There was a time when you couldn't invite Leonard Nimoy and Mr. Spock to the same cocktail party. The iconic actor was fed up with being associated with the legendary role. However, he's had a change of heart at age 78. Bolstered by the great buzz on director J.J. Arbram's new Trek film in which Nimoy makes a cameo, he says he would strongly consider any request to play the character again in any future installments. For more click here

By Lee Pfeiffer

More proof of how devoid Hollywood is when it comes to original ideas. The rumor we reported many months ago is apparently going to become a reality.Not only will Screen Gems remake Sam Peckinpah's 1971 classic Straw Dogs, but the story will be completely Americanized. This is sure to set off more fireworks between England and the USA than that little dust-up between us that took place around 1776. In Peckinpah's original, based on the novel The Siege at Trencher's Farm, Dustin Hoffman and Susan George played a young city couple who resettle to a small cottage in a quaint British village. They soon finds themselves terrorized by clannish locals. The wife is raped and the husband, a mild man by nature, finds himself in a brutal battle to protect his property and his dignity. The film caused a great deal of controversy at the time due to its depiction of violence and sex - and the debatable observation that the Susan George character encourages and enjoys rape. James Marsden will star in the new version, directed by Rod Lurie. The story will find the couple resettling from Hollywood to the American south (yawn), where the mayhem will occur. What made the original so compelling was Peckinpah's ability to make an outwardly charming country village seem like a strange and terrifying place. The British locations were essential in establishing why the Hoffman character, an American ex-pat, feels so completely out of place. Keeping the locations in the remake restricted to American soil undermines the very premise. Filming on the remake begins in August. It's appropriate that Screen Gems will front this project. After all, they gave us those Three Stooges films for years. For more on the remake click here

(For a review of author Jeff Slater's excellent Peckinpah biography, Entered His House Justified, click here)

The Warner Brothers Archive has earned the enthusiastic support of classic and cult movie fans, as the new site allows consumers to special order DVDs of films not available through other commercial outlets. The studio has just released a new batch of titles, primarily from the 1930s and 1940s, with plenty more on the way. Best of all, if you reference the code on the above banner during checkout, you'll get a free DVD of your choice if you buy two others. Click on the banner to visit the site.

What films would you like to see Warner Brothers release in the future through the Archive site? Let us know and we'll convey your requests to the studio.

RETRO-ACTIVE: THE BEST FROM THE CINEMA RETRO ARCHIVES

In our never-ending quest to locate obscure/bizarre film mementos, we came across a true rarity. While researching our recent articles on Fox's The Sand Pebbles, we were able to obtain this unusual studio promotional item that was given to members of the cast and crew of the film when they were filming in Taiwan in 1965. This is a gold-plated pencil case with the film logo on it, along with the notation that it was "Filmed in Free China", a smug reference the on-going Cold War tensions with Red China which at that time was not allowing western film productions to film on their soil. By the way, if web site traffic is any indication, it would appear that Fox's forthcoming restored roadshow version of the film will be a major hit. Cinema Retro has logged a tremendous number of hits for our coverage of the Steve McQueen-starrer. Now if only we can locate those gold-plated lemons given to the cast and crew of Ishtar!

The New York Times just criticized Russell Crowe for being among those leading men who have allowed themselves to go to seed in terms of weight-watching. Crowe had intentionally put on a great deal of weight for his role in last year's Body of Lies and had problems slimming down again. However, the first photos from the set of his new Robin Hood movie indicate the actor has indeed shed a good many pounds - though not before replacing Sienna Miller with Cate Blanchett as Maid Marian because he intially doubted his ability to lose weight and feared looking silly in the sack with rail-thin Sienna. The film reunites Crowe (who is producing ) with director Ridley Scott and the cast includes Vanessa Redgrae and William Hurt.  The film, originally titled Nottingham, has been re-titled to the bland and unimaginative Robin Hood. For more click here

