By Lee Pfeiffer

Studios are cracking down on pet projects of big name directors by canceling some high profile productions because of budget costs. Ron Howard and Guillermo Del Toro are among the recent "victims". Now Disney has informed producer Jerry Bruckheimer and star Johnny Depp that their long-planned Lone Ranger film is being shut down. Filming was to start in October- but Disney execs got cold feet when the estimated budget hit $232 million. The studio is insisting that the film cost no more than $200. This is how insane Hollywood has become: $200 million for a movie about a guy on horse and it's considered to be too paltry of a sum. The question remains whether Bruckheimer and Depp will have their egos bruised and scale down the budget in order to make the movie. As of right now, it's officially off Disney's schedule. The underwhelming performance of Cowboys & Aliens has the studio nervous- and there are other factors as well. Disney is sinking a jaw-dropping $250 million into next year's John Carter sci-fi epic and there is also the $200 million Oz: The Great and Powerful in the pipeline. Saying "no" to Johnny Depp is almost unheard of in the industry, especially when he has brought billions into Disney's coffers through the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise. However, his track record outside of that series is spotty at best and the suits at Disney aren't about to invest a king's ransom just to please him.

Consider how many great directors from years gone by are ready and willing to work but can't find some seed money to bring low-budget projects to the screen. Yet, sums that equal annual budgets of small nations are being routinely spent on films with very dubious prospects. Hollywood executives, like politicians, have devised a remarkable system in which they are handsomely rewarded even if they fail spectacularly. 

Click here for more

 

By Lee Pfeiffer

The web site Hitfix is reporting that Mike Myers has confirmed he will be reviving Austin Powers in a third sequel in the series. The last time Powers graced the screen was in 2002 with Goldmember. The first film was brilliant satire throughout with its on-the-mark homages to the look and feel of 60s spy movies, Casino Royale in particular. The two sequels were juvenile, uninspired affairs with a few genuinely funny moments strewn about. Nevertheless, they made a fortune at the box-office. Myers, whose career has been in decline ever since, wants to regain some of his mojo just like Powers did. Click here for more

By Lee Pfeiffer

The Warner Archive has released a number of 1960s teen comedies starring Connie Francis, including the 1965 MGM musical When the Boys Meet the Girls. It boggles one's mind to realize that teenagers were still patronizing films like this as late as the mid-1960s. Within a year or two, the entire genre of squeaky clean teen comedies would seem like ancient history in the wake of the new found freedoms in music and cinema. Suddenly some former Connie Francis fans would find themselves bopping around topless at Woodstock. When the Boys Meet the Girls must have seemed hopelessly outdated even in its day. The film was produced by notable schlock master Sam Katzman, and the movie bares his hallmark traits: poor production design and lighting and a razor-thin budget.

The plot finds grad student Harve Presnell hiding out at a remote Western college in order to escape gold-digging fiancee Sue Ane Langdon. He meets cute with country girl Francis, who is trying to help her father save his failing horse farm. Seems dad has a weakness for gambling and the new casino that has opened is draining his life's savings. Remember those corny old Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland musicals where they would say, "Hey, kids-we can always put on a show in the barn"? Well, this one does them one better. Presnell suggests that they convert dad's farm into a world class dude ranch resort, a feat they seem to accomplish in a few days in between attending classes.

 

The MGM HD Channel presents an outdoor screening of the Sergio Leone/Clint Eastwood classic A Fistful of Dollars on Saturday, 13 August at Walpole Park, Ealing, UK. A live band and open bar will be on the premises. Click here for details.

Clint Eastwood's 1975 thriller The Eiger Sanction was generally dissed by critics in its day. However, as writer Jason Ivey points out, in today's climate of dumbed-down action movies, it seems like a work of art, specifically for the incredible mountain climbing sequences which Eastwood did himself, while directing! Click here to read and to view the original trailer.

Click here to order the DVD discounted from Amazon

 

The young woman who was surreptitiously photographed by Alfred Wertheimer making out with Elvis Presley in 1956 has been identified. She is Barbara Gray and she is finally telling her story about her fleeting, one-day romance with the future king of rock 'n roll. Click here for story and video. For Cinema Retro's original story about Wertheimer's book of unpublished Elvis photos, click here

NOW SHIPPING WORLDWIDE!

THE NEW KELLY'S HEROES MOVIE CLASSICS SPECIAL EDITION HAS NOW SHIPPED WORLDWIDE. IF YOU PRE-ORDERED THIS ISSUE, IT'S ALREADY EN ROUTE TO YOU. IF YOU HAVEN'T ORDERED YET, DO SO TODAY AND ADD THIS SURE-TO-BE VALUED COLLECTOR'S ITEM TO YOUR CINEMA RETRO LIBRARY!

The acclaim from fans and those who worked on the film is pouring in. Here is an E mail we received from director John Landis, who began his career working as an assistant to director Brian G. Hutton on the movie:

Dear Dave and Lee –

The Kelly's Heroes extravaganza arrived today and it's quite overwhelming!  I can't wait to read it cover to cover! It looks fantastic and extremely thorough.  Congratulations!  I really have never seen anything like it.  Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Best always - John

As you may know, John Landis knows a thing or two about making movies, so his praise is certainly appreciated. A special thanks to John for providing ultra rare photos from his personal archive as well as original call sheets from the movie.

Following on from our 'Movie Classics Special Edition' that paid tribute to director Brian G. Hutton's Where Eagles Dare (which sold out and now commands in excess of $150 on Ebay!) we bring you his other big picture collaboration with star Clint Eastwood - Kelly's Heroes.

As before, this is an 80-page blockbuster filled with amazing stories and ultra -rare photographs, many which have never been seen before, and all for the same cover price as our regular 64-page magazine!

