Halloween
Halloween’s origins date back to the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain. The Celts, who lived 2,000 years ago in the area that is now known as Ireland, the United Kingdom, and northern France, celebrated their new year on November 1. This day marked the end of summer and the harvest and the beginning of the dark, cold winter, a time of year that was often associated with human death. Celts believed that on the night before the new year, the boundary between the worlds of the living and the dead became blurred. On the night of October 31, they celebrated Samhain, when it was believed that the ghosts of the dead returned to earth. In addition to causing trouble and damaging crops, Celts thought that the presence of the otherworldly spirits made it easier for the Druids, or Celtic priests, to make predictions about the future. For a people entirely dependent on the volatile natural world, these prophecies were an important source of comfort and direction during the long, dark winter.
To commemorate the event, Druids built huge sacred bonfires, where the people gathered to burn crops and animals as sacrifices to the Celtic deities. During the celebration, the Celts wore costumes, typically consisting of animal heads and skins, and attempted to tell each other’s fortunes. When the celebration was over, they re-lit their hearth fires, which they had extinguished earlier that evening, from the sacred bonfire to help protect them during the coming winter. By A.D. 43, Romans had conquered the majority of Celtic territory. In the course of the four hundred years that they ruled the Celtic lands, two festivals of Roman origin were combined with the traditional Celtic celebration of Samhain.
By the 800s, the influence of Christianity had spread into Celtic lands. In the seventh century, Pope Boniface IV designated November 1 All Saints’ Day, a time to honor saints and martyrs. It is widely believed today that the pope was attempting to replace the Celtic festival of the dead with a related, but church-sanctioned holiday. The celebration was also called All-hallows or All-hallowmas (from Middle English Alholowmesse meaning All Saints’ Day) and the night before it, the night of Samhain, began to be called All-hallows Eve and, eventually, Halloween. Even later, in A.D. 1000, the church would make November 2 All Souls’ Day, a day to honor the dead. It was celebrated similarly to Samhain, with big bonfires, parades, and dressing up in costumes as saints, angels, and devils. Together, the three celebrations, the eve of All Saints’, All Saints’, and All Souls’, were called Hallowmas.
Part of the history of Halloween is Halloween costumes. The practice of dressing up in costumes and begging door to door for treats on holidays goes back to the Middle Ages, and includes Christmas wassailing. Trick-or-treating resembles the late medieval practice of “souling,” when poor folk would go door to door on Hallowmas (November 1), receiving food in return for prayers for the dead on All Souls Day (November 2). It originated in Ireland and Britain, although similar practices for the souls of the dead were found as far south as Italy. Shakespeare mentions the practice in his comedy The Two Gentlemen of Verona (1593), when Speed accuses his master of “puling [whimpering, whining], like a beggar at Hallowmas.”
Trick-or-treating on the prairie. Although some popular histories of Halloween have characterized trick-or-treating as an adult invention to rechannel Halloween activities away from vandalism, nothing in the historical record supports this theory. To the contrary, adults, as reported in newspapers from the mid-1930s to the mid-1950s, typically saw it as a form of extortion, with reactions ranging from bemused indulgence to anger. Likewise, as portrayed on radio shows, children would have to explain what trick-or-treating was to puzzled adults, and not the other way around. Sometimes even the children protested: for Halloween 1948, members of the Madison Square Boys Club in New York City carried a parade banner that read “American Boys Don’t Beg.”
A jack-o’-lantern (sometimes also spelled Jack O’Lantern) is typically a carved pumpkin. It is associated chiefly with the holiday Halloween. Typically the top is cut off, and the inside flesh then scooped out; an image, usually a monstrous face, is carved onto the outside surface, and the lid replaced. During the night, a candle is placed inside to illuminate the effect. The term is not particularly common outside North America, although the practice of carving lanterns for Halloween is.
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A New Superman Movie To Hit The Big Screen
When a new Superman movie was announced, just a few years after Superman Returns, which was directed by Bryan Singer in 2006, many expected it to be another sequel. But instead like we have seen with Batman, and are about to see with Spiderman, they have decided to re-boot the series and have hired a new exciting director and cast to lead the way.
Originally created in 1932 by Canadian artist Joe Shuster and American writer Jerry Siegel, Superman was the comic strip that was led the way with the superhero genre. It did not take long for it to capture the imaginations of America, and very soon a radio show was developed and became very popular. This was followed in 1941 by an animated series, which ran in cinemas before the main feature and starred the voice actors from the radio show. Then in 1948 Kirk Alyn became the first man to play Superman in a live-action serialized version in the cinemas.
More animated shows, comics and books would follow over the next three decades, there was even a musical on Broadway, and then in 1978 Richard Donner directed Christopher Reeve in the title role as Superman returned to the big screen. This movie was followed by three more sequels with Reeve, though number 3 and 4 were not really related to the first two movies. Television became the home for the Man of Steel, in the form of series like Lois and Clark and the more recent Smallville. But in 2006 Bryan Singer was convinced to return to Metropolis.
And that was the above mentioned Bryan Singer film, which almost followed on where the original two Christopher Reeve movies ended. Brandon Routh, a relative unknown was cast as the Man of Steel, with Kate Bosworth as Lois Lane and Kevin Spacey as Lex Luthor. Despite excellent reviews and even a few awards, the box office returns disappointed the studios.
