However, Malta is of course a different case since as a country we celebrate pride week between the 6th and 15th of September with the long awaited pride march scheduled for the 14th. Mark the dates as this year Malta pride made it to the top 5 of the must attend prides of 2019.

Note that this year is important to the LGBTIQ Community as it marks 50 years since Stonewall. For those of us who are not well versed in the history of pride month, the Stonewall riots were a series of spontaneous, violent demonstrations by members of the LGBT community against a police raid that took place in the early morning hours of June 28, 1969, at the Stonewall Inn. They are widely considered to constitute the most important event leading to the gay liberation movement and the modern fight for LGBT rights in the U.S.

Gay Americans in the 1950s and 1960s faced an anti-gay legal system. Early homophile groups in the U.S. sought to prove that gay people could be assimilated into society, and they favoured non-confrontational education for homosexuals and heterosexuals alike.

The riot served the purpose of grabbing the attention of the world at the time and several years later, but in the long-run it was the non-confrontational tactics and the predominance of the movement in modern pop-culture. Say what you will about tv shows such as Glee, movies such as Call Me by your Name and Blue is the Warmest Colour, or Heroes such as Batwoman, NorthStar, Wiccan and Iceman. All these normalised the idea of being part of the LGBTIQ community and allowed the movement to make leaps and bounds in recent years.

On behalf of 1-Up Club here’s our thanks to Hollywood for the free marketing of a just cause for equality and the long awaited recognition of remarkable human beings such as Alexander Turing in The Imitation Game. Nonetheless, although things are much better around the world don’t lose sight of those still suffering in countries where being gay can get you thrown off a roof or being forced to endure the wicked torture of seeing Rocketman without the gay and drugs parts (Take a wild guess in which country – Russia).

The post Know Your Pride – 50 Years Since Stonewall Riots | 1UP appeared first on The Third Eye.

A little bit of context first. We’re talking about Star Trek here, the grand old lady of Sci-Fi, the one that started it all in 1966 when Captain Kirk and Mr Spock first traversed to the first star on the right, and straight on ‘till morning. In many aspects, Star Trek has been revolutionary throughout the last 52 years. It portrayed the first interracial kiss on American television, has had many bouts of episodes focusing on civil rights, liberties and other agendas including a diverse selection of characters of all races and sexualities. It has inspired many scientific breakthroughs in the real world, like the mobile phone for example.

There’s no doubt that Star Trek is by far a staple of pop culture, but it hasn’t been ever-present. After the end of the original spin-off saga after “Star Trek: Nemesis”, the franchise struggled with its sole series present at the time, which was eventually prematurely cancelled. A reboot would hit the box office in 2009, under the lead of J.J. Abrams, which would be a strong show at first but it was reported in December that this film series had silently been cancelled after its third iteration. For Star Trek to truly take off again, it needed to re-introduce itself on the small screen. The franchise’s own did just this in 2017, with the launch of “Star Trek: Discovery”.

However, the first season of this show was controversial to say the least.

Star Trek has been a beacon of liberal and progressive thought since it was incepted. Regardless, a select few cited annoyance and anger towards what appeared to be a strong liberal agenda presented in the new show. The general many also criticised the lack of the Star Trekky feel that the new show suffered from. This being the absence of the feeling of adventure and impending moral dilemma that made us love Star Trek for what it was. For me, Star Trek will always be Captain Jean Luc Picard spewing knowledge and philosophy.

So as a basic situational explanation, Star Trek: Discovery’s first season didn’t impress most fans. It was in this context, that an alternative was created. Over on Fox, Seth McFarlane, creator of the famous “Family Guy”, was given the go-ahead on his own Star Trek spoof, named “The Orville”. Incredibly, unlike most Star Trek copies that we’ve seen throughout the last few decades, The Orville actually worked. Fans loved it, as it provided a light-hearted comic approach to the original Star Trek genre, up to the point that most Star Trek fans began saying that “The Orville” was more Star Trek than Discovery Season 1!

So we come to January 2019, what happened exactly then?

Well, both Star Trek Discovery and The Orville released their second running season last month, and till now, both have incredibly impressed fans. Discovery season 2 has seen a mix-up within the story and characters, which is now providing a warmer, more light-hearted but at the same time philosophical approach which fans are appreciating more. Meanwhile, The Orville season 2 continues on the same path that its debut season started on. So in the end, we can see, that the future is bright for all sci-fi fans, we have the geeky comedy we need to smile thanks to Seth McFarlane and more importantly, Star Trek is back!! I highly recommend you try both out!

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September, a healthy mix-match.

