The Bearded Trio

Let's Go On A Movie Location Journey We are honoured to have a wonderful guest post from Justin Wilkinson from the excellent MovieLocationHunter website. Justin shares with us some of the iconic movie locations that we will be familiar with from being Lucas and Spielberg fans. Take it away, Justin! My fascination with movie locations all started when I was a young boy, awe struck by the outer-space settings of Star Wars, the time travelling in Back to the Future, the gadgets and glamour of 007 – ‘Bond, James Bond’ (Roger Moore was my childhood Bond) and the swashbuckling adventures of Indiana Jones. I never imagined as a child that these places were accessible – they were magical, mysterious all part of the alluring movie going experience. As I grew up my love of movies became stronger and my curiosity in what was involved in the process of movie making deepened. I would wait expectantly to watch the movies I had seen at the cinema again when they came out on different media – f...

Brad’s April Escape - Part 10 April 16 - Star Wars: The Force Awakens 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 the film that brought Star Wars into a new era,  Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015) The Force Awakens - An Introduction I'll be up front about this - I am not the biggest fan of the Sequel Trilogy. Narratively, it's a mess and suffers from a lot of issues inherent in key decisions about the plot and characters across the three films. But this is not the place for me to air grievances. My presence on this website will be a positive and supporting one. There's enough negativity on the net about Star Wars, and well, pretty much...

TERMINATOR: DARK FATE Starring Linda Hamilton, Arnold Schwarzenegger,  Mackenzie Davis,  Natalia Reyes, Gabriel Luna, Diego Boneta Screenplay by David S. Goyer & Justin Rhodes & Billy Ray Directed by Tim Miller Reviewed by Patrick Gibbs   Out of Four It's been 20 years since the release of Star Wars Episode I - The Phantom Menace , and a lot of disgruntled fans of the original trilogy are still trashing it, and many enthusiastically embraced The Force Awakens as a return to form (albeit one that played things very safely and covered very familiar territory). But whatever your opinion of the prequels, there's no denying (okay, no legitimate denying) the fact that the franchise belongs to creator George Lucas and it was his right to take it in the direction of his choice. But that's not the case with 2003's Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines or its subsequent sequels/reboots, all of which were done without the involvement of writer-director James C...

When Rey grabs the lightsaber in the climax of The Force Awakens, John Williams' *original* score for the moment (it can be heard on the official soundtrack in the track "The Ways of the Force") was replaced in the final edit with tracked-in music from Star Wars ("Burning Homestead" on the Special Edition soundtrack, "The Return Home" on the original soundtrack LP). The music as scored doesn't fit exactly with the final edit (hence the tiny silence before Rey's saber ignites) possibly suggesting that the tracked music was chosen as much for its length as it was its emotional power, or that the scene was lengthened to accomodate the emotion of the tracked music. This is what it would have sounded like in the film had Williams' score been (more or less) left alone. The Bearded Trio - The Site For Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, John Williams and a whole lot more. THE BEARDED TRIO ON FACEBOOK THE BEARDED TRIO ON TWITTER THE BEARDE...

He's done it again.  Well actually this was the 23rd time and at the age of 85.  Yes, John Williams has picked up another Grammy.  The awards were held last night and The CBS network broadcasted the show live from the Staples Center in Los Angeles.  You can see the full list of winners here but the one we're interested in is the Best Score Soundtrack For Visual Media category. John Williams won his 23rd Grammy for Star Wars: The Force Awakens .  He was going up against Thomas Newman who stepped in to replace John Williams for Steven Spielberg's Bridge of Spies ,  Ennio Morricone The Hateful Eight , Alva Noto & Ryuichi Sakamoto's The Revenant and the excellent soundtrack to Stranger Things by Kyle Dixon & Michael Stein. His previous victory at the Grammys was for The Book Thief back in 2014 in the Best Instrumental Composition category.  The first time John Williams won a Grammy was way back in 1976 for a little movie ca...

Join host Ruari in this guest interview with actor Mark Everex Collett, best known for playing numerous First Order TIE Fighter Pilots in Star Wars: The Force Awakens. In the interview they talk about how Mark decided he wanted to become an actor, how Mark was originally cast in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, whether Mark was a Star Wars fan prior to being cast in The Force Awakens, whether Mark found the First Order TIE Pilot costumes to be comfortable or uncomfortable to wear, Mark's favourite memory from working on The Force Awakens, Mark's overall experience working with the cast and crew of The Force Awakens, funny moments that Mark can remember from productions that he worked on and Mark's upcoming acting roles and other projects. Check out their website: http://website.everythinggeekpodcast.... Check them out on Facebook! https://www.facebook.com/pages/Everyt ... Check  them  out on Twitter! https://twitter.com/EverythingGeekP Check  them  out on Instagram!...

The 59th Grammy Awards will take place on February 12th and there is a battle of the soundtracks heating up in the Best Score Soundtrack For Visual Media category.  Of course John Williams is in the mix with Star Wars: The Force Awakens.  If he wins then it will be the 23rd time he has stepped up to except a Grammy. Doing battle in the category is Thomas Newman who stepped in to compose the soundtrack to Steven Spielberg's Bridge of Spies.  Only the second time Spielberg has not used Williams.  Also in the mix is Kyle Dixon & Michael Stein for their scintillating score to Stranger Things which became a big hit on Netflix.  The electronic synthesiser pieces mixed with a retro 80's vibe is most definitely worthy of being on this list.  Speaking of lists here is the category in full: Bridge Of Spies Thomas Newman, composer Label: Hollywood Records Quentin Tarantino's The Hateful Eight Ennio Morricone, composer Label: Decca The Revenan...

