The Bearded Trio

Happy New Year from all of us at The Bearded Trio.  We sincerely hope that 2023 is a fantastic year for all of you and brings much happiness and magical movie moments. As it seems to be a tradition on this site we want to remind you that the following year calendar can be re-used for 2023: 2017, 2006, 1995, 1989, 1978, 1967, 1961. So dig out your Star Wars vintage calendars or maybe Willow?  I know these were released in the cinemas the year before but the calendars always made an appearance around Christmas time obviously for the year ahead.    Make sure you share with us on social media which calendar you are using for 2023.  The Bearded Trio - The Site For Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, John Williams and a whole lot more.

We would like to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas.  Thank you for all your support throughout the year.  I hope Santa brings you plenty of Spielberg, Lucas and Williams related goodies. The Bearded Trio - The Site For Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, John Williams and a whole lot more.

Steven Spielberg is the guest on this week's BBC Radio 4's Desert Island Discs.  Tune in at 11:15 GMT.  Will also be available on catch up. If you're not from the UK you may be asking what is Desert Island Discs? It is a radio programme broadcast on BBC Radio 4. It was first broadcast on the BBC Forces Programme on 29 January 1942. Each week a guest, called a "castaway" during the programme, is asked to choose eight recordings (usually, but not always, music), a book and a luxury item that they would take if they were to be cast away on a desert island, whilst discussing their life and the reasons for their choices. It was devised and originally presented by Roy Plomley. Since 2018 the programme has been presented by Lauren Laverne. You can listen to the show here:  https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001g8m4 The Bearded Trio - The Site For Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, John Williams and a whole lot more.

Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, only in theaters, June 30 2023. Harrison Ford returns as the legendary hero archaeologist in the highly anticipated fifth installment of the iconic “Indiana Jones” franchise, which is directed by James Mangold (“Ford v Ferrari,” “Logan”). Starring along with Ford are Phoebe Waller-Bridge (“Fleabag”), Antonio Banderas (“Pain and Glory”), John Rhys-Davies (“Raiders of the Lost Ark”), Shaunette Renee Wilson (“Black Panther”), Thomas Kretschmann (“Das Boot”), Toby Jones (“Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom”), Boyd Holbrook (“Logan”), Oliver Richters (“Black Widow”), Ethann Isidore (“Mortel”) and Mads Mikkelsen (“Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore”). Directed by James Mangold, the film is produced by Kathleen Kennedy, Frank Marshall and Simon Emanuel, with Steven Spielberg and George Lucas serving as executive producers. John Williams, who has scored each Indy adventure since the original "Raiders of the Lost Ark" in 1981, is once again ...

I hadn’t watched Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989) in quite a while. But the other morning, out of nowhere, a theory came to me that I felt compelled to write about. The grail knight, as seen in the grail chamber during the film’s climax, does not exist. I believe the grail knight is a projection of Indy’s belief and purity of quest. He has read the stories of the grail knights, but within his own mind, needs the support and affirmation of the grail knight.  I use the script and the direction of the actors as my supporting evidence. Allow me to explain. Indy successfully navigates the three challenges, as laid out in Henry’s book about the grail. He crawls into a candlelit chamber with chalices scattered about and a solitary figure genuflecting away from him. They have a brief conversation in which Indy says the grail knight has guarded the grail for more than 700 years. “A long time to wait,” the knight agrees. Also note how differently the knight is lit within the scene ...

He Made Me Do It Films announced today that they are launching a Kickstarter campaign to fund their documentary about the life and career of legendary Hollywood art director Joe Alves on November 2022 Co-directed by Jamie Benning (filmumentaries.com) and Patrick Tyndall, ‘Not Your Average Joe” will tell the story of Joe Alves (FORBIDDEN PLANET, JAWS, CLOSE ENCOUNTERS, ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK ETC) who spent more than four decades working as a set designer and art director on some of the biggest and most successful movies in cinema history. With interviews from some of the most prominent names in Hollywood, we will look at the influence and impact that his incredible archive of work has had. Joe has connections to just about everyone, including Elvis Presley, Alfred Hitchcock, Audrey Hepburn, James Stewart, Marlon Brando, James Dean, Goldie Hawn, John Carpenter and even… Herman Munster! He designed the Shark from ‘Jaws’, discovered Devils Tower for ‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ and ...

I caught a few minutes of the USA vs. Wales World Cup match the other day (hi Rob!) and the perfect analogy occurred to me. As an American who has never played soccer, I apologize to all our friends in the United Kingdom and elsewhere for this. This is a broad-brush analogy. World Cup Soccer is Star Wars: Andor .  In Andor , as in soccer, you have long stretches of time where very little happens. A lot of talking and standing. But when stuff does happen, man, it gets INTENSE . And the acting is top-notch across the board. With all that said, I found Andor to be quite underwhelming, particularly when compared with the general fan reaction to the show. With very few exceptions, many within this famously divided fandom are almost united in showering praise upon Andor , pointing out its writing, acting, music, settings and characters as highlights. I would agree that the quality of the overall production was high level. Technically, it’s difficult to point out any flaws in what showrun...

THE FABELMANS Starring Michelle Williams, Paul Dano, Seth Rogen, Gabriel LaBelle, Julia Buttars, Jeannie Berlin, Robin Bartlett, Judd Hirsh and David Lynch Written by Steven Spielberg & Tony Kushner Directed by Steven Spielberg It was in 1981, at the palatial one screen Villa Theatre in Holladay, Utah, that the magic of cinema grabbed my twin brother and me forever when as seven-year-olds we saw Raiders of the Lost Ark. It was not our first movie, and we already had a budding love of the cinema. But Raiders took it to a new level and cemented that (for better or for worse) movies would be my first love and my life’s dream. A year later, the same filmmaker who had taken two seven-year-old agoraphobic boys on the greatest adventure imaginable touched our hears forever with the beauty and emotion of E.T. – The Extra Terrestrial. Both of these experiences will always be tied in my mind and heart to my late mother, who took my siblings and me to see them, and then supported the passion ...