We have had the full cooperation of the director Brian G. Hutton, who has shared with us the trials and tribulations of making this WWII action-comedy on location in Yugoslavia. Some of the stories have to be read to be believed! Additionally, we have exclusive interviews with John Landis, actor Stuart Margolin (Little Joe), and Eastwood's regular key grip, Dennis Fraser. This issue is packed with sidebar information on the filming, the locations, the music, the actors, the world-wide poster campaigns and the collectibles. We have also unearthed rare vintage interviews with Clint Eastwood, Telly Savalas, Don Rickles and Donald Sutherland recorded on location back in 1969 which have never been published before. All of this, plus many photographs taken on the set by cast and crew that we can guarantee you have never seen before.

“Oddball” would be pleased that there will be "no negative waves" from Cinema Retro's latest Movie Classics Special Edition

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STILL AVAILABLE: Cinema Retro Movie Classics #2: The Clint Eastwood/Sergio Leone "Dollar" film trilogy. Click here for info.

 

Add Dirty Dancing to the endless list of studio remakes. The 1987 film starred Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey and became an international sensation. Now there's a feeling it should be updated for modern audiences. Here's a suggestion: just reissue the original. For more click here

Cinema Retro has received the following notice from Larry Edmunds Bookshop in Hollywood:

Hello friends,

It has been a great summer here and it has been so cool to meet so many mailing list/ facebook friends that are out here enjoying California on vacation.
Also, a big thank you to all of you we've seen at our various signings and events here or at the Egyptian. It is such a pleasure always.

Wanted to make sure everyone knows about this show next Saturday night here in the bookstore. Author Chris Epting will be signing several of his titles including "James Dean Died Here" & "Elvis Presley Passed Here".
Dearly Departed's Scott Michaels will sign "Dearly Departed" & "Six Degrees of Charles Manson" dvds.

Chris & Scott will delight with a presentation about infamous spots where the famous called it a day. Who knows where the conversation may turn? It is also an overdue anniversary party celebrating Larry Edmunds Bookshop & Dearly Departed. In a world of "Hollywood tours" , there is no substitute, the guys are the best.

"Hollywood To Die For."   SATURDAY, AUGUST 13th   we'll get started @ 7.

Thanks as always for your patronage,

the Larry Edmunds Bookshop

 

Fans of the Star Wars franchise have been visiting filming locations around the world for many years- in some cases saving up relatively small fortunes in order to make the pilgrimages. For fans of any movie or series, it's fun to see where the actual sequences were shot. However, there are always extremists such as the fan who equates the statue of Yoda outside the LucasFilm HQ in San Francisco with a symbol as meaningful as the Statue of Liberty. For more click here

Cinema Retro has received the following press release:

This August will see the start of a monster season of film screenings under the title Scala Forever.  During 80’s and early 90’s The Scala Cinema in Kings Cross was one of the most famous repertory cinemas in London screening a wild mix of Cult, Classic, Arthouse, World cinema and everything inbetween.  As John Waters said, “The Scala had magic.” 

Nearly twenty years later, over 26 cinemas and film clubs in London are joining forces to highlight the range of repertory or classic film programming taking place over a seven week period.  Festival Director Philip Wood, “Cinema didn’t die when video arrived in the 80’s and now survives despite the perceived threat of downloading and filesharing.  Film exhibition is changing, but people still want to come together and enjoy more than just new films at the cinema.” 

Originating at Roxy Bar & Screen, a unique bar / cinema in London Bridge, the season includes screenings taking place at the likes of BFI Southbank, Riverside Studios, Prince Charles Cinema, Ritzy Picturehouse, Rio Cinema, The Phoenix Cinema, ICA, Shortwave Cinema and many, many more, including film clubs Midnight Movies, Duke Mitchell Film Club, Close-Up, Cigarette Burns Cinema, Passenger Films, The Amy Grimehouse and Filmbar70 who also produced the magnificent festival trailer (YouTube). 

The season will highlight a wide range of films including old Scala titles and newer rep cinema classics crossing genres of Horror to Hollywood, Arthouse to Asian, Musicals to Melodrama, Queer to Comedy and Classic to Cult, screening in double and treble-bills, all-dayers and four special all-nighters, plus panel discussions and several guest speakers introducing the screenings.

 

The Met Film School, based in England's legendary Ealing Studios, is offering a competition for UK and EU aspiring filmmakers. You can win a four week directing course that commences this November by submitting a 2-3 minute video about your city. For details click here

By Lee Pfeiffer

Warner Brothers is planning a remake of the 1968 Cold War spy thriller Ice Station Zebra, which was based on Alistair MacLean's bestselling 1963 novel. The original film was directed by John Sturges and had a powerhouse cast: Rock Hudson, Ernest Borgnine, Patrick McGoohan and Jim Brown. The new version has been written by screenwriter/producer/director David Gordon Green. As for Green's reverence for the material, check out a quote he gave about working on the project:

"I just finished a script for Warner Bros. that’s a remake of ‘Ice Station Zebra’ that’s a big military movie. And I got to go camp out on the arctic circle with the Navy and explore those kind of… you know just the lingo and the politics of what’s going on in the arctic right now so it truly is a passport. Like literally Warner Brothers says, ‘Do you want to get on a jet with the Navy and get on a submarine?’ and you’re like, ‘absofuckinglutely!’ ”

One of Green's forthcoming projects as producer includes a film titled Olympic-Sized Asshole. 

This is the man that Warner Brothers has entrusted with a beloved story by one of the twentieth century's most respected novelists. In Green's parlance, the decision seems "absofuckinglutely" insane.  Click here for more

 

If you ever see an official Daniel Craig Facebook or Twitter account, it's going to be a fraud. According to Mr. 007, "I am not on Facebook. And I'm not on Twitter either... 'Woke up this morning, had an egg'? What relevance is that to anyone? Social networking? Just call each other up and go to the pub and have a drink." We have some sympathies with Craig's desire for human rather than virtual companionship, though our biggest gripe is people's obsession with texting. Ever notice how people text one another even when they are in the same house?