While at the Geekedfest comic con in Newport, South Wales this weekend I caught up with Dilu Miah and Kain Francis who were both puppeteer actors on Star Wars The Force Awakens.  I had a wonderful chat with the pair as they divulged their time on set at Pinewood Studios.  They reveal how J.J. Abrams was a great motivator, how on a Friday after a long week of shooting they would have a dance even with Daisy Ridley and how they got the roles for the biggest movie of all time.  They also reveal what happens if you take photos on set and try to share Star Wars secrets with the world and what their funniest moments were on their three week shoot for The Force Awakens (Hint: back flips on request for Simon Pegg.) You can listen to the interview below: Dilu Miah's character in Star Wars: The Force Awakens Kain Francis's  character in Star Wars: The Force Awakens The Bearded Trio - The Site For Steven Spielberg, George Lucas and John Williams TH...

Last summer TT Games' LEGO Jurassic World reinvigorated a beloved movie tie-in franchise in much the same way as its movie inspiration brought aging dinosaurs back into the lives of the touch screen generation. Now LEGO Star Wars: The Force Awakens builds (pun intended) on the success of a rejuvenated Star Wars saga. Like its blockbusting silver screen counterpart. The Force Awakens LEGO videogame trades on a heavy dose of nostalgia and your enjoyment will be predicated on how eager you're prepared to embrace it. Spoiler! I loved JJ Abrams' space opera and that translates to this witty wonder too. It's a faithful adaptation of The Force Awakens unlike EA's Star Wars Battlefront, which was released in the lead up to the Star Wars sequel last December. Battlefront features Jakku, but decades before the events of the movie. I was a critic of Star Wars Battlefront at launch and promised myself I wouldn't buy it! Now it's the game I play the most. Becau...

The Bearded Trio are once again teaming up with the excellent Fifth Sun to bring you another superb competition.  One lucky winner will win an official Star Wars The Force Awakens T-Shirt.  You could be sporting a BB-8 or Rey T-Shirt to show your love for the J.J. Abrams directed movie. All you have to do is tweet the following on Twitter: I want a #StarWars #TheForceAwakens T-shirt From @5sun Enter me in the @thebeardedtrio comp That's all you have to do!  The competition is on until the 9th March 12pm GMT.  US residents only.  The winner will be contacted for mailing details and choice of T-Shirt.  We'll then forward to Fifth Sun so they can post the T-Shirt out.  No alternative prize can be given. Why not head over to Fifth Sun's website to see their choice of T-Shirts and select the one you might win? Good Luck. The Bearded Trio - The Site For Steven Spielberg, George Lucas and John Williams THE BEARDED TRIO ON...

Go behind the scenes of the Star Wars: The Force Awakens soundtrack, as composer John Williams discusses his approach to crafting music for the film, including characters new and classic. The Bearded Trio - The Site For Steven Spielberg, George Lucas and John Williams THE BEARDED TRIO ON FACEBOOK THE BEARDED TRIO ON TWITTER THE BEARDED TRIO ON GOOGLE+ THE BEARDED TRIO ON PINTEREST CLICK HERE FOR FACTS ON STEVEN SPIELBERG CLICK HERE FOR FACTS ON GEORGE LUCAS CLICK HERE FOR FACTS ON JOHN WILLIAMS

See how Phil Tippett and the Tippett Studio team of animators, modelers, fabricators and compositors re-created the stop-motion Holochess set for The Force Awakens, down to the smallest detail! The Force Awakens - Tippett Studio Holochess Stop-Motion Reel from Tippett Studio on Vimeo . The Bearded Trio - The Site For Steven Spielberg, George Lucas and John Williams THE BEARDED TRIO ON FACEBOOK THE BEARDED TRIO ON TWITTER THE BEARDED TRIO ON GOOGLE+ THE BEARDED TRIO ON PINTEREST CLICK HERE FOR FACTS ON STEVEN SPIELBERG CLICK HERE FOR FACTS ON GEORGE LUCAS CLICK HERE FOR FACTS ON JOHN WILLIAMS

Ever wondered what Star Wars The Force Awakens would look like if it had zero budget?  Well wonder no more as we get to see a recreation of The Force Awakens trailer done by some clever fans using...well no budget at all.  It's appropriately called The Budget Awakens but as you can see from the video below, it hasn't. The Bearded Trio - The Site For Steven Spielberg, George Lucas and John Williams THE BEARDED TRIO ON FACEBOOK THE BEARDED TRIO ON TWITTER THE BEARDED TRIO ON GOOGLE+ THE BEARDED TRIO ON PINTEREST CLICK HERE FOR FACTS ON STEVEN SPIELBERG CLICK HERE FOR FACTS ON GEORGE LUCAS CLICK HERE FOR FACTS ON JOHN WILLIAMS

Okay folks it is now two and half weeks since the release of Star Wars : Episode VII The Force Awakens . So if you haven’t seen the film yet then “move along, move along”. There are so many topics I could discuss about this movie, but I’m going to narrow it down to Rey’s character. Not exactly a small subject I know, but I’m going to take a more personal view. My own thoughts about her and my connection to her (no I’m not related to her either). When I look at Rey I see resilience. I see a girl who believes she belongs on Jakku, even though deep down she knows she’s destined for something greater. She only “belongs” there because she believes her family will return for her…someday. I have my own theory on who Rey’s parents are based on what Maz Kanata said. I’m paraphrasing when I say Maz tells Rey her family will never return, she tells Rey this after Maz asks Han “who’s the girl?” Obviously Han tells Maz something about Rey’s parents. Did Kylo Ren kill Rey’s parents? T...