The Fabelmans – In Select Theaters Now. Everywhere Wednesday.  Directed by Steven Spielberg, The Fabelmans is written by Spielberg and Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Tony Kushner (Angels in America, Caroline, or Change), who has earned Oscar® nominations for his screenplays for Spielberg’s Lincoln and Munich. The film is produced by three-time Oscar® nominee Kristie Macosko Krieger p.g.a. (West Side Story, The Post), Steven Spielberg p.g.a. and Tony Kushner p.g.a. The film is executive produced by Carla Raij (Maestro, co-producer West Side Story) and Josh McLaglen (Free Guy, Logan). The film stars Gabriel LaBelle (The Predator, American Gigolo series) as 16-year-old aspiring filmmaker Sammy Fabelman; four-time Academy Award® nominee Michelle Williams (Manchester by the Sea, My Week with Marilyn) as his artistic mother, Mitzi; Paul Dano (The Batman, There Will Be Blood) as his successful, scientific father, Burt; Seth Rogen (Steve Jobs, An American Pickle) as Bennie Loewy, Burt’s...

The All-New Action-Adventure Series Streams Exclusively on Disney+ Beginning November 30, 2022 The cast and filmmakers from “Willow,” the all-new action-adventure series based on George Lucas’ 1988 fantasy-adventure film, were in London earlier today for a special screening at the Curzon Soho Cinema. Showrunner, executive producer, and writer Jon Kasdan and stars Warwick Davis, Ellie Bamber, Ruby Cruz, Erin Kellyman, Tony Revolori, Amar Chadha-Patel, and Dempsey Bryk, took to the stage to introduce the first two episodes of the epic series filled with excitement, magic, and non-stop adventure, much to the delight of fans and guests in attendance. The story began when an aspiring sorcerer, played by Warwick Davis, is whisked away on a journey to protect an infant empress Elora Danan and vanquish the evil Queen Bavmorda from their world of Andowyne. Now, the story continues with Davis reprising his titular role as he leads an unlikely crew of heroes on a quest to protect Andowyne from an...

Sad news as we learn that the Iranian who lived in an airport for 18 years and inspired the Spielberg classic, The Terminal has passed away.  The inspiring gentleman was discovered at the airport where he had returned to a few weeks ago.   "Mr Nasseri was eventually given the right to live in France, but he ended up returning to the airport a few weeks ago, where he died of natural causes, an airport official told AFP." Caught in a diplomatic limbo, Mehran Karimi Nasseri made a small area of Roissy Charles de Gaulle airport his home in 1988. His experience inspired the 2004 film, The Terminal, starring Tom Hanks. Born in 1945 in the Iranian province of Khuzestan, Mr Nasseri first flew to Europe in search of his mother. He spent some years living in Belgium, having been expelled from countries including the UK, the Netherlands and Germany for not having the correct immigration documents. He then went to France, where he made the airport's 2F Terminal his home. Mr Nasseri r...

The Fabelmans B-Roll and Interview With Steven Spielberg We are pleased to bring you footage from Sunday's AFI Fest premiere of Steven Spielberg's The Fabelman .  Check out the cast on the red carpet and an interview with the director himself, Steven Spielberg who explains how personal this movie is and how he takes his privacy public for the first time.  It all took place at the famous TCL Chinese Theatre, Hollywood. About The Fabelmans: Directed by Steven Spielberg, The Fabelmans is written by Spielberg and Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Tony Kushner (Angels in America, Caroline, or Change), who has earned Oscar® nominations for his screenplays for Spielberg’s Lincoln and Munich. The film is produced by three-time Oscar® nominee Kristie Macosko Krieger p.g.a. (West Side Story, The Post), Steven Spielberg p.g.a. and Tony Kushner p.g.a. The film is executive produced by Carla Raij (Maestro, co-producer West Side Story) and Josh McLaglen (Free Guy, Logan). The film sta...

We are now halfway through season one of Star Wars: Andor , a series currently airing on Disney Plus. The show tells the backstory of Cassian Andor, played by Diego Luna, leading up to the events of Star Wars: Rogue One (2016).  Andor has been quite a departure from any kind of live-action Star Wars content we have seen to date. The pure action has been slow, almost to the point of non-existent, at least until the most recent episode "The Eye" which premiered Wednesday. I have taken a more critical view of this show than any other. It ranks a distant fourth of the four Disney Plus shows in my personal rankings for many reasons. In my view, the show makes an obvious effort to distance itself from other Star Wars content. The concentration on characters, their interaction and relationships with one another takes a far higher priority than plot or story. It is paced very slowly, as if each episode represents 1/24th of a larger story, which is technically true. Andor will span t...

Words you will not find in this initial recap of Andor :  "Adult." "Gritty." "Mature." "Slow Burn." Almost in lock-step, professional publications and Disney-chosen influencers have used identical verbiage to describe the first three episodes of Star Wars: Andor , which bowed on Disney Plus Wednesday, September 21.  You'll find many of those same influencers declaring this to be THE BEST STAR WARS SERIES EVER, based on 25 percent of the first of two seasons being revealed. After viewing the first three episodes, I was left with one question: "Where was the 'Star Wars' in this latest Star Wars show?" Don't get me wrong, from a technical standpoint, Andor appears outstanding on every level. The production design, acting, music, environment and characters are all compelling and draw in the viewer in no time. We feel immediately part of this world Cassian Andor (wonderfully played by Diego Luna) stalks around in.  The show...