The color barrier continues to collapse when it comes to playing traditionally white characters in comic book-based films. Samuel L. Jackson has played Nick Fury and how Laurence Fishburne has been announced to play Daily Planet newspaper editor Perry White in the forthcoming Superman movie Man of Steel. The role of Clark Kent's crusty boss was originally played by John Hamilton in the 1950s Adventures of Superman. Jackie Cooper played the role in the Christopher Reeve films and Frank Langella played White in the more recent Superman Returns. For more click here

 

Cinema Retro has received this press release from the producers of Black Dynamite, the recent hit retro Blaxploitation movie:

All you suckas gather 'round because the 11-minute pilot for Adult Swim's BLACK DYNAMITE: THE ANIMATED SERIES will premiere on AdultSwim.com on Monday, August 8.

Catch the exclusive trailer for the pilot here. 

The series follows Black Dynamite, an ex-CIA agent and certified ladies man avenging his brother's death by battling it out week to week with kung fu masters, drug-dealing pimps and his nemesis, The Man.

Carl Jones of THE BOONDOCKS fame is running the show, with the stars of the movie -- including Michael Jai White, Tommy Davidson, Kym Whitley and Byron Minns -- returning to voice characters for the animated series.

 

The Museum of Modern Art in New York City is presenting a film festival celebrating movies in which the summer plays a key aspect. Among the diverse titles: Suddenly Last Summer, Taxi Driver, A Midsummer's Night's Sex Comedy, Do the Right Thing and Jaws. For schedule click here

 

In order to flee her terrible home-life, 16 year-old Norma Jeane Baker married a U.S. Navy man and moved to Catalina Island, California. A selection of remarkable photos from the future Marilyn Monroe's  life during this period have surfaced and are on display at the Catalina Island Museum through October. Click here for more

In the next issue of Cinema Retro, columnist Tom Lisanti discusses the weird scenario that took place in 1965 when two rival studios released competing biopics of screen legend Jean Harlow (In fact, Tom has a new book about the rival films due to be released). A similar situation is unfolding with two biopics of the late porn legend and Deep Throat star Linda Lovelace going into production. Olivia Wilde is considering starring in one film, while Watchmen's Malin Akerman is starring in the other. Click here for more

By Harvey F. Chartrand

MICHAEL MORIARTY, who starred in such classic films as Who’ll Stop the Rain and Pale Rider, exiled himself to Canada in 1995, following a nasty confrontation with U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno in a Washington, D.C. hotel room. Moriarty was invited along with network television executives and producers to hear Reno’s views on censorship of TV violence. Law and Order, one of the least violent shows on television, was cited as a major offender. Incensed by Reno's campaign to “forcibly end violence on television and trample on rights of free expression as guaranteed in the U.S. Constitution,” Moriarty quit the series and left the U.S. in protest. He has been a landed immigrant in Canada ever since. Why the fateful encounter with Reno led to a radical (and seemingly overnight) transformation of Moriarty’s political views from soft liberal to hard-core conservative remains unexplained to this day. The onetime Manhattan über-liberal’s sudden shift to “gun-toting” arch-conservatism proved to be too much to fathom for his socialite wife Anne Hamilton Martin, and their seemingly ideal marriage ended after almost 20 years.

Moriarty was an up-and-comer in the early seventies. In 1973, he drew lavish praise for his back-to-back performances as a baseball player who befriends a dying teammate in Bang the Drum Slowly and as a cold-blooded Marine Duty Officer in The Last Detail. That same year, Moriarty starred in a TV-movie adaptation of Tennessee Williams' The Glass Menagerie with Katharine Hepburn. Moriarty's role as the Gentleman Caller won him an Emmy Award for Best Supporting Actor of the Year. Moriarty then nabbed the 1974 Tony Award in the Best Actor category for his role as a young London homosexual with a blistering razor-sharp tongue in Find Your Way Home, beating out heavyweight competitors Zero Mostel, George C. Scott, Jason Robards and Nicol Williamson.

However, Moriarty’s bid for big-screen stardom was a complete failure. In 1975, he was cast as a rookie detective who unwittingly kills an undercover policewoman in the Serpico-like drama Report to the Commissioner. The film (now hailed as a masterpiece) was shredded by the critics, especially the influential Pauline Kael of The New Yorker, who dismissed Moriarty’s acting as unbridled hysteria. Roger Ebert described Moriarty’s performance as manic: “During whole stretches of the movie, (the rookie detective) seems to be in the grip of incomprehensible tensions and fears, and Moriarty makes these so obvious we wonder why he isn’t sent in for observation. Underplaying, providing just the slightest suggestion of inner terrors, would have made the performance more convincing.”

By necessity, Moriarty made the switch to television, appearing in series like The Equalizer with Edward Woodward and starring as a German SS officer in the landmark television miniseries Holocaust, which won him another Emmy. Moriarty was also unforgettable as an aggressive professional hockey player in The Deadliest Season, one of the greatest TV-movies about hockey ever made.

Through the 1980s, Moriarty started turning up in increasingly lurid fare such as Larry Cohen’s Q: The Winged Serpent, The Stuff, It's Alive 3: Island of the Alive and A Return to Salem's Lot. In 1986, Moriarty starred in the fantasy science-fiction movie Troll, playing the role of Harry Potter, Sr.! In the decades since, these films have all become cult classics. Moriarty is especially proud of his involvement in The Hanoi Hilton, a harrowing true story about the ordeal of American prisoners of war in North Vietnam’s most infamous prison during the Vietnam War.

Yet the role that Moriarty is still best remembered for is that of Assistant District Attorney Ben Stone in the first four seasons of Law and Order (1990-1994). Stone is an essentially humorless man of unflinching rectitude who believes in maximum enforcement of the law, but is open to plea bargaining if conditions warrant.

“In early 1994, I quit Law and Order and announced my departure in the Hollywood Reporter and Daily Variety,” Moriarty told Cinema Retro. “My employers, the mainstream press and even Wikipedia like to say that it was (executive producer) Dick Wolf who fired me and not the other way ‘round. People say: ‘Oh, well, no one fires Dick Wolf!’ Well, I did. At any rate, I had become an American dissident. I left for Canada not too long after that.”