In the latter part of their careers, Marlon Brando and Orson Welles took a lot of heat for allowing themselves to bloat to zeppelin-sized proportions. Today, however, either man might have passed for a sex symbol. The New York Times says that current male superstars are more portly than ever - and that audiences seem completely tolerant of their "more to love" physical appearance. Leonardo DiCaprio, Russell Crowe, John Travolta and Denzel Washington are among those cited as losing the battle with middle-aged girth. Women aren't immune, but in a cruel irony, the industry routinely denies sizable roles to mddle aged actresses, so we rarely get to see if nature wreaks havoc on them. For more click here

Did you know that YouTube offers dozens of feature films and shorts for free viewing? The movies range from art house films to major studio releases like Carrie and Cliffhanger. For a link to the movies page click here

Here's a catchy new version of the song Deep, Deep Down from Mario Bava's Danger:Diabolik by Mike Patton's Mondo Cane. Check it out by clicking here

By Lee Pfeiffer

Attention all middle-aged men! The next time your boss tries to intimidate you by reminding you of how precarious your job is, you can tell him where to go and follow in the steps of Shigeo Tokuda, who - at age 59- made a radical change in his career. No, he didn't run away to join the circus, but his new job sometimes does involve use of a whip and a chair. Tokuda, now 75 years old, is a living legend in Japan, where he is considered a pop culture hero by the nation's rapidly-aging population which finds inspiration in his abilities. At an age where many guys define "getting it up" as meaning the enema bag, Tokuda continues to rise to the occasion, making films with women younger than his daughter. It gives a whole new meaning to "I gave at the office". To read more click here 

Sir Michael Caine says that his latest role - that of a dying magician in Is Anybody There? - is one of the best of his career - and critics agree. The two-time Oscar winner is reaping praise that equates this role with the best he has ever played. Caine muses about his longevity in a recent interview and says money no longer inspires him - only a good script does. He says if another good script doesn't come along, he's content to retire without fanfare and -like an old soldier - just "fade away". For more click here

Mamma Mia! may be one of the highest grossing musicals of all time, but Bjorn Ulvaes, one of the founding band members of Abba, thinks the proposal for a sequel is one he's willing to take a chance on. Ulvaes thinks the concept of continuing the story wouldn't work from a creative standpoint. Meanwhile, other key creative members of the first film are enthused about the prospect. For more click here

Warner Brothers is backing a remake of Ray Harryhausen's Clash of the Titans and has attracted some first rate talent to the project. Liam Neeson (in his first role since the tragic death of his wife Natasha Richardson) will star as Zeus and Ralph Fiennes will play his enemy, Hades. Two alumni of recent James Bond films will also be in the cast: Mads Mikkelsen (Casino Royale) and Gemma Arterton (Quantum Of Solace). For more, click here

We got an E mail today from director Joe Dante and it inspired us to remind our new readers of Joe's fantastic web site, Trailers from Hell. The unique aspect of the site is that Dante and other prominent writers and filmmakers run vintage trailers from classic and cult movies with the commentator giving an overview of the film and interesting background facts. Consider it as a capsule special edition DVD. We should warn you, however, that there is no such thing as a brief visit to Trailers from Hell. You'll almost certainly be tempted to spend quite some time searching through and playing trailers and listening to the amusing and informative commentaries. Like Cinema Retro, the films that are covered are wildly eclectic. If you thought Retro was far out for including  tributes to Don Knotts and Sam Peckinpah in the same issue, consider that on Trailers from Hell, you can see the original coming attractions for Fred Astaire in The Band Wagon and Fred Williamson in Boss Nigger! Meanwhile, check out director Michael Lehman's insightful analysis of the 1971 Paddy Chayefsky satire The Hospital starring George C. Scott by clicking here. (See Cinema Retro issues #11 and 12)

Pete Emlsie, our favorite "Cartoonist of the Stars" pays tribute to the great Jim Garner on his 81st birthday. (Garner's in good company - it's also the birth date of Francis Ford Coppola and Russell Crowe.) Visit Pete's web site The Cartoon Cave for more on Garner and film clip from one of his best movies, The Americanization of Emily. (Did you know it was shot under the title Emily? The Americanization of....was added at the last minute). 

