The Bearded Trio

Brian Johnson, the Oscar‑winning special effects maestro behind some of the greatest sci‑fi films and TV shows ever made, has sadly passed away. His work helped define the look and feel of modern science fiction. From 2001: A Space Odyssey to Alien , from Thunderbirds and Space: 1999 to The Empire Strikes Back , Brian’s craftsmanship shaped entire generations of storytelling. His Oscar for The Empire Strikes Back remains one of the most deserved honours in the history of the Special Achievement category. I was fortunate enough to interview Brian back in 2016 at Showmasters’ Cardiff Film & Comic Con. He was warm, funny, and wonderfully candid, the kind of person who could talk about groundbreaking visual effects with the same ease as sharing a quiet memory from a frozen location shoot. One story that always stayed with me was his time filming The Empire Strikes Back in Norway. While most of us imagine the epic Hoth battle, Brian remembered something far less glamorous: the tiny...

If you love Indiana Jones as much as we do here at The Bearded Trio, this is one to mark on your calendar. Marvel is re‑releasing their entire 1980s run of Indy comics in two gorgeous hardcovers this September and they’ve gone all‑out with the presentation. Leatherette binding, debossed covers, ribbon bookmarks.… these things look like artifacts straight out of Indy’s office. Each volume collects the classic comic adaptations of Raiders , Temple of Doom , and Last Crusade , plus the full Further Adventures series that expanded Indy’s world with brand‑new quests. These stories were created by some absolute giants of the era — Michelinie, Simonson, Byrne, Buscema, Ditko — the list goes on. For anyone who remembers these comics from the 80s, or for fans discovering them for the first time, this is a brilliant way to experience Indy’s adventures beyond the films. Both books land on 30 September , and preorders are open now.

Thank you for creating a galaxy for us to play in — and for changing cinema in ways most people don’t even realise. Lucas didn’t just give us Star Wars. He reshaped the entire filmmaking landscape behind the camera: Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) — founded because the effects Lucas needed simply didn’t exist. ILM went on to pioneer motion control photography, digital compositing, CGI characters, and the modern VFX pipeline. Almost every blockbuster today owes something to ILM’s breakthroughs. THX — created to standardise and improve cinema sound. Lucas wanted audiences to hear films the way filmmakers intended, so he built a system that revolutionised audio quality in theatres worldwide. Non‑linear editing — Lucas pushed for digital editing long before it was mainstream. His work with EditDroid paved the way for Avid and the entire digital editing revolution. Digital cinematography — The Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones were key stepping stones in moving Hollywood from film...

The Documentary That Led To The Bearded Trio The documentary The Beginning: The Making of Star Wars Episode I is more than just a behind‑the‑scenes look at The Phantom Menace — it’s the reason this page and our website exist at all. I’ve been a fan of Spielberg, Lucas and Williams since the 70s. Their films, their music, and especially the behind‑the‑scenes magic have always grabbed me. This documentary is one of the best windows into filmmaking I’ve ever seen. No commentary, no narration — just the feeling that you’re standing in the room with the incredible people who brought the film to life. I first watched it around the time The Phantom Menace came out, but when I revisited it in 2009 something clicked. It sparked the urge to create a place that celebrated the work of these three legends. A way to say thank you for the decades of movie magic they’ve given us. That spark became The Bearded Trio. So yes — this documentary is partly responsible for everything we’ve built here togethe...

"I've seen enough, you're fantastic!" - Steven Spielberg One of the great stories from E.T. the Extra‑Terrestrial is how a young C. Thomas Howell ended up playing Tyler, one of the boys in Michael's friend group. According to Howell, the role originally belonged to “a Mormon kid” but when the parents discovered the character had to smoke a cigarette on screen, they pulled him from the production. Suddenly, the door opened for Howell who wasn’t a smoker at all to step into a Spielberg film no less. “I learned to smoke cigarettes on the ride to the audition.” said Howell. In one retelling, Howell says that when he arrived at Steven Spielberg’s office, the director asked him straight out whether he could smoke. Howell, determined to prove he could handle the scene, pulled out a pack of Marlboros and put one between his lips. Before he could even strike a match, Spielberg stopped him. “I’ve seen enough, you’re fantastic.” The Bearded Trio - The Site For Steven Spie...

As we get older, I often wonder if nostalgia loses its effect on us, or becomes more powerful. On one hand, as we age, we gain wisdom about the people and world around us; a normal thought is “Why couldn’t I have this understanding when I was younger?” On the other hand, in the modern world it can often be a challenge to find positive things about said world. Our parents age and depart. Our political leaders fail us. Everything is worse than it was, which naturally gives rise to wishing for a time when things weren’t so bad. Hence, nostalgia. I don’t think any single thing stirs nostalgia in me quite like Star Wars: Return of the Jedi (1983). I am often amazed at how I look back on my life and see how significant Star Wars events coincide with inflection points within my life. Friday, May 27, 1983, my dad picked me up after completing his work week and we drove to the local theater in Farmington Hills, Michigan, not long before the 6 p.m. showing. But he had a plan, due to the lines a...

£30,000 Alien To Be Sold To Highest Bidder, Shock Horror! Prop Store are holding another impressive auction and as usual there are a load of original props from the world of Star Wars and Star Trek but it's nice to see a unique prop from the world of Steven Spielberg movies and one of the best at that.  Close Encounters of the Third Kind is represented in the auction with this Alien Creature Display which the estimate comes in at an eye-watering £20,000 - £30,000! ($23,000 - $46,000) If you're in a fortunate position that you feel you can bid for this wonderful piece of classic movie history then this link will mean something to you:  www.propstore.com Rob (Lend us a fiver...TURKEY!) The Bearded Trio - The Site For Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, John Williams and a whole lot more.