After shedding his sleek Ben Stone persona, Moriarty moved to Toronto (and later Halifax and Vancouver) and became a radically different person – some described his behaviour as crazy or bipolar. At age 52, after a lifetime of discipline and abstemiousness, Moriarty began drinking and smoking heavily. The years of hard living were evident in the thickening of his features and a noticeable weight gain. His smooth-as-velvet voice became raspy from the constant intake of nicotine. The onetime exemplar of virtue on television even got into a few scrapes with the law. He was thrown into a Halifax drunk tank in 1997. In November 2000, Moriarty was arrested for assault after slapping his former girlfriend and manager Margaret Brychka during a drunken argument in a Vancouver bar. The charges were later dismissed in court.

The dark years passed and, through rigid adherence to the 12 Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous and his abiding faith in the Roman Catholic Church, Moriarty was able to lay his demons to rest. He says he has been clean and sober since 2003.

“Canada’s AA fraternity and their infinite faith in the power of God have brought me to a calm and utterly sober joy in life I had never thought possible,” Moriarty said.

Until 2006, Moriarty continued his acting career from his home base in Maple Ridge, British Columbia, where he lives with his lady friend Irene Mettler. Since relocating to Canada, the former star of Law and Order appeared in a steady stream of movies and TV shows, notably the hard-edged police drama Major Crime, Psi Factor: Chronicles of the Paranormal, Emily of New Moon, Crime of the Century, Courage Under Fire, Children of the Dust (with Sidney Poitier), The Arrow, Earthquake in New York, James Dean (Moriarty won an Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie as Dean’s father), Taken (in the UFO TV mini-series premiere episode directed by Tobe Hooper) and director Larry Cohen’s Pick Me Up episode of Masters of Horror.

Now 70, Moriarty is semi-retired from acting, mainly due to health concerns following open-heart surgery and the lingering effects of serious injuries sustained during a savage beating at a Maple Ridge tavern in 2002. Moriarty’s last completed film to date is the still unreleased The Yellow Wallpaper, in which he plays a mysterious realtor. Lensed in Georgia in 2006, The Yellow Wallpaper is loosely based on the famous horror story by Charlotte Perkins Gilman.

 

After years of negotiating, producers of a new four-hour TV documentary about Woody Allen managed to land the shy Woodman's cooperation. The show will be the most intensive look at his life and career and will premiere in November as an American Masters presentation. Meanwhile, Allen's Midnight in Paris continues to perform well at the boxoffice and is his top-grossing film ever.

By Todd Garbarini

 

Sharktopus and Dinoshark are the titles of two of the SyFy Channel’s most-viewed titles of late. Like Piranha 3D, which was released theatrically last year, the titles of these films are fairly self-explanatory and leave little to the imagination. There is plenty of T & A on display in Sharktopus, though for reasons unknown far more restraint is shown in Dinoshark.

Sharktopus and Dinoshark were both produced by Roger Corman, who has a cameo in the former as a beachgoer and a larger role as a scientist in the latter. In Sharktopus, the shark-octopus combo is a genetically-engineered creature that is strapped to a device to keep it under military control – until it breaks free of it, that is. Out on its own, the military needs to reel the creature back in, and that’s where genetic scientist Nathan Sands (Eric Roberts) comes in. Nicole Sands (Sara Malakul Lane) is his daughter/scientist, who is trying to break free of Nathan’s “Daddy’s Little Girl” grip, and tries her best to gain control of the titular creature.

The special effects in Sharktopus are fairly decent for a film shot on a shoestring. The effects team replicates “blood” splattering on the camera lens (in reality CGI blood), and there are a fairly high number of sharktopus kills to be had, the most memorable of which is a bungee jump gone haywire (no pun intended, of course). Mary Corman, daughter of Roger and Julie Corman (the film’s producers), appears in this scene.

The acting is nothing to write home about, although Mr. Roberts is the best of the bunch. Also on hand is Sara Malakul Lane as Nathan’s daughter, and she’s quite good in her role, but just about everyone else looks like they stepped off the pages of FHM and Maxim to get in front of the camera, especially Shandi Finnessey who did step off the pages of Stuff and was chosen as Miss USA 2004. The special features consist of a trailer and an enjoyable audio commentary with Roger and Julie Corman that discusses the genesis of the film and how the SyFy Channel approached it as a project.

Dinoshark runs nearly the same length as Sharktopus, but it feels twice as long. Like Sharktopus, the film was shot in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. Trace McGraw (Eric Balfour) and Carol Brubaker (Iva Hasperger) both share a mutual friend who dies at the hands of the dinoshark, and they spend the remainder of the film trying to get people to believe them. Naturally, no one does, and the authorities do their best to bring down the dinoshark. Like Sharktopus, the special features consist of a trailer and an enjoyable audio commentary with Roger and Julie Corman.

If you have to see one of these films, Sharktopus is the way to go – that is until Sharktopus vs. Dinoshark rears its head.

Click here to order Sharktopus discounted from Amazon

Click here to order Dinoshark discounted from Amazon

Add Bruce Willis the growing roster of stars trying to revive their blue collar screen heroes that burst upon the scene in the 1980s. Willis will again delve back into the Die Hard franchise with the new flick to be filmed in Russia. Directors are now being sought. Click here for more

If you would like to visit the new Arnold Schwarzenegger Museum, all you have to do is drop by Arnie's hometown of Thal, Austria. There, his childhood friend has presented a celebration of the ex-Governator's life and career. Displays include props from films and the home Schwarzenegger grew up in. There is also a replica of his office as Governor of California. Arnie couldn't make it the opening (they probably wouldn't allow him to smoke cigars inside), but he did send a video greeting. Click here for video tour of the museum.

