Steven Spielberg And Harrison Ford Return For New 'Indiana Jones' Film

                                                                 

          

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Harrison Ford and director Steven Spielberg will return for a fifth installment of action-adventure franchise "Indiana Jones" due for release in July 2019, Walt Disney said Tuesday.
Ford, 73, will reprise his role as the charming rogue archaeologist who first appeared in 1981's "Raiders of the Lost Ark" with a penchant for getting into trouble on his quests to find historical treasure.

"Indiana Jones is one of the greatest heroes in cinematic history and we can't wait to bring him back to the screen in 2019," Disney chairman Alan Horn said in a statement.

The as yet untitled film will come 11 years after the last installment, "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull," in which Ford's Jones reunited with his first love Marion (Karen Allen) and discovered he had a grown-up son, Mutt Williams (Shia LaBeouf). 

Disney did not immediately say if Allen and LaBeouf will return and did not reveal any plot details. Franchise producers Kathleen Kennedy and Frank Marshall will produce. 

The "Indiana Jones" franchise has grossed nearly $2 billion at the global box office with four films and amassed a global fan base. Ford cemented his action-star status with the role of Indiana Jones and as space smuggler Han Solo in the "Star Wars" franchise. 

The veteran actor most recently reprised his role as Solo in Disney's "Star Wars: The Force Awakens," the third highest-grossing film worldwide of all time.

With many thanks to CNBC

                                                                

                                                                   

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The 10 Greatest Movie Sequels Of All Time 

The 100 Greatest American Films

Famous Blondes, From Monroe and Novak To Bardot And Basinger

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Julie Fletcher: Photographing Unique Parts Of Australia

                                                                    

Some really incredible images. These deserve a lot more of a different type of exposure and attention!

Ever dream of packing a bag and leaving everything behind to live closer to nature? Here's one inspiring photographer who did just that.

After escaping a destructive relationship and quitting her office job in Sydney, nature photographer Julie Fletcher hit the road to experience all that the Australian wilderness has to offer.

"I was very unhappy until one day I made the life-changing decision to leave," Fletcher tells MNN. "I set a date, got everything in order, packed my car with the essentials and drove away with $3,000 in my bank account. It was the best thing I ever did."

That was more than 12 years ago, and she hasn't looked back since. The abrupt career change led her to take jobs at tourist resorts and remote cattle stations, which gave her the opportunity to explore and photograph the surrounding scenery on her days off.

"I was on a journey," Fletcher reminisces. "A journey of photography, but more than that, I was rediscovering 'me' again."

                                                                      

Fletcher now spends her days traveling, camping, and hiking for miles just to the find the perfect shooting locations. Armed with her trusty Nikon gear and a dedication to the outdoors, she's managed to make a living out of her passion.

One of Fletcher's most favorite photographs, seen above, was captured at Menindee Lake in New South Wales. The photo, titled "Graveyard," won several awards and was even a finalist in National Geographic's 2013 Nature Awards. To this day, she still can't believe she witnessed such a surreal moment.

"I don't just photograph an area, I connect to it," Fletcher explains. "My tenacity leads me back to the same location many times to achieve the right light for the right image, time and time again."

When she's not trekking around the country, Fletcher lives with her partner in the small, remote town of Marree, South Australia. She's recently begun hosting workshops focusing on outback photography, as well as collaborating with other professional photographers for group photo tours.

Be sure to visit her Facebook and website to purchase prints or sign up for a photo workshop. There are also more beautiful photographs.

                                                            

By Catie Leary

Pictures and story with thanks to MNN. More pictures there. 

Another video here.

                                                                        

The Musketeers - The BBC's Post-Medieval Mini-Series

                                                                 

Although it will be hard for me to find a medieval mini-series I enjoyed as much as The 'Borgias'  this is definitely coming close.

Sadly 'The Borgias' was never completed - much to my disappointment.

Whilst I think many mini-series use a lot of poetic licence they are still fun to watch, even if not totally accurate. That's what entertainment is after all, and I have always enjoyed historical or costume dramas.

"The Musketeers" has a slightly modern edge to it. The costumes for example. I doubt they were all dressed in leathers but who will ever know for sure?

This is an extended and enhanced version of Alexandre Dumas' novel which many of us have not only read, but seen many movie versions of it like the ones with Gene Kelly and Oliver Reed. 

I think it's worth watching, and the opening theme is great!

I also like the sword-fighting scenes so I have put a montage of some very famous filmed duels below.

Interestingly enough some members of my extended family are direct descendents of Dumas.
                                                               

BBC AMERICA’s new co-production drama series, The Musketeers, is set on the streets of seventeenth century Paris, where law and order is an idea more than a reality. In addition to being King Louis XIII’s personal bodyguards, Athos, Aramis and Porthos stand resolutely for social justice, honor, valor, love – and for the thrill of it. 