It’s a banger straight away for this one. Releasing on September 6th, is “It: Chapter Two”. 2017’s “It” only told the first part of Stephen King’s original novel. This next chapter, tells the latter part, when the characters are now adults after their first encounter with the monster. For the classical lovers, “Downton Abbey” premieres in September. This spin-off film is made by the original creator of the famous British show depicting the life of aristocrats, most of the original stars reprise their roles. Another film coming out in September will be the sequel of “The Angry Birds Movie”.

October, comics really are doing something to society…

Yet again, the most important release is a comic-book movie. This time however, it’s special. “Joker” will release on October 4th. Joaquin Phoenix will star as the “Clown Prince of Crime” with this new interpretation of the character. Many are hopeful that this interpretation will be a perfect homage to past works from the likes of Heath Ledger and Jack Nicholson. A reboot of the old “The Adams Family” will also release and another classic will take form. This is one for the elders as Tom Hanks will unveil to us the story of “Mr Rodgers’ Neighbourhood”, a heart-warming American children’s classic series.

November, he said he’ll be back, and she said she’ll let it go…

We’re getting carried away with the phrases, but who cares? We love saying them again and again. November immediately starts off well with the next untitled “Terminator” reboot project. “Deadpool” director Tim Miller will take the reins here with the mighty Austrian Governor returning. “Charlie’s Angels” will get a modern reboot in November and another action pick will come in the form of “Kingsman 3”, which is reported to be director Matthew Vaughn’s closing of the saga, featuring the return of Taron Egerton and Colin Firth in their roles. “Sonic the Hedgehog” will premiere on the 15th of November. Until now, fan speculation hasn’t been that positive, hopefully the franchise will create a strong cinematic entry to please fans. November will close off with the return of one of the largest pop culture phenomena of the 2010s, Disney’s “Frozen 2”. With the original directorial team, and cast returning, this will surely be yet another money-maker for Disney in 2019.

December, and to top it all off…

December doesn’t have a lot of movies coming out, but don’t let that despair you… “Jumanji 2” will enter cinemas on the 13th as a sequel to the popular initial release in the franchise reboot. Little is known about it, however all directorial and main cast players are deemed to return to this sequel. The big one to end the year will be “Star Wars: Episode IX”. “The Last Jedi” can be summed up in relative terms as a fanbase disaster. Although financially stable as a project, most fan reception of the film was extremely devastating to the franchise, which has been in a slump ever since, and the responses from Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy and “The Last Jedi” director Rian Johnson have not helped. However, this time, acclaimed actor J.J. Abrams will return to direct what hopefully will be a fitting end to the sequel trilogy of what arguably is the greatest franchise of all time.

There we have it, we’re done and we’re finished. 2019 is definitely going to be one heck of a blast. If you’re looking forward to it like us, then you’re definitely doing something right. This has been a brief series to analyse next year’s goodies, of course there will be more niche releases coming that may cater to finer tastes and for us at 1-Up Club, it’s always something interesting to hear about. In 2019, 1-Up will be ever present in Malta’s cinema fans landscape and we’ll always have a trick up our sleeves to try and enjoy these films with you guys. In fact, on the 23rd of November, we’ll be going to watch “Aquaman”, so feel free to come and join us.

The post A Year That Won’t Disappoint | Part 3 appeared first on The Third Eye.

This is the GUG‘s rundown of the STUDENT-RELATED initiatives from the 2019 Budget, Maltese and Gozitan alike.

Stipend Increase + Free Public Transport

An increase in students’ stipends is going to benefit all students. This will help cover the expenses that students have in pursuing their education. From next year, 14 and 15 year olds along with full-time students above 20 years old, will enjoy a free public transport. So, students who commute by bus will save more money in this regard. That said, however, ideally the means of public transport would be improved as well to be made more accessible and reliable.

Free Exams

Another major announcement was that MATSEC and SEC exams are to be free, as of next year. This is a major step ahead towards the improvement of the education sector in the Maltese islands. The MATSEC and SEC exams will no longer be a financial toll for some students and their families who find it difficult to pay for these exams.

Increase in Gozitan Students’ Grant

As a Gozitan student organization, GUG believes that an increase in the subsidy given to Gozitan students residing in Malta help to cover some of the expenses incurred, particularly that of accommodation. This is possible under certain conditions. The GUG organization wished to also see more about the Gozo University Campus budget, since it has been a while that a refurbishment was mentioned. If this campus is to be used, the environment needs to be an adequate and suitable one.

The GUG organization thinks that the 2019 Budget has improved the education sector along with the student’s quality of living. Investing in the student’s well-being will also benefit the state in the near future. 

Press Release by GUG 

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