The Bearded Trio

Netflix just sent us straight back to the living room carpet in 1987 So Netflix have decided to mess with our nostalgia and released a VHS-style version of Stranger Things. Not joking. You can watch it on Netflix but it looks exactly like it’s coming through your old VCR. Grainy picture, fuzzy sound, random crackles, and that glorious 4:3 format that made everything look like it was filmed in a shoebox. It honestly looks like something you got from that one person we all knew who could get the latest movies. Barry the barber was my source. And I have to admit, it made me grin. It got me thinking. Should streaming platforms do more of this? It’s not real VHS of course, but it scratches that retro itch. Imagine watching Raiders, Star Wars or E.T. like this. And yes, everyone seemed to have a dodgy copy of E.T. at some point. Good idea or just a bit of fun. Right, I’m off to adjust the tracking before the picture starts rolling. The Bearded Trio - The Site For Steven Spielberg, George ...

Ever since I first watched Star Wars in 1977 I’ve wanted to be part of that wonderful and mysterious galaxy far far away.  In the beginning my Kenner Star Wars figures helped me with that craving but it wasn’t until I was on a British holiday camp in the early eighties did I realise there was another form of entertainment that could overload your senses and place you right in the middle of the Death Star attack.  Of course that medium was video gaming and it all started with the Star Wars Arcade machine. I was at a Pontins or Butlins holiday park in the early eighties and in the small arcade room that they had, were the usual array of pinball machines, fruit machines and the odd video games machine.  Defender, Space Invaders and Galaxian were the standard for those days.  But something caught my eye or rather my ears.  I could hear the familiar Star Wars theme being played.  I scanned the room eagerly, trying to determine where it was coming from and t...

3D Starstrike For The Sinclair Spectrum Was A Blast If you grew up in the 1980s, lived in the UK and loved video games then you were most likely to have owned a Commodore 64 or a Sinclair Spectrum 48K.    For me it was the Spectrum.    This little black box sporting blue rubber keys was my first computer and I was blown away by the number of games available.    Flight sims, strategy games, platform games and many other games were all available to stop me from doing my homework and instead offering to take me into a world of endless possibilities. So why am I talking about a retro British computer on a  Star Wars  website?    Well, back in 1984 I was still on a high from  Return of the Jedi .    I was twelve years old and my bedroom walls were covered with Star Wars posters thanks to the official monthly poster magazine I had subscribed to.    I couldn’t get enough  Star Wars .    My Kenn...

Hasbro's New Star Wars Line Is Wonderfully Retro Hasbro have announced their latest line of Black Series and Vintage figures.  The announcement took place Saturday at the New York Toy Fair but as a huge retro fan I was more excited that they have also announced a new line for the Retro collection and they look glorious.  We have so many photos to show you that we thought a handy video would be easier.  You can watch it below: Here's what Hasbro says about the latest Retro Collection in their press release: STAR WARS RETRO COLLECTION  3.75-INCH Figure Assortment (HASBRO/Ages 4 years & up/Approx. Retail Price: $9.99/Available: Spring 2020) Kids and collectors alike can imagine the biggest battles and missions in the STAR WARS saga with figures from the STAR WARS RETRO COLLECTION! With exquisite features and decoration, this series embodies the quality and realism that STAR WARS devotees love. The STAR WARS RETRO COLLECTION includes figures and game...

How Star Wars fuelled my imagination by Dominic Holder Several months ago I wrote a blog about my earliest experiences of Cinema and the way it changed my life forever, feel free to read it here . That was a tale about the wonders of seeing a film called Star Wars and its sequel The Empire Strikes Back in this cavernous dark room on a screen the size of a football pitch. It had changed my life and given me the love of cinema that has never left me 37 years later. I wouldn't say I became a Cineaste straight away, I was only 5 years old at the time, but the seeds had been sown and the excitement of walking down the plush carpet corridor of any screen room has never left me, the thrill of seeing that giant screen even today is one of my happiest sights, even if the following 2 hours or so don't always live up to the wondrous promise. What was certain, I was now obsessed with all things Star Wars. This is a blog post about how Star Wars fuelled my imagination as a kid, made...

