The Bearded Trio

“People are predictable.” - Tobias Beckett in Solo: A Star Wars Story . In this case, Season 3 of Star Wars: The Mandalorian has been somewhat predictable, at least through the first two episodes. Din Djarin, last seen helping to liberate a town on Tatooine in The Book of Boba Fett, looks to atone for his “sin” of removing his helmet. The first two episodes of the season follow that quick, if predictable journey, to his creed-mandated redemption by taking a dive into sacred waters contained within the ruins of the planet Mandalore. But Wednesday’s third episode of the current third season was easily the strongest. The episode begins and ends with Djarin and Bo-Katan escaping from Imperial TIE Interceptors (my favorite TIE ship) before linking up with the remaining Mandalorians, led by The Armorer and Paz Viszla, as seen in the season opener.  Those sequences bookend the bulk of the episode, spent on Coruscant, following the story of Doctor Pershing, a character we’ve known since t...

The Mandalorian and the Child by LEGO It makes me happy to see these kind of Star Wars products being released.  Affordable, simple and fun for all ages.  It's important especially with all of us feeling the pinch that affordable gifts, toys and collectables are available.  At only £17.99 this 295 piece LEGO set, released just in time for The Mandalorian season three really is a bundle of joy that anyone of any age can enjoy and have fun with, without breaking the bank.   Build out of this world creations with the LEGO Star Wars BrickHeadz The Mandalorian and The Child set. Both BrickHeadz come with baseplates for display. Build a hover pram for The Child and adjust its ears to create adorable happy and sad expressions. This cute LEGO figure may look like a Baby Yoda, but this lovable creature is referred to as the Child. The Mandalorian LEGO BrickHead carries a blaster rifle and blaster pistol, ready for battle. Inspired by the Disney+ live-action series The M...

Sometimes the simplest way is the best way.  Just take a look at this photo of the clever people at Industrial Light & Magic lighting the Death Star model for the Star Wars movie.  That moon, I mean space station is a thing of beauty.  Can I have it in my living room please? The Bearded Trio - The Site For Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, John Williams and a whole lot more.

Lets have some good news.  Nay!  Let's have some awesome news!  John Williams it seems isn't retiring. At an event, sponsored by the American Cinematheque and held at the Writers Guild Theater, John Williams and Steven Spielberg spoke for 90 minutes about their career.  Moderator Jon Burlingame left the best question until last. “A final question for each of you. John, are you really retiring from films? Are this” — “The Fabelmans,” the last film to come up for discussion — “and the Indiana Jones film to come your last work for the medium?” “Well, Steven is a lot of things,” replied the composer. “He’s a director, he’s a producer, he’s a studio head, he’s a writer, he’s a philanthropist, he’s an educator. One thing he isn’t is a man you can say no to.” “You never told me that before today,” said Spielberg, slightly, happily rattled. Williams pointed out that Arnold Spielberg, the director’s WWII-veteran father, died at 102, was still working at the Shoah Foundation w...

Hasbro announced several exciting new Indiana Jones products during this morning’s Indiana Jones Fanstream! Here's just a selection of the new products: INDIANA JONES WORLDS OF ADVENTURE INDIANA JONES WITH MOTORCYCLE AND SIDECAR  (HASBRO/Ages 4 years & up/Approx. Retail Price: $22.99/ Available: Spring 2023)  Throttle into action and adventure with the Indiana Jones Worlds of Adventure Indiana Jones with Motorcycle and Sidecar figure and vehicle set! This 2.5-inch-scale Indiana Jones action figure features fully poseable arms, legs, and head, as well as design and detail inspired by the Indiana Jones entertainment. Kids ages 4 and up will love re-creating favorite moments with this Indiana Jones gift set, featuring 4 accessories, including 2 whips and a satchel, as well as a repositionable projectile launcher for explosive fun!   Worlds of Adventure toy figures for kids make a great introduction to the adventures of archaeologist Indiana Jones and a cool kids’ gi...

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 ...