 

Feast your eyes on lovely Anne Hathaway, carrying on the glorious tradition of bringing Catwoman to life. Hathaway plays the sultry villainess in the new Batman movie The Dark Knight Rises now in production.

 

 

Leonardo DiCaprio has certainly proven he wasn't a flash-in-the-pan heartthrob. His salary is quite titanic. In the last year, Forbes estimates that Leo has earned $77 millon from his films, displacing former top gun Johnny Depp who has dropped to a "paltry" $50 million. Better start a fund drive for him. Click here for more

CINEMA SEX SIRENS, published by Omnibus Press,  is a unique collection of photographs of female stars of the '60s and '70s.

That period marked a new era of frankness in society and the movie industry lost no time in following suit after some 25 years of censorship and self-imposed regulations. The women who became the new erotic goddesses also became world-famous and defined a generation's view of sexuality.

Dave Worrall and Lee Pfeiffer's gallery illustrates a luminous collection of idealized women and offers a fascinating insight into the movies' depiction of female sexuality during the '60s and '70s. From the indisputable legends to actresses whose used their beauty to gain fame in the short-term through exploitation movies, this book provides little-known insights into their lives and careers.

Foreword by Sir Roger Moore

Chapters include:

• Hollywood Or Bust: The Early Years
  
• ...And God Created the Sex Symbol
• The Russ Meyer Ladies
• The Women of Blaxploitation
• The Continentals
• Made In England: Brit Glamour
• Drive-In Gals
  
• Sex Sells: The Art of the Movie Poster (rare examples of exploitation movie art)
  

Among the actresses celebrated in Cinema Sex Sirens:

• Raquel Welch
• Sophia Loren
• Natalie Wood
• Carroll Baker
• Luciana Paluzzi
• Pam Grier
• Ursula Andress
• Mamie Van Doren
• Jill St. John
• Jane Fonda
• Angie Dickinson
• Ann-Margret
• Claudia Cardinale
• Senta Berger
• Anita Ekberg
• Sylva Koscina
• Sylvia Kristel
• Elke Sommer
• Barbara Steele
• Valerie Leon
• Caroline Munro
• Ingrid Pitt

Note: This book is for mature readers and includes nudity.

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By Lee Pfeiffer

MGM has released the 1969 film The File of the Golden Goose on DVD. Yul Brynner top-lines the crime thriller that plays more like an espionage movie. Brynner portrays American Treasury agent Peter Novak, who is sent to London to infiltrate and bust a major ring that specializes in spreading counterfeit U.S. currency. Novak is assigned a young Scotland Yard detective, Arthur Thompson (a very effective Edward Woodward) and the two men enact a scenario where they are ultimately taken in as part of the gang by mobster front man George Leeds (always-reliable character actor Walter Gotell). The film is unremarkable on most levels, but the script is intelligently written and there is some genuine suspense when Novak begins to suspect that Thompson is adapting to the mobster lifestyle for real. Brynner makes for one of the most inimitable leading men of his era, constantly bringing a sense of dignity and gravitas to what otherwise might be considered to be a B movie. There is also a very wry performance by Charles Gray, playing an out-of-the-closet queen who dabbles in counterfeit bills in between hosting orgies. The film was helmed by actor/director Sam Wanamaker, who makes the most of the extensive London locations. However, the movie's climactic shootout sequence involving a helicopter is a bit of a dud and suffers from poor editing. Nevertheless, any Brynner film deserves attention and The File of the Golden Goose is a more than satisfying thriller.

Click here to order from Oldies.com

Daniel Craig is so enthused about the forthcoming James Bond film that he predicts it will be better than the critically acclaimed 2006 blockbuster Casino Royale. Click here for more including a video interview with Craig.

 

Hugh Hefner has agreed to provide narration for the premiere episode of NBC's forthcoming TV series The Playboy Club. The retro-based series will follow the lives of people associated with a 60s-era Playboy Club with heavy emphasis (unsurprisingly) on the character's sex lives. TV Guide reports that original concept was to have Hef provide narration for every episode, but that idea has been dropped. Hefner will be portrayed as a character on the show, though it's unclear how integral he will be to the plots. Click here for more

 

Here's a link to an insightful article from January that appeared in the Los Angeles Times: Kim Darby and Glen Campbell recalling their experience working on the original 1969 classic True Grit with John Wayne.

 

The tragic but not unexpected demise of rock star Amy Winehouse puts her in the category known as "The 27s"-- and it's a club no one would want to belong to. There have been a surprising number of rock legends who passed away at the tender age of 27. Click here to read about them.

 

Clark Gable is back in the news this week....sort of. The only grandson of the man known as The King of Hollywood, Clark James Gable, was arrested for fooling around with a laser and pointing it at a police helicopter patrolling the skies over Hollywood. Lasers can be attached to weapons and it is a felony to point one at a police vehicle of any kind. The 22 year old Gable said he was just fooling around with the device and posed no threat to the helicopter. He was jailed and was bailed out by a bail bond firm that turned his release into a TV publicity stunt. The offspring of the screen's Rhett Butler only turned to acting recently, having worked as a manual laborer for a pet store. His grandfather had gallantly put his screen career on hold when WWII broke out, enlisted in the service  and flew bombing raids over Europe. Meanwhile, the manager for his grandson said that upon being arrested,  the younger Gable broke down in tears, thus proving that machismo is not an inherited trait. For more click here

Universal is celebrating the forthcoming Blu-ray release of Brian DePalma's Scarface with a one-night (August 31) theatrical release in high definition. The studio has also released a deluxe Blu-ray edition packed inside a 1,000 piece limited edition humidor designed by Daniel Marshall. now you have the ultimate place in which to store your "leetle friends".

