Friday, December 17, 2021

Magic Johnson Visits Saint Dionysios in Zakynthos


On June 28, 2021, former professional basketball player Magic Johnson visited the island of Zakynthos with his family. Previously he had visited Kerkyra and Ithica, sailing Greece’s Ionian Sea aboard his $150 million luxury yacht. His travels can be seen on video and through photos on his social media.
 
When visiting Zakynthos, he had the chance to pay his respects at the Church of Saint Dionysios. This is what he wrote on Instagram:

Thursday, November 11, 2021

"An Honest Thief" by Fyodor Dostoevsky and Photios Kontoglou


An Honest Thief is an 1848 short story by Fyodor Dostoevsky. The story recounts the tale of the tragic drunkard, Emelyan Ilyitch. This story is here accompanied by a little-known sketch drawn by Photios Kontoglou, who drew it specifically to depict the character in the story by Dostoevsky. On the back of the original drawing there is a handwritten note by his daughter, Despos Kontoglou-Martinou: "The Honest Thief" by Dostoevsky, 1924, watercolor and ink on paper, 11 X 9.5 cm., Eleni Voila.

Read the complete short story here.  


Saturday, October 30, 2021

Alfred Hitchcock Presents - "The Ikon of Elijah" (1960)


"The Ikon of Elijah" was originally broadcast on 10 January 1960 as part of the fifth season (ep. 16) of Alfred Hitchcock Presents.

The episode is based on the 1956 short story contained in the collection The Investigations of Avram Davidson. Davidson is best known for his work in the sci-fi and fantasy genres, but his 200+ published short stories included many mysteries. This volume collects thirteen of his best, most of which appeared in the pages of Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine between 1956-86. Two of his crime fiction stories, “The Ikon of Elijah” (in which an antique dealer goes to extreme lengths to obtain a valuable antique) and “Thou Still Unravished Bride” (in which a woman goes missing on her wedding day) were adapted for episodes of Alfred Hitchcock Presents. "The Ikon of Elijah" had also previously been the source of a 1958 episode of the CBC-TV anthology The Unforeseen.

Wednesday, October 13, 2021

Official Trailer: Saint Chryse (2021)


The film takes place in 1795, in the village of Slatena, near the border of Serbia and Bulgaria, when it was under Ottoman rule. The young Chryse (Zlata), who is a Christian, goes to gather wood, because it is winter. A Muslim in the area, who had been possessed by carnal love for Chryse, kidnaps her. For the next nine months the young girl suffers terrible abuse. She is systematically tortured, mentally and physically, because she refuses to convert to Islam and marry her abductor. She was horribly killed on October 13, 1795, refusing to betray her faith.

Thursday, September 30, 2021

When Will the Film "Man of God" Receive a Wide Release?


I've received over a dozen messages in the past week asking me when the film "Man of God" will be released. Though I appreciate the enthusiasm, I'm not involved with the film at all, and look forward to its release as much as everyone else. However, I decided to write this short update to at least inform people where things are at in the moment. I also want people to know that when I hear more information regarding the release in America, I will let everyone know.

Currently "Man of God" is playing in theaters throughout Greece and Cyprus. It has been out for five weeks and has been dominating at #1 at the box office every week, beating out even Hollywood summer blockbusters. According to screendaily.com on September 29th: