Written by Sean Lia

Back in 2020, amongst all the doom and gloom of the pandemic, we were still reeling from the flashbang that Disney had thrown at us in the form of Avengers: Endgame. It culminated an extremely long saga (for modern standards anyways, it was no Coronation Street… Fun fact, that show has been running for 61 years!), a saga that has enjoyed the attention of a large portion of the industry’s fame. To end something so enduring in such a bombastic manner was a feat in itself, but to continue forward and keep going on is also a great challenge.

Marvel’s Vision for the Future

Marvel has now just finished releasing its first few segments or chapters of a brand new story, one that should follow in the steps of the high-flown conclusion that Endgame was. First, we got WandaVision, arguably Marvel’s first foray into the small screen while still carrying a large ensemble of regular recurring cinema stars (don’t worry we didn’t forget Agents of Shield or Agent Carter). I can’t quite remember what I was expecting when I first watched WandaVision, but it definitely wasn’t what we got. Showrunner Jac Schaeffer and Director Matt Shakman managed to create a format and equation that made every viewer consistently eager for the next week’s episode.

I won’t give away much of the story, as this isn’t a review, but the whole point of any early show post-Endgame was always to set up a future storyline, one that, with further additions and introductions such as Shang-Chi, will be able to deliver a consistent stream of media and production that Marvel and of course Disney are so eager to continue at the same rate during the Infinity Saga. I can confidently say that WandaVision easily managed to do this, leaving viewers and fans continually theorising what may come next, both during the show’s run and even after.

Marvel Studios: The Falcon and the Winter Soldier

Soon after WandaVision, Marvel launched a new show, The Falcon and The Winter Soldier, which gave us a continuation of Sam Wilson’s and Bucky Barnes’ story while dealing with the loss of their friend Steve Rogers, the original Captain America. In the same way with WandaVision, Falcon managed to leave viewers consistently hinged on the story, leaving them breathless and wanting more. The same concept clearly stood for this show as well, where its whole aim was to set up a timeline that would stand for years to come. It’s interesting to note, that these barely ran for a month, WandaVision having 9 episodes, Falcon having only 6. These are very short runs, but amazingly, even without any upcoming seasons planned, both managed to create an aura of a complete story that at the same time opened up a whole realm of possibilities for new stories.

So, What Now?

Well, these two shows clearly served their purpose. Primarily, they provided Marvel with an extension to the MCU. They also served a secondary purpose, to act as a proof of concept for Disney+. The platform has easily been Disney’s primary focus during the pandemic, and its mass dedication to streaming content has long been apparent with Star Wars’ total dedication to online series such as Clone Wars Season 7 and The Mandalorian. WandaVision and Falcon acted as Marvel’s answer to Disney’s need for newer methods for providing content, with even more on the way in the form of the new Loki series. So since their success has been clear and evident, we can expect Disney to double in its effort for streamed media, for all their franchises, but, they won’t forget that the MCU is a cinematic universe after all, its main medium is the cinema. With Captain America 4 already announced, it’s clear that they won’t neglect the silver screen.

I’m quite confident that all of this is only going to flourish within the next few years. We always knew that Disney and Marvel had an almost impossible task ahead of them, that is, keeping the MCU relevant, but the opening acts have shown really good promise. Here’s to the future!

More of a Cinema Buff or a Streaming Guru? Read more about it here!

The post What’s Next for Marvel? – An Outlook for a Hopeful Future | 1-Up Club appeared first on The Third Eye.

Did streaming kill the cinema industry?

Where did this all start? Well, it’s been going for a long time. It’s no secret that streaming has boomed in the last few years, with everyone now having (or claiming to have) a Netflix account. The success of Netflix effectively eliminated the DVD industry, with DVD rental stores now being a thing of the past. So, considering that streaming has already killed off other media services, what is it doing to cinemas? Cinema attendance fell continually throughout the 2010s, so a decline has been ever-present for the last few years, but the COVID-19 pandemic created a massive hit to the industry. The fact that cinemas had to spend so much time closed meant that revenue was absolutely decimated for not only the cinema chains themselves, but also production companies that provided the movies.

In fact, it’s the production companies that started the current wave of problems and hot debates. This can all be traced to last April when the pandemic was truly taking hold. Universal Pictures announced that some of its movies would release directly to streaming sites, instead of being delayed until a later time to release conventionally in theatres. This would start with “Trolls: World Tour”, which released on the 10th of April, both in a small number of cinemas and directly to on-demand streaming. This has caused quite a stir and reaction from cinemas, in fact, AMC, the owners of the Odeon Cinema chain, declared that all Universal Pictures movies would not be shown in their theatres as long as Universal released directly to on-demand simultaneously with theatres.

So what’s to take from these corporate disputes?

Ideally, we try and take advantage of the situation. The thing is, this situation, for the most part, benefitted us during the lockdowns. Since production companies wanted to maximise profits in trying times, they tried to reach us in a different way, one that was more adapted to the situation. Streaming services have become vital to many people stuck working indoors as a way to while away the time. To say that the pricing of the vast array of streaming services springing up is controversial is an understatement, with many opting to go back to online piracy to obtain the movies and shows they want to watch. “The Mandalorian” on Disney+ was no exception, being last year’s most pirated series.

However, what about the cinema experience? It’s no secret that watching a movie at the cinema itself is different from just watching it on a TV or computer. In fact, it’s arguably more complete, with better effects from both a bigger screen and cinema-style surround sound enabling a more enthralling and vivid adventure. The biggest downside is the whole process of actually going to the cinema, not everyone has a cinema room in their home, so they have to get out and go there, which to be fair, isn’t the best of ideas during a pandemic. Then there are the prices. Yes, streaming services are pricy, but cinema tickets have been becoming steadily pricier. Then there’s the whole problem of actually having to go back home afterward, which hardly is as comfortable as just switching off your TV and curling up in bed.

It’s definitely hard to choose between the two. The comforts of streaming at home are amazing but the immersion of watching a film at the cinema is equally enticing. From our end, we’d recommend a mix of both, leave the proper blockbusters or the ones you’re excited about for the cinema, in order to truly enjoy and appreciate the movie. Whereas at the same time don’t be afraid to enjoy the comforts of home cinema, after all, home is where the heart is.

Check out 1-Up Club’s previous article here!

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President – The return of classics- Putting Cinema back in action

Since 2020 basically cancelled everything, a lot of releases planned for this year had to be moved to the next one. Daniel Craig’s last James Bond film is now scheduled for 2021, Space Jam 2 is also scheduled and even a sequel to the original Ghostbusters movies! All in all, a good year for the classics already.

Events Officer – Cobra Kai Season 3

Cobra Kai is a weird work. Imagine if you try to superimpose the adult life of a kid from a show into sort of the same setting, weird right? Well, as weird as it is, we love it. Cobra Kai is the spiritual successor to the original Karate Kid films, even featuring the same main actors all grown up trying to navigate their way through life. 2021 will see the release of Season 3, which will surely take this amazing story to great places.

Internal Secretary – Concerts

Social Distance is currently the name of the game, and quite rightly. Health has to take a priority in such a trying time, and so, mosh pits, which even before pandemics were quite a risky endeavour, have taken a long break. There have been cases this year where certain festivals and concerts managed to create either a drive-in environment or spaced out any available seating. While they were still concerts, the real vibe was lost. So, we’re hoping that once this all boils over, we can return to proper headbanging and moshing.

Media Officer – The return of Star Wars?

2020 ended with a bang, sort of. The release of The Mandalorian‘s second season was a great coping mechanism for many these past few weeks. The season has consistently provided great stories, interesting characters, beautiful visuals and overall an extremely enjoyable experience. This all begs one massive question, is Star Wars back?

This is a hell of a question to answer. Disney clearly thinks it is, of course they do, even after those disastrous sequels. A few weeks ago, just before the Mandalorian finale, they announced a huge amount of new media that will soon release, all hoping to ride on the great atmosphere that Mandalorian created. Well, we’re certainly hopeful, and we recently discussed this more in-depth in our new podcast called 1Up-cast which you can catch on Twitch or our YouTube channel.

Public Relations Officer – A heap of Anime and Manga

Our PRO is incessantly keen on anime (but in a good way). 2021 marks a good year for the genre with the fresh release for the Dr. Stone anime series. As well as series 2 of Promised Neverland. 2021 will also see the release of a new third-person shooter for the Ratchet & Clank franchise called Rift Apart. This should be an exciting edition to an already amazing series of games. Best of all, it’ll be available on the next-gen PS5, that is, if people will be able to buy PS5s in 2021…

Conclusion

All in all, we’re hopeful for 2021, we have to be, it’s a way by which we help ourselves to get on with it. We highly recommend trying to be hopeful for the future, as that way, each and every one of us help to make it truly better.

We will soon be doing another episode of 1Up-Cast based on the things we’re hyped about for 2021 where we’ll talk more in-depth about these and a lot more! Check out our Facebook page for information and updates! In the meantime, we wish you Happy Holidays and a very Happy New Year, from all of us at 1-Up Club!

The post Five Things That Might Make 2021 (a bit) Better | 1-Up Club appeared first on The Third Eye.

Joker released in cinemas across the US on the 4th of October. The reaction has been both somewhat surprising, but at the same time not.

A few months ago, we talked about if the customer is always right when it comes to movie reviews, especially due to the largely unfair critical responses regarding movies such as Venom, another comic-based movie. It seems that Joker has had its own fair share of criticism, this time, of a political nature.

Joker has been described as “shallow” by news outlets.

It is currently facing an uphill battle to remain “certified fresh” on Rotten Tomatoes. Yet, the audience review is currently at 92%… It’s hard to talk about a movie which I myself have not seen (heads-up for a 1-Up Joker event soon!). However, I’m pretty sure that the audience score can give a good idea for how it is.

One of the primary issues with Joker is its violence.

Outlets saying that the character goes too far as if they were expecting a hero. The truth is, that the Joker is one of the most violent comic book characters in history. We’re talking about a guy that shot a woman in the back, disabling her from the waist down, raped her, and then showed photos of it to her father.

The Joker is a disgustingly evil monster. So, I expect no less from a biopic describing him because that’s how he is. The criticism describing the movie as too violent is unfounded. The reality is that if someone wants to be the Dark Knight’s archenemy, he HAS to be a monster.

DC has also been busy preparing for their continuation of the DCEU.

Joker is not part of this ongoing film series. However, it seems that DC still haven’t hung their boots after Justice League due to the resurgence of the franchise due to the all-round good films in Aquaman and Shazam!. There are currently six movies planned, with two in post-production. One of these two dropped its trailer this week, Birds of Prey.

Birds of Prey is a loose adaptation of the comic book team of the same name. The movie will feature Margot Robbie returning to her Harley Quinn character who is on a quest of reinventing herself after leaving Jared Leto’s Joker. She will join forces with the Huntress, Black Canary (both members of the comics Birds of Prey) and Renee Montoya, a detective. The movie will also feature Ewan McGregor as Gotham crime lord Black Mask.

All this is promising us that it will be an amazing movie. We can only wait and see, but we won’t say no to more Margot Robbie and Ewan McGregor.

This movie can easily be more fresh air in the DCEU, same as Aquaman and Shazam!. So thank you DC, more of this, please!

The post Why everyone is loving Joker | 1-UP appeared first on The Third Eye.

New blood will soon be roaming the halls of the University of Malta! What better way to introduce them to Uni life than to showcase what we do at 1-Up Club!

Become a member!

Members are the most vital component of this club. We thrive on the diversity that pop culture brings to the table, and it is an absolute joy to get to know more people like us.

After all, the point of 1-Up Club is to unite all pop-culture fans, all nerds, all geeks, all weebs together, in one singular group, to celebrate our differences and similarities and how proud we are to be nerds. Our first major event was, in fact, is Freshers’ Week.

It is an important way how we manage to cross the threshold between us and our members. This year, we plan to do the same.

1-Up at Freshers’ Week

Throughout the week, we have an awesome booth planned. We’ll be able to interact with all our members and those who are interested.

You can come and enjoy the very best of modern Maltese pop culture. We really plan to integrate you into Maltese pop culture through some computer wizardry!

We will also have available a set of baked items and will always have a member of our executive on hand to provide information about pop culture in Uni life and what we do, especially about our events.

Exciting events lined up

Speaking of our events, we soon plan to launch our next set of events after Freshers’ Week, so we can immediately provide an impact and attraction for our own current members and new ones.

So if you come to our stand, don’t hesitate to ask our Exec members about our events!

We will also be on hand to talk about different activities that are done by our Exec members, including the chance to talk about cosplay with our Events Officer who is very experienced in the subject. We will also be available to talk about our upcoming involvement in the Malta Comic-Con.

Basically, we’re super excited to be a part of Freshers’ Week. We cannot wait to show you what’s planned throughout this scholastic year. Be sure to come and join us throughout it!

The post Find your second family at 1-Up Club appeared first on The Third Eye.

It has seen influence from all major powers and cultures around the whole coast of the Mare Nostrum and even beyond. We are not a single race, but a rich hotchpotch of all that is us, something valuable for a Pop-Culture club like us.

Yet, we Maltese seem to be unable to see and acknowledge our diversity most of the time.

Malta is celebrating its own Pride Week, with the March having happened yesterday, Saturday 14^th September. The build-up to this grand event has been incredible. We have long seen a movement of pro-LGBT rights activists pushing for equal rights to be envied globally.

In fact, Malta is one of a select few of countries which recognise equality between all sexualities on a Constitutional level, the highest law. The laws are there, and they’re getting better. However, the reality is, that despite the inclusive legal facade, a dark shadow still looms.

In Pop-Culture, diversity is the name of the game.

The absolute plethora of different genres, stories, settings and plots that have been conceived and others yet possible force us to be diverse. We can never like just one thing. We’re always bound to find something new, something better or something worse. We cannot close ourselves up, or else we would miss a whole boatload of opportunity and wonder.

It’s this theme of being open that has been something of an incredible argument in the past few years. Why should we be open? Why should we be ok with something new? Especially when maybe we’re comfortable how we are?

Humans are a curious creature; they cannot truly remain closed up. We cannot stop ourselves from being inquisitive as it is our nature. The sad thing is that too many in Malta seem to forget this natural element of ours.

Humans are by nature trusting, it is how we started our first communities and civilizations. That trust is why we are still alive. Yet, some seem to forget this trust and disregard acceptance today. This has caused too much pain and hatred.

Malta may be modern in its laws, finances, technology and so on and so forth, but any country is the sum of its people.

To see the truth of how far we still have yet to come, one need only see the amount of self-claimed bright lights nagging and commenting away on in ‘Salott’. This is why we call for acceptance, for the betterment of true diversity within Pop-Culture and within society.

We will only be richer when there are more of us.

The post Is Malta really that progressive? appeared first on The Third Eye.

Ancient Rome is one of the cornerstones of ancient civilizations. The culture of this race was one of the founding pillars of modern civilization.

Therefore, the art of such a nation would be fundamental to modern-day art and culture due to the influence it would cause. Roman Culture was famous for its use of frescoes and marble statues, that decorated their magnificent architecture, but there was another, lesser-known, more public form of art spread throughout the Empire.

Graffiti as a form of expression

Graffiti today is seen today as either a liberal art or as a scourge. However, it is mostly agreed that it can be a form of expression for the general public, with some of these works being pieces of commentary on social issues. In Ancient Rome, one can say that the situation regarding graffiti was one of a similar nature to today.

Ancient Roman culture was more than what most people expect it to be. It can be said that most of the graffiti done in Rome was crude or simple. They could be anything, from offences directed towards particular people to boasting, to comments about the quality of an inn or a restaurant.

Insults

Ancient Romans may not have had Twitter but this did not keep them from calling out others:

• “Oppi, emboliari, fur, furuncle.”, which means, “Oppius, you’re a clown, a thief, and a cheap crook.”
• “Philiros spado.”, which means, “Phileros is a eunuch.” Short and sweet.

Inn Reviews

Back then, Tripadvisor obviously didn’t exist. That didn’t stop the Ancient Romans from commenting about the services they would have received from an establishment. The following are comments left in inns:

• “Talia te fallant utinam medacia, copo: tu vedes acuam et bibes ipse merum”, which means, “If only similar swindling would dupe you, innkeeper: you sell water, and drink the undiluted wine yourself.”
• “Miximus in lecto. Faetor, peccavimus, hospes. Si dices: quare? Nulla matella fuit”, which means, “We have wet the bed. I admit we were wrong, my host. If you ask ‘why?’ There was no chamber pot.”

Raunchy comments

Finally, there were also some extremely crude ones. Apart from messages and phrases, Romans created many images through their graffiti. Being plain and simple, a lot were of a crude and phallic kind. For example:

• “Suspirium puellam Celadus thraex”, meaning “Celadus makes the girls moan.” Certainly this one was full of himself.
• “Habes sum pincerna,” meaning “I screwed the barmaid.“

For more examples on the explicit side check out this list of ‘bawdy graffiti’.

If we look at these, we realise that civilization hasn’t changed that much. The graffiti of Ancient Rome is surely an insightful look into the general everyday life of these people. After all, we are only an evolution of our past selves.

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Recently I had the pleasure of taking a trip down memory lane as I exposed my younger brother to the wonder that is Epic Rap Battles of History.

One of the rap battles we ended up watching was Stan Lee VS Jim Hansen. While I’m sure that Stan Lee needs no introduction, I’m proud to inform you that Jim Hansen is the brain and the hands behind The Muppets.

The rap battle starts in the usual format with the usual banter until the two writers start to see eye to eye. Then in comes Mr Walter Disney – the man whose corporation owns the intellectual property of both men.

So sadly, the 2015 rap battle seems all too relevant now with the Disney VS Sony Spiderman debacle.

It might seem unfair to some people but personally I’m placing most of the blame on Disney.

Disney’s recent focus on remakes which are bound to be cash-cows and the ever expanding entertainment empire are just symptoms of a greater change in the company’s focus of maximising shareholder’s wealth above all. The companies on Wall Street might have been too big to fail in the 2008 financial crash, but Disney is starting to become too big to care.

Nonetheless, I must admit that Disney still holds a special place in my heart starting with my love for Goofy and on to Marvel itself, yet if the deal does end up falling through I would love nothing more than for Sony to have a massive hit with the next Spiderman film.

While I realise that some might be hesitant to trust Sony given some of its flops with the franchise in the past, it might surprise us like it did with Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. This would be very hard to do as the film would need to be completely cut off from the MCU thus leaving pivotal moments such as the blip and Iron Man’s death out of the picture.

However, in Far From Home we start to see Spiderman start to come out of Tony’s shadow and the ending left enough room for a change in direction for Spidey.

Sony would have the opportunity to focus more on the character himself and finally deal with issues such as Uncle Ben’s death and his relationship with M.J. This would allow Sony to go in a more quite direction which is not part of the general template for a Marvel movie.

Nevertheless, Disney and Sony will probably come to an agreement eventually since there is simply too much money on the line for both companies.

The post Is Spiderman actually getting cancelled? appeared first on The Third Eye.

When it comes to music we’re all willing to defend our favourites with all that we’ve got because this was the music that was there for us in our lowest moments and gave us solace, was there to help us celebrate, helped us pick up people at PV or just was there throughout our lives.

Thus the question that can quickly lead to a brutal family feud is – “What’s the greatest era of music?” Well, thankfully science has the answer, but it doesn’t mean that everyone agrees with it.

A study from a team at New York University quizzed 643 subjects aged between 18 and 25 on their pop song knowledge throughout the last 50 years.

In a major victory for fans of the 1960s, it seems that chart toppers from that decade proved to be a whole lot more memorable. To be fair, the results make a lot of sense.

In 1969 alone, the year Woodstock took place, there were also:

• The landmark releases from The Beatles, Rolling Stones, The Jackson 5, The Kinks, Bob Dylan, Neil Young (with Crazy Horse) and The Who.
• Led Zeppelin released its first two albums after debuting in ’68.
• Releases of In the Court of the Crimson King, possibly the greatest progressive rock album of its era, along with live albums from Johnny Cash, Grateful Dead and Elvis.
• David Bowie’s Space Oddity came out in time for the Apollo 11 moon landing.
• The Stooges and MC5 laid the groundwork for punk rock.
• Creedence Clearwater Revival released three albums.

1967 and 1965 respectively also saw the releases of some of history’s greatest hits.

1967 featured The Summer of Love and The Beatles releases of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band and Magical Mystery Tour. The Jimi Hendrix Experience also released two classics and The Velvet Underground went proto-punk with The Velvet Underground & Nico.

1965 was also a prolific year for the Beatles and Dylan, while Motown landed No.1 hits with My Girl and Stop! In the Name of Love. The Rolling Stones create “Satisfaction.” and The Who released “My Generation.”

So yeah, there’s an abundance of evidence to support the findings of this study. Nonetheless, I’ll hold strong on my love for the 1970s with 1971 being the year where rock music exploded while still loving the ’90s with its mix of rock, pop and punk.

The post 1960s music is most memorable | NYU study finds appeared first on The Third Eye.

We all swoon at the idea of another Hanks film. So naturally, any film he stars in makes the rounds in the headlines and social media.

Tom’s newest film is “A Beautiful Day in the Neighbourhood” where he takes on the iconic role of Mr Rogers. Nonetheless, most people have asked me some version of: “Who’s Mr Rogers?”

The short answer is that Mr Rogers was a host of a popular show in the US.

Fred McFeely Rogers was known as the creator, composer, producer, head writer, showrunner, and host of the preschool television series Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood (1968–2001). The program was marked by its slow pace and its host’s quiet manner.

Rogers had a difficult childhood in Pennsylvania where he was isolated and bullied. Maybe overcoming such challenges is what made him such a good source of comfort for many people with his undying gift of empathy and always gentle manner. Sadly, he died on February 27, 2003, of stomach cancer.

Rogers received over 40 honorary degrees and several awards, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2002 and a Lifetime Achievement Emmy in 1997.

He was inducted into the Television Hall of Fame in 1999. Rogers influenced many writers and producers of children’s television shows, and been a source of comfort during tragic events, even decades after his death.

Tom Hanks — who, in a 2016 Saturday Night Live sketch, acquiesced to his nickname of “America’s Dad” — seems like the most obvious choice on the planet to play Rogers. In the trailer, he’s a dead ringer for Rogers: He changes into the signature cardigan, sings the song, and performs his iconic shoe toss.

“A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood”, a dramatization of Fred Rogers’s story, capitalizes on our renewed nostalgic love for the unexpected TV star.

With the show’s theme song in the background, the trailer shows the outlines of the story: A journalist named Lloyd Vogel (Matthew Rhys) arrives on the set of PBS’s “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood”, where he plans to interview and write a profile of Rogers for Esquire’s “heroes” issue. He’s cynical and jaded, but spending time with Rogers shifts his ideas about what’s important in life. Vogel is a fictional character, but he’s based on Tom Junod, the Esquire journalist who profiled Rogers in 1998 and credited that encounter with changing his perspective on life.

To be honest this film could be exactly what the world needs at the moment.

Whether we’re worried about: the politics at play in the world, the state of the environment or something even closer to home, Mr Rogers might be exactly what you need. His always calm demeanour and ability to make you feel as if, even though the sky is falling down, its all going to be ok. We’ll all be waiting till November 22^nd to watch what is set to be the feel god movie of the year.

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