The Bearded Trio

The AFI have posted this great short video showing Spielberg in the 70's at an AFI seminar. Steven Spielberg came to AFI in 1978 for a seminar with AFI Fellows. In this clip he talks about the prospect of making films that might be characterized as smaller in scope. Here's a few more from AFI's excellent Youtube channel THE BEARDED TRIO ON FACEBOOK THE BEARDED TRIO ON TWITTER THE BEARDED TRIO ON GOOGLE+

Steven Spielberg doing his day job with Leonardo DiCaprio on the set of Catch Me If You Can. THE BEARDED TRIO ON FACEBOOK THE BEARDED TRIO ON TWITTER THE BEARDED TRIO ON GOOGLE+

This was tweeted tonight by JoAnn Kane Music Svc on their Twitter timeline tonight: Preparing John Williams' score for the upcoming film "The Book Thief." pic.twitter.com/sChdycRCTA — JoAnn Kane Music Svc (@JKMSlibrary) August 20, 2013 The Book Thief is the first non-Spielberg John Williams soundtrack for eight years. Rob @welshsliderJ THE BEARDED TRIO ON FACEBOOK THE BEARDED TRIO ON TWITTER THE BEARDED TRIO ON GOOGLE+

C hildren love Star Wars. Children love Angry Birds so combining the two was pure genius by Rovio.  Now what happens when you combine a bit of learning with Star Wars Angry Birds.  Sounds like one ingredient too many right?  Wrong!  You end up with this superb book called National Geographic Angry Birds Star Wars:  The Science Behind The Saga. The book, cleverly written by Amy Briggs is packed with science facts related to the Star Wars saga but is done in such a way that makes every page a must read.  Every page is packed with colours shouting out at you and features everyone's favourite Angry Birds characters like Red Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kaboomi and Lard Vader. The book is packed with facts and every one of them informative to adults and children.  Did you know that a hologram pixel is called a "hogel?"  No, neither did I.  Another fact explains how the tractor beam that was used to bring the Falcon into the Death Star is not that ...

Annette Benning (American Beauty) grabs a moment with Steven Spielberg (or is it the other way round?) THE BEARDED TRIO ON FACEBOOK THE BEARDED TRIO ON TWITTER THE BEARDED TRIO ON GOOGLE+

Kathleen Kennedy and Spielberg share a joke. Kathleen Kennedy?  I wonder what she's doing these days. THE BEARDED TRIO ON FACEBOOK THE BEARDED TRIO ON TWITTER THE BEARDED TRIO ON GOOGLE+

Check out this rather funky Monkey Island remix from Deporitaz. The track is called Monkey Brain Soup for the Soul THE BEARDED TRIO ON FACEBOOK THE BEARDED TRIO ON TWITTER THE BEARDED TRIO ON GOOGLE+

Amy Irving and a sombre look Spielberg get snapped in 1977 THE BEARDED TRIO ON FACEBOOK THE BEARDED TRIO ON TWITTER THE BEARDED TRIO ON GOOGLE+

Yesterday we posted a story that several newspapers were reporting that Michael Caine was concerned over the health of Sean Connery.  Well the good news is this seems to be complete rubbish. Sir Michael Caine has responded to this story which the Daily Mirror posted saying, “It’s all bulls****" “I did some interviews over in Germany for a new film and I can only assume someone has twisted my words or got the wrong end of the stick. “I haven’t seen Sean for a couple of years, but my wife and I spoke to him on the phone on his birthday this week and he was very well. “He was fine, in complete control of his senses and his usual self. “This stuff about Alzheimer’s is just nonsense. I have no idea where they are getting it from.” “Articles also say Sean lives in Spain which you, of course, know not to be true. “Honestly, I don’t want to give this story any credence by responding.” This is really good news and so happy the story was false. Rob @welshslider

The Daily Mail posted a story today that fills me with sadness.  Not only the photos showing a frail Sean Connery but the news that he is 'no longer in control of his senses' and losing his memory according to close friend Michael Caine.  The news comes from an interview with German newspaper Bild am sonntag Caine. Michael Caine said of the Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade star, 'One must have serious concerns for him.'  Bild said the loss of his memory is 'noticeable' and that only a few close friends and confidantes, like Caine, had access to him. We wish Mr Connery and his family the best in these difficult times. Rob @welshslider

Harrison Ford poses with Steven Spielberg for a photo. THE BEARDED TRIO ON FACEBOOK THE BEARDED TRIO ON TWITTER THE BEARDED TRIO ON GOOGLE+

If you go to IMDB and look at everything Denise Vasquez has done it makes you realise how busy (and talented) some people are.  Not only has she had roles in numerous movies and TV shows such as Total Recall, The Office and Iron Man 3, but she is also an active founder of  "Wo+men 4 A Cause".  She is also an poet, award winning singer, songwriter, designer, writer, speaker and producer.  Incredible! As it says on IMDB, Denise Vasquez was selected as "Worthy Connections" Honoree and featured in "The Direct Buzz Magazine" May 2010 for her outstanding work with "Wo+men 4 A Cause" and the community! She also works with Daisy Rock Guitars, Audix Microphones, Sakura USA, HK Holbein, AFTRA and ASCAP. Nominated for 5 Mavric Music Awards, Nominated by the LA Music Awards for Vocalist of the year and Album of the year.  Denise Vasquez has also been listed on Music Connection Magazines' HOT 100 List for six Consecutive years, and has been a reci...

