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CULTURE MATTERS

Articles & Features

Unacknowledged and UFO Disclosure

3/5/2018

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The Pervading Myths and Truths About Our Non-Terrestrial Encounters

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Image: siriusdisclosure.com
Ancient medieval woodcuts recorded a war in the heavens. Armenian scholar, Zecharia Sitchin, explored evidence of an alien progenitor race that created mankind. Controversial researcher and speaker, David Icke, plays with the notion that the moon might be an artificial construct. And finally, Dr Steven Greer uncovers a shroud of secrecy surrounding our visitation by extraterrestrial civilizations.

But is it true? Have we been seeded by and monitored by our 'interplanetary cousins'? What would the unveiling of this truth mean for us? The Vatican itself issued a statement on what could be the greatest disclosure in human history:

“Extraterrestrial life is going to be discovered much sooner than anybody previously expected. And for this reason, the time has now arrived for the beginning of a very serious discussion about the philosophical and theological questions that are posed to our human family by the discovery of extraterrestrial life.”


View the full feature on LLF @: Unacknowledged: The Pervading Myths and Truths About Our Non-Terrestrial Encounters

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Futurism and Black Mirror Feature

2/4/2018

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photo: gamespot
The lasting power of science fiction is in its futurespeak. It’s laden with ‘what if’ prophecies. We’ve seen countless versions of this in productions like The Discovery, Ex Machina, Selfless, and Altered Carbon. But I’m not just talking about cool action movies filled with the spectacle and tech of later humans. I’m concerned with the social ramifications. We live in a time where the hypothetical is no longer ridiculed because we’ve witnessed so many incredible innovations come to life. Maybe this is why the British sci-fi thriller-drama anthology series, Black Mirror, resonates so strongly with us.

​Read the full feature  here: The Disturbing Resonance of Black Mirror.
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Tomb Raider 2018

2/4/2018

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photo: digitalspy
Hardcore survival in rain-lashed jungles and death-defying leaps: these are some of the elements of the high-action, thrilling adventures of the next gen Lara Croft. Alicia Vikander does an excellent job toughing it out as the famous archaeologist’s daughter in Tomb Raider, the third film to be made based on the popular video game series. Although it does not measure up to the lavish scale we've come to expect, Tomb Raider is an okay film. Audiences will enjoy it more if they see it as enjoyable escapism, not as a true-to-heart homage to the video games.

​Click for the full review: Alicia Vikander is the Tomb Raider
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Black Panther Kills at the Box Office

21/2/2018

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MCU Delivers A Movie Rich In Cultural Lore

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Photo: gizmodo
From the moment Prince I’Challa’s airship flies into the cloaked metropolis of Wakanda, the adventure of the Black Panther begins. Not since Marvel’s MCU Phase One movie releases have we been given a world filled with such incredible characters and spellbinding action. It took over a decade for audiences to get a superhero film with real fire and soul and there's enough colour, action, well-paced plot conflicts and spectacle to keep everyone entertained.

​Check out the full review at: 'Black Panther' killing it at the box office.
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Trevor Noah Feature

25/1/2018

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photo: press of atlantic city
Every so often, an artist appears that is a consummate creative in every sense of the word. They exhibit the kind of suaveness and Swiss Army Knife array of skills that men secretly admire and women find alluring. I’m talking about the endless list of talents that we find in great icons of the past like Leonardo da Vinci.

We can see this in Trevor Noah. This is a guy that continuously surprises fans and the world alike with his accomplishments – he’s a writer, a TV presenter, a stand up comedian, an impressionist, a polyglot, an intrepid voyageur, and a man straddling many cultures. He has undoubtedly made his mark owing to three things: delivering on point stand up specials, publishing a bestselling memoir, and taking over hosting duties on the iconic Comedy Central news satire program, 
The Daily Show.

For the full feature, head on over to LLF: Trevor Noah: A Comedian and Talent Unlike Any Other 
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The Shape of Water Review

25/1/2018

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Photo: screenrant
Director Guillermo del Toro creates a fantastical, character-driven period film that lives and breathes its own wondrous monster lore. Set in 1960s America, it centres around a mysterious water-dwelling creature that is captured in South America and brought back to Baltimore for scientific study.
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The Shape of Water has an ensnaring charm that speaks with great humanity and thrilling suspense and delivers scenes that will move audiences to tears. A bond is quickly formed between the humble, mute Elisa and the creature which develops into an intimate connection.

