Watches, Stories, & Gear: John Woo Returns to Hollywood, Winter Coats Fit for the Ice Planet Hoth, and the Mad Max: Furiosa Trailer

“Watches, Stories, and Gear” is a roundup of our favorite content, watch or otherwise, from around the internet. Here, we support other creators, explore interesting content that inspires us, and put a spotlight on causes we believe in. Oh, and any gear we happen to be digging on this week. We love gear.

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John Woo Returns to Hollywood

John Woo, for fans of action films, is a legend. His Face/Off, starring John Travolta and Nicolas Cage, is an endlessly quotable 1990s classic that still holds up today, and his early Hong Kong films like The Killer and Hard-Boiled set a template that action oriented filmmakers have been following for years, even if they can never quite duplicate Woo’s unique style. Now, after a long period of making movies abroad, he’s back with his Hollywood production in years. Silent Night is a dialogue free revenge drama, and the trailer would seem to indicate we’re dealing with vintage Woo here, with plenty of slow-mo, elaborate chase sequences, and what appear to be wildly complex set pieces. In this New Yorker interview, Woo discusses his deep interest in genre filmmaking, how he’s been influenced by everything from Clint Eastwood to martial arts films, and of course his latest endeavor. It’s worth a read for anyone who’s ever quoted Face/Off. 

A First Look at the “Fallout” TV Series

“Fallout,” the much admired video game franchise, is getting a big budget TV adaptation next year, and Vanity Fair has a first look. It’s part of a new breed of video game adaptations that treat the medium with a level of seriousness that would have been hard to imagine a generation ago. Think of the difference in tone between the 1990s Mortal Kombat flick and HBO’s “The Last of Us,” for example. Of course, part of the change is that the games themselves are far more cinematic, and perhaps more worthy of adaptation. And that’s attracted major film and television talent to these projects, including Jonathan Nolan, the creator of the gone-but-not-forgotten “Westworld” series, who is behind this new Fallout project. 

The Nomos Advent Calendar Returns 

Now in its tenth year, the Nomos Advent Calendar is back to inspire a month’s worth of holiday gift ideas. From now until December 24, each day will reveal a new holiday gift across a range of price points. For example, the first gift, revealed yesterday, is a very cool set of “blanks” left over from movement production. It’s a unique watch themed gift, and at just $26 is uncommonly wallet friendly. Head over to Nomos to keep track of the Advent Calendar as we get deeper into the month. 

Columbia’s New Star Wars Inspired Line of Winter Wear

This is one of those things we’re surprised took so long to happen. Columbia, the vaunted outdoor apparel company, has launched a new line of winter wear inspired by Star Wars, specifically looking toward the garments worn by characters in the famous sequence set on the ice planet Hoth in The Empire Strikes Back. The line consists of bright orange jackets (and a matching ski suit) and even a goggle set and cross-body bag. It’s proof once again that if you’re a Star Wars completist, your work is never really done. 

The Furiosa Trailer Drops

Max Max: Fury Road is one of the true filmmaking triumphs of the last decade. George Miller’s return to the world of Mad Max was a critical and audience favorite, delighting fans of the original Mad Max films and minting new fans along the way. A followup has been on the docket for years, and now we get our first glimpse at Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, starring Anya Taylor-Joy and Chris Hemsworth in a prequel that is said to stand alone among the other films in the franchise. Few filmmakers build a world like George Miller, and we can’t wait to get dropped into this one next year. 

Noah Hawley’s Alien Series of FX Takes Shape

Now that the SAG and WGA strikes that stopped the Hollywood machine for months have been resolved, we’re seeing a flurry of casting news and deals take shape across the entertainment landscape. To that end, Deadline reported this week that Timothy Olyphant is set to star in Noah Hawley’s long gestating Alien project at FX. The series is a prequel set in the Alien universe, which had previously been extended with the films Prometheus and Alien: Covenant. What makes this project so interesting, besides Hawley being involved, is that it’s set on earth, which is a first for the franchise. We’re excited about this one, and if you’re curious to get a sense of Hawley’s sensibility, you can check out the new season of Fargo, currently airing on FX and streaming on Hulu.