What a great video this is from the official Star Wars Youtube channel.  Watch Ian McDiarmid as he works on Star Wars Angry Birds II by Rovio.  What's really great about this video is Ian talks about the famous Emperor's chair from Return of the Jedi and how it never stopped where it should.  Watch the video below. THE BEARDED TRIO ON FACEBOOK THE BEARDED TRIO ON TWITTER THE BEARDED TRIO ON GOOGLE+

With today's news that Ben Affleck is to play Batman in Zack Snyder's Man of Steel sequel I thought it was appropriate to post this still from the 2007 movie I am Legend.  Was something in the works even back then? Although if you look carefully you'll see the release date was 2010. Rob THE BEARDED TRIO ON FACEBOOK THE BEARDED TRIO ON TWITTER THE BEARDED TRIO ON GOOGLE+

"Jurassic Park 3D" opened in China on Tuesday and brought in a strong $6.3 million on 2,500 screens to debut at No. 1.  That's the fourth strongest opening day in for a movie this year in China. 2013 marks the 20th anniversary of the Spielberg directed movie and what better way to celebrate than to mark the occasion with the franchise passing the $1 Billion mark worldwide.  The total international box office for "Jurassic Park 3D" stands at $20.7 million but the movie hasn't finished yet with the dinosaur adventure set to open this weekend in Mexico, Panama, Spain and Britain. Watch the trailer for Jurassic Park 3D which for some reason uses some awful music half way through the trailer and totally mixes up John Williams' masterpiece. THE BEARDED TRIO ON FACEBOOK THE BEARDED TRIO ON TWITTER THE BEARDED TRIO ON GOOGLE+

Henderson's Film Industries interviewed Gilbert Taylor last year and talk about the filming of the attack on the Death Star. THE BEARDED TRIO ON FACEBOOK THE BEARDED TRIO ON TWITTER THE BEARDED TRIO ON GOOGLE+

On the same day that we bring you the news that Cinematographer Daniel Mindel is to work with J.J. Abrams on Star Wars Episode VII, we also have to bring the sad news that cinematographer for the first Star Wars film has died age 99.  Gilbert Taylor had an incredible career and also worked on many other notable movies including The Dam Busters, Dr Strangelove and The Omen. His time on Star Wars was not plain sailing.  In his own words he said in a recent interview with American Cinematographer magazine. "George avoided all meetings and contact with me from day one," Taylor would later tell "So I read the extra-long script many times and made my own decisions as to how I would shoot the picture." The BBC News Site writes: Taylor's distinguished career included six years with the Royal Air Force during World War II, shooting the results of night-time raids over Germany at the request of Winston Churchill. He went on to become a founder member of ...

It seems George Lucas is a big fan of coffee.  Starbucks coffee anyway as he has just bought $10 million in stock from the company. TheWrap.com write: George Lucas has bought $10 million in Starbucks stock, a sign of confidence in the company where his wife Mellody Hobson is a member of the board, according to an SEC filing. A new filing by Hobson, Lucas’s wife and a Starbucks board member, revealed that Lucas's GWL Living trust bought 141,573 shares on August 19 for an average price of $70.60. Lucas is the sole trustee and beneficiary of the trust. Hobson is a hugely successful executive in her own right and married Lucas in June (photo by Donna Newman). In addition to her investment work and Starbucks, she is the chairman of Dreamworks Animation and a director at Estee Lauder and Groupon. Could we see a Star (Wars) Bucks opening soon? Rob THE BEARDED TRIO ON FACEBOOK THE BEARDED TRIO ON TWITTER THE BEARDED TRIO ON GOOGLE+

Cinematographer Daniel Mindel who is a long time collaborator with J.J. Abrams is set to continue the collaboration as it was announced he will be joining Abrams on Star Wars VII.   Also announced yesterday was that the new Star Wars movie will be shot on 35MM film and not digital like Star Wars Episode II and III. The cynical Internet trolls have already started, stating that the main reason for this was that its easier for lens flare.  The real reason is experience.  J.J. Abrams has said never shot with digital and has even commented in the past that he is comfortable with shooting on film. Kathleen Kennedy has previously said that the new movie will be sensible with CGI and will use proper sets and models where its practical to use.  Using film instead of digital could also indicate that the CGI is to be throttled back compared to other modern movies. Rob @welshslider THE BEARDED TRIO ON FACEBOOK THE BEARDED TRIO ON TWITTER THE BEARDED TRI...