By Lee Pfeiffer

Last week, I was invited to join the members of the Metropolitan Society for their monthly gala dinner in Fairfield, New Jersey. The Metropolitan Society is the premiere private cigar club in New Jersey, formed to allow free-thinking adults to smoke their stogies without bothering with any "pain in the ass innocent bystanders" (as The Godfather's Clemenza might say). During the festivities I was introduced to Tommy Z, a dyed-in-the-wool Cinema Retro reader who recently started his own web site, PlanetZMan. He gave me a brief tour and I was greatly impressed. In an age of political correctness, Tommy Z is fighting back against the forces of do-gooders who are determined to save us from ourselves. You know, the kind of people who are terrified that somewhere, somehow, somebody might be having a good time. Tommy's web site is an addictive blend of every politically incorrect angle you can think of: from the joys of rolling cigars to an homage to the wonderful world of cleavage. While the site is clearly geared to straight males who think even Sam Peckinpah was a bit too "touchy, feely", it's clear that almost anyone from any walk of life will appreciate Tommy's humorous takes on life. (I particularly love his editorial denouncing political correctness in today's cartoons.) Do yourself a favor and check it out by clicking here

Here is the restricted version of the trailer for Sacha Baron Cohen's new film Bruno. As in Borat, Cohen has adopted an outrageous alter-ego - in this case, a flamboyantly gay man- and attempts to intermingle with everyday Americans. The trailer has all the ingredients one would expect in terms of being offensive to some segment of the population. It mocks Madonna for her adoptions of African children, visits a swinger's colony and a dominatrix and causes havoc on the catwalks of the fashion industry. Bruno is also seen asking his self defense instructor how one can protect themselves from being attacked with a dildo. How much of all this is real and how much is staged remains to be seen, but Cohen did cause a number of sensational scandals last year when his antics disrupted fashion shows. To view the trailer click here

Britain's Sun tabloid newspaper is harshly critical of Prime Minister Gordon Brown's policies, especially his economic plan, as unveiled at this week's G-20 Summit in London. Regardless of where you stand politically, you have to appreciate the typically sensationalistic way the tabloid catches the eyes of readers. In this case, morphing the PM into the guise of Austin Powers' nemesis Dr. Evil. We doubt Mr. Brown gives too much credence to the paper, which generally concentrates on scandals among game show contestants. However, it could put a crimp in his plan to arm the Royal Navy with ill-tempered sea bass. -Lee Pfeiffer

Sponsored by the Metropolitan Society, New Jersey's finest private club for cigar lovers. For more information, click on the logo above.

R.W. Goodwin, executive producer ofThe X Files, has long been obsessed with the classic schlock sci-fi films of the 1950s. This week, he will premiere his new film Alien Trespass, an intentionally low-budget ($5 million) Canadian homage to that genre. It looks very amusing - complete with screaming teenagers running out of a theater showing The Blob. Our only suggestion is that he should have shot it in b&w. Click here for more and to view the trailer.  

Director Guy Ritchie promises that his forthcoming film version of Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes will be true to the spirit of the books. However, old A.C. Doyle would probably do cartwheels in his grave if he got the same sneak peek that theater owners did of the new film, which will be released at Christmas. In Ritchie's version, Holmes (played by Robert Downey Jr.) is a far cry from previous screen incarnations of the great sleuth. For one, he is a man of action and fisticuffs, very much at home in a boxing ring. He also sports a buff body with a six-pack mid section and is prone to kinky dalliances. In one scene screened in the sneak preview, Holmes finds himself handcuffed naked to a bed. (Well, that's happened a few times to all of us, hasn't it?) For more click here