Click for the full review: Shape Of Water: monster movie morphs into surprisingly endearing love story.
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The Last Jedi Film Review

21/12/2017

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Going back in time, Episode 1: The Phantom Menace was received with mixed reception. The film gave us many iconic additions to Star Wars canon, including Jedi councils, desert battles with cloaked figures wielding double-edged light sabers, pod races, and full-scale invasions into the peaceful planet of Naboo. Yet haters detested at the time and now people have grown a little more accepting of it. The same may not be said for the latest Star Wars film: The Last Jedi. 

While it was exhilirating to see Mark Hamil reprise his role as the legendary Master Skywalker, and witness Carrie Fischer's best performance as General Organa, there was also a lot that was wrong with the film that stopped it from becoming great.

Read more at Cream magazine here: The Force Weakens in 'The Last Jedi.' 
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'The Disaster Artist': A Beautiful Disaster

15/12/2017

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The Disaster Artist is a film about a film. It tells the real life, one-in-a-million story of how actor and producer, Tommy Wisseau, successfully turned the unlikeliest project into a cult classic movie. But what’s so good about his 2003 B-grade movie, The Room, that warrants it receiving the Hollywood treatment? It is literally one of the worst films
ever to be made.


The Disaster Artist is all about actors playing actors. And if one guy can portray a terrible actor 
​this good, then it definitely deserves a mention
in my book.  


Click for the full review:
The Disaster Artist Film Review
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Killin' Them Softly With Laughter

11/12/2017

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Looking Back
On Chappelle's Career

When most people hear the name ‘Dave Chappelle’ they probably will remember the popular sketch show he created.  Chappelle’s Show first aired on Comedy Central back in 2003. Throughout the show he impersonates Lil’ John, Samuel L. Jackson and Prince, shows what GTA would look like in reality, makes fun of white supremacists, and artfully blasts racial identities in a news-style coverage of a racial draft. But for all the success of the show, the comedian, who has been touted as one of the greatest comic geniuses in America, has built a prolific career in writing, stand up, and acting.

Now he returns with his new special currently airing on Netlix and everything's on the table. From political satire and race issues in America to pushing the comedic boundaries Dave Chappelle still delivers the wit and insight he's become famous for. For the full article head to LLF:
Killin' Them Softly: Looking Back On
Dave Chappelle's Career
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Images: Newsweek
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Film Review: In the Corner of This World

9/12/2017

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A Peaceful Japan Changed ​By War

Anime captures audiences in a way that CGI cannot. The great films of Hayao Miazaki, for example, invite viewers into a world of
fantastical make-believe with such notable works as 
Mononoke Hime, Howl’s Moving Castle, and the more recent, The Wind Rises, which follows the story of Japanese aircraft engineer who helps to design WW2 fighter planes. Some of these entertain while others, like new release In the Corner of This World are built on truth.
This animated drama presents a unique way to observe Japanese life and traditions.
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In the Corner of this World is a beautifully designed animated drama, ironically set against the backdrop of war. It manages to balance narrative flow and art direction while relaying its more serious messages to audiences.  

Read the full review at: 
In the Corner of This World Film Review

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Imagine Dragons 'Evolve' Through Indie Pop

1/11/2017

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Photo: last.fm
Not a yes sir, not a follower? If the Beatles were the spokesmen of their generation, then Imagine Dragons are fast becoming the voice of a new one. The former battled against old conventions, experimented with psychedelics and practiced transcendental meditation. They were not just trend setters, they were representing a revolution of the post-war era. The latter are the front men to a new sound and style that hits you with its rhythm-driven edge, but their appeal goes deeper than that.
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An awareness tendrils its way into the music that, while they’re successful, there’s more to it. The words play on two meanings. There’s the factory music and cathartic high of reaching the top. Yet there’s also a symbol that all that is merely a way post onto greater things. As Paul McCartney said that at the height of Beatlemania, when they got to the top, they found there ‘wasn’t much there.’ That insight finds its way into many of Imagine Dragon’s songs too. The message is to go deeper. What are you creating that is meaningful to you? Dan Reynold’s might ask.