Here is the official product description:

"Inspired by the modern-day classic from acclaimed director Brian De Palma (Carlito's Way) and Oscar-winning writer Oliver Stone (Born on the Fourth of July), the Limited Edition Scarface Humidor is handcrafted by the world renowned Daniel Marshall for the ultimate collector and cigar enthusiast. A decadent collector's item limited to only 1,000 pieces worldwide, it pays tribute to Academy Award winner Al Pacino's (The Godfather) stunning portrayal of Tony "Scarface" Montana, one of the most ruthless gangsters ever depicted on film. The humidor's exterior is hand painted and polished with Marshall's trademark ""1000"" coat brilliant finish, and its interior is made of untreated Spanish cedar complete with an analog hygrometer, guaranteed to properly condition and age approximately 100 cigars at optimal humidity levels. Expertly fitted with brass hinges in exemplary Daniel Marshall style and embellished with a custom medallion inspired by the iconic film, each humidor carries a numbered plaque, a certificate of authenticity with the designer's signature, and the Limited Edition Scarface Blu-ray encased in collectible SteelBook packaging with a digital copy of the film, a DVD of the 1932 version of Scarface plus 10 original art cards. The action-packed Blu-ray features an all-new eye-popping remastered picture, explosive 7.1 audio track and never-before-seen bonus features."

Click here to order from Amazon and save $300! 

By Lee Pfeiffer

The concept for Dreamworks/Universals joint production of Cowboys & Aliens must have seemed like a sure-fire, can't miss proposition. Directed by red hot John Favreau, who has a fan following in his own rite, the film also boasts the superstar pairing of James Bond and Indiana Jones leads Daniel Craig and Harrison Ford. Add to this the fact that the story has its origins in a comic book at the precise time when audiences seem to be embracing comic heroes, and it's hard to see what could have gone wrong. Yet, the film has opened soft- almost $10 below its estimated take in its first weekend. Worse, the movie's grosses were virtually equaled by the original Blue Man Group- the Smurfs, whose feature film has performed better than expected. The studio brass will be doing some major evaluations of what went wrong. No one is calling the film an outright bomb- yet- but with a budget estimate of up to $200 million, the words "bomb" and "under-performer" are used interchangeably. The film benefited from a massive publicity campaign that began at the 2010 Comic-Con when the movie had just begun production. Harrison Ford, who regards doing PR appearances as though it is root canal surgery, was the good soldier, as usual, and made the rounds to promote the movie. Not so with Daniel Craig, who did little PR for the film despite having top billing. Reviews were predictably mixed but this is not a movie that was conceived to please critics and its doubtful that anyone cleared off a mantle to make room for Oscars. Generally, comic-inspired flicks are designed to be immune to reviews. One factor that separates this movie from other comic-films is that it is based on a rather obscure graphic novel whereas most other productions benefit from the pedigree of a legendary superhero.There is still a chance that grosses might build if word-of-mouth is strong and the overseas market, which loves big budget Hollywood action films, might prove to be a fertile ground for considerable business.

Here's a personal observation that is probably not relevant to the film's overall performance. While in Manhattan a few weeks ago, I observed a massive billboard north of Times Square for the film. Despite being a city block wide, the advertisement featured only the likeness of Daniel Craig. It was apparently felt that Harrison Ford, that legend of action cinema, would not be important enough to feature on the billboard. Obviously, marketing executives associated with the film feel that Ford might be past his sell date as a viable box-office draw. In show business, as in politics, if you value loyalty, you'd better get a dog. For more click here

 

Cinema Blend provides some interesting photos from the set of Christopher Nolan's Batman epic The Dark Knight Rises, now shooting in Pittsburgh. They include shots of Tom Hardy in costume as the villain Bane. Click here for more

 

With Rise of the Planet of the Apes about to be released, The New York Times looks at the history of the series and evaluates the individual films, finding relevance to today's social issues. Click here to read

By Adrian Smith

Continuing the inevitable rollout of classic (and not so classic) movies to the latest home video format, Fox Studios have released Conan the Barbarian as a region-free Blu-ray in the UK, just in time to help stir up interest in the forthcoming remake in September (although that film is being distributed by rival studios Lionsgate).

It is hard to imagine now, given Schwarzenegger's legendary status in the film industry, that in 1982 he was a relatively unknown actor. As a former Mr Olympia he had achieved some level of fame through the body-building documentary Pumping Iron in 1977, where he infamously smoked marijuana. Several years before that, his first film role had seen him take the lead, under the name Arnold Strong, in Hercules in New York (1969). One of the funniest bad movies of all time, it did little for his career at the time, and until Conan the Barbarian, other film and TV roles mainly consisted of bit parts, playing heavies and body builders.

It was his starring role in Pumping Iron that brought Schwarzenegger to the attention of Hollywood, and a property was sought out that would suit his particular screen presence, ideally a role that needed an imposing physique and little in the way of dialogue. The Conan Marvel comic book series, based on the fantasy novels by Robert E. Howard, with its highly stylish depictions of this towering, muscle-bound hero, provided the inspiration and a script was developed. That process took four years, and included a major rewrite by Oliver Stone.

The story, evidently based on Viking culture and mythology, depicts the evils committed by a snake cult lead by the messianic Thulsa Doom (James Earl Jones). He makes the mistake of killing everyone in young Conan's village, including his parents. Conan and the other children are put into a life of back-breaking slavery. Young Conan grows up to be the hugely over-developed Arnold Schwarzenegger. His muscles do not go unnoticed, as he's soon put to work as a gladiator, stabbing, gouging and pummelling those brave or unlucky enough to be put into the ring with him. Eventually he manages to secure his freedom, and goes on a quest to find the cult that killed his parents. Along the way he has sex with a witch, makes friends with foxy warrior Valeria (former dancer Sandahl Bergman, who performed all her own stunts) and thief Subotai, and learns that Thulsa Doom has taken the King's daughter. With the King financing his quest, he sets off into the desert (Almeria, Spain, a location seen in hundreds of films, but perhaps best known for The Good, The Bad and The Ugly) to confront Doom and his bloodthirsty minions.