Luke Pasqualino (Skins, The Borgias) stars as D’Artagnan alongside Tom Burke (Great Expectations, The Hour,War and Peace) as Athos, Santiago Cabrera (Merlin, Heroes) as Aramis and Howard Charles (Royal Shakespeare Company) as Porthos. 

Peter Capaldi (Doctor Who, The Hour, The Thick Of It), Maimie McCoy (Loving Miss Hatto), Tamla Kari (Cuckoo, The Inbetweeners Movie) and Hugo Speer (Bedlam) also star in the 10-part series created by Adrian Hodges (My Week With Marilyn, Primeval). 

D’Artagnan:                                                          

D’Artagnan is charismatic, impulsive and ridiculously brave with a fierce appetite for justice. A skilled fighter from rural Gascony, meets the three Musketeers while on a mission to right the wrong of his father’s death. Although he meets the men in unfortunate circumstances, he finds kindred spirits in the other soldiers.

                                                            
Porthos: 
Porthos is a great fighter, a loyal friend and a man who lives life to the full. He  is a larger-than-life character, who has come from humble beginnings to become a soldier in the most elite regiment in the land, finding a family in the other Musketeers.
                                                                      

Constance Bonacieux (Tamla Kari) leads a dull but comfortable life married to a cloth merchant, but her life is turned upside down when D’Artagnan tumbles into her world, and she becomes involved with the Musketeers.

Cardinal Richelieu (Peter Capaldi), while striving to achieve his vision of a thoroughly modern France, is a shadowy character who will stop at nothing to achieve his objectives. Milady (Maimie McCoy) is the Cardinal’s secret weapon, the most mysterious and beautiful of villains whose motives are often concealed.

The King relies on the advice of the Cardinal, his shrewd wife Queen Anne and also Captain Treville (Hugo Speer), the brave and respected commander of the Musketeers who keeps an eye on the soldiers to ensure they stay out of trouble. 

The series bursts with escapism, adventure and romance and is set to thrill audiences with riveting stories every week.

Athos:
Athos is brave, resourceful and a natural leader of men. But he nurses a dark secret in his past. Athos, who has rejected his noble roots to become a Musketeer, quickly befriends D’Artagnan, but has a past which is shrouded in mystery, and is prone to getting in trouble.
                                                                    

Aramis:
Aramis is charming but deadly, a great lover and a great fighter – Aramis is a man of fascinating contrasts.  Never short of admirers, Aramis has an effortless charm which leads him in and out of love. Despite this, he is a shrewd pragmatist who is ferocious in battle and commands a key place in the brotherhood.


                                                               

From BBC America 

Series cast summary from IMDB:
Howard Charles ... Porthos (11 episodes, 2014-2015)
Ryan Gage ... King Louis (11 episodes, 2014-2015)    
Luke Pasqualino ... D'Artagnan (10 episodes, 2014)   - also in "The Borgias"
Santiago Cabrera ... Aramis (10 episodes, 2014)
Tom Burke... Athos (10 episodes, 2014)    - also in "War and Peace".
Peter Capaldi...Cardinal Richelieu (10 episodes, 2014)    
Hugo Speer...Treville (10 episodes, 2014-2015)   
Tamla Kari...Constance (9 episodes, 2014-2015)   
Alexandra Dowling ... Queen Anne  ... (8 episodes, 2014-2015)     
Maimie McCoy...Milady (8 episodes, 2014-2015)  - also in "Loving Miss Hatto"

                                                                     

Above: Picture with thanks to Images123

                                                                     

There are quite a few of my favourite swash-buckling movies in this clip.
The list is here. 

It is generally accepted that possibly the best ever duel is the one with Stewart Granger and Mel Ferrer from the film, "Scaramouche", and Basil Rathbone was considered an expert fencer, but there is plenty here for younger viewers too!

Series 2 commencing January 2015 - looking forward to it! 
Series 3 commencing August 2016.  This is the final series.

                                                                 

First picture Credit: Foxtel
                                                         

                                                                     

                                                                           

                                                                   

                                                                    

                                                                      

Above -  picture credit:Gallery Hip

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Some Mini-Series featured on this blog:

Tutankhamun: Mini-series About The Most Famous Archaeological Find Of All Time

Downton Abbey: Ending After Its Sixth Season?
The Real Downton Abbey
‘Downton Abbey’ and History: A Look Back
Texas Rising
Banished
Against The Wind 
The Borgias and Pillars of the Earth
A Fortunate Life
Downton Abbey Becomes Downturn Abbey: Secrets Of Series 6 Revealed
Pride and Prejudice at 20: The Scene That Changed Everything
Cilla Black's Biography On TV 
Downton Abbey Producers In Talks To Make A 1930s-set Feature-length Movie
Maggie Smith: Michael Coveney’s Biography 
'Vinyl' Mick Jagger and Martin Scorsese's Mini-series
Caitriona Balfe: A Role Model After Outlander And Money Monster

How ‘Mr Robot’ Won The Prize For Hacker Realism