Goonies just having fun on set and kids just being kids. THE BEARDED TRIO ON FACEBOOK THE BEARDED TRIO ON TWITTER THE BEARDED TRIO ON GOOGLE+

Now this is good. Peter Hollens providing the vocals and Lindsey Stirling dressed as Princess Leia perform Star Wars on the violins. Definitely a must watch. THE BEARDED TRIO ON FACEBOOK THE BEARDED TRIO ON TWITTER THE BEARDED TRIO ON GOOGLE+

Goonies Week - Filming The Cave Bridge Scene THE BEARDED TRIO ON FACEBOOK THE BEARDED TRIO ON TWITTER THE BEARDED TRIO ON GOOGLE+

The Galleon of One Eye Willy Get's Prepared.  No green screen here just a huge set with cranes and hours of skilled man and woman hours to prepare the amazing reveal in the movie. THE BEARDED TRIO ON FACEBOOK THE BEARDED TRIO ON TWITTER THE BEARDED TRIO ON GOOGLE+

Star Wars Day The Earth Stood Still What would happen if Star Wars met The Day the Earth Stood Still?  Or The Thing?  Or even War of the Worlds?  I decided to have a play with Photoshop and this is what I got.  Anyway Klaatu, Nikto and Barada were in Return of the Jedi right? Star Wars Day The Earth Stood Still The Thing War of the Worlds THE BEARDED TRIO ON FACEBOOK THE BEARDED TRIO ON TWITTER THE BEARDED TRIO ON GOOGLE+

John Matuszak get's the make up treatment to be transformed into Sloth THE BEARDED TRIO ON FACEBOOK THE BEARDED TRIO ON TWITTER THE BEARDED TRIO ON GOOGLE+

I must admit I am so enjoying Falling Skies at the moment.  Season three is head and tails above the previous seasons and it really looks like the show has found it's feet.  The popularity of the show seems to be going from strength to strength.  Even the TV studio, TNT have already renewed the show for another season. Today it was also announced that a game will be based on the alien invasion show.  Video game publisher, Little Orbit will team up with TNT to bring us a game for console and mobile devices in 2014. I know what you're thinking.  Games based on TV shows or a movie have not got a good track record.  Well Little Orbit are determined to break that trend. “Little Orbit’s mission is to identify high-quality licenses and bring their world to gamers in a truly unique and interactive experience,” said Matt Scott, President of Little Orbit. “We are collaborating closely with the show's own writers to craft the game’s storyline, wholly integr...

As sure as the sun rises each day we can also be sure of yet another Star Wars rumour and today is no exception.  Another "various sources tell us" story.  This time Baddassdigest.com is reporting that Star Wars VII may be pushed back to December 2015 from the original May release.  This would take it out of the epic fight we are likely to see in the summer of 2015.  Avengers Age of Ultron, Assassin Creed, Terminator, Jurassic Park IV, Independence Day 2, Pirates  5 and more (Avatar 2, Batman vs Superman) all fighting for the top spot through out the summer. Now I have no doubt that Star Wars VII could easily hold it's own against these titles but moving the sequel to December would seem like a good idea.  More time for Abrams and co to work on the movie plus at this moment the movie would only have to contend with Alvin and the Chipmunks 4, Inferno and Kung Fu Panda 3.  What a difference a few months makes. Anyway the story is just a rumour at...

Crash and Burn was originally released as a sequel to the 1989 Action/Sci-Fi/Sports movie Robot Jox but apart from the name, director and giant robot there is very little similarity between the two. Crash and Burn is a horror/sci-fi film set in a post apocalyptic world where computer usage is banned and a single organisation (Unicom) rules most of the world with an iron fist and some underhanded tactics, a group of people trapped in a rural TV station due to a passing thermal storm get caught up in a battle between members of the revolutionary Independent Liberty Union (ILU) and a crazed Unicom synth sent to spy on them. Made on a small budget the special effects are far from bad but are nowhere near as strong as on it's predecessor. however by explaining that the station was built using materials salvaged from the nearby junkyard it allows the the use of lots of 20th century technology and props despite its futuristic setting, this of course reduced the costs of making the...

It's Goonies week this week on our photo's of the day and to kick it off we have The Fratelli's sharing a joke from the opening chase scene.  When Ma cracks a joke, you laugh.  Note the crew reflection on the car. THE BEARDED TRIO ON FACEBOOK THE BEARDED TRIO ON TWITTER THE BEARDED TRIO ON GOOGLE+

This week on our quick fire questions we are very lucky to feature as our guest Tricia Barr.  Tricia regularly contributes to Star Wars Insider and lately wrote an insightful article about Padme which made the cover of the magazine.  Tricia also writes for DelRey's Suvudo blog as well as her own blog.  But that's not all.  She also contributes to Her Universe's Year of the Fangirl and recently finished her novel, Wynde . Wow!  With her being so busy we feel very fortunate that Tricia gave her valuable time to answer our questions.  So here we go. You're stuck in a swamp on Dagobah. What one movie, TV show, album and book would you take? The Star Wars Original Trilogy. Yoda, Obi-Wan’s Force ghost, and I could ponder the meta of my answer over gruel. Can you watch Star Wars in Star Wars? If you could invite any three people (alive or not, fictitious or not) to a dinner party, who would they be? I’m going with a mix of power ladies – Kathleen Kenne...