The Bearded Trio

Brad’s April Escape - Part 7 April 13 - Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith Each weekday this month, I’ll screen a film from The Bearded Trio Cinematic Universe and list 10 random scenes, characters, musical cues or performances that I particularly enjoy and look forward to upon every viewing. I’d love to hear similar little things you enjoy about these films, and hope you join me in this escape from the present-day world. Next up is a film that beautifully wraps up the Prequel Trilogy,  Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith (2005) Revenge of the Sith - An Introduction No in-theater experience has emotionally moved me like Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith. About 20 minutes after I left the theater on my first viewing, I bawled like a baby for about 3 minutes, under the realization that this was it. Star Wars was over, and my God, what an awesome conclusion. Yes, The Clone Wars animated series had been announced, so I knew the brand would have a future, but in terms of the saga on...

Brad’s April Escape - Episode 5 April 8 - Star Wars: Attack of the Clones Throughout this month, I’ll screen a film from The Bearded Trio Cinematic Universe and list 10 random scenes, characters, musical cues or performances that I particularly enjoy and look forward to upon every viewing. I’d love to hear similar little things you enjoy about these films, and hope you join me in this escape from the present-day world. Next up is a defense of a film that few people like or respect,  Star Wars: Attack of the Clones (2002) Attack of the Clones - An Introduction I know what you're thinking. No, I REALLY know what you're thinking. "Worst film in the series. Maybe in the history of the world universe." No. Stop. I love Attack of the Clones. Adore it. And this blog post will break down some of the best Star Wars moments in any of the films, and why they have such long-term reprecussions, no matter how much fans deride it or TPTB at Disney try to memory-h...

ANNIHILATION Starring Natalie Portman, Jennifer Jason Leigh,  Gina Rodriguez, Tessa Thompson, Tuva Novotny  and Oscar Isaac based on the novel by Jeff VanderMeer Screenplay by Alex Garland Directed by Alex Garland Reviewed by Patrick & Paul Gibbs  Out of Four Despite the cerebral, Kubrickian, hard core science fiction feel of writer-director Alex Garland's brilliant thriller  Ex Machina , it's hard not to go into a science fiction film called Annihilation  that is marketed with images of people walking into the jungle with machine guns and not expect something more in the vein of Aliens than 2001: A Space Odyssey. Consequently, some audiences are going to be pretty unhappy with the cerebral, deep science and existential nature of this film, and that is understandable. But if you're prepared for something different and you don't mind a movie a movie being more than a little weird, there's a lot to be said for Garland's adaptation of ...

Recently PBS' Great Performances showcased the work of composer John Williams in the special " Dudamel Conducts a John Williams Celebration with the LA Phil ." Hosted by Natalie Portman, the celebration featured highlights of Williams' extensive career - from films such as  Schindler's List to Fiddler on the Roof , to Catch Me If You Can and, of course, Star Wars . Also included are a few wonderful conversations between Gustavo Dudamel and Williams, and a look back at the beginnings of a legend. PBS has posted the video in full, which you can see below (I hope!). In the event the video is not viewable outside the United States, here are a few that highlight the evening. Learn more about Soundings here. You can purchase the "Dudamel Conducts a John Williams Celebration with the LA Phil" on DVD/Blu-ray here:  http://www.shoppbs.org Sources: PBS , CMajorEntertainment , XXensational . The Bearded Trio - The Site For Steven Spiel...