFTER ARRIVING AT THE CHURCH IN Rome to begin her religious vows, a young American woman notices and experiences unusual behaviors taking place around her. There seems to be a darkness descending onto the church. With Nell Tiger Free (Wonderwell, Servant-TV) as Margaret, Ralph Ineson (The Green Knight, The Creator) as Father Brennan, Sonia Braga (Shotgun Wedding, Kiss of the Spider Woman) as Sister Silva, Tawfeek Barhom (Cairo Conspiracy, Worlds Apart) as Father Gabriel and Maria Caballero (Olvido, The Girl in the Mirror-TV) as Luz; this film surprised me because it was written in a logical pattern that made sense to me. I may not have remembered much about the original movie The Omen, but this story line was written in a straightforward way. I will say the pacing is slow, so some viewers, especially those who are not familiar with the story, may feel bored at times. Decent performances by the cast helped move the story along. There was more suspense in this film than horror, which I for one appreciated; though, there still were a few scenes with blood in it. The last thing I will say about this movie is I did not know I would be glad to find out the story in The Omen got its start. 

2 ½ stars