​Please check out my full review at:
livinglifefearless.co/2017/opinions/imagine-dragons-evolve-indie-rock-pop/
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Netflix's Death Note Wasn't That Bad

20/10/2017

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Photo: Omegaunderground
Netflix is cornering the market on some quality programming. Shows like The 100 and Sense 8 are just some of the shows building a bedrock audience. The future of television is here and it comes with cutting visuals, suspense, and captivating storytelling. The recently released Netflix film, Death Note, is its latest American adaption of a popular Japanese Manga serial, and boy was it met with mixed feelings.

Fans of the anime series have blasted it for leaving out so much material. But I think a lot of the complaints are unwarranted. I’m a fan of 
Full Metal Alchemist and wasn’t sold on the teasers for the live action film, but that doesn’t mean the movie won’t be any good. Sometimes an adaption can actually work if we don’t get too serious. We don’t need to over-think the series or the hundreds of episodes that came before it. The film’s strength lies in building on the source material without going overly in depth. Instead it relies on grounding the film on its core concepts and simplifying the plot just enough to engage. Check out my full opinion piece here:
https://livinglifefearless.co/2017/opinions/death-note-a-netflix-original-film/
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Jaw-dropping 2017 Cosplay

15/10/2017

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Say what you wanna say about cosplayers. But some fans take their hero-costume game to the next level. It wasn’t really all that long ago when all a fan needed to do to feel connected to the silver screens was buy a ticket to see a premiere. Wouldn’t anyone stammer just a little if ‘the man with no name’ came into your coffee shop and ordered a double shot mocha ‘punk’ in a gravelly, smoke-ridden voice.

The next level of fandom is cosplay. It comes from that fire to feel connected to our favourite characters. Sir Ian McKellen once said that playing Gandalf as a fully interactive character, was the ‘next best thing’ to starring in the film itself. But some out there believe that to dress up as the scruffy-lookin’ Han Solo, or rig a suit bringing your prop-mold making game to the armor of 
Destiny 2, makes you a different class of fan altogether. Check out the full list article here:
http://www.thegamer.com/the-20-most-jaw-dropping-cosplays-of-2017-so-far/

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Enter a Void Filled with Stranger Things...

14/10/2017

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Photo: bleedingcool
Stranger Things is a surprise hit series. The show infuses a blend of sci-fi and 80s nostalgia that takes the ‘band of kids against all odds’ archetype and injects it into a chilling, horror thriller. In the fictional small town of Hawkins, Indiana, a mysterious otherworldly entity enters their world by means unknown and people systematically begin to disappear, including one young Will Bryers. Season 1 was engrossed with his family and three close-knit friends frantically trying to solve the mystery surrounding his disappearance and the strange occurrences happening all around town.

Ahead of the premiere of the second season, for those who unwittingly skipped this fantastic show, take a look at what makes Stranger Things one of Netflix's best. Read the full feature on LLF: 
https://livinglifefearless.co/2017/opinions/enter-a-void-filled-with-stranger-things/ 
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Blade Runner 2049: A Visual Documentary of the Human Psyche

12/10/2017

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Photo: Warner Bros
Gravel crunches beneath the feet of a solitary figure as it saunters into the radioactive, orange-dusted expanse of an abandoned city. A Blade Runner advances – bioengineered to operate on command, not to think for himself. He has reached the end-thread of an investigation. He searches for an answer to a riddle that has been hidden for almost 40 years. All paths converge on former officer, Richard Deckard.

With dazzling visuals and an impressive soundtrack, there is a lot to love. But there is one problem with Blade Runner 2049: its not really  a film, but a visual documentary of the conditioned human psyche. For the full review, head here: 
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http://www.creammagazine.com/2017/10/a-visual-documentary-of-the-human-psyche/
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    Independent Writer & Publisher posting feature and article links from different sources including LLF. Content includes pop culture, sci fi, futurism, music and more... 

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