Character actor G.D. Spradlin, who portrayed gruff, no-nonsense tough guys, died last week at the age of 90. Spradlin had a a commanding screen presence and his most memorable roles include a corrupt U.S. senator in The Godfather Part II and the U.S. Army general who sends Captain Willard on his secret mission to kill Colonel Kurtz in Apocalypse Now. For more click here

Netrflix, the popular American company that rents DVDs by mail and allows streamikng of thousands of titles, has seen its once-vaunted customer service policies plummet. Netflix has done away with its most popular pricing plan, thus raising costs to customers. They have compounded the error by sending loyal customers E mail nofitications that some considered to be rudely worded. Click here for more

The label Buysoundtrax has released James Horner's score for Roger Corman's 1980 sci-fi movie Battle Beyond the Stars as a limited edition CD. The film starred Richard Thomas, Robert Vaughn and George Peppard. Only 1,000 CDs have been pressed. Click here to order from Film Score Monthly,. 

COWBOYS AND ALIENS, REAL STEEL, FRIGHT NIGHT, CONAN, PIXAR,

THE MUPPETS, AARDMAN ANIMATION and STAR WARS

Confirmed so far for Empire Presents BIG SCREEN

30^th June 2011, London, UK – Bauer Media and Clarion Events are thrilled to unveil the plans for the most exciting movie event of the year as, Empire Presents....BIG SCREEN confirms just a taste of its amazing line-up.

With a choice of over 250 incredible things to do, including a chance to meet the stars, see live performances, a feast of premieres, exclusive screenings, worldwide debuts of new film footage, movie master classes, never before seen glimpses behind the world’s biggest films, Empire Presents ... BIG SCREEN truly promises something for movie fans of all ages.

The movie extravaganza is being backed by all the big studios including Paramount Pictures, Walt Disney Pictures, Twentieth Century Fox, Sony Pictures, Marvel Studios, Warner Bros Pictures, Universal Pictures, Optimum Releasing, Pixar, Momentum Pictures, Lionsgate and Icon - and promises never before seen access to the inner workings of Hollywood and the biggest names in movies.

The star studded movie extravaganza which runs from 12^th-14^th August at the 02 will open with the eagerly awaited UK premiere of Paramount Pictures’ Cowboys & Aliens with the cast of the film in attendance. The film, which is directed by Jon Favreau, (Iron Man, Iron Man 2) stars Daniel Craig and Harrison Ford and is tipped to be one of the hottest films of the year. As well as the star studded premiere, there will be special screenings on Friday, Saturday and Sunday - audiences will truly be able to see it first and exclusively at BIG SCREEN.

And for Star Wars™ fans everywhere, attendees will hear from key members of the team from Industrial Light and Magic as they take us on a journey behind the scenes of the beloved films while revealing new content which will be found in the upcoming release of Star Wars: The Complete Saga on Blu-ray.  Visitors will also have a special opportunity to be photographed on part of a replica Star Wars set and take part in the Star Wars: Padawan Training School, a must for would-be Jedi everywhere!

Empire Presents BIG SCREEN is also delighted to announce that the coveted spot of closing night film has been confirmed as the UK premiere of DreamWorks Pictures’ Fright Night. The fangtastic movie stars Colin Farrell. David Tennant, who co-stars in the movie, will be there in person to welcome fans.

Audiences will be thrilled that, courtesy of Sony Pictures and Sony Pictures Animation, the geniuses behind the iconic Wallace And Gromit will be present to introduce highlights from their two brilliant new blockbusters Arthur Christmas and The Pirates! In An Adventure With Scientists and demonstrate first-hand how they bring these incredible characters to life.

The many exclusive screenings will also feature a chance for audiences to see before anyone else a host of huge upcoming blockbusters. Already confirmed are a very special screening of the much anticipated film adaptation of the phenomenal New York Times best seller The Help courtesy of DreamWorks Pictures, future comedy smash The Change-Up, starring Ryan Reynolds and Jason Bateman, courtesy of Universal Pictures; 5-star Empire reviewed new film The Guard followed by a Q&A with director John Martin McDonagh, and a screening of the refreshingly original new horror movie from Norway, TrollHunter, also supported with a cast Q&A. And Lionsgate will have an exciting presence with the eagerly awaited Conan The Barbarian 3D and will reveal all at a later date.

Audiences will get to see exclusive sneak peaks of a huge array of forthcoming blockbusters, including the likes of Guillermo Del Toro-produced horror Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark: James Cameron’s Titanic 3D, the Justin Timberlake sci-fi In Time, Alien invasion movie The Darkest Hour and horror-thriller Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter. While fans of huge home-grown talent will be treated to exclusive footage from Daniel Radcliffe’s up-coming ghostly hit The Woman in Black and a sneak peak at the hugely anticipated adaption of John Le Carre’s Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy starring Gary Oldman and Colin Firth.

Indeed, the weekend offers something for everyone with everything from animal shows starring the world’s most loved furry movie stars, to an exclusive performance by celebrated dance group Flawless who will be teaching fans a routine from Street Dance, to demonstrations by the industry’s most respected visual effects houses.

We are delighted to announce that the director of Real Steel, Shawn Levy (Night at the Museum, Date Night), will be attending in person to present a sneak peek from the October 7th release. In addition to showing footage from the movie, Shawn will also be discussing the amazing techniques he used in bringing the movie to the big screen. It promises to be a hugely entertaining experience, with the chance to see one of Hollywood’s top directors describing in person how he created what promises to be one of the most thrilling movies of the year.

Guests will delight at the industry’s greatest animators Pixar unveiling To Infinity And Beyond: Celebrating 25 Years of Pixar Animation Studios - a celebratory screening of all of the Pixar films and shorts, which will include a preview of the next film Brave. They can also enjoy a special satellite conversation with The Muppets who are going to reveal a clip of Disney’s The Muppets not out in cinemas until February 2012.

In addition, each of the three days of this incredible event will feature a SECRET SCREENING of a hotly anticipated forthcoming movie.

And if that taster of what is to come, isn’t enough to whet appetites, BIG SCREEN will also boast a range of themed screens and areas, offering some amazing treats for all types of film fan.