Andy Watson Takes Us On A Journey Through The 70's And 80's And His Memories Of Classic Movies At The Cinema Movie Milestones I spent much of my youth outside, reading small books, playing imagination games, and yes; watching way, way too much television. But movies, big movies, those that I remember and have watched numerous times and replay scene by scene mentally, have had a great impact on me. I can link some milestones (or at least markers) from my childhood to various movie events. Growing up as a military dependent or Army Brat, has also flavored some of these memories. Everyone has different remembrances and touchstones. Here are some of mine. Early movies: Star Wars, Superman, Empire Strikes Back, Jaws In 1977, Star Wars conquered the box office. My family lived in West Germany at the time and we did not watch it, as it was delayed in coming to American theaters overseas; which was a pattern for the future. When we returned to the United States in 1978 it was ...

Argos 1985 Retro Toy Goodness From 80's Argos Catalogues For those who are not familiar with Argos, it is a UK store that is generally situated on the high street and in town/city centres. Here's the thing, even though they have stores, generally nothing is on display. Instead you walk in and order your item from a catalogue, find the item you want in the rather large book, write down the item number and take your ticket to the till. Within a few minutes your item will appear on a conveyor belt from the depths of the store room. I always imagined the store room to be like the end scene from Raiders Of The Lost Ark with one man in a vast room filled with wooden boxes. Anyway I thought you would like to see the Star Wars pages from the 1984 and 1985 catalogues. Many kids right across the land would use the Argos catalogue to choose their favourite toys and hopefully what would be under the Christmas tree. I'm no exception. At-At for £29.99? Yes please. Rob W...

SP FX: Special Effects - The Empire Strikes Back A television documentary special which originally aired on CBS on September 22, 1980 in the United States. SP FX: Special Effects - The Empire Strikes Back is a behind-the-scenes look at the creation of the special effects (SP FX) in the second Star Wars film, Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back, which was released that year. The special was written by Richard Schickel and directed by Robert Guenette, who had both previously worked on the 1977 special The Making of Star Wars. The special was hosted by Mark Hamill, who plays Luke Skywalker in the original Star Wars trilogy. It features behind-the-scenes footage from Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back, and shows the making of various special effects sequences including the Imperial probe droid, the Tauntaun and Wampa ice creatures of the planet Hoth, the battle between the Imperial AT-AT Walkers and the Rebel Snowspeeders, the asteroid field sequence, the lightsabe...

Making of Featurette from 1977 is a must watch for Star Wars fans This 'making of' feature from 1977 originally featured on the LaserDisc and thanks to YouTube we can now watch it whenever we want.  It really is full of retro goodness and is an interesting watch.  Because it's from 1977 the cast including George Lucas don't really realise how big this movie is going to be and seeing them trying to explain the movie and certain scenes is rather amusing. The documentary is narrated by William Conrad, with appearances by Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Harrison Ford and of George Lucas to name a few. The Bearded Trio - The Site For Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, John Williams and a whole lot more.

Clapperboard The Empire Strikes Back Special from 1980 was guaranteed to be discussed the next day in the school playground If you are of a certain age (in your forties) and grew up in the UK then you may remember a show from the late 70's and early 80's called Clapperboard.  It was hosted by Chris Kelly and was movie themed.  I remember watching this show as a kid with the hope of getting a new clip to an upcoming cinema release.  Remember, these were the days before instant information so here in the UK with out three TV channels, any news on Star Wars for example was grabbed with both hands. Imagine my excitement when a whole show of Clapperboard was dedicated to Star Wars?  Well this particular episode which was originally broadcast in 1980 was 25 minutes of Star Wars behind the scenes magic. It was filmed during the Empire Strikes Back exhibition at Selfridges in London (a further exhibition was held at Harrods for Return Of The Jedi in 1983). Interviewe...