All blog posts, in all categories
Abraham Lincoln, 1930
A film by D.W. Griffith
A cinematic biography of Abraham Lincoln, the iconic civil war era President, crafted by the renowned, and controversial, director who pioneered the techniques of modern film making, D.W. Griffith.
The last Monday in May is Memorial Day in the U.S., which is a day reserved to honor those who died serving their country in the military.
The management team of Face Activities wishes our members and their families a meaningful and thoughtful memorial day.
This video is a brief history, and meaning, of the holiday:
Photo: By U.S. Department of Defense Current Photos – 130528-F-AQ406-201, Public Domain, Link
Frankenstein: The Movie, starring Boris Lugosi, 1974
Victor Frankenstein experiments on a member of a tribe of Neanderthals inhabiting a cave near his ancestral castle and laboratory, with horrific results.
India, 2010
A recent documentary expedition to southern India, to explore the culture, archaeology, issues of modernity, and wildlife of this fascinating and ancient region.
Viewers can stream the 2021 Oscars through the ABC app.
You can live stream the 93rd Academy Awards by visiting the ABC website, or by downloading the ABC app.
The app is available on all major streaming platforms, including Roku, Google Play, and Apple.
Tonight is an interesting and innovative presentation that allows for a live show with links from around the world while still staying Covid-19 safe, with vaccinated guests.
Find out more about tonight’s show, who’s nominated, and more by clicking right here.
History of the Event
The Academy Awards (officially rebranded as The Oscars in 2013) originated in 1929, as a means to acknowledge outstanding achievement in the motion picture industry.
There was a small, private dinner ceremony on May 16, at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel in Hollywood, Californiaunder 300 people attended. An after-party at the Mayfair Hotel followed the main ceremony. Fifteen artists, directors and film-industry professionals were honored, but in contrast to later ceremonies, the winners had already been announced to the press three months earlier.
The tradition of the surprise reveal started with the second awards ceremony, in 1930, and the sealed envelope was introduced in 1941, after a newspaper leaked the news prematurely (the papers were given winning names early, with the agreement that they wouldnt publish until 11:00 pm the night of the big event.)
The first Best Actor award went to Emil Jannings, for The Last Command and The Way of All Flesh. Its interesting to note that the early awards were given for all the work done by the recipient during the qualifying period, unlike modern awards, which are typically given for one specific film project. Life time achievement awards are one exception to this modern trend.
Another difference of interest to film enthusiasts pertains to the Foreign Film category. Foreign films were honored with special achievement awards until 1957, at the 29th Academy Awards Ceremony, when the Foreign Film Category was added to the repertoire.
To date nearly three thousand Oscar statuettes have been awarded to a wide range of film professionals and personalities.
While the Oscars honor outstanding achievement in motion pictures, the following major awards honor outstanding achievement in other entertainment and media venues:
Gamera vs Viras (aka Destroy All Planets), 1968
A film by Noriaki Yuasa
“Gamera the Flying Turtle falls under the spell of evil aliens, but two children free him and he returns to fight the aliens’ monster, Viras.” (IMDB)
Dungeon Of Harrow, 1962
A film by Pat Boyette
“An evil, sadistic count lives in a waterfront castle with his insane family members. One day the survivor of a shipwreck washes ashore near the castle and finds himself a captive there.” (IMDB)
The management team of Face Activities wishes our members and visitors, and their families, a very Happy Easter!
Easter is the most important holiday in Christianity. It’s celebrated by 2.2 billion Christians world-wide. Traditional Christians worship the divinity of Jesus, and Easter Sunday is the day, according to the Bible, when Jesus rose from the dead, revealing himself to be a divine figure. Easter, at its essence, actually defines Christianity.
Easter is the culmination of “holy week,” including many religious events. Most well known are Palm Sunday (a celebratory day) commemorating when Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey (a symbol representing a peaceful King) and Good Friday (a day of fasting and penance), commemorating his crucifixion and death at the hands of the Romans. The joyful holiday of Easter, commemorating his Resurrection, caps the holy week with an exuberant feast.
As with Christmas and other Christian holidays, many pagan elements have worked their way into modern Easter celebrations. This blending of traditions was encouraged by the early church, which sought to incorporate diverse religious and cultural groups into the religion by adopting and repurposing the ancient religious holidays and culturally specific imagery of these groups. For this reason rabbits and eggs, which were common pagan fertility symbols throughout Europe, have their place in the modern holiday.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0, Link
Silent Night, Bloody Night, 1972
A film by Theodore Gershuny
“A man inherits a mansion, which once was a mental home. He visits the place and begins to investigate some crimes that happened in old times, scaring the people living in the region.” (IMDB)
Dementia 13, 1963
A film by Francis Ford Coppola
A creepy study of a troubled family by the renowned cinematic master, in which insanity and axe murder are the order of the day. (Browse our Movie Archive)