The man who will play Clark Kent and his superhero alto ego this time, is another actor who may not be familiar to everyone. Henry Cavill is a British actor who is best known for his role as Charles Brandon in the TV series, The Tudors.
This has been a long wait for Cavill, who has been very close to major roles a few times, and it is believed he almost played the role in Bryan Singer’s version too. He was also considered for other roles he narrowly lost out, including Batman and James Bond, as well as the lead role in Stephanie Meyer’s Twilight series.
Amy Adams, best known for her roles in The Fighter and Enchanted, will play reporter Lois Lane, the role originally made famous by Margot Kidder. Playing the Kents are two of Hollywood’s top stars over the past two decades, with Kevin Costner and Diane Lane filling the roles. At this point most other actors have not been named, and these secrets are being kept under wraps until closer to the release date.
Superman: Man of Steel is expected to be released in 2012 and will be directed by the man who too the helm of 300, Watchmen and Sucker Punch, the highly regarded Zack Snyder. Known for his strong focus on action and stylized visuals, it is has got many fans excited. A similar level of excitement grew when it was announced that the script had been written by David S. Goyer. Goyer, who created and wrote the Blade Series, was also also responsible for the the stories of Batman Returns and The Dark Knight.
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The Most Recent in the Fast And Furious Movies, Fast Five, Is Bigger, Badder and Better Than The Rest
Each one gets better and better, and Fast Five is going to give you the ride of your life in the fabulous Fast and Furious series. Daredevil auto racing, dangerous stunts and exciting characters will have you biting your nails from beginning to end. You will be thrust into the fast world of racing and how it should be done. This allstar cast is back together once again for some heart pounding action.
Only the best characters have been chosen from past installments to come together in Fast Five to give the audience what they want, total action. So here is the story: Dom (Vin Diesel) who is a career criminal, is locked up in custody once again for his foolishness. To get himself out of trouble, he has to gather his old gang to spring him out.
Needless to say, this is where all the pounding action has its roots. Brian and Mia are compelled to get Dom out of jail since the gang always helps each another. Brian has a distinct advantage, since he was once on the other side of the law and with Mia’s help, getting Dom out is a piece of cake. Don’t think that is far from the end of the story. No, it gets better (or worse, it depends on your point of view) from there on.
All of this action is going to be in theaters starting on April 29, 2011, and die hard racing are definitely going to be lining up to see this craziest one in the series.
Half of the challenge will be escaping over borders and being chased down by the authorities. But they manage, and evading all of the border guards, travel all the way down to Rio de Janeiro.
The real mission is to pull of the biggest heist of their careers, but this still is going to be difficult because the money they are stealing is locked away. It is locked up tight, for sure, but not only that, it is safely tucked away in of all places, a police barracks. Yep, you heard right, they need to steal 100 million dollars out of a police station, that is their mission.
Needless to say, there are twists and turns to the story that make things as difficult as you can imagine, but they have to figure out a way to get themselves to freedom. Once they locate the so called businessman who put Dom in trouble in the first place, they will succeed. Get set for fast, furious auto action in the new Fast Five movie.
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Movie Examination – The Disquieting Sherlock Holmes
The most recent rendition of Sherlock Holmes has hit theaters recently, and has received stunning reviews. If you like any sort of crime mystery, action movie, edge of you seat suspense, then you simply cannot miss this powerful version of Sherlock Holmes starring Robert Downy Jr., and Jude Law. Many are saying that this is perhaps the best rendition of Holmes yet.
The movie begins with Holmes and his dependable associate stopping a horrific slaying from taking place. We find out that the murderer has been wanted for a while, and thanks to Holmes and Watson, the law at long last have him in custody. We also discover that this is to be Watson’s ultimate case with Holmes, as he is engaged to be married. Of course, we will need to follow through with the killers execution, but not before he calls Holmes to his jail cell to give him a upsetting forecast. The killings have only just begun.
After he is hanged, Holmes and Watson split their separate ways. Nevertheless, the next day, the killer’s remains, the man who was seemingly hanged the day before, and indeed verified deceased by Dr. Watson himself, has someway smashed out of his tomb, and is at large once again. And just as he predicted, the killings have started again.
Holmes follows the footprints to a furtive religious group, that currently being led by the killer’s father. The faction hires Holmes to find the killer, as he has some underground magic learned from the faction, and they do not suppose he can be controlled. Holmes accepts the experiment, but for his own reasons.
The assassin returns to the clandestine religious group, and begins killing those that dispute his rise to power. He uses an assortment of methods of killing, and leaves quite a lot of clues for Holmes to follow. Holmes and Watson, who has been dragged back to Holmes’ side apparently against his will, discover the diabolical strategy of the new cult, now led by the apparently back from the departed murderer.
Holmes and Watson must race against time to keep the killer from finishing his final deadly coup on the British Parliament. His diabolical plans extend far ahead of taking over the mystifying sect. He wants to take over Britain, and then the world. The closing whodunit is exposed when Holmes faces the killer, and reveals all his info. Many people are seeing this movie twice and even three times to pick up these captivating clues that are presumably dropped all through this strong tale. If you haven’t seen it, you should. If you have seen it, then you should see it again.
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