Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade – 30 Year Anniversary

Many argue that the third instalment of Stephen Spielberg’s Indiana Jones saga is the best of the bunch, better even than Raiders of the Lost Ark (apologies if you find it sacrilegious). The classic movie was released on the 24^th of May 1989, celebrating its anniversary just yesterday.

The Last Crusade co-stars Julian Glover, Alison Doody and Denholm Elliot alongside Harrison Ford as well as Sean Connery playing the role of the whip-wielding archaeologist’s father and the late River Phoenix who portrays a young Indi during the opening flashback. The pair narrowly escape imprisonment by the Nazis in search of the holy grail.

The movie produced by Lucasfilm and distributed by Paramount features a fresh score by multiple Academy Award winning composer John Williams with a story by the great George Lucas and a screenplay by Lost Boys and Lethal Weapon 2 writer Jeffrey Boam. It pulled down a whopping $474m worldwide at the box office (just shy of $1bn adjusted for inflation) against a production budget of $48m.

The dynamic, dramatic and, at times, hilarious adventure takes our hero through Nazi occupied Germany, a booby trapped biblical obstacle course and even a tank chase on his way to the final resting place of the holy grail, the cup that caught the blood of Jesus Christ, bringing immortality to all who drink from it, saving the life of his father.

The movie received four Academy Award nominations, winning in the categories of Best Effects and Best Sound Effects Editing, narrowly beaten in the Best Sound and Original Score categories by Glory and The Little Mermaid respectively. Sean Connery received nominations for a Golden Globe and a BAFTA Award for his performance.

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade remains one of Steven Spielberg and George Lucas’ greatest creations bringing a tense, yet heart-warming story to life with a fantastic cast in a timeless visual adventure.

Peaky Blinders Season 5 – What We Know So Far

The BBC’s historical crime drama Peaky Blinders is returning later this year for a fifth season. Filming for the new set of six episodes, helmed this year by Ripper Street director Anthony Byrne, was completed in January 2019.

The multi-award-winning series starring Irish actor Cillian Murphy closed its fourth season in December of 2017 meaning that the release of some new material is somewhat overdue. The fourth season saw the infamous Shelby clan faced against a deadly Sicilian mafioso named Luca Changretta (Adrian Brody), losing one of their own in the struggle, Tommy and Arthur’s younger brother John (Joe Cole).

The fifth season will see the return of Tommy Shelby as a bona fide elected MP for his home borough of Birmingham South. Actor Paul Anderson has let slip that his character, family elder Arthur Shelby also gains parliamentary connections during the new season. The series is set to take a look at a more emotional side of the stone-walled crime boss Tommy Shelby, exploring his declining mental health as his past continues to catch up with him.

All surviving cast regulars will be returning to the show as well as a few new faces. Hunger Games actor Sam Claflin will portray historic fascist politician Oswald Mosley with Anya Taylor-Joy (Split, Glass) and Brian Gleeson (Assassin’s Creed, Phantom Thread) appearing in unconfirmed roles.

Unfortunately, not much information is available as yet other than a few social media leaks. We are still awaiting the release of a trailer and the announcement of an official release date. More info coming soon!

One Week Until Good Omens!

Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman’s classic apocalypse novel Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch is finally about to be brought to life! All six one-hour long episodes will air on Amazon Prime Video on May 31^st.

The plot centres around a likeable but stone-cold evil demon named Crowley (previously Crawly) and the angel Aziraphale, two unlikely friends who have become accustomed to a certain lifestyle on Earth and seek to prevent its imminent destruction. The end of the world is signified by the arrival of Adam, a young antichrist and his faithful hellhound named Dog.

The six-part series stars David Tennant and Michael Sheen as the dynamic duo at the forefront. Also starring is a host of prolific and exceptionally talented names including Jon Hamm, Jack Whitehall, Miranda Richardson, Brian Cox, Frances McDormand, Derek Jacobi and Benedict Cumberbatch.

Other than original author Neil Gaiman’s majority contribution, the writing of the show has been left to Small Soldiers writer Gavin Scott and Monty Python actor and writer Terry Jones. The pair collaborated once before on the bizarre concept comedy Absolutely Anything starring Simon Pegg. At the helm, we have Scottish TV director Douglas Mackinnon, director of several episodes of Doctor Who, Jekyll, Outlander and Sherlock special episode The Abominable Bride.

Filming began in October 2017 in Surrey, later moving to St. James’s Park, London and finally in Cape Town, South Africa. Earlier that year, Gaiman tweeted a photograph of Sheen and Tennant in costume on set.

Gaiman has claimed that bringing the book to life is an absolute must, as it was one of the final wishes of brilliant co-author Terry Pratchett. The delightfully weird and upbeat characters including God, Satan, the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, a few witchfinders and of course, the witch Agnes Nutter herself, will be brought to life and binge-watchable on Amazon Prime Video on May 31^st.

See the trailer here!