The Bearded Trio

SUPERMAN: THE MOVIE “I’M HERE TO FIGHT FOR TRUTH, JUSTICE, AND THE AMERICAN WAY.” - Superman  U.S. Release Date: December 15, 1978 Starring: Marlon Brando, Gene Hackman, Christopher Reeve Music by: John Williams  Directed by: Richard Donner Oscar win: Best Visual Effects This week is the 42nd anniversary of what most people consider to be the greatest superhero film of all time. It also happens to be my all-time favorite film. It started the superhero genre on the big screen, and to this day is the gold standard on how superhero films are made or ought to be made. The director of 2017’s WONDER WOMAN used this film as a template, and the president of Marvel Studios has stated that they use it as inspiration in their films.  Much has been documented about the making of this great blockbuster that almost wasn’t. Both director Dick Donner and executive producer Ilya Salkind have gone on record about the trials and tribulations of trying to make a man fly, because many special...

HOME ALONE “I MADE MY FAMILY DISAPPEAR!” - Kevin U.S. Release Date: November 16, 1990 Starring: Macaulay Culkin, Joe Pesci, Daniel Stern Music by: John Williams  Directed by: Chris Columbus Last month saw the 30th anniversary of one of the highest grossing comedies of all time. Little eight-year-old Kevin is left behind to defend his home from burglars after his family hastily flies to Paris without him.  John Hughes got the idea for the script while working on his previous film UNCLE BUCK with John Candy and Macaulay Culkin. Hughes loved Culkin’s performance so much that he wrote the part of Kevin for him, though he’d only be cast after hundreds of other kids auditioned first, including the actor who would play Kelvin’s brother Buzz.  Hughes chose Chris Columbus to direct after backing out of his previous project, CHRISTMAS VACATION, due to clashing with its star Chevy Chase. Hughes wanted to give Columbus another shot because of his love for Christmas. Columbus had prev...

STAR WARS: REVENGE OF THE SITH U.S. Release Date: May 19, 2005 Starring: Hayden Christensen, Ewan McGregor, Natalie Portman Music by: John Williams Directed by: George Lucas “ONCE MORE THE SITH WILL RULE THE GALAXY!” - Darth Sidious/Palpatine Fifteen years ago the Star Wars saga came full circle and was considered, at that time, to be complete. George Lucas had finally told the tale of Anakin Skywalker’s rise to Jedi knighthood and his subsequent fall to the dark side of the Force to become Darth Vader. The prequel trilogy is my Star Wars, and this film is my favorite of the three. They are the films I saw in the theater as they came out like the generation before me did with the original trilogy. I hold the OT in high esteem and believe that they are the superior films, but because I didn’t experience them the way I did the prequels, I view them as very similar in quality to each other (although I do believe THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK is the superior of the three). Lucas’...

THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK U.S. Release Date: May 21, 1980 Starring: Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher Music by: John Williams Directed by: Irvin Kershner “IF YOU ONLY KNEW THE POWER OF THE DARK SIDE!” - Darth Vader Forty years ago audiences around the world returned to George Lucas’s galaxy far, far away in the second entry of his space opera known as STAR WARS. Not only did the sequel meet everyone’s expectations, it also exceeded them. I, like most in my generation, grew up with the original trilogy on VHS. I owned the movies but didn’t really start to become a fan of them until the special editions came out (more on those later). Lucas literally bet the farm by financing this installment himself with profits from the first film, merchandising, and bank loans. Three months after its release he recovered his entire investment of $33 million. To thank those who worked so hard to make this film more epic in scale than the previous installment, he gave ou...

THE GOONIES U.S. Release Date: June 7, 1985 Starring: Sean Astin, Josh Brolin, Corey Feldman Directed by: Richard Donner “GOONIES NEVER SAY DIE!” - Mikey Next month will be the 35th anniversary of the release of this childhood and pop culture favorite.  Douglas Meacham takes a look back at this 80's classic  Steven Spielberg wrote a story about a group of kids from the “Goon Docks” neighborhood of Astoria who embark on a treasure hunt to save their homes from developing into an elitist golf course. During their adventure they encounter a family of murderous criminals, booty traps (I mean booby traps), and a long lost pirate ship that was once captained by the famous One-Eyed Willy. Spielberg also served as an executive producer, future HOME ALONE director Chris Columbus wrote the screenplay, and SUPERMAN director Richard Donner led the project. The entire production took five months, two-and-a-half of which were spent on the construction of the 105 ft. pirate galle...

Artist: C.A. Martin APOLLO 13 - A Retrospective Look Back By Douglas Meacham U.S. Release Date: June 30, 1995 Starring: Tom Hanks, Kevin Bacon, Bill Paxton Music by: James Horner Directed by: Ron Howard “HOUSTON, WE HAVE A PROBLEM!” - Jim Lovell On April 13, 1970, the Apollo 13 spacecraft was three days into its voyage to the Moon. Its lunar module was supposed to be the third manned spacecraft ever to land on the surface. But instead, it ended up serving as a lifeboat for three astronauts striving to stay alive after a routine procedural check of their service module goes wrong. Twenty-five years later, a film was made to accurately portray the events of the mission that was dubbed “the successful failure.” Directed by Ron Howard, known for hits like COCOON and WILLOW, and starring America’s then leading man Tom Hanks as the spacecraft’s commander Jim Lovell, along with Kevin Bacon as command module pilot Jack Swigert and Bill Paxton as lunar module pilot Fred Haise, the...

THE COLOR PURPLE    U.S. Release Date: February 7, 1986    Starring: Danny Glover, Whoopi Goldberg, Oprah Winfrey  Directed by: Steven Spielberg "I'M POOR, BLACK, I MIGHT EVEN BE UGLY, BUT DEAR GOD, I'M HERE. I'M HERE!" - Celie Johnson  This year marks the 35th anniversary of the film adaptation of Alice Walker's novel about a black woman growing up in the deep South at the turn of the century, and dealing with the struggles of abuse while trying to find her identity. This was Steven Spielberg's first serious drama. He was at first reluctant to direct it because he felt insecure about his lack of knowledge of the deep South and thought a black director could relate better to the material. He eventually was convinced by the producers, reminding him that he didn't need to be an alien to direct E.T. Spielberg then welcomed the challenge that would serve to prepare him for the future films EMPIRE OF THE SUN and SCHINDLER'S LIST. The ca...