Visitors will have the chance to enjoy some of their favourite films on the big screen as part of THE MODERN GREATS SCREEN. Screenings will range from classics such as Apocalypse Now to Clerks (celebrating its 15^th anniversary, to Stand By Me (celebrating its 25^th anniversary), to the Scream trilogy, Sin City and Dark Star.

In addition, The London Film Museum, the only museum of its kind in Great Britain, will be showcasing some of the most iconic movie costumes ever seen including the Bourne Ultimatum, Highlander, Ali G Inda House, Indiana Jones, Golden Compass, Johnny English and Conan, as well as costumes worn by Peter Sellers, Christopher Lee and Sir Alec Guiness. There will also be a stunning displays of props from various film and television shows including Thunderbirds, Merlin, Borrowers and Doctor Who.

Small Screen will preview the best in top class TV shows from the US and UK, including panels from the show’s makers and stars.

In Conversation With… offers film fans the chance to hear stories from a huge array of movie legends including the world’s greatest stunt man Vic Armstrong - whose 80 credits span from Indiana Jones, to Superman to James Bond, as well as the artists behind The Making Of Alien, which goes behind the scenes of one of the greatest movie series ever created.

How They Do It offers a masterclass from the likes of premier film composer and musical director David Arnold whose credits include five of the James Bond films and. And with BIG SCREEN’S Pitch Your Movie competition audiences can try out for our ‘X-Factor of movie pitching’ in front of a panel of the industry’s biggest names.

Comic-Book World includes a discussion with comic book genius Mark Millar, creator of Kick Ass and the man who brought Spider-Man, Superman and Captain America into the 21^st century. And you can join renowned author and Empire critic Kim Newman in his Chamber Of Horrors, where he hosts three days of horrors screenings, Q&As and signings including screenings of Quatermass And The Pit and Don’t Look Now, as well as panels on the history of the iconic British studio, Hammer Studios and the eternal fascination with Dracula.

And finally, Empire Comes Alive! offers a humorous and interactive opportunity to see the magazine brought to life. Legendary features such as How Much Is A Pint of Milk? And Movie Mastermind will be brought to the stage with special guest appearances and the chance to give your views to the critics.

This is just a taste of the truly amazing line-up that awaits fans this August. Over the coming weeks more will be revealed including details on further premieres, screenings and events. Whether it be a movie spectacular in the Special Effects Arena, master classes with world renowned filmmakers or the chance to get up close and personal with Hollywood’s biggest stars – there will be something for everyone, big and small.

Nicola Gunstone, Group Show Director of Empire Presents BIG SCREEN and Stuart Williams, Managing Director of Live Events & Strategic Partnerships at Bauer Media commented: “We are delighted to be working together on the most exciting live movie event seen in London to date. This three day ground-breaking event provides an exciting extension to the Empire brand and offers a unique experience to movie fans in the UK and Europe”.

For all additional information go to: http://www.empirebigscreen.com

 

Several days ago, maverick director Francis Ford Coppola appeared at Comic-Con and presented clips from his new independent film TWIXT, a bizarre chiller starring Val Kilmer and Bruce Dern. Coppola is experimenting with new technology that will allow audiences to see sequences in 3-D without having to use cumbersome glasses. Click here for more

It may look like the pre-credits sequence from Octopussy, but this mini-plane is actually more closely related to The Man With the Golden Gun.

By Lee Pfeiffer

One of the few saving graces of the dreadful 1974 James Bond film The Man With the Golden Gun was the introduction of a novel concept: a flying car driven by the villain Scaramanga (Christopher Lee). It took 37 years but once again, technology has caught up with another 007-inspired invention. There is now an actual flying car that is due to be approved for both flying and street driving in the UK. The downside? It will set you back a cool £155,000, so unless your name happens to be Auric it will probably be out of your price range. Then again if petrol prices in the UK keep skyrocketing, this may actually prove to be a prudent investment to take to your local grocery market. For more click here

20th Century Fox took out this ad in the trade papers in August 1960 to advertise forthcoming major productions including John Wayne's North To Alaska, Marilyn Monroe in Let's Make Love and The Innocents. Note that at the time Fox was going to produce George Stevens' production of The Greatest Story Ever Told. However, the agreement went awry. The movie would not be made until several years later when United Artists backe the film. Also, the ad says Elizabeth Taylor has arrived in Europe to begin production on Cleopatra. Little did Fox executives realize that the film would be aborted, the footage mostly scrapped and major roles recast before resuming again- and becoming the most expensive film made until that time.

The golden age of the drive-in movie theater may be long gone, but audiences are wild about watching flicks in the great outdoors. Click here for the best places to indulge in this movie lover's pasttime.

Helen Mirren: from The Queen to the remake of Arthur.

In a column for the web site Grantland, writer Lane Brown takes some prominent actors to task for tarnishing their once-vaunted status as Oscar winners by appearing in lousy movies in return for a quick pay check. Among those in the Hall of Shame: Anthony Hopkins, Helen Mirren, Frances McDormand, Julia Roberts, Tom Hanks and old reliable Nicolas Cage, who bravely paved the way for trashing one's once formidible reputation. Click here for the list of cinematic crimes committed by these offenders.

Screenwriter Michael B. Gordon, who wrote the script for 300, is turning back to ancient times to bring a new version of the 1960 Kirk Douglas/Stanley Kubrick classic Spartacus to the big screen. Gordon promises this one will be "less fictionalized". Sure, but let's see him recreate those astounding epic sequences without relying on today's cheesy CGI effects. For more click here

There is a prequel to the classic sci-fi film The Thing that will be hitting theaters in December. I have an inherent prejudice that nothing will ever top John Carpenter's 1980s remake of the original 1950s film. The new film has a relatively no-name cast compared to the inspired casting for Carpenter's movie  but that doesn't mean it might not be a good chiller in its own right. Click here for trailer - Lee Pfeiffer